What comes after a little progress in Tarot readings?

It is great for me to report that I have made some little progresses in deciding time during my taort readings. Some friends of mine may already know that I developed the I-Ching spread to overcome the limitations of Tarot readings concerning different time and locations. Most people do not understand the technical side of reading for the future. In the Chinese tradition the information would be divided into four categories: personal partnership, money, off-springs, and fame. Another way to organize the information is also set in four categories: people, events, time, and locations.

In the past I have made an important break-through in reading for time and locations in my I-Ching spread for Tarot. Just recently the inspiration has come to me that there is another way to improve the reading accuracy of the information about time. It was certainly a nice surprise since I was a bit burned out dealing with Tarot and decided to take a short break from it. Soon afterwards the idea came to me all of a sudden and I would have to check the method over through time and practice in the near future.

I always believes that the more spiritual blessings one gets, the more duties and obligations one should take into consideration. After all, there are a lot of karmic effects which come from the information concerning anyone's life and the choices made for the better or worse in the future. A lot of fortune tellers thinks very little of the weight their advices might carry. It is definitely not any simple or light matter. One should give as much caution and care as possible when give others advices about their future. Careless and thoughtless predictions, on top of false sense of authority from those who assign themselves as messengers of God, would in no way bring anyone a good understanding of reality and what could be the right things to do for it.

This mercury retrograde was followed by the full moon, which was proven to bring harsh news for me and some of my friends persoanlly. I have been worned about the coming eclipses coming on July 7, 2009. Although unsure of what is eventually going to happen, I am certain it will push many people into the second half of the year in a big way, me included. The second half of this year, in my opinion, is surely going to be in the fast pace for a lot of people, since the first half brings most guys plenty of setbacks...

Mercury retrograde in May and the Lunar eclipse in July...

As the month of May is getting close, the Mercury retrograde that would be very close to the full moon will become the focus of many people's life. Life in a regular month cycle usually follows the changing energy and phases of the moon; therefore whatever coincide with focus points of the moon energy cycles --- the new moon and the full moon --- would definitely get a strong boost of the energy and people are going to feel the greater effects of such events from the astrology point of view.

Two months later in July we will have the lunar eclipse coming at the full moon. For a friend of mine who has been going through a lot of tough matters during the recent full moon periods I am afraid it is going to bring him more shock and personal issues to deal with. Also this lunar eclipse in July falls on the birthday of a very close friend of mine in USA. Let's just say it would surely bring a lot of different matters to the surface for further examination and improvement.

After starting my Tarot reading business it has been going quite slow, probably due to the service fees which are set in the middle to high ranges. I would think that it is for the best as I do not want to deal with people who just want to check things out while they have nothing else better to do at the time. It is a serious matter for me to read Tarot and give life related advices for people in need. I have rejected a couple of guys who just want a free sample of my Tarot services over the MSN chat. I have thought long and hard about charging for reading Tarot, and it has to be this way so people would not take the information lightly since they have paid a decent price.

Due to the modern education they receive, most young people I run into do not know how to respect and appreciate the art of Tarot, or any other spiritual practices. Some think it as bunch of nonsense that only the uneducated fools would buy into. Others, while might believe in its true nature and power, get to rely upon it too much for almost everything they do in life. I tend to take it as just some different information that could be helpful for people who are in a difficult period in their life. What I learn about the truth in life tells me there is no free lunch after all. Every decision one makes is upon certain compromises given away. The art of life planning and management is to understand what to give for what is taken, not to get the best one desires and "beat the game". The latter would be known as manipulation, which never brings anything decent or beneficial in the long run.

One misunderstanding of Tarot that is made by most is to think it as pulling a card in the deck (or only in the 22 major arcana cards) and reading it to see the future. This is due to the shallow depth of the people who practice Tarot in Taiwan. I always would explain how important a spread is for people who are serious of learning Tarot. The learning curve of Tarot is not hard at all, but such over-simplification would lose the depth in the meaning of the cards. Furthermore, would anyone take the advice of life seriously if it comes from readers who can read just one card by memorizing the books?

Pick a Tarot deck + book combination...

