"Everyone thinks they're good until they play someone better."
                                                                                                              - Susan Sarandon



Damn, Susan Sarandon.  Dish that humble pie!

Love.  Her.  Sarandon referred to a ping-pong tournament/event she'd attended in the name of charity, last week.  She was being interviewed by a celebrity reporter.  Some animated guy who asked Sarandon about her ping-pong skills.  Can't remember his name but, after expressing how awful she was at the game, she turned to him with a question:

"How about you?"

She wanted to know what kind of ping-pong player he considered himself.

"Oh, I'm good!"

"Yeah, everyone thinks they're good until they play someone who's better". 

Ah, such a great quote.  That 'someone better' is usually younger, as inexperienced as some would like to think, and frequently (and unjustly) underestimated.  Celebrity or not, she wasn't at the event to bellow what a great big expert she was at the game.  Sarandon was at the event for the fun of it. 

That's the message of this week's Tarot card, the Queen.  Good God, folks, let's do it for the fun of it.  Let's be in the present moment for the fun of it.  Let's make our little hearts happy.  Let's share those lil' happy hearts.  And let's pay no attention to to self-proclaimed "experts".  Even if they scream and shout the loudest about how great they are and how amateurish others are, they often have the most horror to conceal and fall down the hardest.  Let's not take any of their banter personally.  The "expert" who swears his/her greatness-- whether it comes from books or experience or both-- is typically the one most full of crap, anyway. 

I know that's a woman on that card, and women and feminine energies are being represented here.  But everyone-- male or female-- who isn't sincerely interested in his/her work, sharing with and enlightening and servicing others through their work is not an expert in my book and is destined to crack.  He or she is just another typical a-hole working on behalf of personal gain, and there's nothing special or original about that.  It's been done before, my friends.  Absolutely nothing unique about it. 


                         Air Quotes



These people or, as I call them (air-quotes and all), "experts" should have fully appreciated any popularity or finances or prestige gained from a transaction done for personal gain because, with the Queen in the mix, their moment in the spotlight, their fifteen minutes of fame, are OVA.  Pat yourselves on the back if you've been noticed or admired by default and let it go.  Otherwise, you'll be walking down a hall of shame.  No way, no how does success happen overnight so enjoy it while you have it, folks. 

Two can play at your game.

Susan Sarandon couldn't be more correct; you are "good" until you play someone better.  Well, that time has come.  And some of you have lost, or will lose, fair and square.  All's not fair in love and war, is it?  Guess some of you weren't the great, big experts you thought you were.

A real expert knows that there is so much to learn, yet.  A real expert is open to error, discussion, disagreement, advice and compromise.  And a real expert  would never shun the opinion of others outside his/her field or class because it is from these people that an expert learns from the most. 


                                                    Whatever



Women should not be afraid to shine at this time.  I don't care about the jealous types that could be surrounding them.  We can't avoid jealousy when we're strong, inwardly-- and, therefore, outwardly-- beautiful, able, gifted and the expression of love, anyhow.  Frankly, I have no real explanation for jealousy because I've never been anything but happy for the successes of my friends and even strangers.  So just be aware of this and all other sorts of negativity and, whatever you do, don't feed the beasts. 


                           


Calling jealous types "animals" is offensive to animals.  'Beasts' better fits their description.

Women should set negativity aside and shine brighter and rise higher than expected, right now, because their efforts and nurturing qualities are needed, awaited and they are what will make an tremendous impact through ideas, projects, missions and tasks, services and on and on we go.  Good deeds won't go unnoticed.  When I say "nurturing", I don't refer to the way we might hold and sing to an infant.  That's lovely and amazing and a beautiful thing, but I'm talking about the way we naturally foster, protect and comfort most anything and anyone in our path, whether pets, children, partners, trees, the elderly, a creative endeavor, a responsibility, etc.  Whatever it is, we are within the capacity to heal or turn everything we want into gold.

Men will benefit as well if they apply a little more attention to their outward appearances.  This doesn't mean that they should wear metallic eyeliner or a Brooks Brothers suit.  It means that it would behoove them be excited about being HERE and doing THIS.   A little more sensitivity, and a little less ego, will assist them, too, and they'll thrive and attract success if they dress and act the part of someone who is grateful to be alive and doing their job.  Men don't have to be as polished as Donald Trump to succeed and attract wealth and health.  They just have to express pride where they need to, and that is in their work and in their efforts. 



                                     


Look alive, boys.  Look excited and alive, not like you just rolled outta bed.  Take care of yourselves, and don't be afraid to admit error and/or a need for comfort or consolation.  Congratulations, you're human.

Approval and attention from women is what men should be striving for, this week.  Not for the purposes of dating or hooking-up or whatnot, but for the sake of productivity and progression which very much depends on feminine support.  For some, this means putting the damn sword down, listening to what women have to say, allowing them to have the floor for once.  Women will be their saving graces and their biggest boost-- financially, emotionally, mentally, even physically-- so (to put it nicely) men  may wish to put their best foot forward and be respectful, or else.


