Present Path Tarot
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Remove the Monster From Tarot
Hello! Greetings! Salutations!
As a writer and English teacher, I love words and etymology. Once, I pondered the word “Demonstrate” and realized that it may have the word “Monster” in it. English is a mess of so many languages that my guesses are often wrong though. So I looked it up, and . . . huzzaahh . . .
From de- “entirely” (see de-) + monstrare “to point out, show,” from monstrum “divine omen, wonder” (see monster)
Source
To show the monster . . . to teach . . . just that these words are related is delightful. To have ‘divine omen and wonder’ included only uplevels my glee.
To de-monster-ate is the act of entirely taking the monster out of.
So much about Tarot is misunderstood. It is up to those of us who love it to demonstrate the truths of it.
If you know someone who has the wrong idea around what Tarot is about, please share my most recent YouTube on What to Expect from a Tarot Reading with them.
If you want to look closer at the fears in your life to bring divine omen and wonder into any situation, contact me for a tarot reading or intuition coaching session.
I hope to see you soon!
Face Your Fears,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
PresentPathTarot.com
Say No to Say Yes!
I am about to head out for a 3-day weekend of camping at a festival. I am not quite packed yet, but I don’t mind, because my yard looks great and I have checked a lot of business boxes this week that feel better than getting out early.
We all juggle so much. Even though I didn’t catch all the flying bowling pins this week, I am sitting with a feeling of being deeply satiated with the words, “Good Enough”.
Lately, I have been thinking about the gift of saying No to make room to say Yes.
Sometimes the No is to a fun outing, sometimes it’s to a request from a friend for more time than I can offer, sometimes it’s to cleaning the dishes before bedtime.
When we say No, we make room to say Yes to tending to our garden, spending more time with our family, or prioritizing our own need for proper rest.
This summer, I want to include writing in my Yes list. I am doing that by diving into co-leading a Summer Weekly Writing Group Online with my friend and writing coach, Dawn Montefusco.
This means I am saying Yes to something that I really care about.
It’s a committed Yes to a habit that summer often sidetracks.
It means saying Yes to believing in myself as a person who can complete and publish a fantastic guide to reading Tarot.
If you want to get some motivation to do what you love, spend $1 on Dawn’s kindle edition of Cracking the Resistance Code and see how to overcome your inner obstacles.
Have a Wonderful Memorial Day weekend of saying a vibrant YES to what you Love!
Heck Yeah,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
Image by Jen Theodore
What do You Want to Create?
Confession: I have written 3 books, but none of them are finished yet.
I love writing, and I even don’t mind editing, but I am scared of publishing.
So I fuss with each of these tomes now and again, and then get busily distracted by more ‘important things’.
I get anxious about the idea of failure . . . what if all of this is for nothing?
I get intimidated by the idea of success . . . am I ready for my voice to be heard on a wide scale?
And, gosh, isn’t it more important to get some Spring cleaning done anyhow? Yeah, that’s a more immediate necessity . . .
That’s why I find it both ironic and deeply moving that, last week, my friend Dawn dedicated her newly published book, Cracking the Resistance Code, to me!
A whole page that just says, ‘For Jenna’.
I obviously got a little choked up when I saw that.
It definitely cracked through my resistance of receiving adoration.
What’s even better is that it’s a fantastic short book and, right now, you can get the Kindle version for only .99 cents!
I have been reading it this week, and, low and behold, I am allowing myself to spend more time tip-tapping on my keyboard, filling in and fixing up one of my books.
Even if you’re not a writer, Dawn’s book can help you to approach anything you love to do and yet find yourself avoiding or not allowing yourself.
And it’s only about 100 pages, so it won’t take long to get the guidance she offers.
Dawn and I are also going to be leading some practices of writing together online with community over the summer.
If you’re keen to get writing yourself and want to join us, reach out to her or contact me and I will keep you in the loop.
If you’re a writer who wants to know more about how you can use Tarot to enhance your writing, scroll down for a video I made on that topic.
This weekend, I hope you dedicate just one hour to something you love that you have a resistance to doing. You’re worth it.
Give Time to What you Love,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
The Magic of Being Kind
What is the most essential knowledge that reading cards professionally for 16 years taught me?
I have learned -deeply- that everyone is hard on themselves about the same thin
From the successful mid-life leaders, to the uncertain mid-twenties dreamers.
Everyone feels like they’re not doing enough.
Myself included. This week was not a very productive one. I got sick briefly and then couldn’t get back into the groove. You know the story, because it’s normal for all of us.
So my work this week became forgiving and feeling through this sense of failure to relaunch after a head cold.
I am bringing kind words to quell the agitated critiques.
I am making sure meditation is included in my lighter schedule.
I am reminding myself that I am more than my productivity at work.
