so much left behind

Card of the Day: The Seven of Cups
(Blurb from TarotAdvice.com)


Recognize that whatever you Will is yours for the claiming. First, however, you need to be able to identify it at its finest point. Break it down to the bottom line so that you can answer truthfully what it is you really want. Watch for unusually vivid dreams, visions or signs that might leave you with a sense of deja vu. Choices are all around you, many of them tempting, certainly many of them easier than facing yourself, asking the hard questions, or making the difficult choices, but without focus, your efforts can become scattered energies, fantasy, or escapism. Don't let yourself be deceived by false promises made by others or by you. You may need to listen very patiently & quietly to your inner voice, rather than jumping onto every bandwagon or satisfying every sense or longing, hoping something will click. Once you have identified the essence of your Will, you can release your creative & innovative energies in order to make your hopes manifest.

I featured the 7 of Cups card for the first time here last year, & it still is one of the most frequent cards showing up in all my readings for other people. I get more concrete cards for myself now, so whenever this shows up in my personal readings, I kinda panic. But it's always nice to be reminded to focus & be more assertive with my choices. Last year's affirmation's lovely to think about each & every time. Tarot.com says it best with,

"Among the many options, choose the one closest to your heart."

It's a good time, after all, to rehash our wishlists during the time of the New Moon, or even the Full Moon. The New Moon was recently in Sagittarius, the sign of expansiveness, generosity, & innovation, with that trademark philosophical approach. The Moon's in Capricorn again now, though, that's why I'm getting a bit of work done here, despite my severe back pains since last week, which I'll probably most attribute to my heavy period this week. :( I'm just so glad I'm right on schedule from last month, though. It's hard to be missing a cycle again.

Anyway, it was my dad's supposed 62nd birthday last Monday, if he were still alive. This is the 2nd time we've commemorated his birthday, which is rather sad, considering the last time he celebrated it, it was a rather somber time. He was alone at home when I got back from work. On my way home I spent whatever was left of my money to buy him a rather simple cake & a couple of tubs of ice cream (he didn't really like anything chocolatey, so I got him something special for his own consumption), & I'm glad up to this very day that I did so, because nobody else seemed to have remembered. :( My mom was in the US, taking care of their residency before my brother & I could follow suit. I'm not sure if I did make him happy, because my parents are hard to please like that, but he thanked me graciously for the gesture. I still feel sorry for myself that it was all I could do for the man who would give me more than expected when I ask, who supported me all the way in terms of finance & moral support when he could, & who was there for me when nobody else was, to think he was more often than not absent because of his occupation. Our family's rather dysfunctional, you see, & we're not at all that touchy-feely. But after he recovered from his coma just before his 60th birthday, I made up for it by kissing him on the cheek every time I came home from or had to leave for work. I do have warm memories of my childhood having him kiss us when he came home from work & us doing that quintessential Filipino "Mano Po" with much gusto. Up to this very day, he would be the only person I could grant that gesture with ease. He would be the only person ever that deserve that from me. I still have fond memories of him, which I should be writing on a separate entry altogether, which I also have partly posted in this entry. I miss him, & how he always prayed for my safety & well-being. I also miss how we'd have awesome seafood dinners on his birthday. One of my fondest memories of him was how he left a huge de-shelled crab for me & some huge buttered prawns with yummy yang zhou chao fan, among other stuff, for lunch one fine albeit lonely Sunday, more than a decade ago. I woke up alone at home, & everybody was gone, as they went out. But lo, & behold, there was food on the table, though wrapped. I hate eating alone, but that was one of the best meals I've ever had. My dad would always de-shell huge-ass crabs for me whenever we'd eat together, you see. His thoughtfulness is unparalleled, but lately I'm so happy for my Virgo brother who's demonstrating the same kind of sweetness for his ditzy older Libra sister.

The whole point of that was to illustrate how Sagittarians love. They may hardly say they love you, but they do show you that they actually do, & how much even. My dad would always tell me that he loves me & the rest of my family, though, but not in a gushing, mushy way. Not in a standoffish way, either. My Piscean mom even complained when we grew older how he wasn't too vocal with his feelings or over-the-top romantic enough for her taste. But we all know how much he loved her by how he gave her everything he had & how he was patient with her, & how he held on to us. For me, that was more than enough. Or maybe because I really didn't expect much from my father, until it all was dawning upon me how he much he really cared. Yeah, I love the way he called me & my kid sister (R.I.P.) his princesses when we were younger. He'd pick us up or drive us to anywhere we might need to be at the moment. He used to drive me to school a lot in high school, even if he resented driving, haha, considering how he was used to having drivers from his line of work (& that he'd rather fly planes than endure traffic jams on land!) & one time it was priceless how he picked me & my kid sister up from the last full show of the first Lord of the Rings movie! We snuck out to the neighborhood mall, & then he & my mom were texting us about our whereabouts like crazy, & voila!

My high school best friend Cres who gave me my latest tarot decks is also a sweet, down-to-earth, humorous Sagittarius. I wish you a belated happy birthday, & I hope to see you again soon! I remember being somewhat resentful how you & Jean were much closer, haha, but thanks to astrology, I really shouldn't wonder anymore. Jean is a hilarious, on-the-go Aries, after all. Signs under the same element (in this case, Fire) thrive more wonderfully together.

With that said, I'm not sure if I'll ever be comfortable dating a Sagittarian, because that would remind me of my dad too much, & sometimes Sagittarius is too gauche & pushy & stubborn & fastidious (can you believe that?) for Libra, but let's see. Sigh.

As I write this, I have Down's "Bury Me in Smoke" (Corrosion of Conformity + Pantera + Crowbar + EyeHateGod) looping in the background, even if I took the title of this post from Corrosion of Conformity's "So Much Left Behind" track. In a way, I'm reminded of my dad because he smoked so much, haha, & well, he's gone now. :( Down's Nola album was an important album in my life, especially with "Stone The Crow." Yeah, I'm a big fan of Corrosion of Conformity, & I still have "Drowning in a Daydream" & "Albatross" in HEAVY rotation in my iPod. If you've been following my blog for some time now, you shouldn't be shocked that I actually listen to heavy metal. Not as much anymore as I used to ever since I coupled up with the ex-fiance (Love does strange things to people sometimes, gah) but, yeah. My Moon in Cancer leaves me hopelessly stuck to my oldskool choices & lovingly sordid memories of my wretched youth (with the best music ever), so there. Oh, & to Phil Anselmo of Pantera/Down fame, who's Cancerian, if I got that right, haha. Anyway, I'm just happy to be getting in touch with my past again.

So what else am I into? I'm trying to be more thankful for what I have via GratitudeLog.com. You should try doing so, too. It's nice how I got into it on Thanksgiving per se. Let's all be more grateful for what we have every single time!

I also signed up for Formspring, & you can ask me anything. I actually dread that idea, but oh, what the heck, haha.

Again, my last time to read Tarot on Saturdays would be this coming December 19th, from 12nn-8pm, depending on requests, even if I'm sick as hell, so yeah, let me know. I think I really need the break now more than ever, especially that I still have stuff to give away here! :D My next Tarot weekend should be on February 6, 2010, just in time for the Year of the Metal Tiger, if I'd make it alive by then, haha. I still might read on Christmas & New Year's Day, starting 11am (until 4pm at the most) by insistent request, which should both be on a Friday. For inquiries, email me at sp [dot] lovecraft [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also check out the official fan page on Facebook. I promise to give specials to fans & followers... thus, the hiatus. Must catch up. Yeah, can't afford to have so much left behind. *cough*

I also would like to devote time to my budding local organic enterprise, haha, before proceeding. My cards could use a vacation, too, even if my oldest deck's actually begging for attention lately. They're just as exhausted as I am, & setting them aside to recharge isn't only standard practice, but also my way of showing how grateful I am to have them enrich my life. That means, I have to fully declutter before the New Year to make sure they're chilling out nicely in my room, haha.

So what about you? What are you going to do to prepare for the upcoming retrogrades (Mars & Mercury) & for the next Full Moon (there should be an eclipse, yikes, in Cancer)? Whatever you decide upon, don't forget to thank your lucky stars, show your parents (especially your dad) some love, shower your kids + grandkids + godkids with thoughtful + worthwhile surprises, & allow yourself enough time to regroup amidst the Yuletide craziness.

