’16 Vernal Blog Hop: The Wheel of Will & Whoa
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WHAT IS A BLOGHOP???
A Tarot Round Robin that happens eight times a year. AKA blog collaboration. AKA Variety ftw!!
WHAT IS A Tarot Round Robin???
A group of bloggers + one question or topic + links* to the blog before, master list, & the blog after = Tarot Train
WHAT IS A TAROT TRAIN???
Fun.
*use the links at the top and bottom of this post to navigate the Hop.

Ephemeris, natal chart, planner, to-do list, & the seven of pentacles. What else do you need?
It started with Benjamins
When I heard the Vernal Blog Hop Topic: Tarot and finance ( How do you use the Tarot concerning financial matters ?) from fellow Blog Hopper, Ania, I was catapulted into last week when I read this post from a series by Theresa Reed about the 13 virtues of Benjamin Franklin. It seems fitting to start with Benjamins and the Tarot Lady. It doesn’t get much more Tarot and Finance then that.
This post from @thetarotlady just inspired an entire blog post in like 2 min. *adds to calendar #writersproblems https://t.co/OijahOlza3
— Siobhan Rene (@SiobhansMirror) March 6, 2016
Theresa writes about time management and “being born into a family of industrious people.” I can really relate to this. I was raised with lots of lessons about work, the power of ideas, and money. I can’t see a seven of pentacles without thinking about my dad and his dad and the unsolicited talks I’d get from the both of them. Some of you know the kind I mean… They took pride in the work they did, and many of my family members work harder than most other people I know. I could always relate to the work ethic part, but it wasn’t until recently that I could relate to any of the info about entrepreneurship. Hard work is one thing but taking ownership of the work you do, as a contractor or business owner, is altogether another thing.
In the process of growing my blog and my professional tarot practice, I’ve had to adapt. For me it wasn’t as simple as changing some habits, I had to change how I think and behave in several key areas of life. What’s more, it wasn’t enough to wave some copal around and pronounce it done. I feel most abundant when I cultivate a symbiotic relationship between my inner world – my beliefs and intentions – and the practical tools I employ to flex my will muscles and manifest the “whoa.”
A word about “Whoa”
Everybody has a different definition of abundance. I’m an oddball from a huge city. Rather than crave the trappings of my native New York, I value wide open living spaces, access to sustainable food, and work where I’m able to be of service and make a meaningful impact without going nuts. Compared to many, I’m pretty low maintenance. But I’ve noticed some trends in the last few years that lead me to believe that the universe responds favorably to certain practices whether you are building an empire or a bonfire.
If I had to give these practices a shape, it’d be a wheel. Like the cycles of the seasons, like the wheel of the year, like something that repeats whether consciously or unconsciously (although I think there are bonus points for consciousness). A wheel doesn’t stay in one place, rather it moves in stages and depends on momentum to keep moving. If I had to give these behaviors a number, it’d be six. As in Tiferet, the center of the bottom circle on the tree of life. As in central harmonizing factor, compassion and discipline, integration, miracles. Synchronicity. Flow. Whoa.

