Blog & Vlog - Present Path Tarot

This past week I enjoyed a small family reunion with my aunt and cousin who I grew up with. It had been seven years since I had seen them. I can’t recall the last time we spent more than a day together, despite my cousin and I growing up like sisters.

During our visit, my closest friend from my two years living in Taiwan also reached out. We lost touch since I visited her in 2008 in Montreal, Quebec.

All this got me thinking about levels of connection.

I had presumed a lot from mere phone calls with my family. Brief check in’s and updates for years impressed a sense that my relatives had remained consistent with who I remembered.

Spending time together for multiple days, I observed far more depth of character in how each of them had evolved through time.

I witnessed my cousin care considerately for her mom in her elder years. My aunt went beyond our usual quick phone chat shares. She asked me meaningful questions about my life, reminding me of her wonderful curiosity for others experiences.

I know their dynamic and was able to act as support in a way that close family comprehends.

Then an old friend reached out after perhaps 15 years silence. She shared how important that era of her life was and the relevance of my role in her favorite memories. She seemed surprised and delighted that I reflected the same sentiments about her influence in my life.

During all this, I also saw one of my oldest friends who I have been in consistent contact with for the last long while. We have an ease earned with regular time shared. She served as a grounding point for me in the whirlwind of reconnecting with family.

Each of these connections felt precious and unique, and the level of contact we have shared through the years lent to very different wavelengths of understanding.

Consider today your own connections.

Who is someone you are grateful for the constant contact of through the years? Perhaps journal about the role they play in your own sense of self.

Who is someone who played a valuable role during a key point in your life? Have you lost touch with them? Perhaps reach out to share the meaning they still hold in your heart.

Do you have any family that have been relegated to occasional phone chats or holiday gatherings? Is it time to arrange a longer visit or perhaps a regular family-wide video call?

Think today of someone from your past you wish to draw back to the present, even if only to let them know how they impacted your life for the better.

Add depth to your connections when you bring them in for a Tarot Together session where you split the hour.

Or, inspect deeper into your own relationship patterns during an in-depth personal tarot reading.

Bring in an old friend to bond with for a tarot reading lesson with me.

Make your family gathering more meaningful when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

“You remind me of something, a song that I am, and you sing me back into myself.”

-Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Relish Your Bonds,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Know Your Best BS (Belief Systems)

Posted on March 5, 2026 by jennaroberts

Happy First Friday of March!

Spring is getting closer, and with it comes a wave of more people out looking cute in public.

With that in mind, I am now offering my skills as a dating coach. I use a mix of the cards, intuition coaching, and my experiences in the dating realms to help people find secure attachments in this area of their life.

For insight into a variety of topics, come in this month for a tarot reading.

For either of these offerings, or a lesson in tarot reading, use the code RETRO2026 for a discount through the Equinox!

Do you want to entertain friends and family this Spring? Add a real treat to your time together when you hire a professional tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Our Free Reading for the month is below!

And below that is a new Flip Through of the Earth Magick Deck by Daniel Martin Diaz!

Springtime is Riddy Diddy Ding Time,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Our reading today is with the cheeky Housewives Tarot by Jude Buffum and Paul Kepple

We begin with the Judgment Card, which is about finding your own clarified truth.

I love that the image presented in this deck reflects the clash of society’s norms versus our inner acceptance of our own personal meat suit. Tis the season to feel anxious about fitting into last Summer’s fashions.

Let’s take that as a metaphor of the high expectations we feel pressured to live up to. How can you nourish yourself in a 4 of Swords Spa Day?

Find some time to rest mentally and listen to the stories you are sewing with rotten thread.

With Mercury in retrograde this month, it’s time to reflect on the defeating tales that spoil our centered confidence and certainty.

The Hermit’s bath time is washing out the belief systems (BS) that detract from our own wisdom. You are your own best guru, and the Hermit takes time to tune inward to find what that Judgment Card epiphany is all about.

The King of Cups reversed could indicate that you are emotionally needing to add some of your salty tears to that epsom Hermit bath. Even if you don’t know what the cry is about, allow for an emotional release.

Or, the King of Cups reversed could also be about an emotionally stuck masculine figure in your life who might not like your newfound awakening. Don’t let his distaste for what’s for dinner halt you from serving up your finest truth.