Happy Holidays! ♥

here's to Enlightenment (as in, more peace & quiet)

Ten Principles To The Zen Of Attraction
(from @ArielBravy)

Promise Nothing
Just do what you most enjoy doing.
Hidden benefit: You will always over-deliver.

Offer Nothing
Just share what you have with those who express an interest in it.
Hidden benefit: Takes the pressure off of wanting other people to see you as valuable or important.

Expect Nothing
Just enjoy what you already have. It’s plenty.
Hidden benefit: You will realize how complete your life is already.

Need Nothing
Just build up your reserves and your needs will disappear.
Hidden benefit: You boundaries will be extended and filled with space.

Create Nothing
Just respond well to what comes to you.
Hidden benefit: Openness.

Hype Nothing
Just let quality sell by itself.
Hidden benefit: Trustability. (sic)

Plan Nothing
Just take the path of least resistance.
Hidden benefit: Achievement will become effortless.

Learn Nothing
Just let your body absorb it all on your behalf.
Hidden benefit: You will become more receptive to what you need to know in the moment.

Become No One
Just be more of yourself.
Hidden benefit: Authenticity.

Change Nothing
Just tell the truth & things will change by themselves.
Hidden benefit: Acceptance.


Aww. This is so my philosophy. Let's all feel better now. ♥

going back down to Earth

Moon in Taurus
Nov 28, 2009 to Dec 1, 2009

It's a steady and grounded Taurus Moon. Not a day for roller coasters, airborne, screaming with delight. Or is it? Indulge in the sheer pleasure of being here, adored by gravity, earth's invisible embrace. Enjoy your weight. Roll in a newly-mowed lawn. Celebrate your voice: shout, sing, or whisper in somebody's ear. Then drink a soothing tea for the thyroid & throat. You might be feeling a desire for more comfort and security now. Taurus says your prosperity takes organic gardening. Nothing greedy or toxic, just planning, patience, true nourishment, your bills paid in full, a surplus in your checking account, & honoring the ways in which you're already wealthy. If your neck or jaw is stiff, ask yourself, "What am I resisting?" This Moon makes it easy to feel stubborn. But in a changing world, such strength can sometimes defeat itself. Don't try to move immovable objects.

After many, many moons, & many, many sessions from my last post, I'm finally back. I can't thank you all for your patience & patronage. I'm forever grateful, & you all inspire me to do better.

From last Halloween until last weekend, I've been reading for a whole bunch of Earth signs again. Had a splendid time, even if it was unmistakably exhausting! Capricorn girls are indisputably just some of the coolest in the zodiac! & I've just realized my Ceres & Juno are both in Capricorn, in my 11th & 12th Houses, respectively, which should explain my connection with such people then. I still considerably lack Earth, however. That could also be another reason why I needed to interact with them. I'm not just talking about people with their Suns in Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn. There are also a handful of them with their Moons & other key planets in those signs. (Case in point, Moon in Virgo, which makes these individuals more reserved, especially in love.)

& I still love my forever-patient-with-me Virgo kid brother, who's been doing a lot of nice things for me this month. At one point I even made him go out at the last minute to withdraw from my debit card — without much complaint, mind you! — because I was still feeling sick from my period so I could make a cash-on-delivery transaction. He's also been taking care of our wonky computer, then he uploaded Tekken 6 on my PSP, & he also changed my smartphone's screen protector. I owe him a lot now at this rate, & that's why I'm excited for the holidays, so I can spend Christmas & New Year's Day with him for a change. It's been years since we've had a decent Christmas at home, so it's rather important that we throw something nice for ourselves.

That's why I won't be reading on December 26 & January 2 even if those dates fall on my usual Saturday schedule. Please be advised. I can be available for readings on the Fridays before those, but only from 11am-4pm. Plus, I might resume my sessions on February 6, 2010, after reading on January 1. It's important that we take breaks from the things we oh so love doing, to make sure we'll be doing them more wholeheartedly in the long run, or so I'd like to think.

The rest of my schedule for December are as follows:

DEC 5 - 2pm-6pm
DEC 12 - 3pm-8pm
DEC 19 - 11am-6pm

I can consider 7pm-9pm (8pm would be my last call time) especially on December 5, this weekend, if the 6pm-7pm session ends soon. Again, just please email me @ sp [dot] lovecraft [at] gmail [dot] com for an appointment with your contact number. :)

It's interesting, btw, for people to be asking about past lives & their karmic ties with certain individuals at this time. I'm still working on this lengthy remote reading request, which I should be sending by tomorrow. I can't wait to have this taken care of. I also have 2 more lined up. Must always remember that we get what we give, so I better be more prompt with my tasks. Past-life readings are trickier, actually, so I better brace myself for more of those to come my way.

With that being said, I will need to really charge per hour, & limit every session to only up to 3 hours at the most. If we go beyond that, it'll be terribly draining for both you & me, & it would be best if we continue online after a day or so or in person the following weekend, whichever works for the both of us. I usually don't like timing readings, even if I take note of what time we'd be starting & ending; nor would I really like to impose an hourly rate, but I guess it's for the best. Even if we finish in less than an hour, I would still have to charge the standard price. Even if I get to use your own deck, too, especially when it's brand new & we're welcoming it to the open, so to speak. Especially when I get first dibs on it. Yikes. Quite tricky. I've been "recharging" old, unused decks since 2003, & it can be very excruciating to read with those, & I thought it'd be different with crisp new decks. I was wrong. Decks do work best with their owners. I don't want to take possession of your cards, but sometimes people find reading with their decks easier when they go through me. I don't want people to ever feel shortchanged, though, so I make follow-ups & yes, you're all still eligible to win a free starter Tarot deck, a feng shui guidebook for 2010, & free readings especially for the upcoming New Year, if you've availed of readings from me all throughout 2009, & repeaters + serial referees have the most chance of winning treats from me! It also helps if you follow this blog & my official Facebook fan page! :D

You can also take advantage of PayPal's Crazy Hour promo, haha, yikes.


I dread the idea of sounding like a hard-sell, but since it's one of the most important questions I've to answer everytime, there you go. Online readings can still be paid for via Globe GCash or bank transfers. Just email me for details. ♥

I would love to go on, but I'm experiencing problems with my computer like hell, & there's still so much to do. Will blog about them little things that have been making me excited since my last post, just to illustrate how yeah, I need a boost, too, & that simple pleasures rock. Without them, we're doomed. Anyway, let's all look forward to enjoying the holidays!

all mixed up (yeah, 311 style, LOL)

Your horoscope - Week of October 26, 2009

The next 2 1/2 years are going to bring success, because you'll be more ambitious than usual. Saturn moves into Libra this week & begins the process of changing signs. It will complete this process in 2010 & then remain in Libra for another couple of years. You'll begin to feel as though you have more control over your life. You can now aim for those dreams, & you have an excellent chance of manifesting them. Your love life looks fun, especially if you're single & hoping to meet someone special.

LOL! Can't wait for all that, then! But I'm worried about the love life part. Especially when it involves a possible Venus in Gemini + Mars in Libra charmer. :( I was with someone whose Venus was in Aquarius + Mars in Libra for quite a while, & well, you all probably know how that turned out. If only the one I want whose Venus is in Cancer (complementing my Moon) & Mars in Virgo (complementing my Mercury + Saturn) will want me in the same intensity & not wait for another fiery Moon in Aries or Leo phase to see me again, maybe then I'll be happy, LOL!

OK, whatev, enough with astrospeak. :P

I'm losing valuable sleep, though, with the thought that I'm so caught unprepared for Halloween. Looks like the last Mercury retrograde in my sign has affected me more than what I'd want to admit. But at least I'm still here, & yes, I'll be reading this Saturday to celebrate, from 10am-8pm, at my newest haunt. If you've lost track & want to find out where to reach me now, just e-mail me at sp [dot] lovecraft [at] gmail [dot] com & we can work on your timeslot. I hope I can go see Techy Romantics right after, especially with their new album on the way, yay.

There's so much to blab about, & I'm afraid I've been exhausting myself silly at Twitter & Plurk. It's easier to access them, you see, & all of a sudden, I'm being ushered into this huge esoteric community (based in the Northern Hemisphere, sadly) with wondrous resources & personalities. I almost can't keep up. Then I'm also going through my birth chart again, & decluttering (it's taking me forever, I know), & responding to other patrons via email (thanks so much, ladies). But don't worry, before Venus goes back into Scorpio again (my actual placement; with Mars also in Scorpio LOL gudlak na lang senyo) everything will be in place. Even if it's going to be creepy, I'll also be discussing more of my personal cards, especially how they leave me stumped more often than not. Like today, the Empress had to pop up & smile at me knowingly, right after I was contemplating on the Star (in the Near Future position, whoopee!) & 6 of Wands (Long-Term Potential), but not before I had to look at Death more closely. I was using my Tarot of the Witches deck, btw (my first ever). I'm trying my damnest not to worry here.

