Storm Cestavani

The 12 Days of Yule: Day 4 — Moving Forward

December 24, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

This is the 4^th day of the 12 Days of Yule. Over the past 3 days we have explored our dreams, our individuality, and our blocks, and I have received numerous emails about how insightful these 3 days have been for them. Today, we begin to look towards the future.

Activity 4:

Shuffle your cards. Ask yourself the following question, “How do I begin to move forward after acknowledging my blocks and limitations? Write the name of this card down on your Yule paper next to the card from yesterday.

Today, I drew the Emperor. The Emperor reflects the need to take control and building foundations. In essence, he is about owning your own sense of power — in this case my sense of power. (Entertainingly, we just discussed this card on Beyond Worlds — you can listen to it in the archives.)

What card did you pull?

The Emperor from Legacy of the Divine Tarot is courtesy of Lewellyn Publications

The 12 Days of Yule: Day 3 — The Time of Beth

December 23, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

I hope that you have been enjoying the Days of Yule. Already, I have gained enormous personal insight into what is going on in my life currently, and I hope you’re insight is equally as profound.

Today, we are on Day 3, which is called, “The Time of Beth”. Now, my co-host Beth Savitt is going to love that! The time of Beth, in paganism, is a period of realization and movement forward. For the past several months the Sun has been decreasing in light, on solstice we had the shortest day of the year, and now we begin to see the Sun increasing in light. This following month (of Capricorn or Beth in Celtic thought) is a time for us to begin looking towards this light. In addition, it is a time to look towards our future.

The Time of Beth is significant to understand our inner blocks! Before we can begin to move forward and create positive change or manifest our desires we need to spend some time reflecting on what might be holding us back. This will provide us with clarity of pitfalls that might prevent our forward movement. As an aside, today is a great day to begin protection or healing magic.

Activity 3:

Tarot is a quick and easy way to get to the root of our issues. Shuffle your deck thoroughly. Ask the cards the following question, “What are the inner blocks andresistances that are holding us back?” Spread the cards out and select one.

My card is: The Page of Wands (Write this down with your two other cards you pulled. For example – I have pulled The Empress, The 5 of Coins, and now the Page of Wands)

The Page of Wands normally reflects the beginning of a creative project, or some form of creative idea that is in its beginning stages. However, when it is a blocking card it represents the spirit of restlessness and irritability. The time of Beth is a time for me to explore what makes me restless, and use this as a catalyst to expand my life.

What card did you draw?

Page of Wands from Legacy of the Divine Tarot courtesy of Llewellyn!

The 12 Days of Yule: Day 2 — Winter Solstice

December 22, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Last night we began Yule season with Mother’s Night Dream. What were your dreams about? What was the theme? If you would like to review yesterday’s activity you can review the blog – here.

The card that I drew from Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine Tarot was — The Empress. (If you missed our Beyond World’s show on The High Priestess and The Empress, you can always listen to it in the archives)

Empress Keywords: Nurturing, creation, birth, pregnancy, abundance, mothering, the adult woman principle.

I was rather shocked when I pulled the Empress card. Last night my dream was about finding a baby left out in the cold on the street. I was searching desperately for the parents, but could not find them. I eventually took the baby into my home and started feeding it and taking care of it. In addition, I remember my cat being in the dream as well.

So, what would this reflect about the New Year? Babies in dreams are reflective of new projects, new beginnings, new opportunities, and things that need to be nourished and nurtured. This dream could indicate something new that is coming into my life (hopefully not a literal baby), or the possibilities of fertile relationships and financial abundance. It is rather exciting!

Day 2 – Winter Solstice

Today, the Sun will move out of the sign of Sagittarius and into the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn has to do with structures and organizing principles. It is ambitious,practical, serious, and masterful. It is worth noting that on Winter Solstice, in many religious systems, it is the time when the new Sun God is born. It is not without mistake that Jesus, Mithras, and Dionysus were all “said” (there are tons of questions about Jesus) around the solstice.

Although most of us do not like structure, order, and rules; we are granted a unique opportunity during the month of Capricorn to begin to build structures for the coming year. We throw these under interesting umbrellas such as New Year’s resolutions, but the fact remains that something is going to begin in January, and we now have the ability to map that course and destiny for ourselves. You can become your own master, and create a new game of living. Again, it is rather exciting!

