Game of Swords with Root Lock Tarot

Game of Swords with Root Lock Tarot

Julienne talks with Weston, creator of Root Lock Tarot and Root Lock Radio Podcast – a course on Tarot.  They discuss the most difficult suit in the Tarot – the Swords. But it’s not all tough stuff, they geek out on Game of Thrones which is SO the suit of swords.  Topics range from pop culture to politics in this lively discussion of the symbols in the sword cards.  Weston has also generously offered to give away a 30 minute reading with him.  Check out our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from September 21st – October 15th, 2017 to find our entry posts. (If you are a Patron you are automatically entered into every giveaway!)

Help keep the Archetypal Tarot Podcast alive by becoming a Patron!  Just visit Tiny.cc.tarot to find out about all the nifty rewards for joining our Patron team.

 

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Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

Cyndera and Julienne bring their provocative archetypal and tarotic insights into the new film Wonder Woman.  The archetypes in The Priestess, The Sun and the Chariot are at play in the film.   They also discuss how listeners can become a part of the Archetypal Tarot team by signing up to be a patron of the show.  https://patron.podbean.com/atpodcast

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Treatise on Wonder Woman by Cyndera Quakenbush

In an attempt to add a poster of Wonder Woman to my office, a new colleague of mine expressed her reservation to the addition of this image to the office environment, which, to her credit, did contain a speech bubble from Wonder Woman’s mouth saying “No Time for Naughty.”

She articulated: “I feel it’s important to celebrate real women, brave and courageous historical leaders who had an actual impact on the world.”

I felt as though wounded, as if a spear had gone straight through my heart, as if she was saying I
wasn’t real. Why on earth did I feel this way? Wonder Woman is not, in fact, flesh and blood, and I am certainly myself not Wonder Woman.

The poster did indeed stick out like a sore thumb on the wall, she did not match the drab green walls, the muted tones of the overhead file bins. Would my own personality clash as brilliantly as this to the work culture? Wonder Woman seemed protected in her plastic cover, the natural light causing her to emit an armor of reflected light. I was speechless, tears came to my eyes, I left early from my first official day, along with the poster.

Today, in Wonder Woman’s defense, these words have come me:

You speak of the courage of suffragettes, the immensity of emotion portrayed in Frida Kahlo’s artwork, but who would these women be without the forces that came alive within them. We speak of these forces in abstracted terms all the time – they are real and present even after each historical woman exhales her last breath – Courage, Leadership, Imagination, Vision. Fictional figures such as Wonder Woman, illustrate and actually embody these forces for us.

The gift of Fiction, the gift of art, that percolates through our culture in various guises – depicts for us these forces we hope to ourselves enact. We can celebrate the lives of historical women AND embrace the inspiration of of the figures of fiction – who try on possibilities, dreams and visions that our not-so-humble humanity has not yet dared.

Scientists look to science fiction for ideas of invention and innovation. Teachers and psychologists look to literature for an understanding of human behavior. Mathematicians have found formulas from their dreams (another source some may call “not real”)

“The Gods have not died, they have just gone underground.”

The forces within us are Real – Love, Hate, Courage, Passion, Intelligence. Allow us to celebrate and be educated by history and Imagination alike, for one teaches of the past the other of the future.

Since her creation, Wonder Woman has been resurrected many times, always reflecting the struggles of the age. Her tiara and dark tendrils rise again, along with a voice that is once again trying to be heard.

What do you believe in? What do you wish to stand for?
Do you act from Love or do you simply hide and take cover from fear?

Wonder Woman’s name is Diana Prince – Diana connects her to the name of the Roman Goddess of the Moon. Like the light of the Moon, her power is a reflected one and thus reminds us of REFLECTION – the power to look within yourself to see your own shadows and your own light. Prince – though she is a woman she also embodies the sacred masculine. She is in touch with her noble male capacities (the animus in psychology). And thus Diana Prince, Wonder Woman, is a marriage of opposites, the holding of a tension between differences, and thus a medicine for our deeply divided times.

Red, White and Blue are the colors of Wonder Woman’s classic costume. In one comic, she is actually dressed from a tattered American flag. Since WWII Wonder Woman has stood for what is noble about the United States, a symbol of liberty, justice and truth. She rises in the face of what is most ugly about our country, which has always been equipped with the teeth of greed, bigotry, narcissism and blindness.