The High Priestess welcomes your intuitive pancakes. She knows that honest inward seeking can be sticky and messy sometimes, but trusting yourself is a sweetness of life not to be passed up.

A clear message keeps stirring around again and again in this reading: You know what your own truth is, and it is essential to sit with that certainty in solitude to solidify it more fully this month.

If you crave more of what I am dishing out, sign up for an online or in-person tarot reading or an intuition coaching session with me.

Intuition Saved My Life

Posted on February 25, 2026 by jennaroberts

I am fully back from my trip and meeting for in-person readings again.

It was a nice vacation, more relaxing than adventurous, which is what I needed.

Sometimes the trip brings the unexpected adventure to you though.

One late afternoon, Anna, Ashley and I went for a walk alongside a river to see some waterfalls.

I have been on countless jungle hikes in my life. I lived in Taiwan and have travel through Southeast Asia, India, and Central America.

In all of those many walks, I have rarely been anxious.

This time, a quiet yet firm voice in my mind began saying oddly specific things.

“I don’t want to be the first person on the trail.”

“I hope there’s no snakes.”

When I briefly looked at my phone while walking, I heard a strong, “Put your phone down and watch the path”.

These did not incite panic, but rather centered me to be more aware.

Less than 100 paces after these thoughts began, I walked up some steps and shrieked.

Anna first groaned at me, “Oh my gosh, what are you freaking about, Jenna?”

I pointed at the brown snake coiled up calmly on the warm afternoon cement.

“Oh”, she responded, “Yeah, okay, that is a good reason.”

Ashley asked if we could walk around it. Anna was clear that it was not worth the risk. She felt it looked like a dangerous breed.

I was clear that I was not about to get near it without knowing for certain what kind of snake it was.

We turned around and drove to a different trailhead.

Upon returning home, our photo (see below) verified that this was a fer de lance (Bothrops Asper) known as “the ultimate pit viper” and the deadliest snake in Central America. If you don’t die, the bitten body part might get necrosis and need to be amputated.

Since the snake was not in defensive mode, we were safe enough and it actually is a pretty rare sighting.

I am in awe of that voice in my head. How did it know?

I have been saved by listening to my friends on the road when they have shared moments of unexpected pause. The more random their thought, the more I heed their bravery to say it out loud by following their guidance.

While some are more natural at this, I have experienced this as a learned skill that I have developed and can help you hone.

This is not about constant perfection, I still have accidents that I don’t see coming, naturally. Since I have practiced developing these skills though, more and more I will ponder as I clean up the broken glass about how something quietly warned me ahead. The more I heed it, the more delight and relief I earn.

This is about gaining a tool that can help you in love, business, health, and can potentially save your life. If Einstein valued it so highly, perhaps we all should.

If this intrigues you, sign up with me for an intuition coaching session. You already have the inherent skills, so let’s help you gain closer connection to them.

If you prefer to make use of my developed gifts, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me instead.

If you want to develop intuition with a classic art, take a tarot reading lesson with me. Bring a friend with you for the same rate.

Or have that friend join you for a Tarot Together session where you split the hour.

Welcome a skilled psychic to entertain your friends with the art when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Now my goal is to use my intuition to figure out a healthy work-life balance from a new starting point. I hope you can get some good R&R yourself this weekend.

Trust Yourself,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Life as Tarot Suits

Posted on February 18, 2026 by jennaroberts

Today, I want to share with you a theory I have around phases of life. I find that witnessing myself through the lens of tarot has helped me gain perspectives on the patterns we collectively experience.

The major arcana is about the overarching messages we face in our individual hero’s journey. It’s about the more grand archetypes.

The minor arcana speak to the myriad of essential building blocks that make up our day-to-day living.

When I look back on my nearly half a century, I can see how each decade of life typically aligns with one of the four elements present in the minor arcana.

Read this theory with a casual view and a light heart. This is not a metric that we all follow exactly.

Consider instead which phases of your own life you can relate to with your own experiences.

0 – 10: We are born emotional beings. We come out crying and feeling, empathically sensing the world around us.

This makes the first decade the Cups phase of life, marked by the element of water.

We are inherently creative, using our imaginations during playtime and in our gangly first artistic attempts.

People around us hopefully nurture us with the tools to manage the swells and tidal waves of our heartfelt interactions with the world.