We can all learn to be more compassionate to the one person we have the ability to change.
It’s funny, because this frustrated agony rarely motivates anyone to take better actions toward their goals. If anything, this voice lends to more procrastination and grumpiness while slogging through the tasks.
The magic of this medicine is that, when we are more gentle and understanding with ourselves, we are also more accepting and loving with the people around us.
This weekend, I hope you can simply tune into your mind and look for the opportunities to be more warm and friendly with you.
Notice and give yourself credit for your accomplishments and successes.
Laugh more lightheartedly at the harsh critic within, and know that even this part of you means well to motivate, even if it’s methods are lacking in effectiveness.
Would it help to discuss your relationship to yourself with a compassionate ear and some divination guidance?
Sign up with a coupon for 10% off my readings, intuition coaching sessions, and lessons during any Mercury Retrograde.
Mention it when you sign up or use the code:
Be Kind to You,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
Image by jurien huggins at unsplash
Moon Shadows Inspire Change
Last week we had a solar eclipse in Aries, and this upcoming week on May 5th, we have a lunar eclipse in Scorpio.
While I am not an astrologer, I do like to keep up with the suggestions of how to make the most of each phase we are in.
This lunar eclipse can bring to light the hidden ‘shadow’ feelings we have been ignoring, especially around our connections with others.
We might have some new insights on how we want to shift our relationships in meaningful ways.
This doesn’t mean that you have to figure it all out now, but it’s a great time to welcome in conversations that adjust your trajectory.
Outside relations, this is a good time to clear out your closets: physically, mentally, and spiritually.
What small habits are you ready to adjust to take better care of yourself?
How can you embrace your whole self, warts and all, even acknowledging the inner critic who rejects these parts of you?
Be kind to yourself and listen to the parts of you that feel insecure, scared, angry, disgusted, guilty, and frustrated.
Need a witness to your shadow work? Sign up with a coupon for 10% off my readings, intuition coaching sessions, and lessons during any Mercury Retrograde.
Mention it when you sign up or use the code:
If this eclipse season is taking you for a whirl, get a tarot reading to shine light on the darkness.
Then align with your own certainty when you sign up for intuition coaching today.
Blessed Beltane,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
Eclipse Image by Ganapathy Kumar
How to rock Mercury Retro
I didn’t believe in Mercury Retrograde for years.
It took a man mocking me at Burning Man to change my mind.
I had arrived on the desert playa with a bruised rib cage from a kite boarding accident the week before wherein I had been “teabagged” when a powerful wind and my complete lack of skills collided. I was ripped into the air and dunked back into the water three times.
The man on the playa listened to my stories of woe and laughed that I was describing retrograde adjacent problems while saying I didn’t buy into it.
I had signed up for too many things at the same time, and Mercury Retrograde will spank you for that.
I now see these 3 weeks that come around 3 times each year as a blessed downtime phase.
You can still do things.
You can still get stuff done.
But there is no need to rush, or push push push like the rest of the year.
This is the time to slow down enough to see where you need to organize your life.
This is not the time to blather mindlessly, haphazardly sign contracts or make casual big life choices.
Instead, rock your retrograde with real reflection.
Listen to others, and speak from your best wisdom.
Triple read the details on the page before you sign.
Park the productivity bulldozer on the side of the road and go for a walk in the woods.
Slow down enough to contemplate on what life choices feel like a ‘yes’ to your gut.
Leave room in your days for things potentially going awry, and then enjoy more rest when they function well.
You’ll end up being more satisfied during a retrograde if you do, because you’ll act from a more centered place.
Best of all, I always offer 10% off my readings, intuition coaching sessions, and lessons during any Mercury Retrograde.
Mention it when you sign up or use the code:
If you have some big choices to make this month, get a tarot reading that will help you utilize the blessings of a mercury retrograde to your advantage.
Tune inward to make the most of this phase when you sign up for intuition coaching today.
Allow Ease,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
PS. Ironically, I had tech issues while writing this. So, yeah, I get that it’s also a time to be patient with annoying problems.
My Ack!Knowledements
I have been thinking about validation lately.
People often reflect that my tarot readings are validating, and I enjoy being a stranger who can reflect back what your intuition is saying.
More poignantly though, I have been talking about acknowledgement with my therapist a lot.
Because I desire approval and I don’t like that appetite.
Can you relate?
We seek it from friends, lovers, family, and, to an unhealthy degree, random strangers on the internet.
Often these groups don’t reflect what we want. But we keep going back anyway.
Why?
Probably because it’s awkward to trust our own internal validation.
While it’s challenging to accept a compliment from anyone else, it’s super duper hard to lean into taking your own positive feedback.
Right?
Wellllllll, sometimes not so much.