         


No duels.  Movies about duels are great, but make love, not war.  Or let's shake hands.  Let's just do something friendly-- greet a stranger, smile, hold open a door, etc.  We'll get more out of that than warring and, really, it's time to cut our losses.  We learn more from losing than winning in the long-run.

Now, take a look at the wand in the Queen's hand, above.  Is she blocking herself with it?  Is she defensive?  Afraid?                          

Well, she's got the tools necessary to defeat you-- confidence, a trusty weapon (er, wand).  Thus, to answer those questions, no, no and no.  The Queen has let her guard down, but it's because she doesn't consider you a threat and is ready to make peace.  She might be vulnerable or as open as a book, but gullible she is not.  Nor stupid or unprepared. 

In fact, I'd venture to say that she is unblocking her heart in order to listen and receive the rewards that she so much deserves... which is the best move she can make.  She'll make her goals become the real thing and she'll assist others in achieving them as well.  The Queen represents a powerful woman, and if she's the kind of woman who doesn't make heads roll when things don't pan out her way, she can make miracles happen.  The Queen serves but she also protects, defends, believes and stands by justice.

Receive, many women will!  Whether they treat themselves well, or are treated well by others, many will feel like queens, this week, through luxurious touches and attention.  They'll feel invincible.  Energetic.  Confident.  Hopeful.  Powerful.  In control.  Relaxed.  Ready.  Pick your damn vitamin, most women will be ready for anything, but particularly for an experience for the ages.  And they'll put themselves out there, oh, yes they will.

I know I'm about to delve into an experience for the ages.  I start school, this week.  Thing is, I haven't studied much of anything in the past twelve years.  It's an online program I'm pursuing, but still.  It won't be easy and is among a number of situations I'm juggling this season.  I feel I can handle it like a strong mofo, but I just skimmed through my Astronomy textbook and I wonder how the hell I'm going to digest what's inside.

Sigh.  Maybe I'll be fine.  Whenever I imagine myself failing at something, I usually excel at it.  Good thing I'll be treating myself well before classes begin.  I need to initiate my schooling on the right, relaxed foot.

Men will have the opportunity to release tension, worry, stress, even if it means being a little vulnerable in front of someone else.  Nothing wrong with that.  Doesn't make you weenies.  Just deal with "it", already, lest it take a toll on your health.

Big boys do cry.

What has burying our emotions done for us, anyhow?  I'll tell you what-- it's caused problems, physical ones included.



                                  


I experienced my first chiropractic adjustment, last week, courtesy of Dr. Laura Brayton of Hoboken Chiropractic and Wellness.  She's an excellent practitioner (and not just because she's my boss!).   She found subluxations (basically, misalignments) in my spine and corrected them with a multi-functioning bed she rotated, banged, took apart and put back together, again.  She couldn't have been more accurate about what was happening in my back.  As she applied pressure to certain points, my back/spine should have bounced back to meet her hands and it did not.  I mentioned at the beginning of my session that I experienced an occasional discomfort just below my right shoulder and in my lower back either after walking a great, great deal or when the weather was very humid.  But as it turned out, as  she soon discovered, these were areas that were ultra-sensitive to the touch-- areas I hadn't been aware of as having been so painful that they couldn't even be tapped lightly. 

But Dr. Brayton made me feel better.  It started with a drop of my arms and ended with random cracks around my shoulders, in my neck, rotations and side-to-side movements of my legs and a few drops of my lower body.  Those cracks creeped me out a little.  They were weird,  unusual sensations and noises.  However, I walked out of that session wiping happy tears and smudged mascara from my face and feeling like a million bucks.  The cracks were well worth it.

She asked me why I cried and I said, "no one's ever done that for me."  Certainly never free of charge.  Not ever.   And, I'm sorry, but I don't trust everyone in a lab coat.  There is usually some sort of catch to what these folks do for "free" and countless practitioners out there are looking for something wrong in their patients so that they could make a quick buck and then sell them drugs they don't need until they eventually sell them more drugs to fight off the effects of the initially prescribed drugs. 

Whew.

Not Dr. Brayton.  I really was beside myself that day.  By the end of the session, she'd applied pressure to the shoulder that caused me the most pain, and I didn't feel any discomfort at all.  I could stand up straight, too.  It was incredible.  At thirty, my back felt like it did when it was a teen.  My spine, essentially my core (because if the spine is screwed up then nerves begin to torture), my foundation, my frame was in-- sigh-- alignment! 

Never wanting to have seemed whiny or anyone's burden, I never complained about these physical issues, before.  Who knows how long the subluxations have been around?  I learned that I needed to speak up about these problems because they could grow and worsen over time.  As it was, they were in trouble.  That shoulder and lower-back pain hadn't manifested overnight.  A culmination of bad posture, tension, stress and obstacles of my past, all that literal and metaphorical weight, I carried on that shoulder and that backbone, and it built and built and built upon itself until it grew into a very tender and delicate situation, likely prone to serious injury at any given moment. 