11 – 19: Soon after we enter our 2nd decade, our brains begin to develop the ability to think of our own concepts. Learning and school become central and grades begin to matter.

This intellectual and philosophical era of our teens is the Swords arena of Air.

Books become filled with concepts and eloquence on a whole new level. Our brains morph and form into a new system with new beliefs. We often rail against our parents ideas.

We often do dumb stuff and learn learn learn. Hopefully someone teaches us how to communicate kindly.

20 – 29: Once our 20’s hit, it’s time to light up our desires and chase passions. We move past the dreamy wondering and into the possibility of activating our power.

This movement outward is all about the Suit of Firey Wands.

We turn our learning into energy output. We try on new jobs or careers that might include the tests of degrees. We ask what our burning desires are and chasing sparkly attractions.

We are horny, or at least curious about approaching sex. Our bodies are capable in a way we may not fully appreciate until we are in our late 30’s.

We are often inspired to travel away from home or explore our new levels of independence with zest.

30 – 39: The whoosh of Saturn Return starts at 28 and slides us into our more grounded 30’s when we ground into home and hearth and organize our long-term plans more clearly.

We begin to stabilize into our foundations of Pentacles Earth.

Money matters more now, and we are hopefully on a slow but steady trajectory toward our career and economy. If we have little bundles of pentacle babies, we sort out how to provide them with food and shelter and security.

We realize that we have to eat healthy and slow down sometimes to take care of this physical form we are in. We manage stuff.

_______________

That’s the first 4 decades from one point of view. Obviously, all 56 minor cards have moments in each decade. We each contain multitudes from the beginning.

I have found my 40’s to be a mix of the four. I regularly have to remember lessons from each of those eras.

One day, I need to manage emotions and hold this sensitive heart, who can be a flustering kid sometimes. Hopefully, I remember how creative expression helps her feel better.

Then the joy of play comes through and I go dancing and exploring new things with wands fervor.

I have learned that strength training helps with my aging pentacle body that needs more rest to recoup after the fire exertions.

I am always juggling to balance the earth. Slow down, plan ahead, build a healthy routine… I have maintenance scheduled for the car and the house and the body and the career and the money. It’s a lot of scales, and they sure do tip.

My swords self keeps researching how to balance life better and remain open and curious.

Today, she wonders what might shift if we nurtured each phase like good adults do with tender kids?

What if we taught meditation to teens as their brains form?

What if we inspired young people to travel abroad in their first moments of independence?

What if we created networks of support to help people in their 30’s get stable?

What if we lavished perimenopausal women with day-long adoration sessions? And andropausal men can get together and do whatever they need to do to feel nourished?

Consider writing your own story of which era’s of your life you can see most influenced by each of the 4 elements.

If you crave some guidance from the arcana for the phase you are in, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me. I am back from my journey abroad and my schedule is open again for in-person and online readings.

Learn to relish the wisdom of all your ages during an intuition coaching session.

If these archetypes interest you, come learn more in a tarot reading lesson with me.

Share your era with a friend when you come in together for a Tarot Together session.

Add zest to an event when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Hope you have a great weekend pondering on the many phases within you and your life story.

You Contain Multitudes,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

The Dance of Soft and Strong

Posted on February 12, 2026 by jennaroberts

A new friend recently shared how she sees herself as rigid and wants to shift that in herself.

This inspired a lot of questions in me about where the sweet spot is between holding your values while also being malleable and flexible.

Keep in mind that perfection around this vast subject is nearly impossible. You don’t need to have it all figured out. That in itself would be too rigid.

Let this be a ponder on your own balance with the questions provided.

Some Tarot cards that touch on this subject:

6 of Pentacles: Give and Take

Giving

When we are overly generous of ourselves, it’s easy to feel taken advantage of.

Perhaps we offer more than we actually feel inspired to give, and then resent others acceptance of our good graces.

Perhaps we struggle to say No to requests.

When we withhold what we want to give, we can become isolated and brittle.

Receiving

When we resist other’s support by being walled up, they are also denied sharing of themselves in a way that can create connection.

Of course, if you know their offering comes with strings attached or you truly don’t want that connection, then this can be a healthy boundary.

But often we say No to what we desire out of shame of feeling need, or our guilt about putting someone out.

Ponder: What ways do you want to give and where would you like to hold better boundaries?

