The Universe

This photo was taken at my home. It is a paper weight that a young man gave me as an exchange for his reading. I fell in love with it right away because as I looked at it I was reminded of William Blake's quote, "To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour". Looking into the glass ball, it reminded me of a picture taken in space. It happened that the very same week I had been wondering how to represent the card of the Universe. Since this card is also about synchronicity so I was delighted by the serendipity of the happening.

The card of the Universe is essentially about the art of seeing and experiencing the world around us. The micro reminding you of the macro and visa versa. It is about keeping your sense of wonder and excitement, about our journey literally and figuratively in the universe. If you were to pull this card you are in a phase of transition and ready to over come emotional blocks.

This card is a symbol of harmony between mind, body, and emotion. It is a reminder of the mysterious vastness that we are about. Celebrate your life and tune to the rhythm of your heart beat, your breath, and dance your problems away.

The Death Card

The death card is the thirteenth card of the Major Arcana. This picture was taken in the winter in Santa Fe at twilight in the back of my friends house. It shows a naked tree in a landscape where the sun is already beyond the horizon. The combination of winter and the sun being set reminds me of a beautiful passing. I prefer the symbol of the tree skeleton, dead in the winter, to a human skeleton for this image has been depicted so much.

In a reading the symbol of death is more about the death of old patterns in order to give birth to transformation. It is a powerful message for it is "not about pruning the tree but about uprooting the tree of our old habits that do not serve us anymore." I use this image often because people tend to relate and understand what I mean by pruning versus uprooting.

If you pulled this card during a reading it is time to question: Are you stressed? Do you need to end a relationship? Do you need to confront someone in a situation? Do you fear the unknown of what comes next, realizing you have chosen to imprison yourself in a lie?

Don't seek the answers to these questions, but rather land mark on the potential to look at your life as deeply as you can. Imagine standing at the top of well, looking down and seeing your reflection in the water...way way below. It might be scary, but you have to look, not trying to seek comfort of a friend, a yoga class, of a martini! Look in that place in you that never dies, even though the questions hopefully will. This is an opportunity to step again into your life from a new space.

The Devil

The devil is the fifteenth card of the major Arcana. I chose this picture to symbolize the devil because the devil doesn't exist. This sculpture suggests a body form but is a hollow shell. As the devil is a symbol, not a literal being, I thought when I saw the results of the picture it was my perfect devil.

Often the first reaction of a client when seeing this card is one of dislike. Much has been written and painted about the devil being a scary half beast half human. The devil partly represents our dark side, and often people don't want to own their dark side. We get scared of looking at our destructive/addictive nature. If we don't take the time to self examine our selves it will always be an unknown tempation.

This card also represents the attachment to the pleasure of the planet. Life is about embracing our human nature without becoming addicted to the earthly delites. It is also about being able to laugh at ones self. Enjoy being human, never forgetting that it is only a journey to another dimension. So don't postpone...practice your inner smile and look within.

The Empress

This is the third card of the major arcana. This is a photoshopped image of my daughter in a tea shop in Boulder. I loved the way the light hit her face as she looked outside, and I clicked. To me she looked at ease with herself and pensive. I picked this picture because I felt the way I photoshopped it, the mood was strong and soft all at the same time. My daugher also happens to be a healer, she is a pilates teacher, and helps people heal themselves and that is what the Empress does.

The Empress is a symbol of respect, knowledge, kindness, compassion, and healing.

She is generous but don't mess with her.

Look within, and look around you. Are you being touched by some beauty existing in your field of vision, in the field of your heart. Beauty is useless and priceless, but you can't afford to not make an effort to find it, hiding in plain sight.

If you drew this card during a reading, I would say treat yourself to a good book, a beautiful plant, a rose, an embrace, even a massage. And think of someone you could share beauty with. We all need to create harmony, so search what needs your attention in your life. Find tuning ones energy is one of the most important things one can manifest. This is a very important tool to use in every moment of our life.

So, is your car filthy? Guess what, you will feel better if you clean it!

The Hermit

The Hermit is the 9th card of the Major Arcana. I took this picture last summer right accross from where I live. The door was open, I stepped in and found myself in a magical corridor of green. I looked down and saw my shadow with the branch on top of the grass....green on green. I felt mysterious aloneness, as if looking at myself, outside of myself. At that moment I was definitely the Hermit.

The Hermit is not about socializing. It is about pairing down your life to the essentials so that you can reflect on your journey. The legend says that the Greek philosopher Diogenes was seen walking with a lantern, when asked what are you looking for, he responded "I am looking for an honest man". I think this is where the Hermit symbol came from. The Hermit is about looking within for the truth without the veil of rose colored glasses.

Should a person pull this card it is time to take a break from one's busy life, or ideally, go on a retreat. Isolate yourself for a moment, a night, a period to reflect on whether you are compromising yourself in a situation? A relationship? This is a good time to ask yourself: Are you postponing something? Are you not accepting your own truth? Do you really love the one you are living with?

Take the time to enjoy aloneness. As a zen master would say, "sit down, have a cup of tea".

The Fool

This picture was taken on the shore of the Boulder creek. The young man had just finished creating scultpures with stones in the water. He was the clear picture of the fool for love, creating something beautiful for its own sake and for our pleasure. I found out that it took him two days to create these sculptures, and dispite the wind these stones hadn't moved. The balance was incredible. I felt as though I had come upon a mystical scene, the creation with the creator.

This card is the zero, or first card in the deck, because as I said in the card, he is iconoclastic...he walks the earth to the beat of his own drum. He is represented often as a wanderer by a cliff. He can jump and not be afraid. In other words, he leaps into the unknown fearlessly never losing his sense of humor about life, trials and error, mistakes, and physical impedements.

When I see this card in a reading it is signaling to me that the person has to face his or her fears of change and practice laughter along the way. It is time to be brave. Rehearsing being brave is very useful along the way to leaving the body into the mystery of our being. It is a strong reminder that we are ON A JOURNEY!


This is a picture of our beautiful fools artwork.

The Magician

This is the second card in the deck, called number one, because the zero is the Fool. I took this picture in the gallery of the Boulder public library. I liked how it was a transparency, so there are pictures within pictures within pictures. You can see sculptures, people walking, even a face. It reminded me of how the mind functions, in distractions and layers. The magician, having a clear intellect, never gets lost in the labyrinth of the mind.

It is our work on the planet to find our way through the labyrinth of the mind, and the Magician is a master at finding his way and helping others to find their way as well. He is known as a master of illusions, because he is able to see beyond the illusion of the earthly plane. This is what gives him the power because he can juggle ideas, space and time...never losing a ball!

If you come to see me as your guide, we can explore your particular dilemmas, moral confusion, and explore what is the right and truthful action. It is always very exciting for me to see someone energetically shifting. In other words, I can hear their heart saying 'Got it'!