Speaking of Death, I still have to thank Paolo for the super awesome belated birthday gift (Madame Xanadu: Disenchanted FTW!) & I love how Death of The Endless experiences a tarot reading, courtesy of Madame Xanadu, who gets to save herself from her own demise because of it. LOL. I want to post the actual cards that were drawn, but I need to make a more coherent post.

There's so much coming up in a bit! But first I gotta get refreshed for my day job, ugh. Come back later for real updates! Thanks so much, everyone, for not giving up on me just yet.

backlog alert

Everything seems to be working against my favor again. My .com's wonky, my smartphone's unable to send text messages all of a sudden, & some of my appointments this month have been delayed. Maybe I'll just wait until the Moon's back in Libra before actually posting. For now, I'm happy that my blog's finally 3 years old, & I've been meeting a lot of people, & I'm learning so much more than ever. Please bear with me, though. Thank you all so much.

on the vicious binge-&-purge cycle

Moon in Aries
Oct 2, 2009 to Oct 5, 2009

The weatherman may say rain, but expect some Sun to shoot through the clouds. Aries Moon draws fire into the atmosphere, stimulating life force and vitality. You're alive, filled with your own thoughts, centered into the vision before your own two eyes. It's all about you today. Trouble is, everyone else is in the same place. Imagine a playing field with plenty of loose cannons. That's Aries Moon. Insensitive remarks can land at missile speed and detonate into conflicts. The good news is they'll end just as quickly. This Moon goes against teamwork, but it's auspicious for personal challenges. Compete against your own limits. What's that mountain you've been wanting to climb? Be daring. Headaches, eyestrain or sinus difficulty imply troubling feelings have collected inside your head. Meet whatever you've been avoiding head-on.

This feels like a fabulous phase, especially when it's time for the Blood Moon to shine, but surprisingly, all I want to do is catch up on sleep, declutter some more, get a massage, & detach myself from the rest of the world for the time being. & no wonder, another wonderful new esoteric pal from Twitter shared this Full Moon ritual to help heal by purging everything outdated & negative. I didn't think the full moon's also a good time to do New Moon activities, but maybe I've been getting it wrong all along. Anyway, it's also a good time to for Thanksgiving, & personally, I have a lot to be grateful about from the Universe, even if I really didn't get to celebrate my birthday last September 25th the way I wanted to, no thanks to the tropical storm Ondoy (aka Ketsana) that drained everybody like hell that fateful Saturday after my birthday. I'm actually donating as much as I can, & I'm urging others to do the same. But I'm not going to talk about this anymore here. Well, hmm, maybe at a later date, but not now. I've prayed so hard & lit so many white candles like crazy, & I'd rather not talk about how painstaking it all was just yet. But who would've thought that the Star card (see previous post) & the 7 of Cups card from my birthday reading to myself would be so literal, with all the rain & deluge & chaos & confusion that weekend? :(

Nevertheless, there's my award for Most Valuable Peon (LOL) for Quality Assurance during the last quarter in my dayjob, plus my stats there are improving, & I got my 6th commendation for the year, for starters. Then my boss, of course, granted me my long birthday leave. Yay. ♥

I also was given a second shot at life on my birthday, to think I was thinking I wouldn't care if I'd go out alone & end up dead anyway last week. But good thing I wasn't in the mood to really get drenched & stranded, so I had to stay at home. Even if a bit of murky, yucky water got inside & we were all panicking at some point (me, my brother, the old household help), I can only be relieved that we were spared. My brother was also nice enough not to subject me to the dreary, horrible mess of evacuating upstairs most of the stuff we had on the living room, dining room, & kitchen as well as the muddy residue the flash flood left when the waters subsided. He also got me a huge box of chocolate sans rival, haha, which worked out wonderfully for the both of us because he's such a sucker for everything sans rival & I'd kill for chocolatey everything. So, yeah. We gorged on our favorite local hazelnut ice cream, too.

& I got a lot of things for myself (albeit trivial for most people) despite my situation. Like cheap yummy-smelling body scrub (green tea + lemon + peppermint + caraway). More white candles & blueberry-scented incense sticks. New feng shui charm bracelets from a Taurus-Scorpio couple selling them at the SM Southmall Divipark at the 3rd floor (& I hope you guys aren't ripping me off, LOL, thanks!) More feng shui awareness resources. More massages. Plus even this little blue dress that I can jazz up in more ways than one, but I wish I'd fit more nicely into this & all them other dresses I've been acquiring this year. Oh, well.

But in all honesty, I hate getting & keeping useless stuff in my turf as much as possible. I give consumable gifts & memories, but I like plushies & silly letters, too, at some point. I don't want to be giving away things that will eventually be thrown away. & I hate people who don't know how to appreciate whatever it is I give them wholeheartedly, or who can't take the hint that I wouldn't want another lousy dust-collecting figurine (unless it's a Japanese doll I'd like, or samurai chess pieces, haha), picture frame (because I don't frame pictures at all), mug (but I still collect colorful Starbucks mugs LOL), or pens (unless it's a Uni Pin .08 drawing pen, or a huge box of 12 of it), or makeup (I still have huge Estee Lauder palettes from my mom, & I dunno what to do with these!), among other things. So this nice video that Tangerine shared with me from Facebook actually makes so much sense. Hooray for less is more. Yay, Zen. Double yay, feng shui.

(Speaking of feng shui, please check out Tarot.com's Go Pink Central for ways to support the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month & get cool feng shui tips to improve your health with color [always my favorite subject] & home decor & diet! Oh, & the Health Foods by Zodiac Sign has reminded me of my need for protein, which I'm craving for all the more lately!)

Letting go can be quite painful, but it's the only way sometimes to make way for the new. I wish everyone the best in this endeavor, & let me share the 4 of Pentacles card from the Epicurean Tarot Recipes deck (as inspired by the classic Rider-Waite Smith) at this point, that is depicted as The Miser in the Osho Zen Tarot deck.

Are you resisting change that is truly needed?
We often cling to the familiar even when we know it's not for the best.

Even the spread I had for myself that my esoteric buddy Shiney helped me with a few days ago was saying I should just relax & go with the flow. Maybe you should, too. Especially while you're trying to desperately get over a breakup.

Anyway, on a rather unrelated note, I'm happy that this blog got nominated for a different category for the PostieCon Awards, haha!



Vote if you want, though I'm not sure if I'll even come close to becoming as popular as PostSecret. :P I don't really care, but I just think this is fun, especially for my 3rd blog anniversary. Thanks. ♥

Tarot readings will resume next Saturday, October 10th, btw, from 10am-8pm, so if anyone's interested, leave a comment & your contact details here. E-mail me at sp.lovecraft[at]gmail, too, if you wish. Please advise me a day before your intended time, so I can schedule you properly. I'm planning for a happy Halloween celebration, too, so if you have any ideas, let me know!

"and dreams are made of emotion"

Moon in Scorpio
Sep 20, 2009 to Sep 23, 2009

I've heard that two rutting elk can lock horns for over a day. Of course, humans in a power struggle can easily exceed that, especially during Scorpio's Moon. Power issues are raised. But what's likely hidden is the truth about where that power lies. One opponent overthrows another, hoping to capture power. But is it really there? That's the contemplation this Moontime. Here's a clue: there's a treasure house full of the good stuff, just like the fairy tales always said. And you don't have to steal or envy the ones who seem to have it. All you need is to find your personal key. This Moon says, "Let your intuition lead." If you're stuck on something, visualize whatever you're holding onto eighty years from now. Impermanence seems scary. But like an old snakeskin, after a loss comes something vibrant and new. Celebrate yourself as a passionate, evolving being.

