YouandTheTarot

  At Sacred Heart grade school some of my classmates and I used to laugh about the tirades from the priests and nuns about "bad companions." Those supposed miscreants were positioned and packaged as "near occasions of sin." If we didn't avoid them we were instructed to confess that. Now that the former Prince Andrew has lost so much including his royal title , I've matured into seeing the wisdom of those warnings. It's now Andrew M. Windsor.  We can speculate: How about if Windsor never decided to pal around with Jeffrey Epstein? Not that he might have lived a life within the norms of society. Way before the Epstein phase of his life he was known as "Randy Andy." But he might have been able to escape a scandal that ballooned into the end of the easy good life.  He's not alone, of course. But some others had more to fall back on, ranging from huge independent wealth to a solid network of supporters.  Classic is financial mogul Leon Black. H...

  In the tarot deck, which dates back to at least the 14th century, there's a card symbolizing the loss of hope. That's the Nine of Wands. In it, the human being in distress is trying to hang on to the wand which means taking action. But the confidence is gone and the look is one of confusion. That in itself indicates feeling that bad wasn't conjured up in 2025. During the Middle Ages your ancestors were experiencing their own dark passages.  In the New Testament, the meme of despair comes up. Judas' world closed in on him after betraying his leader. Yes, he could have asked forgiveness. Jesus would have granted it.,   During the 1950s, Roman Catholic priest Fulton J. Sheen broadcast the TV show "Life Is Worth Living."  There wouldn't have been a demand for that unless enough viewers thought otherwise. In doing intuitive coaching and tarot reading I listen to those who assume their current difficulties weren't endured by others before. Yes, to them thi...

  Robert Kiyosaki , author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," is blunt. Given the current perfect storm of macro realities, too many of the baby boomer generation could wind up homeless. Those are the ones lacking enough of a financial reserve in investments and carrying too much debt to hold up as prices keep rising.  Standard first step toward that could be a car repo.  In my tarot readings I'm already bearing witness to the aging who haven't taken radical steps to prevent winding up unhoused. They continue to fund a way of life they can no longer afford, along with not increasing income, not building even a little bit of wealth through investing. Here is typical boomer magical thinking: It's a mindset that won't let in the scope of financial, technological and political global and domestic disruption. The assumption is that the growing darkness is simply just another pause in the good life. For example, on professional anonymous networks such as Reddit there are the ...

  The New York Times labels the jewel heist at the Louvre "brazen." Part of that were the simple logistics: "The four thieves arrived on the south side of the Louvre on Sunday morning at 9:30 and pulled a truck up on the sidewalk, right next to the museum walls. They posed as workers, wearing yellow vests and setting out traffic cones." And, eight pieces of history were snatched away. Some speculate they will never be recovered. Those in that criminal network will probably break down the ornate configurations into what can be easily sold.  Impressive, isn't it, at least from one perspective.  That perspective is this. In these times of worldwide unrest about the inequality of wealth and even basic job opportunities, the four could be celebrated as pop heroes.  They are the Bonnie and Clyde of  2025. Their getaway were motor scooters, not the car those bank robbers tooled around in during The Great Depression. They showed the elite. They hustled in a way that Nep...

  Be there in the now. Almost infinite is that advice from career experts, public speaking trainers, relationship coaches and spiritual leaders. The results of the debate for the NYC major general election confirmed the power of that. Zohran Mamdani was present. In some circles (that is, those not far right like the New York Post) he was assessed to be the winner. In contrast, sizes up influential Politico :  " ... Cuomo ... appeared clinical and bloodless at times, presenting a recitation of facts that might work at a law school symposium, but not in a rapid-fire TV exchange. Long-shot Republican Sliwa ... at times came across as too mayoral and a bit staid"  Of course, an added factor in Mamdani's reach is his age. We are in a John F. Kennedy Moment. Youth dominates. And that's happening beyond NYC.  Axios captures that passing of the torch in Democratic politics:  "Half a dozen  House Democrats who are 70 or older  were beaten by their younger prima...

  "I might never work again." Too often that lack of hope comes up in tarot readings. It is symbolized by The Nine of Wands card. But what that despair usually really means is that former knowledge workers will probably never again earn income from a white-collar job or professional-class contract gigs. And hope has arrived from Home Depot. At least for those open to change. Home Depot has introduced Path to Pro program. Learn more about it here and apply. The initiative kicked off earlier this year. It's free training and certifications. Both for newbies and those wanting to upgrade skills. Online and in-person. In English and Spanish. And providing actual certifications.  The media reports: " ... [It] has already trained thousands nationwide ... covering essentials like general construction, electrical work, HVAC systems, plumbing, painting, and more. [That includes] the basics of jobsite safety, tool handling, material management, and even soft skills like team ...