If I tell myself I am funny, I feel a physical response of utter certainty.
Even if I tell a joke that doesn’t land. That does not change my inherent nature.
Why do I believe this wholeheartedly?
My parents often told me I was funny growing up. When we’d have an emotional upheaval with tears, I could return us to joy with a joke.
However, at one point, I lost my funny. It scared the hell out of me. I think it was a twisted way for the universe to reign in my ego. And it worked . . . temporarily.
So I am now humbly grateful for this gift in my life.
You hear that Universe??? I AM HUMBLE! Please be gentle.
So, why do I need validation in other areas?
Well, my parents and siblings are also highly dismissive and critica
My mom is German, a culture that even has a very specific facial expression to dismiss you and what you just said. And they use it often.
(Push out your lips and turn your head to the side . . . that’s it. You can now tell people they are foolish without verbiage).
Why this fascinating overshare?
Today, I want you to consider the following:
1. What ways do you trust your own inner acknowledgements?
2. Why are you confident in these areas?
3. Sit with gratitude for these gifts of being you.
Then reflect on:
1. What areas do you desire more validation?
2. How do you attempt to get it and from who?
3. Does this effort give you the desired results?
4. How can you affirm this better from within yourself?
Finally, create a morning routine this week where, while brushing your teeth, you praise yourself for the ways you trust you are awesome, and you praise yourself for the ways you desire to be told you are awesome.
If you crave some healthy life path validation, get a tarot reading that will help you move forward with more confidence in your choices.
If you prefer to get better at trusting yourself, sign up for intuition coaching today.
You are FABulous,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
Self-Care is Sexy
This week, I noticed that I was agitated.
I am dating a nice guy who gives good vibes in person. I found that my flirty texts weren’t resulting in the kind of banter I desired to ease the distance during my travels.
I hinted, but the response I wanted was not there. Even though he was engaging in other ways, this craving beckoned me.
More importantly, I could see myself getting resentful, which really was not fair to him. He’s not the psychic. That’s my job.
Finally, I nervously made the phone call.
I said, “I really enjoy how communicative you are in so many ways, but I feel like I am initiating most the text flirtations, and it’s feeling a bit lopsided.”
He replied that it’s good for him to hear that, and ended the call somewhat abruptly. I felt my anxiety kick in, but I also knew he needed to get his workday started.
That afternoon, he sent a nice text saying that he appreciated the ask, and that my direct communication in itself was sexy. Woo!
In the texts since, he’s given some stellar sweet nothings. These brighten my day.
I am proud of myself for being so bold, and today I want to know:
“What desire do you have to ask for a need that you’re shy about?”
A lot of us struggle to ask for what we want. And yet, it’s sometimes the only way to get it . . . or find out that other’s cannot provide it.
Were you raised with the idea that focusing on your needs is selfish? How can you break free of that untrue belief?
Consider how grateful you are when a loved one sweetly requests what they would like to receive. It’s so much easier than guessing.
We may even be honored to know that we are able to provide for someone. (Or, of course we can happily say ‘No’ if that’s outside our own desires).
This week, take a leap and ask for what you want.
Do your best to make your request in a way that is kind and accepting of whatever answer you receive. Remember that how you ask is key to hearing a joyous ‘Yes’.
I know it’s not easy, but it can be very worth it. Most importantly, it’s a great habit to practice.
Learn more about your inner needs and join me in a session of Intuition Coaching!
Honor Your Self,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
PS. Enjoy this hilarious song that kept going through my head before I made my request.
Adventure is the Fool’s Journey
I am back from 2 weeks of travel in Ecuador! As much as it was a fun foray, I am happy to be home.
My friend Darcy and I explored the lava shores of the Galapagos and watched colorful birds in the misty clouds of the rain forest.
It wasn’t all fluffy fun. We began the trip with a ‘bird poop scam’ and then a few days later were hit with a bout of food poisoning. The finale found us spiraling downhill from our hot springs plans to cure the altitude sickness that had taken our breath away at 11,000 feet.
This all offered a precious reminder of who I am when I am outside my homeland.
By 30 years old, I had spent over 5 years of my life abroad and backpacked through Southeast Asia and India on my own for a year of that.
This trip was one of my first global ventures in a long time, and it was nice to reacquaint with my younger self.
One of our first days in the Galapagos, sitting in the sweltering heat on a loud boat, a sense memory from 20 years ago flooded through me of that young woman who was giddy to set forth into seeing the world.
This reignited the Fool’s spirit into me.
The Fool is an adventurous yet naive wanderer, who seeks out the new and is open-minded and curious to learn and grow.
I suddenly heard the voice of my high school writing teacher, Bob McHeffy, who would ask us, “Would the child you were be proud of the person you are today?”