Things are actually extra dreamy for me today. Plus it's the time of the month, & so despite my rearranging my bookshelf & finally throwing really outdated stuff out (Mercury, Saturn, & even Venus OMG now in Virgo at work) this weekend, I'm still stuck. But I'm a little bit more hopeful now than last week. I got books on candle-making & flower-arranging, which all lead to full-fledged gardening (& I've been considering on reviving my dad's orchid collection) & creating other romantic indulgences (bath stuff, anyone? Mmmm LOL) for gifts & my personal consumption, at the very least. I'm also thinking of cooking more often again, even if I lost touch with my gusto for it ever since my kid sister & dad passed away. But, yeah, well, I really should be more creative with my hands again, hehe, even if I really can't manage alone. Sigh. At least while the household help's still with us, huh? I'm glad she was able to clear the Southeast portion of the garden/house after all this time. I guess I'll take time out to rearrange & declutter everything by Friday, but don't worry, I'll make time for reading this Thursday (from 10am onwards) & Saturday (2pm-6pm). I'll also try to indulge myself as much as I can after all the fuss. Sigh. For some reason I kinda want to be left alone, unless there's a date in tow, LOL but this could be just my PMS talking.

But anyway, I'm thankful for everything I've had so far. I should give myself another birthday reading because the last one was actually damn accurate, haha. I hope to get my reading done professionally by somebody else, though, just to make sure. But I'll post mine soon, LOL, even if I have 3 other readings lined up. (I know, Mercury retrograde to blame!)

Oh, well, wish me luck. Funny how I've been thinking about The Star card earlier today, & then a Twitter friend decides to tweet about it! Yay, so apt! Right, Tin? ;)

"When the Star card is upright in a tarot spread it indicates that it is a good time for the questioner to have their natal birth chart & current astrological transits interpreted so that they may view a larger picture of their life patterns & how certain situations have come about in their life. The chart offers an external perspective of one's life and can help offer insight and encouragement.

"In a reading the Star card presents itself when the questioner has literally stripped himself or herself bare. The spilt water erupts as tears and all of the old, blocked emotions are accepted as pretence is given up. Often the Star card will symbolise a need to cry.

Oh, my, LOL. Yeah, hopefully the "spa for the soul" experience will push through, even if it will rather cost me much. Anything to feel a little bit better than yesterday... for my birthday. :))

picture-trailing & then some

Moon in Cancer
Sep 12, 2009 to Sep 14, 2009

You might be a little sensitive during this Moon. Unfortunately, everyone else is too. If you find yourself in deep water now, look to your intuition to get you out. The real issues are often hidden on Cancer Moon days, or dealt with sideways. People tend to circle the emotional wagons, reach for their antacids, and privately nurse their wounds. The collective unconscious is four years old and wants its mommy. Go ahead, seek nurture today. It's like that children's story where the baby bird, tumbled from its nest, quizzes all comers, "Are you my mother?" Only you're looking for the World Mother. You'll find her in a cozy place where you feel safe and loved; in a cup of tea, a mid-day retreat to your bed, or a smile from a friend. Whether or not you have issues, it's a good Moontime for sharpening your emotional intelligence. Distinguish foods that nourish (both real and symbolic) from those that bring heartburn.

My actual Moon in my natal chart is in Cancer. & I'm feeling rather somber again. But last Saturday I had the time of my life because I've been laughing a lot with my clients & friends. It's funny how the last time I saw my culture vulture pal Lornadahl was in February, while Mercury was also in retrograde, & I just lost my 10-year-old bedroom + house + Student Council office keys, along with them tiny new Yale trinkets for my supposedly new locker. I was supposed to be reading for her, but she treated me to a free brunch, nevertheless haha, yay, & I was just all too happy to return the favor come dinnertime.

Indeed, life is good, & I'm glad to get insightful feedback from repeat clients. & I absolutely love it when things get relaxed, to the point of casual, between me & my querents. Everybody needs a breather, anyway, especially when them readings become way too overwhelming. But thank you, folks, for trusting me & all that. I've always wanted to present myself as a welcome break from the norm, with my being upbeat & liberal, brimming with pop culture references, & not passing judgment on too quickly. Hopefully I don't come across as too biased or limiting at any point, but I mainly go with the flow, so to speak, during every session.

Speaking of going with the flow, I'll definitely allow you darlings to take pictures & notes of your readings, just so you'll have better recall, & get the most out of our sessions. Taking pictures of the cards can be painstaking, though, as if they refuse to be photographed at any time, then uploading them is doubly agonizing. But I'll do my best, haha, & I would appreciate it if you share your 'fan shots' with me & the rest of the blogosphere. ♥



You know it's Lornadahl's when it's got lipstick marks on it LOL.
Taken by the Scorpio grrl with Gemini rising herself.




CBTL's book brigade! ♥ Don't forget to drop your old books for children at your favorite branch so that they can donate them soon enough.




Lornadahl choosing her decks.




Lornadahl's initial draw. (Sorry, blurry take!)




Lornadahl's Planets spread. I decided to have the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot deck debut in pictures like this, & use it to read for her to match her colorful, larger-than-life persona.

1) Moon - Home Life, Domestic Matters, & Emotional States - King of Wands
2) Sun - Achievement, Personal Reward, & Optimism - 10 of Swords
3) Mercury - Working Life, Career Prospects, & Mental Abilities - 3 of Coins
4) Venus - Love Life, Relationships, & Feelings - Judgment
5) Mars - Conflict & Struggles - Ace of Cups
6) Jupiter - Gain & Expansion - 3 of Cups
7) Saturn - Restriction & Structure - The Sun
8) Earth (possibly) - Self - Ace of Swords

With the following Significators on the side: the Queen of Cups, 8 of Cups, 9 of Cups, & 4 of Coins (LOL I love it how this was so literal! Lornadahl was limping & I was sitting pretty on my table when she arrived). Will expound later. But The Sun card illustrates how her flamboyant Gemini rising is getting in the way of her actual sexy Sun sign Scorpio.

Lornadahl's view of her Planets spread.




For Lornadahl... The Tower card signifies how you will start a revolution at work (yay for the proverbial shock factor! LOL) & the Hanged Man merely suggests how you should keep your right knee elevated to speed up the healing process. But take care of your limbs & feet all the more now.




For Tangerine. Look at the Temperance & the Lovers cards, HAHA, whee!
Again, shot by Lornadahl.




What Lornadahl drew for me, hee. ♥
HAY NAKUUU, SANA NAMAN! :))


Anyway, I'm happy that my esoteric buddy + fellow Pinoy Tarot Enthusiast Francisbear showed me his brand new Vanessa Tarot from Ly Narciso, & my God, the cards are cuter in person. Guess what my first card was? I'm still laughing out loud from that moment I drew it. The cards speak in whispers, & they're adorably kitschy, & they'd be perfect for my sassy girl clients (which make up a huge part of my demographic LOL). Because of that, I might as well try to give one away to a lucky patron/follower! ♥



I hope the coming weekend (September 19th) would be just as fun, if not so much more. For weekday warriors, however, don't worry, next Thursday (September 24th) could be your day. :D & since I'm on a roll, I might make myself available the next weekend (September 26th), even if you're supposed to all know by now that next Friday is my Judgment day.

If things pick up very soon for me, I might also throw this nifty feng shui guidebook for 2010 in the mix of what's up for grabs here. Let's see. I wonder what lucky Chinese zodiac sign will be winning this raffle. I'm still drafting the terms & conditions, & I might just have to wait until the end of the month, in time for this blog's 3rd anniversary, & when Mercury's going direct again.

Happy 09/09/09!

Who would've thought I'd live until this day? LOL. Back in 2001 I was so depressed I didn't even realize I'd live until my birthday the following year, studying about tarot, to boot. Tarot, for me, along with my ex-fiance that time, was the best gift ever by the Universe. Now here I am trying to make further sense of my existence & purpose in any way that I can, despite myself.

Anyway, I'm this happy, because amidst the blasted Mercury retrograde & my failing day job scorecard & the horrendous weather (I almost swam to & fro work the last time! But good thing I was wearing my trusty, albeit now soiled, ivory raincoat & purple Plueys) I'm still blessed, after all. ♥ Thank you, Universe. Thank you, Mom. Though I hope to be out of this rut that I'm currently stuck in very soon. I'd rather not think about it, seriously. I have faith that I'll surpass things. But I'm usually suicidal on my birthday, & that's like 16 days away. I even had my hair cut again, a bit like Natsu Ayuhara of Rival Schools. LOL I miss that game. Hmm, maybe blue streaks could do the trick. LOL.

