“I’m tough, I’m talented, and I’m taking over!” – Tabatha Coffey
Lately, I have been experimenting with two things – reality TV and oracle decks. Why? One I wanted to figure out what the big deal was about them, and the other I wanted to know what the big deal was about them. Interesting bedfellows, huh?
You have already read my analysis of Hookers: Saved on the Strip. However, I did not let the idealistic mind of a Christian convert influence me and completely ruin my reality TV experience. Next up: Tabatha’s Salon Takeover!
Since Jacki Smith became my co-host of Psychic Friends Live (and the co-creator of my candle line “Storm Cestavani’s Tarot Magic”), I have had the privilege to befriend stylist Drew Potter. So, learning more about my new friend’s career was a no brainer.
Tabatha’s Salon Takeover is hosted by Tabatha Coffee an Australian born stylist who first appeared on Bravo’s Sheer Genius. Coffey owns Industrie Hair Gurus in Ridgewood, NJ., and has one of the most successful businesses in the industry. Coffey a 25 year plus stylist helps failing salons by shaking up the staff and turning around the management in a week. The show is superb, and anyone interested in a little reality fun should give the show a try.
Here is a sample of TST:
Now, one of the Oracle decks that I have been playing with is called, “Wisdom of the Hidden Realms”. It is a beautiful deck created by Collette Baron-Reid for Hay House.
Being a tarotist, it has been very difficult to use oracle decks because for the most part they have all the meanings on the cards already, and seem to cater to people that might have a negative connotation of tarot. However, I did find the images in this deck rather breathtaking and some of the most beautiful cards are The Dream Walker, The Chess Queen, and The Spiral Dancer. The basic premise of the deck is the partnership between human and divine, and although I have been playing with them for a short time, I have found them insightful.
I decided to use the cards to find out more information about Tabatha Coffey. I shuffled the deck as I normally would a tarot deck, and spread the cards out in front of me. I asked the cards, “What can this deck tell me about Tabatha?” The card I pulled with humor and irony was The Ice Queen.
The card shows a beautiful woman wearing a crown. She sleeps peacefully on the ground covered by snow and ice. Perched above her is a white owl, which appears to be alert and protecting the sleeping queen. In the background is the moon hovering powerfully over the snowy terrain.
At first glance, this card did not make much sense to me. After all, I am more accustomed to tarot symbolism rather than oracle card symbolism. Yet, after looking at the woman that is lying on the ground and her life is filled with a cold, snowy, and barren landscape I realized that this probably reflects the people that Tabatha helps.
Then it hit me, in this particular card, Tabatha is the owl (the irony is that the owl actually looks like her)! Owls in Jungian symbolism reflect clarity of vision. In addition it can see and hunt its prey in the dark. This is very much reflective of what Tabatha does during her show. She seeks out the problems within the salon and attempts to root out those problems (barren frozen landscape), which in many cases are deep psychological problems within the owners and the staff themselves. She is sharp, focused, and hones in quickly (after all she only has a week) to address the problems that the salon has, and then corrects the issues.
The “Wisdom of the Hidden Realms,” comes with a small 123 page booklet that explains the meaning of the cards. I really love that Collette Baron-Reid (the author) looks at how the card works for you as an ally and how the card works for you when it is a challenge. This really brings a great flavor to the cards because like Tarot no cards are good or bad; they are simply images that are operating in our lives.
According to the book, “as an ally the Ice Queen comes to block your movement for your higher good.” I found this impressive considering that Tabatha literally takes over the salon – it becomes hers for the period of a week. It further states, “The realm of the Ice Queen is the place of nonaction, and now is a perfect time to take a look at how far you’ve come and to ask yourself for a reclarification of your highest goals.” This is exactly what Tabatha does in the salon! She goes over the entire business with a fine tooth comb (no pun intended) and makes changes to make the business profitable again.
In addition, Tabatha can be adversarial to the shop owners. She knows why the business is failing, yet sometimes the salon owners just cannot embrace (usually because of their egos) her suggestions. The books states, “When the Ice Queen comes to challenge you, she asks you to look at the illusion of ownership.” These are all questions that Tabatha asks during the process. In many cases, the owner’s investment in their ideas is what is prohibiting the business from succeeding. How often do we get in the way of our own success? At times, it truly is necessary (especially when we pull the Ice Queen) to let someone else take over. To let another person’s expertise assist us in moving to the next level.
I give both Tabatha’s Salon Takeover and The Wisdom of the Hidden Realms 5-stars! You should check them out.
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