As we all know there are many decks and books for studying Tarot. However some of them are not quite as good as others. I personally would recommend the Universal Waite Deck for beginners because it is a very good modern update of the original Rider Waite Tarot images for the beginners. There are many good books that teach how to do readings using the Rider Waite deck or the Universal Waite deck.

Some of the great books for beginners in English are shown above. The last one is specially listed for the Chinese students. It is a book and deck combination that basically gives the Chinese book away for free. For those students in Asia who think of getting a cheaper deck printed in China or Taiwan, I would seriously advice against such practices because the decks made in USA usually are MUCH MUCH BETTER in quality. They have better a feeling of touch and can surely last longer. Believe me they would definitely worth the differences in prices.

I would for sure use the book and deck combination as my text book and deck for teaching Tarot in Taiwan. For those who want to get to learn more about the essence of Tarot I would recommend the two books above. If one ever heard of "Path Working" and would want to do the work, the book by Dr. Robert Wang is surely the BEST guidebook I know of. Sorry for those who can not read English, though. It is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to get onto a higher level of Tarot studies.

Personally I will set three levels of understanding in Tarot. The first level just know how to read the cards and predict the future. They might be excellent Tarot card readers (and yes, there are many good readers in this level who can give better readings than anything I can ever dream of), but they really just know how to use the cards and maybe some know a little bit more on Tarot card spreads. Unfortunately in Taiwan and many parts of Asia even some of the very good readers know very little about the Tarot card spreads. Due to the lack of studying materials in Asian languages most of the good readers can not improve themselves other than doing their best to give readings.

The second level of Tarot practitioners knows about the design of spreads and also the knowledge of path working, which is the essence of using Tarot in western style magic rituals. The third level would understand the connections between Tarot and the western spiritual practice traditions, what are the karmic effects of studying Tarot, and how to use it for spiritual improvements. I believe most of the spiritual knowledge from Tarot (which I also believe is the knowledge of the Piscesean Age) is already lost as a matter of the modern development of the new religion of the Aquarian Age --- what we all know as "science".

It is my goal to pass the torch to the coming generations to further enhance the Tarot studies. I myself have taken the path of buddhism but I feel the knowledge has to be passed on. Leaving clues on my blog can be a good way of setting the records for future Tarot practitioners. To be honest people can always study the books listed and obtain the same knowledge I have gained over the years. For those who would not bother themselves to do all that hard work they could simply take my courses, which are surely worthwhile if we take the time and work done into consideration. Until then I guess I would still stand alone on the hill as the Hermit waiting on my final time to come...

Getting the name card done...

After a long time of reviewing and hesitating, I finally got the name card of my Tarot reading business done. However it might be a while for me to start reading Tarot for people professionally. Considering what people expect and what might come from Tarot, I probably still need some time to ease myself into the business.

The responsibility of predicting the future is greater than what most people would expect. The karmic effects really bother me enough to stay on the semi-professional side of the business. It might be for the best for myself and others. I just gave a cruel but direct reading for a friend of mine. Honestly I do not think people are ready for the true information from Tarot anyway.

Well so there it is. I will take a step into the field with caution. Hopefully it would not be something that brings me regrets in the future. Maybe everything can finally be settled with karma and time. I will have to think about whether it will be possible to get into the business and make the world a much better place...

Mysterious Tower...

I have dreamed Mom and Grandma (who passed away a few years ago) waving their hands at me and a friend from MI, USA (Max). In the dream everything happened in MI. Max and I went upstairs to meet them but in the end of the dream we went for the shop next to where they stayed on. It is a bit worrisome because it is considered a sign of going away to another world if seeing some relatives who have crossed over.

Also I have been seeing the TOWER card showing in several of my readings. It could be quite unnerving. I really hope it would be something personal for me to grow from, but not something involving anyone else. Again only time would tell.

Even though I have not planned to start a relationship for the rest of my life, obviously the cupid had something different in his mind. After months of dating, I have decided to begin a journey in life with that special someone, who also commits himself on the path of Buddhism. I do not know how the future would bring us, but I am willing to take a leap of faith and go along with what karma has brought around. To my surprise, I have gained the benefits of holding the five basic precepts better. Therefore I am really thankful for the kindness life has granted me. :P

As the current world turns on the rough side for each and everyone involved, let's do the best we can according to the great teachings from the people of wisdom in the past --- to conserve and cherish the human life we have worked so hard in the past lives to obtain. We will only receive from what we put out, so let's start to improve our own spirits and achieve personal growth for the better. The universe has to be improved one person at a time. ;)

Solar Eclipse on the 1st day of Lunar New Year...