I felt so grateful that the middle-aged woman I am is proud of that young adult who made a solid effort to explore the world.
Those choices instilled a well of youthful vivacity that I can still drink from today.
I am also grateful to the stable and rooted part of me, my inner Queen of Pentacles, who I developed over the last 15 years. Because this journey also asserted that with age comes a higher need for creature comforts.
I appreciate the economy my grounded adult has built to afford the last minute taxi to take us back down a few thousand feet when the altitude sickness became intimidating. My pentacles self also had a lot of fun bartering at the enormous Otavalo outdoor market and reading cards for locals with the skills she developed.
I hope right now you will consider how you are grateful to yourself for what seeds you planted that you can feast from the trees of today. It might stem from very different choices than mine, and reap very different fruit. Take some time to ponder the wisdom of your younger self.
I hope that my little share here today gives you pause to thank your past self for what they created. Then relish your present self for who you have become.
To know where your inner Fool needs to explore next, sign up for a tarot reading with me this month!
Live Fully,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
PS. Scroll down for a few photo highlights!
The Value of travel: Global and Internal
Tomorrow, I embark on an adventure to Ecuador!
It’s been a while since I have been on a trip like this.
In my 20’s, I worked and traveled abroad for many years in Asia.
After I landed in Portland in 2008, I shifted into a Pentacles Era of nurturing resources like my home, business, relationships, and community.
Now, I find myself wondering what makes big journeys so very essential.
While most of us love travel, I ask us, “Why is travel important?”
Being that this is the first email I am sending out since journeying over to my new email service, I can say that I am giddy about the fresh look of my newsletter.
While I aimed for a level of consistency in the style, it feels brighter and more exciting.
Travel gives us a chance to push outside our comfort zones, and taste flavors we are unfamiliar with.
We get to see who we are in ambiguous circumstance, and consider how we approach life from a different culture.
A Tarot Reading is a form of travel, right from the comfort of your home.
Divination encourages you consider your life with new eyes.
It asks you to break out of your old cycles and attempt bold moves forward toward your best life.
A solid tarot reading links you to a realm of magic. While this is with us all the time, sometimes we need a journey to remember it’s there.
While I won’t be available for the next 2 weeks, you can sign up now for an exploration into the mystic with me after I return at the end of the month.
If this trip is like my others, I will likely be in an extra vibrant space to share the messages of the cards.
Where will you journey to next?
Either Globally or Internally . . . take yourself on a jaunt into the unknown this month.
Bon Voyage,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
Present Path Tarot
The Future is Formed by Stories of the Past
I just spent a few days with my parents, which is always a great reminder that I am nowhere near enlightened yet.
It was a nice visit though. And my Mom always impresses me with her deep well of positivity.
She considers herself incredibly lucky. I agree, and yet her story could be adapted into a harrowing drama. Here’s a few quick highlights:
Born in the end of WWII, her pregnant mother had to run for the border to give birth to her away from the bombs of Berlin.
Soon after, the border of East Berlin cut right through their back garden, and they were housed on the East side. As a child, my mom would playfully throw water on the Russian soldiers patrolling through her yard.
Her family had to leave their home and belongings behind to escape to the West, where they traded a lovely home for the basement of an apartment complex. Her father became abusive.
By 23 years old, she was a divorced single mother in the US where she was not yet fluent in the language.
Right after marrying my father, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer.
Two years later, right after my birth, she had early onset menopause. This was before hormones were medically understood at all. It took 14 years of emotional and physical turmoil before the medicine came through.
With all this and more, she vehemently states that she considers herself incredibly lucky.
She sees this through the lens of someone who got out of the East, met a wonderful 2nd husband, survived cancer, found an outstanding OBGYN who listened to her, and was able to live a fulfilling life with economic security.
I agree. She is lucky. (She also has me for a daughter, which clearly adds to her blessings. Ha.)
I have personally been struggling lately with my own recent stories. As a Cancerian, it’s easy to slip from healthy self-compassion into self-pity.
Today, I want to offer us all an exercise in reframing our stories.
Consider some aspect of your life that you feel negative about. Perhaps you feel that you failed or someone else failed you.
Consider the gains you can dig out from how this story defined you as a stronger person. How can you see yourself as the hero who overcame challenge?
Align with the lessons and positive impressions this had on your current person.
Recognize the ways this twisted some turns in your path that brought unexpected blessings.
It’s not all about being positive. You can honor the pain that you have been through, and still respect who it has made you into.
Today, sync up with your best self, past and present. Take a leap towards betterment and schedule a tarot reading, lesson, or intuition coaching session with me.
Have a lovely weekend of creating new stories, hopefully with ease and joy.
Find your Best Story,
Jenna Lynne Roberts
PresentPathTarot.com
Present Path Tarot 
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