Shuffle the cards thoroughly and ask yourself – what do I need to do to be more individual in the coming year? Take the card out and write it on your solstice paper next to your dream card.

The Card I drew for myself — The 5 of Coins — letting go of self doubt! What card did you draw?

Images Courtesy of Llewellyn Publications

The 12 Days of Yule: Day 1 Mother’s Night Dream

December 21, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

In 1963, Andy Williams released his holiday single, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The song describes the good will towards others, gathering with our family and friends, and the spirit of gift giving. For many children around the world, it is a time of wonder, magic, and excitement. Many of us have lost touch with that magic, and in a world filled with consumerism we forgot that the season of Yule is a powerful holiday you can use as a tool to enrich the year ahead.

The Twelve Days of Yule:

As we move out of the sign of Sagittarius and into the sign of Capricorn, we are urged cosmically to take responsibility for our year ahead. As we approach the darkest days of the year (meaning there are more ours of night than there are of day) we move into a period of reflection and planning. In many ways, regardless of your religious heritage, you have been exposed to many of the practices of Yule. This holiday is filled with gift giving and resolutions for a newer and better year. It is time to look at what we have accomplished, and let go of everything that no longer belongs to us. Also, we look towards our goals for the New Year.

Over the next 12 days, I will be posting tools that you can use while you celebrate the holiday season. For the most part, I will be using Tarot! However, if you would like to use your favorite oracle deck or any other divination system then that is fine. Modify your tools for your own purposes – there are no rules.

Mother’s Night Dream:

On December 20, the night before Winter Solstice (Sun moving into Capricorn) in pagan traditions is called Mother’s Night Dream. It is believed that our dreams on this night will reveal something significant over the next year.

Activity:

Take a deck of tarot cards (any deck you desire), and place them under your pillow for the evening. I will be using my Limited Edition Legacy of the Divine Tarot for this! When you get up in the morning, try to recollect your dream on paper. If you can write this down with a green or a red pen – all the better.

Next, shuffle your tarot cards thoroughly and ask tarot the following question. What message about the future does my dream have to tell me? Write down your card on your dream paper. Take note of any animals, people, surroundings, and imagery and relate this to your dream.

Dreams are powerful conduits where the unconscious is attempting to communicate with the conscious. What gifts will you receive in your dream?

I will let you guys know what card I pull tomorrow, and give you the activity for Day 2.

Tabatha Coffey — The Ice Queen Cometh

December 21, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

“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.

Storm Cestavani: The Miseducation of Hookers for Jesus

December 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The most interesting thing about being an astrologer and tarotist is that you meet people from all walks of life. You consult with them regarding their romantic lives, career lives, financial matters, and sometimes their health. In many cases, you consult for people that live on the “fringes” of society and participate in activities that most of society considers unsavory.

When I lived in Los Angeles during the 1990’s, I had the opportunity to read for several “women of the night”, and some of them became long term clients. Meeting these women (in many cases) changed my perception of just what a prostitute is! In fact, many were more psychologically sound than my non-prostitute clients. I will not get into the details in this blog about whether or not this is an ethical profession or not, but needless to say I have learned not to judge every book by its “society labeled” cover.

One of my best Psychic Friends Theresa Reed (a self-confessed reality show junkie) told me about an upcoming show on Investigative Discovery (ID) called Hookers: Saved on the Strip. Watch this advertisement for the show:

We were both really excited about this show! The advertisement basically shows a former prostitute helping others get out of a destructive life as street prostitute. In the adult industry, there is a vast difference between an escort (someone who sells time), and a street prostitute (someone who sells sex). However, we were both vastly disappointed in the show, but I found the title to be misleading and in reality an infomercial for Hookers for Jesus – a right wing fundamental religious organization in Las Vegas.

The show centers around Annie Lobert, a former Las Vegas prostitute, escort, stripper, and drug addict, who has a “spiritual awakening” (and maybe she did – who can really say someone did not), which turns her away from her profession to religion. Lobert believes that she was sex trafficked for the financial benefit of others – yet states during the show that she lived a life of luxury, excess, clothes, money that afforded her the greatest things in life. Nowhere does Lobert ever say that she did not have a choice, yet her entire biography is one about choices – albeit bad ones. Making poor choices and decisions is not sex trafficking or human trafficking!

