YouandTheTarot

Thoughts come and go. Unfortunately for too many they don't go. That's the "monkey mind" which programs obsessive thought patterns. Those, in turn, can trigger self-defeating behavior.  Common is the client for a tarot reading who can't stop thinking about what the boss said to them 10 days ago. As a result - and this is why they are worried - they are giving off hostile vibes in the office. They know it but they can't break through that force field. Meanwhile, others in that workplace are distancing themselves.  The good news for them and everyone else suffering with all that is going on in their heads is this: It is possible to let thoughts go. That is, they can change the channel in their heads. As addiction expert JF Benoist explains in the best-seller "Addicted to the Monkey Mind," children do that all the time.  Benoist provides the anecdote of the little one who falls, gets up and starts crying. They are caught in being preoccupied with what...

  For decades it had been a mystery to me: There have been well-credentialed, even prominently branded "healers" who seemed not to be able to heal. They have included clergy, psychotherapists and even Tarot readers like myself.  Today following the meditation session at the Zen Cochise Center, Bisbee, Arizona, Master Hye Mun (Barry Briggs) gave me the missing piece to solve that puzzle. It was in his talk, this week on not attaching to what goes on in our heads. Among the points had been: "When we connect to our own suffering, then we can respond to others' suffering." Admittedly it is difficult for humans to own our pain, especially in America - the new land of opportunity. No surprise that meme is being leveraged in the current presidential campaign.  If we are taking full advantage of all that opportunity, shouldn't we be insulated from the kind of suffering less strategic smart creatures endure? Yes, Calvinism, the religious philosophy some of the settl...

  It's transformative. Clients, although they are able to hang on to hope, remain visibly despondent. What undercuts any joy they may have in planning to walk away from the present situation is their discomfort with the unknown.  That is represented by the Eight of Cups in the Tarot. Notice the mountains ahead. What's behind them are, you got it, many unknowns. That past and the present, no matter how bad, are what we know.  What I have discovered in my recent readings is that the fear of transition eases off when I ask clients this: Can you visualize how your new life will "look?"  One woman immediately shifted into a lightness of being. She described the town she had already visited twice. It had employment opportunities, a university where she could continue her studies and apartments she could afford. She even had attended two 12-step meetings and felt a good vibe. The next step, of course, was to take the next step: arranging the relocation. Visualization is a p...

William Shakespeare made his name featuring the obstacles to love in his dramas. The forbidden nature of those matters of the heart can, of course, intensify the force field.  Moving on from Shakespeare's Renaissance times to the 21st century, verboten and undisclosed romances have made headlines and toppled high-profile careers.  Former bankruptcy judge David R. Jones lost it all after his live-in relationship with lawyer Elizabeth Freeman came to light. Now there are lawsuits against him. The famed David Boies is defending him. Yes, the backlash is that serious. We all know about the downfall of broadcast's T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach. Established media is portraying their now as not an especially happy time for the couple. The two are no spring chickens. Can they have a comeback in a sector that is imploding? In America, we are our professional identity. Financial powerhouse Leon Black was making headway in reputation restoration from the Jeffrey Epstein fallout when his for...

  I could be putting myself out of business. So many of my clients struggle with the search for love. Yet, I am suggesting that they press the pause on that pursuit, at least for the time being. Instead of being consumed by what it takes to "date" why not just plunge totally into their own lives, at least for now. That option is featured in the current edition of Atlantic Magazine.   It isn't that anyone should "give up" on finding a soulmate. Also no one should be tossing at anyone platitudes about the supposed joys of single life. That's not for everyone. The point is this: Assuming that a search at this time 1) must be undertaken and 2) conducted with relentless activity can actually be counterproductive. The vibes are simply too intense. The process is way too goal-oriented. Those pulled into that force field - prospective partners - usually become uncomfortable and exit. That pause is symbolized in the Tarot by the Four of Swords. As many know, swords i...

  There is a successful business model in Tarot readings: Don't charge for a one-card pull (with a second card drawn to confirm the interpretation), only request tips. For a full six card spread there would there be the traditional billing of a dollar or two a minute (plus tips). So, the proposal by both teams running for US President to ban federal taxes on tips is important to us Tarot readers and other kinds of psychics. That tip-only model is useful for us to render our services "free" in entertainment centers such as bars. Managers are often delighted to provide, at no cost to them, this fun add-on. As AP points out 1) The plan has merit, so much so that other professionals might restructure their compensation system to shift more of it to tips but 2) The details have not yet been worked out. Essentially the matter is complex. Right now it is unlikely that this issue will emerge during the debates. That's because it is being classified as a "niche" on...

  Should debate coach Paul, Weiss partner Karn Dunn nudge Kamala Harris to take a bit of credit for this positive development in the Dow Jones? Also, Dunn can encourage her to project jolly good times for Social Security COLAs. 39,765.64 USD ▲  +408.63 (+1.04%) today August 13, 4:20 PM EDT  ·  Market Closed

In an Ivy League doctoral program in the 1970s my Ph.D. colleague was reprimanded by the power structure. On her jacket was a button for a popular cause. "That's a distraction," they said. At an auto corporation in the 1980s, every time something went wrong in a manager's unit there was the tsk-tsk about the sideline of owning a franchise.  More recently, Goldman Sachs head David Solomon had taken it on the chin for also being a professional DJ. There was a time, in some circles extending into the present, when professionals had to have one and only one brand. You were a Doctor, Lawyer or Indian (Native American) Chief. Okay, of course, if you did some investing such as in real estate but, please, keep that low profile. Achievement in other areas, such as golf, was labeled a "hobby." Lawyer Scott Turow's hobby was publishing best-selling novels, right.  To violate that norm, it was warned, would result in brand dilution. In addition, another warning was:...