It has been a while for me to write on the blog. Not much has been going on other than the economy downturn and all. However there is a solar eclipse on the first day of the lunar new year. This is the most interesting event in the recent astrology calendar.

Since this eclipse has fallen on the first day of the lunar new year (Chinese new year), many local specialists predict that there will be a lot of sorrow during the new year of 2009. Meanwhile we have been under a Mercury retrograde. The sun represents the future of the self and soul. When it is blocked by the moon (past/emotion) during the Mercury retrograde, it will probably bring many people a way to look back into their life and find a new way to move onto the future.

This is my first year to stay in Taipei instead of staying home. I am very curious of what to do during the holidays. I decide to choose Tarot cards: the Sun and the Moon to reflect the most impressive astrology event in the lunar new year. The third card I choose is the page of pentacles from the reading I did. We will wait to see what the new year brings for every one involved...

Fall into Winter...

The November full moon has caused me to have more vivid dreams. They were hard to interpret but I would rather think they were signs for a better future. Due to the busy swimming schedule I have had little time to come back and write on my blog. Also I would like to put more depth in the Tarot cards I am showing but then I have not found a better way to present it yet.

As the fall goes into the winter it is getting harder to get out and head to the swimming pool. However I try to manage and keep up my committed quota every week. I am still a bit behind. Recent events has set my life into a new pattern and it might keep out some adventurous excitement. If anyone is aware of the coming Grand Cross around the December full moon he or she would agree to save up some energy and resources from this month to get prepared for the near future. With Uranus heavily involved after it went direct shortly before it would definitely present some weird turns in life for people who are in its path...

What will the Grand Cross, made of the sun, the moon, Uranus, and Saturn, bring to the world? With the economy down in the low I guess I am afraid to think too much about it. We might all have to wait a bit and see. To experience it first hand is probably one the best way to learn I would think...

Getting back into Swimming...

Finally I got all my web e-mails integrated into one mail application (I hate to admit it but it seems Windows Live Email could do the trick). Unfortunately the 3G/3.5G wireless network is not reliable enough to pull all my e-mails online to my desktop. Therefore I would either switch back to the ADSL (or the optic fiber) network, or heading to a friend's place and beg for their reliable connections and also the wider bandwidth. I am taking the latter approach because I hate signing up ISP contracts for two years even more. I decide to wait a few more weeks and see if I can live in the 3G/3.5G frontier.

It is no secret that I have been kind of lazy since I came back from USA. I think I have lost some steam and am not ready to jump back to the swimming pool just yet, but that has to change as I can not simply sitting at home staring the computer screen 24/7. My energy level is down and I probably just need to bite my tongue and pick the pace back up. Like it or not, it is time to get back to the work out routines.

Hopefully it could get me back to rolling instead of sitting still at home. The jet lag and the generally static feeling due to the economy downturn are surely not helping. However I just have to get myself back into working out again. There is simply no other alternative I believe. This autumn has been static ever since I got back in Taipei. Sitting at home and playing with my laptop all day surely is not healthy for me at this moment. As the NIKE slogan would say: Just do it! That seems to be the only way to get out of this crappy mood and stop dragging my own feet to fitness.

Last week in October...

As we enter the last week of October and move into November. The recent event of a teen age Tarot reader ran a scam upon former President of Taiwan was all over the news. Maybe this will be done and over with by the time November comes to us. It surely gives Tarot a bad public image in Taiwan, but to be honest most of the Tarot readers are not helping in getting their homework done and truly helping people that come to them for advices.

It does put me in some thoughts. I enjoy helping people with the knowledge and messages I learn from Tarot, but there are simply too many ways to screw it up. I have put off establishing my own Tarot reading practice for a long time and now it seems a good idea to put it on hold again for the indefinite future, until all the dust and hypes are settled of course.