What ways do you want to receive and how can you ask for that from the people who are able and willing to support you?

4 of Pentacles: Control

Sometimes we need things done a certain way to ensure quality. You want the tiles set evenly in some aspects of life.

Often though, we desire things to be done in a certain manner that goes beyond necessity. The way from A to B can be done via a myriad of paths, and we push to have it accomplished by our own methods.

Perhaps we want it done sooner, and lack patience.

Perhaps we are anxious about someone else being incompetent.

Perhaps we are overzealous about an outcome we cannot actually control, and try to do so with micromanagement.

Ponder: Where do you cling to order in a way that you can allow for more ease?

What values do you hold dear that are not worth being easy going about?

Justice: Values vs. Preferences

Rigid thinking is like a law that is abused and out of balance. Outsiders are punished harshly, while others get little consequence.

It is essential to lean into fair play and be aware of our bias.

If we are overly guarded, we can treat all our desires as absolutes as a form of protection.

We can slow down and ask ourselves:

“Is this violating a value—or just challenging my comfort?”

“What’s the cost of being flexible here?”

“What’s the cost of staying rigid?”

Ponder: What are your non-negotiable rules that you stand up for with everyone equally? (Note: Self-respect is a healthy top priority).

What are your preferences that you can request and let pass if someone is not on the same page?

Wheel of Fortune: Accept Change

Rigid resists change, even when it is beneficial.

Change is inevitable; and yet it is also consistently scary to our nervous system.

When change arises, it’s important to notice the response you feel in your body. If you are activated, you are more likely to react with rigidity.

Build trust in yourself that you can manage what comes. You can course correct along the road ahead as you see your needs arise.

Ponder: What can you do to reset your tension when new information creates a resistance to change?

How can you see potential benefits from the shifts happening that are currently outside your comfort zone?

I’ve been visiting my friend Anna in Panama and have enjoyed her nature with both sharing her needs and being accommodating to my requests.

If I ask for something and she’s open and keen, she’ll even find answers for me. If I do and she’s not interested, I can trust she will reject the idea directly, without being bothered by the request.

She claims it’s in part because she grew up in rigidity and now leans flexible. I can see how she also owns what matters to her, and that comforts me so I don’t feel like I am overwhelming her.

If you desire a dance into your soft side, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me. Available times are sporadic until February 20th, so text or email me to make arrangements.

Come in for a personal values inventory from within during an intuition coaching session.

Learn the many other cards that relate to this subject during a tarot reading lesson with me.

Share the conversation around balancing your world in a Tarot Together session.

Bring community together when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Have a lovely weekend considering your own dance with firm and supple.

Respect Your Balance,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Wider World Views Bring Peace

Posted on February 5, 2026 by jennaroberts

My Mom is German and my Dad is retired from the Navy. Both of them encouraged me to explore and be curious about the world.

We took trips around the US and to Berlin to see my mom’s family.

They consumed books and documentaries about other cultures and histories.

Best of all, they welcomed immigrant community into our home and hearts.

This inspired me to live and travel abroad for much of my 20’s. Upon return, I taught ESL for a decade in the US and ran a Service Learning program to teach US Business Culture to East Asian college students.

These experiences have given me a perspective of how the US is itself a strange land.

On one hand, we have one of the most internationally represented world populations.

Astoria Queens is the most ethnically diverse district (while Toronto, Canada is now the most diverse city.) Outside of Iran, Los Angeles has the largest population of Iranians. In Miami, 54% of the residents were born in other countries. I presume there are similar stats for other US cities as well.

On the other hand, we are geographically and intellectually isolated from much of the world, with oceans separating us from all but two countries.

Per Capita, we don’t travel internationally as much as other western cultures. Understandable, since we don’t typically have enough vacation time afforded to us to really experience other cultures beyond a few weeks vacation.

When COVID struck, I was hopeful that it would bring our global community closer together as a shared experience. The news media failed us though, and the US remained in our own echo chamber.

The reason this is meaningful to me is that I gain so much insight when I speak with people from other cultures. It opens my perspective to hear their experiences and can both calm and enliven my spirit simultaneously.

I am very protective about the immigrant community in the US, as it adds immense value to our own wider national culture. Diversity enhances our ability to adapt to global shifts. It is scientifically proven to create more innovation. It is scientifically proven to lead to healthier offspring when we combine diverse genetics. We are better and stronger together.