  In an Ivy League doctoral program in the 1970s my Ph.D. colleague was reprimanded by the power structure. On her jacket was a button for a popular cause. "That's a distraction," they said. At an auto corporation in the 1980s, every time something went wrong in a manager's unit there was the tsk-tsk about the sideline of owning a franchise.  More recently, Goldman Sachs head David Solomon had taken it on the chin for also being a professional DJ. There was a time, in some circles extending into the present, when professionals had to have one and only one brand. You were a Doctor, Lawyer or Indian (Native American) Chief. Okay, of course, if you did some investing such as in real estate but, please, keep that low profile. Achievement in other areas, such as golf, was labeled a "hobby." Lawyer Scott Turow's hobby was publishing best-selling novels, right.  To violate that norm, it was warned, would result in brand dilution. In addition, another warning wa...

Joe Biden has begun to air his grievances about being pushed out from continuing a campaign for reelection. We students of Shakespeare (I had taught the bard's memes at the University of Michigan) might see in this development a bit of King Lear. After the king had lost it all, he lamented that he was more sinned against than sinning. Biden can continue with his public display of self-pity or he can pause.  A key card in the Tarot is the Four of Swords. In the Tarot swords represent how we think. And the card's message is to press the pause button on all that chatter in the head. That is, our monkey mind. That opens up the possibility of connecting the dots in fresh ways. The path on this which Biden takes could provide lessons - both negative and positive - to so many of us who have, yes, been forced out.  In my Tarot readings I bear witness to the pain of those who have been forced out of relationships, housing situations, jobs and even careers. Much of that suffering comes ...

  "Why the Reliable Office Workhorse Rarely Gets Ahead,  Working too hard can hurt your career trajectory ..."  The Wall Street Journal,  August 10, 2024 The mythology in Americana of hard work as platform for success, I have observed, begins in the long long time we spend in formal education, especially higher education.  Essentially the educational system is a meritocracy with almost guaranteed outcomes: Work hard to ace tests and do well on projects such as papers and you are rewarded with high grades. Those can get you, as with admission to law school, into the next level of that particular game. And, yes, a top GPA can open the door to the first job or even the next job after that. Then, it's a different game when entering the labor market - a very complex one. Those who are a closed system or too addicted to hard work will resist figuring it out. I hear it all the time in my intuitive coaching and tarot readings: "I worked  so  hard and still did...

  SHORT SHORT FICTION BY JANE GENOVA  "I got tickets the the Harris Inauguration, Dad. I can fly you in." Of course, Robert was showing off. It was one of those "Look at me." At the time, maybe he was working at Covington or Paul, Weiss.  The two of us never liked each other.  Awful, the relief I could feel through the phone when I said "no." Four years later I  had  to go. Not-all-that-ambitious Walz had decided to pack it in after one term. My son took his place.  "I am proud of you, son." That's what he wanted to hear. That freed me up not to be on any telepathic wave length with him while I was in D.C.  I wanted my wiring to be entirely open to "read" so many of those others strutting around. I am a psychic, quite a successful one. That was before that niche, like Hollywood, management consulting, content-creation, graphic arts and tech, became glutted. The "it" about Robert showed up before his birthday party as he wa...

  After a few dismal years for dealmaking,  mergers & acquisitions are bouncing back . That's good business news for those in the dealmaking loop such as elite law firms like Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden and Paul, Weiss.  But an uptick in M&A could be moving the dial more and faster toward career derailment for those put out of work. Some fields already are getting hit hard overall in this era of "cost efficiency." M&A could provide the tipping point in forcing some knowledge workers into actual career change.   The driver in the M&A piece of this is what is called "synergy." And that is supposedly a major benefit of M&A. Bring together two businesses and they need only one investor relations department. As the dust settles the new power structure will select who will be part of that now-one unit. The rest will go. Often, though, synergy does not pan out. Remember the marriage of America Online and Time Warner. That process of hunting for sy...

There was a story floating around years ago about very talented but also very troubled star Judy Garland. In her comeback appearance, it was said, that when the audience went wild with applause, Garland muttered, "I'm sorry I missed that." That is, she was not there in the moment. Her very being was elsewhere.  Obviously Garland, given her fragile sense of self, had disassociated. So, she wasn't present for what could have been a peak moment in her career.  That was a sad consequence of not being in the moment. But it wasn't serious, as with couples who aren't really there when they interact. Eventually, since they don't pick up on all the cues, they can wind up blindsided when the marriage or partnership unravels. In our Tarot readings, they confide they didn't see any red flags.  "Being in the moment" means being aware what is going on right then and there, without hindering perception with the blinders of an agenda, wishful thinking or dow...

  Call it the "pause" state of being. In the Tarot it is represented by the Four of Swords. As you recall, in that 78-card deck swords represent cognitive processing.  What is paused is what is standard and expected in states of consciousness. The result is usually called "altered states of consciouness." In her best-selling book "Phenomenon," Sylvia Brown explains: "An alterd state of consciousness is simply a state in which the mind conceives, perceives and processes information in a different way that it normally does." What are examples of that?  There are plenty, including daydreaming; dreams when sleeping and sleeping itself, of course, is an altered state; trances as in creativity; meditation;  hypnosis; clairvoyance; clairaudience; clairsentience; astral travel; being in the zone as in athletics; and the effects of ingestion of alcohol, some prescription drugs and illegal substances.  Although those in high-charging professions such as p...