Now, being an astrologer I should have looked at the event chart (I will include my astrological analysis for those that are interested in astrology later in the article) of the show before watching – which paints a very clear story not only about the show – but the shows future. However, alas I did not.

I am rather disturbed by Discovery choosing to use the term sex trafficking as part of its sale of the show. I spoke with a hotline representative from Grace Haven House (A shelter for domestic sex trafficking), and was informed that Lobert’s story did NOT fall under the guidelines of sex trafficking. The representative stated clearly that not all “ADULT” entertainment services and products are contributing to sex trafficking – either in the United States or abroad – but she did state that some are. Based on this information, plus tons of research from both a legal and psychological perspective, Lobert’s “one size” fits all statement is either invalid or misinformed. Likewise, we must question why Discovery (who has lawyers to investigate the law – after all it is Investigative Discovery) would use this in their marketing. One can only assume that it is to boost the ratings of the show leading viewers to believe they will be viewing something rather than an infomercial for “Hookers for Jesus”.

Words are linguistic forms of expression that must be taken seriously. Although, I commend Lobert for her desire to assist women who no longer wish to be prostitutes to get off the streets, she must be responsible for her terminology. Exploring the destructive sides of prostitution would have been fitting for a reality show, as it exists. Furthermore, using blanket terms is rather destructive and leads the viewer to become further uneducated about a serious problem that exists within the world today. Make no mistake sex trafficking is horrendous, vile, and diabolical. It destroys the lives of the people that are trafficked to an extent that is not explained by the rational intellect. The psychological abuses take years (if ever) to recover from. It is one of the truest forms of human evil that exists today. Let’s just hope that this show will encourage people to learn more about this human evil – and focus less on Lobert pimpin’ for Jesus.

The Astrology:

The Data:

Hookers: Saved on the Strip
December 8, 2010
10:00 PM EST +5:00
New York, NY
40N42 74W00
Ascendant: 27 Leo

The chart for the show reveals much of what I already suspected after watching the first episode. The rising sign is at 27 degrees of Leo, which rules recreational sex and also rules the media. The rising sign in late degrees (there are 30 degrees of a sign) does not bode well for this show being renewed or extended. The ruler of the Leo, the Sun is located in the 4^th house of endings and squares Jupiter in the 8^th house of sex, death, and possibly prostitution. This square shows obstacles or obstructions in the future since the aspect is applying. To add insult to injury, the Moon in Capricorn is void of course in the 5^th house of the media and gambling. Void of course Moon’s in an event chart is interpreted as “nothing will come of the matter”.

The 10^th house of an event chart is the company – in this case Discover Networks. This will become the new 1^st house of the company when reading the chart. 21 Taurus is on the turned 1^st house cusp with Venus in detriment (meaning she does not have much standing) in Scorpio in the turned 6^th house. This is considered the angle of distress in the chart, and does not bode well for the show doing well. Venus is in sextile to Mars in the turned 8^th house of death, and rules the unfortunate 12^th house. Could this be a ratings bomb? Discovery only scheduled 3 episodes of the show, which signifies they were really not sold on the success of it from the get go, which is only amplified by the astrology.

The real kicker in the astrological chart involves the viewer. The viewer is represented by the 7^th house of the chart. Neptune (illusions) is conjoined with Chiron (the wounder) on the 7^th house cusp. My concern with this aspect is that people will not fully understand the implications of the darker sides of prostitution. In the first episode, Lobert at length discusses that prostitutes are used to living in luxury, having the money to purchase whatever they desire, and my concern is that the 16 year old girl watching this might be enticed into the profession based on that matter alone. Further, Neptune being the planet of illusions and smoky mirrors shows that the viewers are not getting what they paid for.

Based on the astrology, I really do not see a path for this show to continue. I feel that there will be a vast disconnect with the viewers, and that its overly religious undertones will only turn viewers off. The sad thing is that this could have been a really good informative show, and Lobert is compelling and likable. However, in its quest for money (the Taurus midheaven) they dropped the ball.