Currently, I am visiting my friend Anna this month as she moves her family to Panama (view from her home pictured above).

Stepping out of the country offers me a shift in energy that reminds me of how vast the world is, and opens my sense of possibility in a subtle yet powerful way.

With the incredible technology of the world wide web, you don’t need to travel abroad to engage with international mindsets.

I am grateful to write this in a language that has become a current global standard. Places like Reddit offer forums for nearly every nation on Earth. We can explore perspectives and issues and share our own.

To develop a more personal connection, there are sites like PenPal World, Conversation Exchange, and TalkAbroad, to get to know someone from another place or practice a new language.

The Kanopy channel app is free with your library card and has a wonderful selection of global cinema for a lens on other worlds.

Local immigrant organizations always need extra support.

Bring your unique skills or simply be a conversation partner for someone improving their English. In Portland Oregon, we have Catholic Charities and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) doing great work.

Volunteering is probably the most powerful act you can do, and the best part is how it adds to your own life with unique new connections.

I hope this inspires you to deepen your own experience with the diversity of your community and beyond. If you already do these things, please share your own insights with others who might be shy to step outside their comfort zone. Perhaps share this blog with someone you think it might help.

If you desire another kind of fresh perspective from an Italian art, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me. Available times are sporadic until February 20th, so text or email me to make arrangements.

Tune into your calm inner world with an intuition coaching session.

Learn to connect with others through divination during an tarot reading lesson with me.

Bond with someone you love during a Tarot Together session.

Bring community together when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

I hope you have a lovely weekend enjoying your worldly curiosities. Get these blogs right into your email inbox on Fridays at Noon by signing up!

Relish Global Connections,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Free Reading for February

Posted on January 29, 2026 by jennaroberts

Happy Friday!

Announcement: I left this week for Panama to stay a few weeks with my friend Anna who I’ve known for 25 years. I will have some times opening during my trip (on East Coast time), and more will open up as I know my schedule better.

I’ll continue to send these emails each Friday. I’m curious to see what inspiration might happen with some much needed downtime.

Please note that you can still hire a fantastic tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers while I am away! I’m happy to make arrangements to bring quality entertainment at your winter party!

Our Free Reading for the month is below!

Happy February,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Surreal times call for the Surrealist Tarot by Luigi Di Giammarino

The first two cards popped out together.

The Chariot Reversed and The Emperor Reversed speaks to a stalled action by a toxic patriarch.

It appears that something which was presumed to be easy and swift is now backfiring. Reputations are being shattered. The Emperor has no clothes.

Ahem… this part seems to reflect a message that might be more populist than personal right now.

If this is personal, it would be a message to pull back on efforts that are pursuing an outdated agenda.

The next three cards appear to relate to each of us as individuals.

The 2 of Cups is about finding heart-centered connection with those you love. You are not alone and it’s best to reach out to loved ones who can relate to where you are emotionally at this month.

The 6 of Cups reversed has to to with healing some past trauma. The connections we make this month will likely mirror our sufferings. It’s important to not trauma bond, but be willing to look at how you can let go of the past pains by sharing in your overlapping experiences and truths.

The 3 of Pentacles is a team-building card toward a long-term effort. What feels like the best steps you can take this month to connect with others in efforts toward shared goals?

Pentacles are slow and sustained efforts. They are often very simple actions that begin with strong strategy and adapt as new evidence arises.

Who do you know in your community who might serve in your goals as support? How do you want to show up in someone else’s pursuits?

How can you take part in a smart and steady action plan with smaller steps to get the ball rolling this month?

Overall, this reading speaks of welcoming loving connections to first bond and heal and then build a new path forward together.

Satisfying with Nourishment

Posted on January 22, 2026 by jennaroberts

Happy update! My stress from last week has resolved itself for now in about as good of a situation as possible. Yay for functioning irrigation!

Once my sewer issues were managed, I needed to get my nervous system to reset into a more regulated balance.

Over the weekend, I allowed myself deep rest after the high cortisol week.

My therapist pointed out that in order to rest we must also nourish. This is based in the Sensitivity Cycle by Hakomi therapist Ron Kurtz.