  Her suffering. much like Silda Spitzer's, had been palpable as she remained loyal in broadcasts to her political spouse.  Joan Bennett Kennedy was no rebel. Actually, she was a member of the Silent Generation. In many ways she represented the gender values of that era. Kennedy, like the mothers of us Boomers, was restricted to limited roles.  Bestseller "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan eventually outed their frustration. When she finally did seek out her own identity after parting ways with Kennedy dynasty icon Ted it was a quiet embrace of music and self-care. But the pain didn't end. Her daughter Kara died. Son Patrick struggled with excess drinking. Son Ted Jr. would never get back the leg he lost to cancer. Now finally Joan, at age 89, has entered the dimension we hope rewards good human beings with peace. 

Interacting with AI simulations of humans is becoming standard. Those include encounters of the erotic kind. The Institute for Family Studies  found that 20% of adults have already tried out AI relationships. Among teenage boys that 33% and among teenage females 25%. And before you put the knock on this because it involves fantasy, know that, overall, experts in human behavior salute the positive role of fantasy . That alternate form of consciousness can generate everything from clarifying what you want/need to a safe release of anti-social impulses. Businesses involved in this niche have been busy - and imaginative. For example, at fantasy.ai an option facilitates your building your own erotic companion. Much like the fun of Build-a-Bear.  At fantasy.ai click on information about that feature and the scoop is that the service is a: " ... go-to platform for creating and connecting with the virtual companion of your fantasies. Powered by advanced AI, you can fully custom...

After its founding in 1935, twelve-step program Alcoholics Anonymous eventually realized that using the term "god" could block problem drinkers from joining. So, it substituted "higher power." That usually did the trick.  Essentially that concept involved surrendering to the reality that there were things humans couldn't control. Trying to do just that - control that which can't be changed - could trigger the return to addictive drinking. Many outside AA know of that idea as radical acceptance . I use that frequently in tarot readings and intuitive coaching.  Now, "in the rooms," as meetings are called, there's less of a backing away from the original term "god."  That could be a sign of the growing popularity of Christian evangelism. Meanwhile, Christopher Hitchens who was on the front lines of mocking the belief in "god" per se would, had he lived, been the one mocked. Or much worse.  In 2007, Hitchens achieved unusual lit...

During 1969, in the university towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan there was a suspected serial killer preying on young women. So? I was there as doctoral student. Unlike the intense fanfare on former broadcast hit "Criminal Minds" and the current supposed hysteria in Houston, Texas  (never believe media), I wasn't freaked. And neither were those in the large number of circles I traveled in. They consisted of myriad generations, not just trusting 20-somethings. When you're there. at least back then, you could be enveloped in the assumption of being somehow special. Surely those in this dimension and other dimensions (I was already exploring mysticism) got it that I had much to accomplish yet on planet earth. No way could I, so purpose-driven, wind up dead at age 24.  In addition to the Ph.D. (I was first-generation college so such as wow for the family) and a long future career enlightening minds about the renaissance ideas embedded in the dramas of William Sha...

  This year we get the film version of the 2018 Paradise, California wildfire, the worst in the state's history. That's "The Lost Bus."   Almost 100 people died. But none of them are the elementary-school children and the teacher on Kevin McKay's school bus. Or, the driver McKay.  In doing what it took to save them, McKay saves himself. It's the age-old spiritual saga of getting out of yourself to find yourself. That dates way back to the Prayer for Peace of St. Francis of Assisi and to the more recent Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since his teenage years when he couldn't sort out his relationship with his father, McKay has "gone lost." His marriage breaks up. He and his own teenage son can't connect. He can barely survive financially on driving a school bus. And he isn't doing all that great in the job. A tipping point in his despair is that he has to put down his cancer-ridden dog.  Then the fire in the Paradise area breaks out ...

 GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra started out her career journey checking fenders and hoods at one of the automaker's plants. She was 18. That helped pay for college.  But for many other young people, that kind of early opportunity to get to understand a business and how a particular company goes about making its money hadn't been even considered. They went off to college, didn't work for income in college, graduated from college, likely are saddled with student loan debt, can't find paid work and are featured in media articles like this one in CNBC about a generation "crashing out" emotionally.  Some of them, like: " ... recent Boston College grad Michael Hartman ... recently  sought insight from a psychic  about his career trajectory after around 10 months of unsuccessful job hunting." No, Hartman hasn't been one of my clients but other Gen Zers who are usually don't understand the profound shift in the labor market. Maybe over forever is the ...