Welcome to 2019.

I always like to start out the year highlighting a story form or illustrators for children’s books.  For January is our month to start a new chapter or possible a new book or even a whole new genre of how we tell our story.  I don’t know if it is the state of the world or state of myself, but I am drawn to the Adventures of Alice and Wonderland.  It’s not that I want to create more nonsense but to see the chaos with a bit of satire, tongue in cheek and fantasy – eventually waking to find it all was a dream.

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll was not only a writer of children’s nonsense stories, a mathematician and, though not widely known now, a sought-after photographer spanning 24 years.  The above picture is one he took of the Alice the book is dedicated to.

Dodgson got into photography in 1856 when photography was new.  There are over 3,000 photos ranging from landscapes to portraits, but his portraits of children were the most popular and years after his death the most controversial. You can read about the controversy of his photos here.  The lesson from this debate is not to solely rely on our lens of the present but to gather the whole picture one must also look through the lens of the past.

P.S.  Remember signs with an * it a big week for you.  And if you do a beginning of a year Astrological Reading I’m booking up fast, so get in while you can.

 

Aries

 

Two of Pentacles – This week will be all about balance in your everyday endeavors.  The question to ask is can I juggle two things well before I add another.  Think Jedi- if you can’t do it with your eyes shut then you haven’t practice enough.

 

Taurus

Nine of Swords- You will need to watch your thoughts this week.  Worry and fretting might creep into your dreams, waking mind and confidence.  The advice this card gives is if you can’t fix it now don’t worry about, for the solution will come later or the problem will dissolve on its own.

Gemini

*Hanged Man- Your journey will be waylaid this week, and this is a blessing in disguise.  Your voyage will be better suited if you take some time either in quiet contemplation or be waylaid by strangers.  Think of this week like an adventure into Wonderland were not everything makes sense, but it can be amazing if you don’t take it too seriously.

 

Cancer

*Hierophant and Eight of Pentacles – These 2 cards work well together.  The Hierophant wants you to create structure and the Eight of Pentacles wants you to work on mastery at what you are doing.  This can look as simple as creating a schedule where you only look at emails the beginning and end of the day, or as complex as going to a class to get better at sculpting or Excel.

 

Leo

 

Queen of Pentacles- This queen has you working on making something in the real world that will solve your real-world problems during this week.  The challenge is that when your work day is done you stop toiling and enjoy the good things in life.

 

Virgo

 

Ten of Pentacles – The challenge with this card is how do you consciously recognize how far you have come and how good your life is.  This week take time out for seeing and basking in the good things you have created in your life.

 

Libra

Ace of Swords – Great way to start the new year with a clean and cleared head-space.  That is your goal and challenge this week to keep your mind clear and sharp, so you can hone into the new perspective and strategy for the week and possible the year.

 

Scorpio

Ten of Swords – Well this week will be a rough start to the new year, if you let it.  The Ten of Swords warns us when the outside world or things we have no control over tries to get us down.  You can hide this week if you want that is one way to deal; the other is to hone your spidey sense and dodge any “bullets.”  Either way you deal with this week the challenge is not letting other’s thoughts or plans stab you and your plans in the back.

 

Sagittarius

*Empress – The Empress is the card of growth and creativity; what a great way to begin 2019.  Your challenge this week is to create some seeds that you want to see bud in about 9-10 months from now.  This can be a simple as starting a health plan that by September or October you are able to run in a marathon. Or as complex as creating a book, an album, a house or a baby.  The big thing is you need to start on your big projects/ideas now.

 

Capricorn

 

Eight of Swords – This week your mind is binding you up with all its opinions, options and orating.  Your challenge is getting Zen.  Your practice is letting the thoughts flow without grasping on to them.

 

Aquarius

Six of Cups – It is fine to dwell a bit in the past this week if it doesn’t swallow you up.  The past has information for you.  The past is something to reminisce about but not endure the bad moments over and over.  The challenge is like cleaning out the attic – keep the good memories and take the lesson from the bad but then toss it.

 

Pisces

Two of Cups – Relationships are the focal point this week.  This is a time to reinforce old relationships and make new ones, but only if they are good for you.  The only challenge, this card recommends if the wine is sour don’t drink it to be nice, you can politely refuse.