This theory states that we have 4 parts to a full experience:

Insight: Awareness that I want or need something

Response and Action: I do something about it

Satisfaction: I experience nourishment from fulfillment

Completion and Rest: I release seeking and relax

Each of us can have barriers to one of these fields that weakens the cycle. For me, that is in the area of allowing nourishment, which also blocks my ability to fully rest.

Today I ask, what is nourishing for you? How do you sense your own satisfaction with a task?

For me, feeling relaxed is more about shifting my energy positively rather than laying around.

I went to ecstatic dance to physically shake out anxiety. Weird dance wrings out the sponge of my soul in the best way.

I ate healthy food. I love sugar, but in the periods of stress it backfires on my anxiety. I also learned that some fats help your nervous system, so I traded out sugar for quality cheese.

I saw a couple movies in the theater. Locking down for a film is the best way to get me to do nothing and actually physically rest.

I snuggled some friends to co-regulate. Vitamin T for the win!

I prioritized sleep by getting to bed a bit earlier.

I soaked in some hot water. Being immersed in a bath helps me release and let go.

I went on a hike in nature with a good friend who makes me laugh. It was stunning. Perfect swirls of ice decorated the evergreen plants. We stopped constantly on the way up, in awe of nature. See photos below.

On the hike, I noticed how the intensity of my last week felt like it was met by the intensity of the beauty of nature. It seemed to meet the high resonance with an equal trade of a similar but more delectable energy.

According to most experts, exercise, sleep, good food, laughter, downtime, meditation and nature time are classic ways to realign your nervous system.

Other methods might be a sauna, journaling, socializing, not socializing, reading a book, making crafts, decluttering, or playing music.

What other things bring you nourishment to refresh after a stressful time?

Consider three activities this week that you can do for the purpose of decompressing.

Perhaps include a chat about your own best practices when you sign up for a personal tarot reading with me.

Make deep listening a strategy in your response with an intuition coaching session.

Enhance your insight phase in a tarot reading lesson with me.

Co-regulate during a Tarot Together session with a friend.

Enjoy a laugh at life when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

My final note in regards to the Satisfaction phase is the grace of gratitude practice. Try to think of what is going well in your heart to be grateful for it. It really keeps us rejuvenated both during both the stress and relief.

And today I’m grateful for you for opening this email and reading it. Truly. I’m honored to have you here. I hope it brings you benefit.

Relish the Highlights,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Just Keep Swimming

Posted on January 15, 2026 by jennaroberts

This has been a hard week for me, and the only way to write this today is to share the cycles I swirl through and hope that someone out here will benefit from thinking about their own with compassion or humor.

In short, the privilege to poop at home is about to cost a large portion of my savings, and might require me to get a loan. (Please send good vibes that the latter is not required).

With all that is happening in the world, I can roll with the presumption that you are also mucking through the mire of poo management in your own ways.

The only way out is through. So let’s collectively consider our own natural cycles around stress response and offer ourselves compassion and forgiveness in our current state of being.

My Cycle:

When I first get stressful news, I initially get fired up to manage it . . . Fix it NOW!

Often my attack on the problem is so fast that I fumble and make hectic mistakes.

Then I panic about the foibles and question my competence.

Even if I don’t mess things up, the weight of the current situation or a new stressor might bring me freak out into anger or flustered self-judgement or anxiety or self-pity for the struggle I am in… sometimes all at the same time. Who says you can’t multitask?!

Your Turn: Reflect back on the last time you reacted badly to stressful news. What is your own pattern?

My Solutions:

At times I can catch myself in the moment as I recognize that haste is the issue and I try to slow myself with breathing techniques and words of affirmation that there will be a way to resolve things down the line.

Luckily my brain can take over here as it starts to trim away at the stories causing these sufferings, and I chip chip chip at the swirl of overwhelm.

Neuroscientists say that emotions typically only last about 90 seconds, but the story will reset that timer. Pausing the story that causes the loop that keeps the emotion active is very helpful.

This recent Hidden Brain Podcast offers an interesting view into the way stories form our perspective on the world. The follow up on a future episode is also interesting.

There’s a balance for me between needing to let myself feel angry or sad for myself, and remembering what is good in my life. A gratitude practice of saying out loud what is going well in life can reset my nervous system.

If it works, I can think clearly enough to move forward toward a next step. I might call a friend for solace or guidance.

Your Turn: What choices help you navigate back to your center?