So, well, as a thank-you gift to my repeat clients (those who've come back to see me at least for the 2nd time this year) & successful referees, I'm giving away free readings to 9 lucky patrons that you all can claim until the end of the month. Just be patient with me. More or less I'm using this fun spread, but I'll also think of something that will use 9 cards LOL. Hooray. I'm not sure if you folks will appreciate having at least your first names listed here, but I'll post later anyway, at least in the Comments section. Again, thank you very much, & I hope to see you all again soon, especially all you lovely first-timers! ♥

Before I forget, finally the latest local TV feature on Tarot's up, with Francisbear & Ly in focus! Haha, cheers! I'm too chicken shit to appear on local TV like that (even if I was featured twice unexpectedly & briefly 3 years ago LOL yikes) but hopefully I can do so bravely in the near future. & for once, I think this was a pretty balanced episode. Too bad I slept the day away that fateful Saturday because of the weather & my pharyngitis, but thank God for YouTube, yay!



I know I should be watching the crazy local horror movie about Tarot, but I really don't like scary stuff, & I hate the way Tarot's being portrayed there, & I'd rather die or watch Up again in 3D than even give it further publicity, but maybe I should, just to be fair. I'll ask my girls (or my brother) if they'd want to LOL. Hmmm.

Oh, well, I should get going now. I'll try to plurk or tweet down the street again LOL on my lunchtime later 4pm EST. I'll be drafting the rest of my schedules of the year, so I can post them here. Sorry for the backlog. Yeah, the reading transcriptions & the Up movie feature still in line! Stay tuned! Oh, & don't forget to show me some love here, if you haven't yet! =XOXO=

Merc ret in Libra at work

Moon in Pisces
Sep 3, 2009 to Sep 5, 2009

On a Pisces Moon, think foot massage. Soak your soles in a calming lavender bath. Feet are ruled by Pisces; maybe it's the way they cushion against the hard ground. Let yourself drift and dream today. Forget that pressured list in your day planner; don't bother with a watch. You'll accomplish more by letting your intuition guide you from this to that. Mood enhancers are films, music and poetry. But watch the spaced-out bag boy at the supermarket; he's likely to leave your ice cream on the checkout stand. Steer clear of whiners and martyrs. There's moisture in the air-fog, mist, tears. Better to convert self-pity or sentimentality into a broader compassion for the world. And if you've let your meditation practice lapse, this is a great Moon to return. Find the window that opens to your one-ness with all.

I love getting massages, especially footrubs. Though I really should be careful about accepting offers for those the next time, LOL, & I should splurge on paraffin wax treatments for my walkers & hands more. I tried looking for nice shoes on my way home yesterday when I had my sim card upgraded, but VNC most especially was a letdown, & I got tired of looking for more, eventually. The trip to Globe Telecom for the sim card upgrade (since my actual active number on my calling cards got busted last Thursday) was a big FAIL, anyway, & I need to get everything settled by Tuesday. But while I'm resting until then, just get in touch with me via this blog, or my Facebook page, or Plurk, or hell, even Twitter.

Anyway, I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm slacking off, no thanks to this year's last Mercury retrograde. I'm trying not to think about it, but how can I not? Especially when my lilac SkullCandy headphones & tiny outdated phone gave way, along with my 2+-year-old sim card & our washing machine. So far, Whirlpool's cool like that, but I still need a sturdier pair of headphones & my actual mobile number up & running again. Please bear with me. Even my raffling off readings & this Tarot Basics gift set will have to wait. But thanks to everyone who's made my Tarot Weekdays last month successful, especially you repeaters! ♥ I also love my new clients. I had so much fun. One of them even promised me she'd be back by the end of the month, haha. I'll wait for you then, sweetheart!

August was really awesome. If you remember this birthday reading I gave to myself last year, the Queen of Wands was really dead-on! I'm not sure if I'll pass my day job scorecard for the month, though, but I still had a rockin' (yeah, sexy even! LOL) awesome time. That card has to be the most significant yet in the spread. I'm rather worried about the last card, which is the 7 of Cups, but maybe I shouldn't be. ♥

If only I was feeling better & the weather was okay, I would've gone to the Construction Show Manila this weekend, but too bad. It would've been an interesting convention, plus it would've been another chance for me to rediscover SM Mall of Asia (even if I hate it there, seriously, & I hardly go there alone). But let's look forward to more eco-friendly events & whatnot.

Speaking of getting in touch more with Mother Earth, I've been thinking of getting crystal bracelets for myself for my birthday. There's this cute red garnet bracelet that would be auspicious for me as per feng shui, then there's the 9-chakra that would cater to almost my every need, & a haunting black obsidian piece that I should be really using. But this was brought to my attention when I was about to get the black obsidian bracelet (& somebody else already bought it):

Angel Aura Quartz - excellent Aura Cleanser and acts to stimulate and clear all the Chakra Energy Centers, helps with emotional trauma and hurt, constipation on all levels, toxicity, multidimensional healing, efficient receptor for programming, enhances muscle-testing, cleans and enhances the organs, immune system, brings the body into balance, soothes burns.

Clear quartz fused with silver and platinum. These are great meditation tools as they relieve stress and help you move into deep peace. Angel Aura Quartz protectively aids you in your efforts to remember past lives, channel higher knowledge, and assists communication with higher beings such as angels and guides; and helps you gain access to the Akashic records.

Hmm, interesting, eh? :)) Lately I've been talking to a new friend about guardian angels & spirit guides. I know I have a powerful couple of them by my side, a la bodyguards, but I don't feel them anymore ever since my dad passed away last year. Oh, well. Ascendant (white LOL) energy, so be it. Let's see if it's still there by the end of the month. Clear quartz is too much for me sometimes, but hopefully, with the platinum & silver infusion, this particular quartz stays with me much, much longer.

Anyway, please vote for my blog HERE — yep, just click on that link or this badge, & voila!



Once you've clicked on the badge & seen the tiny yellow "vote" button, you'll be asked to log in or create an account. Signing up is pretty easy. Basically, all you'll need is a username, an email address, & maybe even a userpic & your date of birth (just so they know you're not younger than 13 years old, hehe). You should be done in a jiffy. Feel free to leave feedback for my readings for you in the Comments section. Yay. I've already given out free, if not discounted, readings already to those who've cast their votes. Don't forget the raffle, which I'll be posting more about soon, at least via Plurk.

Up next, I'm featuring the super cute animated Up movie from Disney-Pixar, a couple of transcribed readings (& we'll see the difference between a tarot reading & a tarot dialogue), & outlined schedules for the month (but what can you expect on a Mercury retrograde really?). For now, I can only assure you, that on Saturday, September 12th, I'll be available for readings from 10am onwards, even if it's my kid brother's birthday. Just let me know. Thanks again. ♥

celebrating 7 years of tarot, & then some

OK, finally, so the Sun's in Virgo now, & hopefully I can get more things done! I've been so distraught & drained since my last update, even if I did get a full week off to myself. But the Leo influence was fun, actually, especially when I got more kids interested in tarot at work. Thanks, guys! ♥

But I really would like to thank my best friend in high school Cres for these adorably macabre new decks which I've fallen hopelessly in love with this summer:



Yeah, so I finally got the Deviant Moon & Phantasmagoric Theater tarot decks, & I'm really happy now. It was also wonderful seeing Cres again & finally meeting her new hubby & their firstborn, but I wish I got to spend more time with her. The weather was just too crazy, so was my work schedule, & finally it was the time of the month for me on the day I was supposed to hang out with her & Jean again last weekend at her place, just like old times. Yeah, I was PMSing since my last post. It's that bad. I miss you, mumsie! I have so much to tell you! But pardon me for my single-grrl woes, as I really still feel like I'm the same 12-year-old you've met nearly 18 years ago. Goddd. But thanks for being the sweetest, as always. :D I hope to see you & your family again soon! ♥

The Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot cards are actually huge, so they're quite difficult to shuffle, but my boss likes them very much, & it's nice to know that they're influenced by my first ever quirky deck, the Tarot of the Witches. ♥ My most favorites are The Chariot, the Ace of Cups, the 2 of Cups, the 10 of Cups, & the Queen of Cups, as usual (the only Queen in the said deck I can relate to in full, aside from the Queen of Swords). LOL. The Sun & Moon cards are delightful to look at, too, & notice the congruency between the Fool & Death cards. While the 5 of Swords reminds of my brother in his gas mask in his room while working on his model planes, the 6 of Swords looks oddly familiar, even if I've never really snuck out into a long winding staircase before, hehe. The 9 of Swords is disturbingly enchanting, though, while the 3 of Cups makes more impact than the proverbial Wish card aka the 9 of Cups. When I asked about my lovelife, the Emperor popped up along with the Star. I wonder who he is IRL. Eeep. *sigh*



I love the prelude to its LWB (Little White Book), though, plus the striking non-traditional interpretations to some of the cards in the LWB.