Wonder Woman rises with only the weapons of truth, and her own strength to remind us of the hope we must not lose hold of. Hold tight to the Lassos of Truth! Feel the bondage of those bracelets encircling your wrists, reminding all deeds done by these hands to be for the liberation of self and others.

Feel the tiara, placed upon the crown of the head, framing the third eye of Insight, Intuition and crystallized concentration. Most of all, feel your heart, beating with life, beating with love for life bursting in each moment with your passion…

Sign up to be a part of the Archetypal Tarot Patron Team!  tiny.cc/tarot

Archetypal Tarot Podcast – Aloha edition

Archetypal Tarot Podcast – Aloha edition

candjmaui_7-16_webJulienne and Cyndera are back together again recording in the same space at the same time!  Out of their recording closet in San Francisco the Aloha edition of the podcast was recorded in Julienne’s new home on Maui, Hawaii.  This tropical edition of the podcast discusses how our sense of place influences our lives, what to do when you are caught between our head and your intuition and the joys of adventure learning to live in a new place.

Cyndera shares her experience visiting the fiery beauty of a live volcano and the mythology of the Hawaiian Goddess Pele and the two discuss the foreshadowing events found in the Mana Cards deck years before Julienne’s move.

Synchronicity, sun and learning to integrate symbols, intuition and are the themes of this show!  Sorry no ukelele serenade this time!.

BIG NEWS  The Archetypal Tarot Podcast invites you to become a participant!

Visit Tiny.cc/tarot for more info!

img_2154Pic of the Maui card mentioned in the podcast. And surprise!  This deck of Hawaiian wisdom is available to purchase!  You can buy they direct from the authors from their site or get them via Amazon.

Embracing the Grace of Change

Embracing the Grace of Change

“Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your

one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

I am so very excited to present this new Archetypes & a Movie course to you!

BEMH_iphone_promoThe third edition of Archetypes & a Movie examines what happens when our old story has reached the end of it’s shelf life and how we can embrace the grace that change brings us. Using the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as contemplation on the choices and opportunities that lead us to an unexpected next chapter of our lives.

This self guided workshop is comprised of lecture and commentary on the film plus a full color illustrated workbook with supplementary information.

People of all ages can learn about moving from crisis to re-birth, discovering a secret chapter to our lives, aligning with grace through chaos, navigating the unexpected and finding beauty and love at any age.

Join spiritual director and archetypal counselor, Jim Curtan in a virtual adventure that will touch your heart & inspire you to claim the beauty of your one wild and precious life!

Listen to a conversation with Jim about working with change on a recent edition of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast.

As a gift to podcast listeners Jim is offering a 20% discount on this course and all others by using this link or entering the code   podcast at check out.

Here is an excerpt from my essay included in the course ebook:

Change, Disappointment & Grace

Change: a : to make different in some particular : alter b : to make radically different : transform c : to give a different position, course, or direction to
Disappointment: something (or someone) that fails to meet expectations
Grace: unmerited Divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

I saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the first time with my Mom and we both cried. They were those kind of tears that aren’t just happy or just sad – but the big, slow, salty tears that hold so much as they slide down your cheeks. I called Jim the next day and said “You have to teach this movie!”
Naturally, he was already ahead of me on that.

Why is change often so very difficult? We expect one future and change sweeps in and presents something else. It can feel like a theft of a life, leaving us vulnerable in a waiting room with disappointment as our only company. This film asks us to question our beliefs and entertain the idea that disappointment is a necessary companion inviting us to let go of our expectations and welcome in a new life.

Get this self guided audio course to use with the movie Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for 25% off.

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The Nature and Nurture of Passion (podcast)

The Nature and Nurture of Passion (podcast)

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My co-host Cyndera and I are very excited to announce a new format for the Archetypal Tarot Podcast. We will be revisiting the Major Arcana but this time with special guests giving their insights on the themes and ideas presented by these ancient yet totally relevant archetypal stories.

We start the new year off on the topic of Passion, it’s nature and how we can actually nurture a sense of vitality and adventure in our lives.

bioOur guest for this edition is an author who has literally written the book on the nature and nurture of passion, Gregg Levoy.  Gregg is the author of the best selling Callings:  Finding and Following an Authentic Life and puts his keen sense for creative insight as well as a Storyteller’s magic into his new book Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion.