Helpful things friends said to me this week:

“I am proud of you for letting yourself have your moment with being frustrated. You’ve got to feel that stuff! And I see you moving more towards acceptance and positivity, which is awesome.”

“Remember that all the issues you are facing around this have solutions. Yes, they will cost money and time and effort, but there are answers ahead.”

“That sucks and I am so sorry you have to go through this. I am here for you to vent to if you need.”

What are some helpful things you have heard that felt supportive in the way that you appreciate most?

For compassion around your own messy cycles, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me.

Get better at calming your nervous system in an intuition coaching session.

A tarot reading lesson can help you learn to problem solve in hard times from a unique perspective.

Commiserate with a friend in a Tarot Together session. This can be online if your friend is from afar.

Feeling like a party might brighten the spirits of your community this winter? Bring magic to your event when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Notice your cycles so you can love yourself through them.

Just Keep Swimming,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

The Power of Persistence

Posted on January 8, 2026 by jennaroberts

This week, I absorbed a fantastic 5-hour documentary about one of my favorite directors, called Mr. Scorsese, made by Rebecca Miller.

Whether you enjoy his films or not, you likely know his name. (Fair warning: these movies are often violent and not for everyone).

I have seen 17 of his films and enjoyed all but one (Skip The Irishman). My favorites are Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Departed, Shutter Island, Wolf of Wall Street, and Killers of the Flower Moon.

What feels relevant to share is how struck I was by the trajectory of his career. With so much success over five decades, I presumed he could rely consistently on being a wanted talent.

Nope. It was constant up’s and down’s. He would have a hit or two and then make a total flop that would scare studios away from working with him.

He made some films just to show that he was competent again after going over budget or failing to make big enough box office.

To his sadness and dismay, his various films have instigated an assassination attempt on Reagan, mass protests, a bomb in a theater, and a temporary Chinese ban on Disney and himself.

It became a Hollywood joke that he had not won an Oscar, despite many of his films being on astute lists of the best films of all time.

Even though he was known as one of the greatest American directors, at one point he had to rely on a kid who had come into celebrity power to rescue his flailing career.

Leonardo DiCaprio insisted on acting in Scorsese’s lifelong dream, Gangs of New York, and that’s what got it green lit. Luckily, they became a great team for many films after.

He still had to fight with the studio to get the ending he wanted on his picture that screened well with test audiences. The pressure paid off, as he finally won the Oscar for The Departed.

This reminded me of how much persistence plays a part in our success. If you do things right, you will make mistakes. Only people who are pushing their own comfort zone excel into greatness.

This same week, I have a visitor of a 21-year-old nibling (gender neutral for niece / nephew) who wants to break into the competitive industry of video game arts. I am proud to say he was Valedictorian of Full Sail University, so I know he has the work ethic to make it.

We chatted this morning as I was promoting the idea of him and his friends moving to Seattle to give it a real shot. He said he wants to, but he’s currently saving money and is tired of rejection. I get it.

I moved to New York City at 23 years old to attempt to build a career in film, and moved on three years later.

Even if I didn’t succeed, I am so glad that I gave it a real shot. I met some of my favorite directors (Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, John Sayles, Frank Oz, Albert Maysles, Mira Nair, etc).

Oh and one of the most exciting people I met in NYC was Thelma Schoonmaker, who edited many of Scorsese’s films.

Over the years of admin hustle in post-production and unpaid internships, I learned why I didn’t want to be in the industry. I can see why Scorsese needed to fight so hard long-term, and it didn’t appeal to me. But at least I know why I decided against it and gave it my best shot.

I tried to get my nibling and his friends to understand . . . You don’t regret what you fail at so much as what you don’t attempt.

This week, I hope you will consider something you would rather regret failing in than not trying at all and take one small step toward it.

Now I need to listen to this advice myself and go work on editing my book . . . again.

Need a pep talk with spiritual guidance to take a bold leap? Sign up for a personal tarot reading with me.

Gather inner motivation and remove inner obstacles with an intuition coaching session.

A tarot reading lesson is another great way to develop skills in self-awareness and persistence.

Support a friend in their dream during a Tarot Together session. This can be online if your friend is from afar.

Want to add some spice to a gathering this winter? Bring magic to your whole party when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.

Celebrate how you pull yourself up again and again in life. Good job!

Keep on Trucking,

Jenna Lynne Roberts