"Welcome. Imagine yourself as an actor, placed in a theater at birth. You have been invited to join millions of other actors, to take your place on the stage known as Phantasmagoric Theater. Every scene in the script has been carefully crafted, & you've learned your cues. If nothing goes wrong you should be able to sail through your performance until the final curtain call. But things can & do go wrong — perhaps there is interference in the sound system, your costume is uncomfortable, or you're unhappy with the scenery. So you begin to make adjustments, & in doing so, cause minor changes to the outcome of the play.

"Using tarot, you can connect yourself through a psychic process back to the original script, & recognize the deviations you may have made to the performance.

"Envision Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot as a doorway into your life. The curtains open, revealing the Fool, who invites us on a journey of spiritual fulfillment."

As for the Deviant Moon Tarot deck, & I got the Premier edition with the rather freaky Lunatic spread, the cards are actually glossy; therefore, rather hard to shuffle, too, but they're just the right size & the colors are just too much to miss. The LWB's card meanings are akin to the Tarot of the Witches's, so, bleargh. But there are a lot of astonishing meanings & insights to be gleaned by just reading the cards per se that anyone shouldn't miss. In my case, for one, the 9 of Wands is a most lovely depiction of the traditional meaning, that we shouldn't give up even if everything else looks hopeless. Then the 6 of Pentacles is also a poignant reminder that we really shouldn't give away too much of our personal energy & love to the point of depleting ourselves completely. The Ace of Pentacles is a rather harsh warning that we shouldn't cling to the temporal & material too much, but indeed, we should also safeguard whatever's left of our resources. & the 6 of Wands looks more haunting than jubilant or the like. I love looking at it everytime, though. It's my most favorite card, along with the Ace of Wands. Among the Queens, I love the Queen of Wands best, even if I keep getting the Queen of Cups (what else is new? LOL) there. But when I asked the cards to describe me there (because sometimes you can ask them what you look like in their perspective, actually) I got the 2 of Pentacles, illustrated with a sexy belly-dancer in black holding silvery 2 pentacles in the air. WTH. That was just too funny. However, I can relate more to the Page of Swords, "who is skilled in (what he does) but is underestimated because of his youth" & the young witch in the 7 of Pentacles practising her magic skills on a dead tree & making silvery pentacles (what else?) appear on the branches. My most favorite Trump, card, btw, woul have to be Temperance, as depicted by a gentle blue angel. But my staple choices (Death & the Devil) are intensely portrayed, which I like. The Lovers card is the most provocative yet, btw, haha, just when I thought the Tarot of the Witches' & Gilded Tarot's depictions were already too much for prudish me.

I really wouldn't wonder any more how the Deviant Moon Tarot deck was voted as the BEST choice for 2008 in Aeclectic.com (But oh, look, my Tarot of the Magical Forest deck made it to the list as well!)

This was taken last August 14 by a new young Chinese female Scorpio querent:



You will see most of the cards I've just mentioned in this post. I used my usual Planets spread for her, & from what I can remember in her layout, the 9 of Wands was her Self card. 'Nuff sed.

I have yet to bond more with my new babies. Happy birthday to me, HAHA! But I keep rediscovering my older decks, like my Sacred Rose Tarot, & I must remember to share the full details of this last reading I've done for a wonderful Aquarian friend (with a very powerful astrological profile: Libra moon + Gemini rising, for starters, yikes!) I hope to meet her Thoth deck, though, soon, especially with its Knight of Pentacles bugging me again online:



I have this small Secrets of Tarot book with a few Thoth deck images to work with, so yeah. I'm kinda liking the free online reading using that deck, too.

"If it is undesirable, you must find a way to avoid it.
If it is desirable, you must simply follow the course shown by the cards."

I can't find my Sacred Rose guidebook, though, but it should be around here somewhere. Will declutter for real this week. It's the last week of my prolonged forced leave from my day job, haha, so I better make the most out of it.

Anyway, my Libran forecast looks very hopeful in this phase:

"Your work this month may be primarily on an internal level, as the Virgo Sun activates your spiritual life and dream world. It's time to clean out the contents of your unconscious, in search of your highest vision for yourself. Pay close attention to your dreams, which can offer valuable insight into your true path of service. You might need more rest than usual, and time for engaging your imagination."

I sure hope I can rearrange my room at least with much success, LOL. & yes, I've finally made up my mind that I will become a full-fledged tarotist, astrologer, geomancer, florist, & scented candle-maker in the next couple of years!

I also hope you'd all vote for my blog here. Just click on this badge, & voila!



I've given out free, if not discounted, readings already to those who've cast their votes. I'll be raffling out the rest of them next week, so, yay. If you've just had a reading from me & you win another one, you can pass the chance on to a friend or any other loved one who'd want to try it from me! I'm also giving away a Tarot Basics gift set (with cards & guidebook) to one lucky mofo soon, LOL. Leave a comment if you're interested with that gift set. I can only give it away to someone who'd be hellbent on learning how to read the tarot, actually. More free readings will be raffled away on September 25 (haha, I'm always emo on my birthday!), so stay tuned!

For now, let me leave you with this nice online discovery this month, thanks to Twitter.

"The truth is that healers do not heal; neither do doctors. It is the patient that heals himself. What healers & doctors can do is facilitate the natural healing processes within the body/mind of the patient. Tarot does not see in the future, but what it does do is help the client see what is going on in & around him, & how he can change, transform, work with or around these situations, thereby creating a better future (how better the future might be is of course a value judgment made by the reader).

"There are no magic bullets, but the magic will happen in the process of the tarot dialogue (it is no longer a reading), for those cards that were hidden will now come forward to reveal those hidden aspects that contribute to the total picture. A particularly satisfying aspect to this approach to tarot is that when clients return the progress they have made in their own life is obvious to see. Consequently the next tarot reading builds upon the foundations created by the previous reading, creating new challenges, insights and new futures."

Ahhh, yes. That's what Tarot's really like, actually. Have a great week.

"dancing days are here again"

I really love Tarot.com's Our Changing Sky feature.

Moon in Libra
Jul 25, 2009 to Jul 28, 2009

You're Ginger Rogers today. And everyone and everything you meet is Fred Astaire. During this Libra Moontime think "grace in space." If you meet an obstacle or encounter resistance, dance like you expected it to be there. Libra's skill is knowing just how to receive whatever shows up. The trick is recognizing its beauty, which is all there is to diplomacy and charm. Any "couple tension" on this Moon is especially instructive. With as much neutrality as you can muster, examine the feedback loop of offering and receiving. If your lower back hurts, you might be doing too much or expecting too much from others. Court the idea that all the support you need lies within, as in a yoga balancing posture. This Moon asks, "Can you keep the peace and your balance at the same time?" The atmosphere is light and neutral today. It's okay to be indecisive. Enjoy the ability to dance (gracefully) around the possibilities.

Oh, boy. Despite this supposedly usual welcome phase, because the Moon is in my sign, I'm still down in the dumps. I don't understand it. Ever since the solar eclipse, things have gone rather haywire. Whether this is PMS (finally, thank God) or just weird cosmic blues, I just want to feel so much better. The Sun is finally in Leo & so I should be feeling more upbeat now, but WTF. Oh, well. I'll still really make way for my 7th tarot anniversary, which I'll go ahead & celebrate in a couple of weeks. By that time I should be available for readings, too. I'll see if I can squeeze in some time on the 31st, though. I've been slacking off so bad, but I've come up with a few surprises, hehe. I can't wait. All you fans & followers & patrons have a chance to score something nice from me. ♥

I'll just go blog again later. I've more to share from The Message//Remix, hehe, & a whole lot of other things. Oh, I think I want the 59 Seconds: Think A Little, Change A Lot book. Yeah, I'm drafting my birthday wishlist for this year. Oh, God, hooray for further decomposition, hehe.