Where his first book Callings was about finding passion, Vital Signs picks up on the why’s and how’s of losing our sense of passion & vitality and how to regain a passionate life with creativity and abundance.  We love this new book and recommend you get a copy – it’s available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and many fine bookstores.  Visit Gregg’s site and check out all of the resources in “Wow!” images, books, music and films to help you connect to passion and excitement.  http://gregglevoy.com

Ultimately, passion is a life skill—a stance—that helps bring vitality to all our engagements: from work, family and school life, to creative, social and spiritual life. And it’s a survival mechanism—critical to health and well-being—because your attachment to life depends on your interest in it.
-Gregg Levoy

GreggLevoy_VitalSigns_CoverWe think you will really enjoy Julienne’s conversation with Gregg about passion, creativity, the call of the wild, the archetype of the Fool, Vampires, Zombies, Intuition and the practice of living our lives fully.

Passion is an unstable element and will naturally degrade over time but some very simple, yet powerful practices have the ability to heat things up again.  Not only is passion something we start to miss over time but it’s important to our overall health.  As Gregg says in our discussion “Our attachment to life depends to a great degree to our interest in it.”.  Without interest, everything fades, including our health.  It’s no wonder Zombies and Vampires have been of such an interest in the last few years – we fear the life being sucked out of us by routine and a lack of creativity.

You can listen to the entire podcast below or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes and never miss an episode.  We have a very exciting line up of authors, teachers and creators lined up for future episodes.

Right-click and save this podcast to your device.

Gregg’s List of 5 Things You Can Do To Beef Up The Passion & Quality of Your Life:

1)  Pay attention to what is trying to emerge in your life.
2)  Remember that you have a ‘use by’ date.
3)  Come up with a bucket list. (Check out this from Artist Candy Chang:  Before I Die)
4)  Always give yourself something to look forward to.
5) Look for where you’re restless – ask yourself: What wants to move? And where does it want to go?
Julienne’s addition:
6) Turn something upside down. (The Trickster archetype can be very useful in this.)

Want to email us about the Archetypal Tarot Podcast? We’d love that! ATPodcast@archetypist.com

Related articles & podcasts: 

Harvesting From This Year’s Season

The Tower & Lightning Liberation

The Archetypal Tarot Podcast is a production of Both/And Media.

I Feel It All by Feist – An anthem for a full & passionate life.

The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

The Way: A Journey of Healing & Self Acceptance

TheWay_posterI am super happy to announce that another edition of the Archetypes & A Movie course is now available.  As the Producer of this series it’s an especially joyous occasion, not just a ‘job done’ elation but gratitude for how much I have learned throughout the process of producing the course.  My dear friend, teacher and client, Jim Curtan is doing something unique – he’s helping us See (and I mean that with a capital S) our lives in a new way by using the popular art of movies.

This new course centers around the idea of a modern pilgrimage, of our journey through the griefs and joys of life and how that path can bring us to the healing power of self acceptance.  The film used as contemplation in the course is a beautiful indie film directed by Emilio Estevez called The Way (2010).  It stars Emilio’s Father, Martin Sheen and is the story of four very different pilgrims walking the Camino de Compostella de Santiago.

Just as the last course on the Hero’s Journey was about finding out who you are, this course is about remembering who you are and all that your life contains.

The_Way_Cover_Final_500pxThe Way: A Journey of Healing and Self Acceptance is a self guided workshop available to download. It contains 3 hours of audio course, 2 pdf books and access to online discussions with Jim and fellow students.

I encourage you to check it out and have included the link to purchase below that will save you $5 off the already very reasonable price.   You can get the DVD for less than $5 and stream it for free if you are an Amazon Prime member.

Learn more and download the audio for part one of the course for free.

Click to save $5 on the course

In this course you will delve deeply into the following areas:

  • Identifying archetypes as a path of integrating Mind, Heart and Body with the Self.
  • Relating the powerful story of integration as seen in The Wizard of Oz, The Way, Sex & the City, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and more.
  • Healing and acceptance of ourselves and our relationships.
  • Rediscovering who you are and the richness of self acceptance.
  • Remembrance and resurrection.
  • The power of relationships as mirrors of ourselves.
  • The grace of gratitude for all of our experiences, both the griefs and the joys.

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