Dear Rachel - Gold Digger's Blues

Dear Rachel,

My horoscope said that financial wealth is coming my way. It has told me a message like that every week for the past few weeks, and my rich father-in-law’s health keeps getting worse and worse. He has always treated me like crap because I do not live up to my husband’s perfect first wife, who died giving birth to my stepson, who is my husband’s only child. My father-in-law’s will states that my husband will get everything. I don’t want to speak ill of the soon-to-be dead but enough is enough -- is there a golden ticket in my future, or what?

With fingers (and toes!) crossed,

Gold Digging Daughter-in-Law in Detroit

Dear Detroit,
Uhm... wow. I appreciate your honesty, that's kind of refreshing.

Your payday is coming, but it's not because of the death of your father-in-law. Your payday will arrive when you let go of the past, set yourself free from the bonds of material gain and status symbols. You've locked yourself in a prison of contempt and hold yourself inside with a wax key shaped like your husband's first wife. For whatever reason you feel you cannot compete with the dead, so you listen for echoes of this sentiment from others to reinforce the weight of your bondage. Set yourself free, woman! You are living with a ghost and only you can release the chains that bind.

Yes, your husband's first wife was a lovely woman, and you have a darling step-son to prove it. But you're his wife now, he chose you because of your beautiful spirit and loving heart. It's your own insecurity that's getting the best of you, so set that shit on fire and let your soul rise up like a mighty phoenix from the flames. You will be rewarded with wealth beyond your wildest imaginings, but first you have to let go of the girlish notion that all riches come in the form of money.


Besides, think of how much fun it will be to spend that inheritance utterly free of all the guilt and shame associated with being a shallow, self-serving bitch. Money might buy temporary happiness but it won't hold you while you cry yourself to sleep at night.  

Intimate Reflections – 78 Steps to Personal Clarity

I really can't remember what sparked my interest in the Tarot, what events transpired to put a deck in my hand and make me realize a hidden talent. I started young, that much I do know, but I don't believe age is any indication of ability. With patience, practice and trust in one's abilities, psychic talent can certainly be honed – this goes for the Tarot as well.

If I really had to put a finger on it, I would say my interest and dabbling in Tarot, Palmistry, and other methods of divination, began more as an interest in learning about topics we wouldn't normally cover in school. When it came time for a group project regarding a subject of our choosing, I would always railroad the discussion towards the history of divination. Anything that would allow me to paint my own tarot cards, read someone's palm in front of an audience, or otherwise make straight-laced people squirm as they felt their paradigms shifting. Seriously, I can think of at least school projects between middle school and college devoted to tarot and other forms of fortune telling – they were always a huge hit.

What began as a desire to stand out amongst my peers has developed into a deep respect for the Tarot and its ability to accurately reflect those areas in our lives needing the most attention. After all, we can't fix something unless we know it's broken, and the nice thing about the Tarot is each and every card gives practical advice towards lifting the burdens of life's challenges. The deck itself tells the story of the human experience, not just amongst the Major Arcana which describes a heroes journey - the way in which we must all establish our independence and forge a legacy - but also the Minor Arcana which describes the day to day toils and triumphs that shape our personality as we grow into our own.

Through the Tarot we come to learn that everything is connected, astronomy, numerology, elemental designations, even the various symbols used to demonstrate progression from one card to the next. From this we can begin to think of the Tarot as a smaller, hand-held version of our universe. A guidebook, of sorts, which contains all the answers of the world, just waiting for the questions to be asked and the reader to interpret the response. There's plenty of places you can go for free online tarot readings, but it helps to have a working knowledge of the tarot before putting too much stock in the guidance you receive. Seems there are resources a plenty, but when it comes to tarot readings you can trust, its better to seek a live individual, simply because they're better equipped to clarify gray areas or seemingly contradictory information.