OK, fine, I'm doing my best to cheer myself up. I'm rekindling my love for the Stone Temple Pilots, & I'm listening to their lovely Led Zeppelin tribute like crazy again. It's my most favorite remake (from my all-time favorite band, at that) ever; next in line are Tiga & Trent Reznor's rendition of "Burning Down The House" (by Talking Heads), & The Cardigans' trippy "Iron Man" redux (by Black Sabbath, no less). Haha, there's also Marilyn Manson's take on Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" & ohgodhowcaniforget Type O Negative's "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft. Ah, there we go, I feel better already.

Have a great week. ^_^

more shameless plugging, I suppose

I'm not going to post any contact numbers explicitly here, because I just got spammed & I hate it. I suggest you'd go easy on your contact information as well, so again, let me direct you to Facebook.

& please e-mail me for inquiries here. It'll be safer for everyone to leave important information like mobile phone numbers & other contact information in that channel. I'd like to thank everyone new, though, whom I've met & already for this year!

Anyway, I've really been busy, & I'm thinking of getting into flower arrangement again, but this time as in SERIOUSLY, haha, no thanks to this book. 5-minute florist, I will become! HAHA. Remember how I'm also musing on learning how to make scented candles? I should be ready just in time for All Saints' Day then. NOT. Hehe. But I really want to get into those, for my own amusement, & to add a really personal touch to my offerings for my late father & youngest sister. Wish me luck.

I've also fallen in love with The Message//Remix - The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson. I'd like to thank our communications coach Gayle for lending it to me for a full week. I was thinking of wallowing alone last weekend, but thank God I didn't! It's a rather fun read, actually, & I just flipped through Zechariah (8:14-17) & here's what caught my attention tonight:

"Don't be afraid. And now here's what I want you to do. Tell the truth, the whole truth when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in the courts. Don't cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don't do or say what isn't so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest."

Awww. Haha, bibliomancy, here we go!

I love this blurb describing this particular fare:

Have you ever leafed through a Bible and thought, It's got to be easier than this!

It is easier — lots easier — to understand. After all, if anyone knows how to communicate with you clearly, and wants to, it's God. That's why the Bible was originally written in everyday language — so everyone who read it could instantly grasp its meaning. And that's why this Bible was created — to make God's message once again instantly understandable.

Created by Eugene Peterson for today's reader, The Message reads as if God were sitting across from you, talking with you over a cup of coffee. And the REMIX restores verse references to The Message so you can quickly relate the place you’re reading to other Bibles if you want to.

I wonder if the revised //Remix (v. 2.0) will be more readable. :D I've been interested in modern Bibles, especially after learning more about the New Testament available in glossy pages in the Stephen Colbert show. & now, look what I found! The Holy Bible, courtesy of Lego! HAHA, so cute! I'm getting a kick out of reading my most favorite book there (the Book of Revelations, what else? HAHA — check out the Dragon!) now. Talk about getting a clearer picture! :))



But this what I actually liked about The Message//Remix... from Galatians 5:19-26...

"It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental & emotional garbage; frenzied & joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes & divided lives; small-minded & lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled & uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard — things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, & a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things & people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal & direct our energies wisely.

"Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better & another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original."

Now THAT blew me away. But I only got to take note of this verse now within that excerpt: "Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way & mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good — crucified." I hate how the Bible has to be scary like that. Actually, with the help of The Brick Testament, I've just re-realized how it's the most violent book to date. If not for the Gospels in church during Mass, I'd be dreading this book all over again. But I'm perfectly OK with that Galatians passage. Now I oughta find my New International Version that I've been using since college that I got from my mother (she's not really using it anyway) to compare notes. It's funny how that passage has eluded me all along. For me, it's an in-your-face depiction of how egocentric (ergo, chaotic) this world already is, & we really should rise above it all to be at peace in God's grace.

I know, easier said than done to live for inheriting the Kingdom of God someday. Just don't talk to me about hell, as I believe in what Dante of The Divine Comedy had said how hell is here in the very world which we inhabit, hehe, & I've had enough of it to last me my entire lifetime, really. Sakto I might be going to church this Tuesday, hehe. Oh, well. I need to clear my head.

updated contact details

I know, I've been out of touch for so long. I've just been very busy, even if I'm actually free this week. I just feel really tired (it's that time of the month, after all, hehe) & I've been doing a lot of reading (not only tarot cards, but also my staple self-help books). My most favorite book at the moment, btw, is Sydney Omarr's Day-by-Day Astrological Guide for Libra 2009. It's so dead-on, so awesome, so timely! My favorite most accurate line from it is,

"Hospital & nursing homes have been part of your life since 2007;
you have been exploring your own motives & unconscious mind;
you are ridding yourself of habits & attitudes that may be holding you back in some way."

Holy crap, you said it! No thanks to my Saturn Return in Virgo. :/

It also explains my birth chart, moon transits, & possible love matches more clearly! Haha. You can also find a bit of information about planetary retrogrades, but seriously that portion needs more work. My penchance for the occult, the color black in general, crime scene investigations, & scientific research is justified by my Venus in Scorpio. My Moon in Cancer amplifies my esoteric inclinations, moodiness, sensitivity to & interest in lunar phases, & altruistic binges (I've yet to work on this). Then my need for isolation & privacy (not to mention rabid temper outbursts!) can be highlighted by my Mars in Scorpio, & my devil-may-care appearance (READ: walking fashion faux pas) is no thanks to my Aquarius rising, haha. Now I hope to meet my better Libran half someday (or even Gemini LOL), & I hope to God he ain't taken &/or gay. :)) Go get a copy under your own sign! It's actually so much worth it!

I'm just so glad to see my old friend IRL Rissa again last weekend, after nearly 4 months, haha. Even if we keep in touch online, it's nice to actually hang out with someone you've known for so long, & vice versa. Thanks for that. Let's do it again sometime, at least before my birthday this September. It was fun how we went through 4 whole decks & the readings were still light!

I'm also trying to catch up on my music. I have a lot of new songs to like, even if I keep forgetting to write the titles down so I can have them on my iPod, if not check out the entire albums where those came from. I feel better already. But I have to admit some of the new songs today are rather forgettable! Nothing beats my old loves.

There's "Karate" by Kennedy, "Long Gone" (the Howard Benson version, of course) by my favorite Cancerian Chris Cornell, the "Open Happiness" track for Coca-Cola, "For What It's Worth" by Placebo, "Ain't No Rest for The Wicked" by Cage the Elephant, "Supernova" by Ra, among other tunes. I'll enumerate my local picks later, & boy, oh, boy, there's a handful of them! I love "Matina Town Square" the most, though, for one thing, & it's definitely UNforgettable!

Anyway, again, please join me in Facebook:



I'll update soon there.

If you want to e-mail me for inquiries, you can do so here! Finally, I have a dedicated inbox, haha, even if my card still has my personal e-mail address! It'll be easier for me now to respond accordingly & send or track remote readings.

Text me momentarily at 0927.250.6910, which I'm using to uhm, test drive my new baby. The latter came as a surprise last month, while I was checking out new prospects to replace my old dilapidating unit (I miss its awesome cam, though, & I'll have that up & running again soon) & voila. (& no, Francisbear, I really didn't get the idea from you this time, haha!) I have the rest of the week to fully set it up, especially for Ovi.

Thanks again to all the new people I've met these past few weeks! ♥ I hope I can manage to leave today to read for at least one new client, even if I'm not really feeling well. I'm looking forward to watching the new Ice Age movie later with my brother, though, after we've just seen the new Transformers flick, which was stupendously crazy, haha. Anyway, have a nice life, everyone! Be thankful for what you already have... even for what you're still waiting for! Let me share with you these 10 Laws of Attraction I found last night online. Personally, I'm still working on it but I've managed to make a few new things manifest quickly! Good luck! =xoxo=

another appointment advisory!