Now that the young run-away who claimed to be a Tarot reader is arrested for his other crimes of fake identities, maybe the whole event can be done and over with. The downturn of economy has been on a lot of people's mind. It seems a relatively chilled winter is just around the corner. I believe it would be a good idea just to hold myself together and move forward one step at a time. With the jet lag and most of the house chores behind me, it is time to rebuild the daily routines for my life.

Back to Taiwan...

After 20 something hours of flight and bus rides. Finally I arrived home safe and sound. Soon I will head to Taipei for my tutoring meeting and it is great to see my friends again. Yesterday I just got my phone bills paid, so it is necessary to find some cash somewhere. It feels as if a new year has already started. Economy has been slow so I plan on lay low and stay low to sit out the bad weather...

Just recently the news reported that the previous President of Taiwan went to see a Tarot reader for card readings about the future for him and his family. It is rumored that "Death" was one of the cards he pulled and it was interpreted as actually death and extremely bad luck. All I have to say is that they have read the card wrong because by the book everyone who studies Tarot knows Death does not literally mean death itself or not even some kind of bad luck. It just means that a ending event cycle in life and maybe sooner than one knows, a new beginning.

Also the most popular way of card readings in Taiwan seems to be this "Ask a question and then pull a card" style. Has any of these readers actually learned about Tarot and maybe how to use a card spread? They love to claim how they have learned Tarot for more than 10 (or 20) years, but in this case the guy is merely in his twenties. Furthermore the lady who commented on this guy's reading took the opportunity and claimed herself a medium and psychic after she spent some quiet time in jail. All I can say is how brave they have become in these self serving claims. ;)

Anyway, let the rule of Karma take its own way. What goes around comes around. People might want to think more about those when they make certain moves in life...

Happy 41th birthday to me...

I know to write about my own birthday does sound really pathetic, and it is indeed just a number anyway. It comes to me that I now have a blog and it is actually a good place to write anything I like in it, even if it contains no value for anything or anyone else...

In fact I would be on the flight back to Taiwan on my birthday. That itself is an interesting event I guess. Should I run into anything worth documenting I will surely write it down here. For whatever reason there may be this birthday happens to have a handful of little coincidences going on. It will be fun to see what they lead to later on.

Mercury went retrograde on Sep 24th and it comes direct on my birthday. On top of all this a full moon comes into the sky a day prior to my birthday, on Oct 14. In the western astrology this still has significant meanings even it misses by a day (a few degrees I think). I have just learned a bit about myself during this retrograde and it is really self rewarding to say the least. During the time period I visited my sister's in USA and bought a new computer, started this blog, and got a handful of things going on. The few days out of the retrograde should prove at least to be busy and interesting. I admit I am eager to find out what awaits me in Taiwan. :)

Getting Ready for Mercury Going Direct...

Mercury has been retrograding since Sep 24, and so many things have been changed. My stay in USA got extended for a week. I got a new Windows Vista laptop. Started a personal blog... and soon we would be under regular day to day energy after Mercury goes direct from Oct 15 forward. I will hop on the flight home on my birthday and it will be under the spell of a full moon. With my natal Sun, a full Moon, and Mercury going direct all going on in one day, I am sure things would pick up right after my birthday gets started. On one hand I could not wait for the exciting new chapters to begin for the coming birth year, as promised by the horoscopes; on the other hand I hope it is going to be a smooth ride and not bumpy and annoying all the way to the end. A few small things have happened during this time frame, but they were nothing short of a miracle of course. Life surely would change a lot as it goes forward. I guess I just need to be honest and sincere and get ready for whatever life has to offer for my new birth year.

Moving from XP to Vista...

Well I wish I could last longer with my Windows XP laptop, as I heard that Windows Vista would have a lot of problems and was basically quite crappy to use. However I had my old laptop since 2005 and it has been more than 3 years of use and abuse. Anyway there was this Acer laptop for $400 USD plus tax, which was simply too good to pass. So I dived into my pocket and got it home in the end.