I brought that all upon myself.  As I explained to her, I never saw it fit to speak up about physical troubles and pains as a kid, not when my mom had already had numerous ailments of her own and my dad didn't really listen, and I'd held onto all of that, thinking that no one else cared and maybe my pains were molehills that simply weren't worth bringing up.  When Dr. Brayton heard that, she indicated that that was precisely why she encouraged parents to bring in their kids for an examination/consult.  Because whatever we don't consider a "big deal" now, when kids are two or three or five, could very well turn out to be a big deal in the future.

I now know better than to let that happen again.


                                  


Dr. Brayton not only works with adults and children but with expectant mothers as well.  She's also hosting a fabulous event entitled Doctors with a Heart on Feburary 13th.  On that day, Dr. Brayton will be providing chiropractic care all day on behalf of charity, collecting individual donations of $75 or more for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.  For a family of up to four members, the expected donation is $150.  Children benefit immensely from the efforts of this organization, so it's a win-win.  For more information about Dr. B  and her practice, or to schedule an appointment, please visit Hoboken Chiropractic and Wellness!



                                         


The Queen's Rider-Waite sister is the Empress.  Here we have the queen of fertility, the cure, the female magician, Lady Luck, the mother, mother-figures, sisters, female friends, aunts, female leaders, the caretaker, the intuit, the wise woman, the teacher, the creator/goddess, creativity/art and, really, the gal of the hour.  The Empress is organized, generous, in a class all by herself, elegant, a celebration beneath her skin, logical, skilled, ambitious, pure, passionate and compassionate.  In short, she has got it and she's not afraid to flaunt it.  I'm not referring to her boobs.  All women have them, whether they're in-your-face or barely visible.  I refer to her soul.  She's here to listen and help pave the way, so let's not be afraid to talk something out.  Keeping some secrets just isn't healthy.

Very few are mind readers.

The Empress is here to reward the patient and to bless the struggling.  She's here to help us along our goals and bring awareness to challenges facing women, children, the needy and lonely, the ill and fragile, the broken and heartbroken.  She is a trusted, venture capitalist.  And she encourages us to encourage others as best we can.

I'm also getting the sense that a special energy is being projected by many women, so it wouldn't surprise me if others want to put this special energy out there, be it good looks, charm, talent.  It is a combo of all of these qualities that will be shared or publicized, not just one.  We're talking the whole package.  The whole shebang.

Injecting a little music into the hearts of others, uplifting their spirits, is a great start.  This might be a good time to break out an old instrument or learn to play one.  The stars are shining upon creative or artistic projects and ideas as well as child-related work, activities, teachings, etc.  All super-fun stuff. 

We may hear of pregnancies at this time, ease the expecting, or take-up child-related or caretaker opportunities.  Fertility treatments receive a nice boost, too.

Let's make sure that our intentions are clean, that we are doing things for the right reasons.  We won't be getting away with murder, regardless of the toll our emotions take.  That's right.  Unless you're as cute as my friends' puppies, you're pretty much shit-outta-luck with the troubles you cause.

Let's not allow others to make us feel guilty.  If we've done nothing wrong, we needn't feel guilty.  Period.  I'm sensing that a few people might bring on the guilt-trips with overbearing or woe-is-me drama.  Let's not fall for that stuff.  And let's also not fall for bad sales pitches or gimmicks either, giving away or loaning money we don't have to begin with.

                                                              How can we give away what we don't have?

If we've been waiting to hear from someone, this will be the week for that to happen.  But even if we're not, we'll probably be hearing from or reconnecting with wonderful women from our pasts. 

Competition, Schmopetition.  No need to compete when we're capable of reaching fulfillment, a sense of balance and an appreciation for our unique talents.  What was said about the Empress applies to many of us as well-- we are in a class all by ourselves.

This card is our goal coming to fruition, our ideas turning into the real deal.  Step two and maybe step three.  Let's not even think about skipping a step.  Everything needs its time and room to grow so let's not become too eager or we'll result unnecessarily frustrated in a puddle of failure.

We can research, work ahead, remain hopeful and really listen to our guts as they will be static-free.  Rushing into anything, be it a relationship, project, goal, study, etc, will only stress out the system, making it practically impossible to get what we want.  And, for goodness sakes, let's LISTEN to our bodies.  We'll receive the support needed to get better but we  need to stop throwing away perfectly healthy energy, already.    Let's be there for others but also for ourselves.

We'll be honored for assisting the dependent to become self-sufficient.

Let's pamper ourselves a little, indulge in romance or treats that won't break our piggy banks, or dive into a craft we've left on the back burner.  Whatever we do, let's bring joy and meaning and pleasure into our lives.

Have a super week!