A tarot mandala/grid thing with some “business” cards & the sixes.
A word about Will
Will muscles are the business battery. Without the ability to show up and do what you say you will do, there is no business. Will isn’t just about business either. It’s associated with the third chakra or solar plexus and if you want to see the importance of this area you need only look as far as the gut. Consider the microbiome – the tiny army in your digestive system that are responsible for maintaining the balance in your body between good and bad bacteria. They make sure you process food efficiently, that you get the energy to do stuff, and that regardless of setbacks, all in all, your brain chemistry, energy levels, and overall health stay OK. If this area falters, you see effects all over the body. And so it is with the will.
Another word for will, in this case, is integrity. You can’t fake integrity, and it’s vital in interactions with people, especially people with whom you exchange goods or services. But it can be a THING to learn to flex this integrity/will muscle. Five years ago I started growing my capacity to keep my word. I was dealing with addiction. My health was on the line, and I had already failed a few times. With the support of a community and a consistent spiritual practice, I learned to keep my word to myself. Once I succeeded it prompted my curiosity about what else I could imagine and then do.
Lessons from the Sixes
Six of Swords – Harmonious Thought
Thoughts are far from harmonious for most humans. Balance might be a better word. Like the passenger in the six of swords, we carry our beliefs with us on our journey through life and the deeper our commitment to old ways of being, the more likely we pierce the boat we sail in. I ended last year with a face-up tarot spread, pulling one card consciously to represent each month of the year and how I felt about it.
![20151230_reflection[cropped]](http://siobhansmirror.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20151230_reflectioncropped-1024x434.jpg)
Tarot de St. Croix copyright Devera Publishing 2013 – http://lisadestcroix.com/35-2/
I do this periodically to remain aware of what happened. Goals I set. Places I slipped. Things that hurt. The more I go through this process, the more it feels like a celebration. Why? I prefer them. Doesn’t matter the size, I practice celebration breaks and gratitude bombs. My brain has started just to trend that way. I practice this process so that I can apply it to my conceptions of the future as well. And I need plenty of practice because left to its own devices my brain is a disaster-imagining machine. Maybe you can relate to this?
Six of Rods – Harmonious Momentum
Six Rods feels like the continuation of the journey of the six swords. Thoughts make up the words; words are little commitments we make to ourselves and others. Willpower is like the fire that burns and builds in our bellies. (The good kind! :x) If we stoke it, it grows. We begin a journey and even as we resist change and suffer, if we stay the course, if we practice living on our edges, eventually there is a response. We feel the momentum and are inspired. People around us are as well because it affirms what’s possible on their journey.
Six of Cups – Harmonious Emotions
The six of cups are the universes love notes to us. Some of us feel special to receive a token of affection. Some of us experience longing for something other than the letter that we get and feel sadness. Some of us might fixate on getting more letters. The six cups are an invitation to recognize and balance emotions. If we are familiar with our emotions and how they shape our needs and desires, then we have valuable information about the things we do when we are less than conscious.
Six of Pentacles – Harmonious Flow
Pentacles are the suit where all other suits reach fruition and are grounded in reality. Bountiful and compassionate thought manifests as a solid reputation or clear communication and boundaries. Infectious enthusiasm or consistent willpower inspires trust and admiration in others. Balanced emotional indulgence yields attainment of desires. Effort yields flow.
Last summer I read Theresa Reed’s piece on using tarot and astrology in business. I knew next to nothing about astrology so of course, I decided to use the post as a reason to learn-all-the-things and plot out the simplest forecast in the world for my business. It took me days. My brain threatened to turn to mush. And it was totally worth it for an expected reason. It got me looking further in the future; a habit that would serve me well in the months ahead. It’s not that I felt certainty about the future, but as I looked for meaningful patterns, I became more aware.
This awareness stretched even farther with the new year. I bought Leonie Dawson’s Shining Year in Business workbook and planner. Because I was already cultivating a stable relationship with my word, this workbook/diary planner combo flexed my will muscles exponentially. The key to this system was to go faithfully through the stages: Write big goals. Put them in the planner. Do the things. Follow up.

I made note of the cards I pulled to remind me of themes to focus on during the month.
Things really got wild when I noticed that the cards I pulled while I did my biz workbook matched the trends I mapped using Theresa Reed’s astrology method. Hmmmm. Another thing I noticed doing these year spreads is that cards repeat at different times of the year. This year is the second year in a row I’ve gotten the reversed Tower in April. This card turned up enough in my spreads to inspire a post over at littleredtarot.com.
How do you use the Tarot in relation to matters financial?
I use the tarot, drawn face down at random and face up consciously, as one of many tools to focus my awareness of limiting thoughts, habits, highest intentions, energy levels, and desires. Mindful of the fact that all these things are interrelated. That effort yields flow and synchronicity. And that Will Yields Whoa.
If you were to sum up a relationship
between Tarot & finance in 3 words
Which would you choose?
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– Bio –
Siobhan is an NYC-born writer, spiritual ally, and professional intuitive living in central Texas. She moonlights as a published poet, and alternative relationship coach. She’s a frequent collaborator: contributing a column at littleredtarot.com, wrangling a monthly collaborative tarotscope featuring a kaleidoscope of readers – Diversity ftw! – and hosting tarot Twitter chats on Thursdays until April 21st.
Sign up to contribute or subscribe to the ‘Scopes. Use #rstudio16 to chat about tarot. Or check out her blog where she geeks communication, sexuality, energywork, and awareness.
Featured Decks/Art:
Morgan Greer Tarot, US Games 1979
Tarot de St. Croix Devera Publishing 2013
Create Your Shining Year Business Workbook and Diary Planner 2016