The humidity's killing me! Sorry for the backlog. I know I have a lot of posting to do, & I have all my drafts here, but I need to tweak them for a bit. I do hope you're all doing great! Anyway, I'll have all the time in the world next week to give updates, & I so can't wait! :D I'll also be reading on certain weekdays next month (haha, but July is just a few hours away now!) & I'd like to thank everyone who's already booked for appointments. I'm going to shake things up a bit by then. Like, a change of scenery, perhaps? ;) — among other things. I'm still thinking if I should read this Saturday, on the proverbial 4th of July, but if you're interested, let me know here. I'll start as early as 10am, if requested. :)

For next week, I'm thinking of July 7th (starting 11am) & July 10th (from 10am until 3pm only, sorry), but if I can squeeze in things on July 9th then I'll make a quick update. I'm avoiding the Monday & Wednesday rush, you see, & I would like some time to do tai chi on those days before proceeding with my schedules. I really need to catch up with myself. :)

But I'd really like to thank all my new & repeat patrons for this year, especially Sharon, who's totally the sweetest (yay for them neat silver turquoisey drop earrings!) & who's getting more gorgeous everytime! You folks inspire & motivate me to be better despite myself, & I hope that this "work in progress" before you is of help to you in one way or another. I humbly & wholeheartedly accept your feedback & provisions, & I can't thank the Universe enough for letting me come across your paths. Thank you, thank you, thank YOU, everyone... & I wish you all the VERY BEST.

hooray for the summer solstice in 2009!

In case you're interested, I'll be available on the 20th for readings by 1pm. I still have to undergo physical therapy by 10am & I want to steer clear of the cafe where I usually hold sessions in during lunch. At least there'd be less people then, & Saturdays are more often than not a wonderful time to spend time there, especially during evenings. Now speaking of spending time in that cafe, like, while waiting for your turn for a reading, here are a few things that you can do without getting bored out of your wits, or you can look forward to at the very least:

Yes, there's parking in the area. Too bad parking fees can be steep, but the parking in the main building is very safe & convenient, & all you have to do is just walk a few steps to & fro the shop. Just ask me about it here.

I can stay for readings until 9pm. Just let me know in advance, & I can wait for you. It's usually very quiet there every weekend, & don't worry about privacy, as other people really wouldn't pry, unless they're potential customers. :D

I usually offer sample readings, like 1-3 cards at a time, to bystanders who get curious with what I'm doing. The only thing I can ask for in return is just respect in what I do, & a gracious acceptance of what I have to render. I respect you everytime you'd say, "teka, natatakot ako!" or "hindi ba makasademonyo yan?!" That's what I'm here for, to help de-mystify tarot & re-introduce it as something more sophisticated & worthwhile than what it's usually thought of.

(Good thing my niche doesn't subject me to that! They know what they want, & aren't afraid to ask for it, & they're VERY open-minded & intelligent enough to know that what I'm doing is both a labor of love & serious business, & that I'm not dragging anyone straight to hell, haha. In fact, au contraire. Go ask them. Thank you, folks.)

I like incorporating whatever little I know about astrology & feng shui in my readings, but only when it seems & feels relevant.

While waiting for your turn to be read, you can browse the magazines available at the cafe, or you can avail of their revamped loyalty/debit card so you can finally get free wi-fi at the very least. With all the points I've earned on my previous card, I was able to get the most of money back by redeeming them for free drinks & meals, haha. Talk about sulit. Get it for a single-receipt 250php 195php purchase in the shop. So, yeah, tote your laptop / notebook the next time you go, & you're all set. I'm thinking of finally blogging everytime I'm slated for readings there, but I'm waiting for a new netbook so I don't make my back problems worse with my huge old lappy that I hate lugging around.

While waiting for your reading hour, or waiting for your kasama or referral (whether friend/significant other/family member/coworker et al.) to have his/her session done, you can also bring your favorite book du jour or your trusty Moleskine (or any other journal) to jot down your reading expectations or results into. That's the best time sometimes to do so, trust me. :D & I'm really sorry for the long wait. Thank you for your patience & your patronage, nevertheless!

I personally recommend the cafe's staple hot vanilla drink, green tea (genmaicha or Japanese cherry), lemon chamomile tea, chai tea, double vanilla tea latte, Pure Vanilla Ice Blended (non-coffee based!), Sunrise Ice Blended, Mango Ice Blended, & the Mocha Mudslide Ice Blended for a yummy caffeine boost. But when I'd read I'd go on light & easy choices, so I usually get their hot vanilla or Japanese cherry green tea. I'm happy whenever patrons give me free drinks, but you really don't have to get me anything. Either I've already gulped down my fix for the day before the actual read-a-thon, or I'm about to once I'm done.

The cafe's pasta & salad offerings are good, too, even if rather pricey. I have mixed feelings with their lasagna, though. :/ I love their tomato & basil fare, & I'd ask for fusilli noodles in lieu of linguine. Their caesar salad is something I'd always come back for more. Oh, & I like their breakfast food!



Most of the time I don't have change, & I feel iffy giving change, so please have ample bills with you before we start. ATMs are a block or so away, btw, but it's easy to walk up to & fro those.

I'm also thinking of 'paying it forward' a little bit further on my 7th tarot anniversary next month, so I might give free readings to lucky followers of this blog. I'm also aiming to donating to charity by then, so half of your fee goes to a local cause of my choice. Go sign up now & stay tuned.

running on E (empty, what else?)

I think somebody was trying to search for any entry here that has the "strategize with a wise old one" line. I gacked that off Tarot.com, you see, as featured here, hehe. I totally love their Our Changing Sky planetary features. This week's rendition is as follows:

Moon in Aquarius
Jun 10, 2009 to Jun 13, 2009

Oddballs rule with Aquarius Moon. You zig, they zag. "I love humanity," somebody once said, "it's people I can't stand." As much as we want the world to be just like us (or some days just to like us), we keep bumping against those different ones. Aquarius says, "Cool! Nothing inspires genius more than discomfort and diversity." So many things you'll touch today — a piece of paper, a fuzzy slipper, a computer keyboard — came from an oddball mind, able to view the same old thing in a different way. There's a restless, erratic quality in the air made for new awarenesses. Revolutionize something. Become somebody else's oddball. The Moon says shelve your sensitivity and welcome unexpected events. Celebrate your interconnectedness with everyone you meet. Leg cramps, varicose veins, or poor circulation could be signs that you've been standing still too long.

That is so dead-on, I tell you. Yes, especially that last sentence. Well, of course, not really literally. I keep dashing like mad to & fro my day job more often than not. I had to treat myself again to a nice pedicure with an extensive foot & leg massage after getting myself comfy new pink flip-flops at the last minute. I've been living in sneakers for a couple of weeks now, which is good, but still my legs & feet are killing me. I know I should be getting new dressy shoes for my corporate life, but I can't find anything interesting (& well-fitting, if I might add!) to snag just yet. I know, what a total ditzy post. & with that noted, I know I have to come back with my promised updates. For now, you can just read everything at my Plurk, & oh, check out this quaint tarot-inspired music video while you're at it! True, not really my genre, but it's amusing to see depictions of some of my favorite cards from the deck in one go! Don't worry, this weekend will have me working here in full force. :D For now, I just want to blab one of my silliest sanity-saving secrets, & perhaps that should also get you going. How much of an oddball can anyone get for having nicely-painted nails everytime but not having frizz-free hair, though? I'm just thankful that even if I look like a car crash everytime I show up at my usual haunts along the metro to relax, I still get respected enough to be treated accordingly. I wish we weren't so hooked to the halo effect (or its reverse, especially in my case).

Honestly, I don't mind, I'm trying to be confident just the same despite myself. I know I'll see myself through this phase (of going Nowhere fast). I really wouldn't want to be labelled the proverbial odd girl out, but I guess I've always been quirky, anyway. I just need to rest more, though. It's actually tiring to be one's own cheerleader, but I've left with no other choice. I hope you'd all be more graciously patient, too, with whatever it is that's bothering you. (So much for another segue to my grand life-overhaul post, or so I'd like to think.)

Oh, & just in case anyone bothers to ask, I've already made my Lili an Expert in my Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection revisitation, via PSP 3000, but I'm too tired now & my stats are 152/62. My losses are rampaging.

appointments advisory

I just have to make a quick update about my schedules for this month. I'll be available this Saturday, the 13th as usual, rain or shine, but only after lunch, by 1PM, as I have to continue my physical therapy sessions for my entire back earlier that day. Then on the 20th, I can start as early as 10am, like always. But I might only read until 12nn, for a previous engagement. Will let you know, of course. Then by the 25th, I can only read from 10am to 4pm at the most, because by Sunday afternoon, after another previous engagement I have to attend, I can also be available. I'll need all the rest that I can get. Please be informed that appointments must be done at least a day in advance. I know, I also like last-minute meetups, but I want to be at my optimum state to read everytime. I also would appreciate it if I can meet more than one individual at a given day. For more details & inquiries, please leave a comment here, or add me. :D

Thanks so much!