So here I am. With another Windows laptop... To be honest the Vista experience has not been too bad for me. Of course it is probably due to the hardware upgrade from a 1.3 GHz single core Celeron CPU to a 2.0 GHz dual core Pentium T3200 for the most part. It is for sure that Windows XP would probably fly on this machine if I can get the software drivers for it to run. Hmmm... Maybe I will check the Acer support web site just in case. ;) However I am set for now and get ready to return to Taiwan in the meanwhile. I hope the 7 days here is more than enough for me to test whether this Acer is good enough for my daily use.

Only time could tell if I have bought a good one for the next 3 years. I surely hope I did. Sure it is not Apple or Sony, and it is not very fancy from the look of things. But for what I did it should be more than enough to get everything going and flying. I just hope I can use it for another 3 or 4 years. By that time the iPhone 6 should be what everyone is using and laptops would probably heading straight to recycle bin for sure. Watch out Microsoft, it would be wise to get Windows Mobile in shape by then. :P

Mayan Tarot...

Another nice tarot deck I have seen lately is the Mayan Tarot. I just like its colorful symbols and cute pictures. I might end up buying it to add to my collections. The design is simple and to the minimum. It is something I can enjoy and practice on my readings in the near future. After seeing most of the new decks that I would like to collect I would probably narrow them down to Revelations Tarot or the Mayan Tarot. After I spend the money for a new laptop I will see what is left in my credit card for such purchases. ;)

The Cosmic Tribe Tarot...

This is one of my favorite modern deck done by Stevee Postman. The whole deck and other imagery work of his can be found in www.stevee.com. I had a copy before and it was fun to do readings with it. The artwork is much more brave and a lot of computer editted imagery is used. It is one of the best tarot decks done of the computer generated images, in my opinion. I believe it is inspried by the Toth Tarot deck by Aleister Crowley, which I never feel a strong connection to. However this deck is strong in energy and imagery, and I like the quality of readings it gives.

Revelations Tarot...

I just recently ran into a nice tarot deck called Revelations Tarot by Zach Wong. The good design of it is that the author actually designs to make the reverse card a different picture from the upright card. The art work is quite good, but I do not usually use reverse in my tarot readings. I am still considering of buying it. I guess it would depend on how much cash I have in my pocket and how bad I need it for my tarot collections. :)

Staying in USA till Oct 16...

It happened that I would stay one more week to help my sister with her kids. Luckily both of my tutoring offers still are valid when I get back. My friend Sam already said that it could happen this way, but one could never know it for sure until the future reveals itself. In the meanwhile Mercury is on its way out of retrograding this week. The week I come back to Taiwan would be in a flux of energies due to Mercury going from retrograding to direct on my birthday, not to mention the full moon coming close one day prior to it. The first week back home would surely be an interesting week nonetheless, as if I could not whip up enough personal drama from growing into the big FOUR-ONE OLD already. ;)

Mercury Retrograde...

For now things have been moving a bit slow due to the Mercury retrograde. For people who like to find out how it would impact their life, I would highly recommend the monthly horoscopes from the Astrology Zone by Susan Miller. She is really good at pointing out the planets' activities and thus one can make informed decisions about their current life. I personally read mine in the beginning of each month, so I can plan on my monthly schedule accordingly. It seems the mid October would be the time when all things get on the move again. In the meanwhile we can slow down and review what can be done for the future and how things can get better from the past experiences.

A Three Headed Dog...

Recently in my readings for myself I have often encountered 3 face (people) cards and they are quite a bit unusual for me. They just keep showing up so I think I would make a note of them. Later on I can look into this and play the game of "Who are these?". Of course most of my friends know how I am likely to make a fool of myself, but through an unexpected event of watching a stranger in MRT I discovered why Buddha claimed love and attraction as a strong form of attachments from one's ego/self. It was quite intriguing actually. However I'd better keep it to myself for now as I have already been known as cynical and/or bitter among family and friends. Well from this point of view, a blog is kind of thinking out loud now, isn't it?

Angel of Healing Light...

One of my close friends, Sam, has found his true love after 18 years of being single. It surely gives all the single people out there hopes and encourages everyone to be brave and take what life has to offer head on. During the readings we did for him and his love one card kept popping up and maybe it would best describe the bond they have shared. I believe the karmic connection between them would be significant. Best wishes for the newly met. ;) It surely is great news in the period of Mercury retrograde.