A Card for Today -- The Empress (III)

The Empress (III)

When I started this blog back in 2017, I decided to use Blogger because it was already integrated with my Google account. I also made the decision to force myself to use Google Sites out of the same "convenience" (and it's the platform we are using at my work, so it had practical applications toward further educating myself on Google's apps). My objective in "simplifying things" (as opposed to third party hosting, paying for more robust developer shit, and so on), was to just focus on self-publishing my various creative writing projects and not get caught up in coding/scripting. Despite my good intentions that were very logical and sensible, things didn't pan out the way I imagined, life moved on, and several years later I had accomplished nothing in regard to self-publishing--however, I did discover tarot/oracle. (Incidentally, this coincided with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.) A co-worker and friend led me to this path, and I'm very appreciative for the synchronicity that resulted in my new found interest. 

I haven't really delved into this topic yet. As I explained in my "A New Beginning" (7/30/22) blog entry, this is the starting point, so I haven't had much time to "officially launch" a bunch of pre-prepared content. And honestly, I think that would be counter to the energy I'm working with this time around. It's more about development and growth as I make my way on this journey, so this kind of raw, unpolished inception point seems to make sense. 

That said, considering I've decided to branch out and offer to do readings outside of the close knit circle of family, friends and co-workers, it would certainly be useful to provide some details regarding how this works. I don't have time to do that right here and now, but I promise I will be following up with this information. In the meantime, my contact email is on the JFManning.com home page, and you can use that to contact me if you have questions about obtaining a tarot/oracle reading. 

And this brings me to the tarot card I pulled in relation to this blog entry. At this point I've been collecting tarot and oracle decks for two years, and as a result I have a fairly robust collection of decks that I actively use and select from. Sometimes I know what deck I want to work with, but often I like to leave it up to The Universe to make a recommendation. One of the ways I typically do this is by rolling dice. This resulted in the Centennial Smith-Waite Tarot, which is now a US Games product that features the tarot created by A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith way back in 1909. What is notable about this particular deck is it is a thicker, higher quality cardstock than the standard "yellow box" Rider Tarot (has the Magician on the box) that is very well known (also US Games).

In regard to card selection, again this varies significantly depending on the situation. Impromptu cards, top/bottom cards, etc. etc.--there are many ways that cards present themselves, but most typically it's just a matter of shuffling and "feeling" them surface. For example, The Empress card separated itself as I was cutting the deck with the intention of rifle shuffling once again. I sensed it was the card that was meant to come out, and was thrilled to see the Empress when I flipped it over and placed it on the table.

I'm not goin provide an in-depth analysis of the Empress here because that would be beyond the scope of this brief blog entry. There are literally hundreds (probably thousands) of other websites out there with information about the Empress (I personally like to use BiddyTarot.com). The Empress is the third card in the Major Arcana, and as Smith has portrayed, she is the quintessential Queen of the Universe. She is the Goddess of Nature, and carries the energy of Venus/Aphrodite. There's all kinds of astrological significance here, but that isn't my area, so I'll leave that to the experts who focus on that side of the tarot. I am personally much more comfortable with numerology, and this number three card speaks to things like the blooming energy of new beginnings. This is a card of emotional flow and creative energy, and all of this is extremely relevant to exactly what I'm doing right now. In other words, in a way this is Spirit giving me a high five for actually following through with working on this project by writing another blog entry that probably nobody will read. Now I just need to keep holding up my end of the  bargain...

Minimal Progress... But at Least a Forward Step

PROGRESS UPDATE -- Not much. This is basically the first opportunity I've had to return here since 7/30/22. It has been a busy month so far, and I don't see that changing anytime soon considering all the filled-in spots on my work and personal calendars. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what needs to be done, but actually doing it is another matter. Admittedly, it's a bit overwhelming if I think in terms of everything that needs to be addressed--starting with creating a new template for my Google Sites home page (in the meantime, I did implement an update to a temporary banner that is a slight improvement). Then there are the external media sites, such as Twitter. I actually kind of like Twitter (everybody else seems to hate it), but I'm terrible at staying tuned in (to any social media, not just Twitter), so my account is sadly out of date and basically useless for promotional efforts at this time. I created a Wattpad account (apparently way back in 2015), and subsequently did absolutely nothing with it. The worst part is I have literally thousands of pages of fiction and poetry that I could be self-publishing, but realistically, "self-publishing" takes a considerable amount of time (I think a lot of people don't realize just how time consuming it actually is). This is also particularly true if you like to endlessly scrutinize the editorial side of things, and are perpetually dissatisfied with how "finished" a literary work actually is. My writing portfolio is in a perpetual state of "near final draft". Besides, I have a real job during the day, so it's not like I can spend all my time occupying myself with hobbies. But, I guess this is just excuses. Maybe I should be doing a better job of time management in the evenings and on the weekends? That seems straightforward, but the grass isn't getting any shorter, and the dog is shedding all over the house (domestic chores don't just do themselves). Anyway, the main this is now I have this desire to start creating tarot/oracle content, and this is something I'm currently actively engaged in--but again, creating pick-a-pile videos and informational blog entries is time consuming. This represents something I really want to do, but when do I have time? It's a vicious cycle. Regardless of my difficulty with moving forward, the bottom line is I need to get some relevant content added to my media channels. And in this regard, I felt compelled to follow through with my promise to myself to at least post a blog entry every week. I don't think this is asking too much of myself. If nothing else, it serves as a good reminder of the things that need to be addressed. And, I can count this as an effort. ;-) I guess the main thing is just taking a step forward--even if it is a very feeble, short one that only gets me a tiny bit further down the road after an entire week (a week-plus--if I'm being completely honest). If I keep chipping away at it with a little effort here and there, I'm certain that at some point in the distant future I'll be able to look back in satisfaction on all that I've completed.

~ Jay