What the heck is going on here? Sometimes a card’s meaning is initially baffling. We have to pause to look it over from different angles to see what it’s trying to convey. Usually, the confounding ones are trying to surprise you. This one doesn’t disappoint.

My signature Tarot Postcards are like those sold in an art museum. Some of them actually are. It can be obvious what they’re portraying. Sometimes we have to put on our detective hats. When I’m looking for psychic messages in a card I start by using a technique a docent once taught me. I find a particular detail that attracts my attention, and ask, Why am I drawn to this? At this moment, in this card, it’s the sign with two arrows that says, “Full Serve, Self Serve”.

Ah Ha! So the card is suggesting a Choice, Facing a Decision. In the Full Service aisle, you pay a little more but don’t have to get your hands dirty and may even get your windshield cleaned and the tires checked. Or you can save and pump the gas yourself. Can you see how this is a metaphor for, say, a home improvement project? You can hire it out or do it yourself. Or it could be about a job or move, a question of staying or going.

But then I zoom out and look at the whole picture, simply asking, What is this? It’s a gas station. Ah Ha! So this is about Refueling or Recharging. But there’s something odd here. The place has been overrun by grass and some sheep have taken over. The place doesn’t seem to be open anymore. Ah Ha! So this is about a Decommissioning.

Nature taking over a manmade building? That’s kinda funny. Ah Ha! So this is about Humor. I always seek to find the humor in psychic readings. A road, or any other property, left unattended, will eventually be taken over by nature. Ah Ha! This is about Who’s Really in Charge Here.

If this photo were in a museum, you’d turn to the placard on the wall for information about the piece. In this case I’ll write about the inspiration behind this Work of Art. “This image is of a construction site in Midtown Manhattan on Twelfth Avenue. The area is being prepared to be leveled and cleaned in preparation to erect a high rise luxury apartment building.”

Ah Ha! So this is about Progress, A Neighborhood Improvement Project, Property Development. Every card is rich with meaning. How will yours speak to you?

What Color Will Dominate In Your Spread?
A reading with me contains a photo of a signature circle of 12 postcards. Each arrangement is as unique to you as your thumb print. Each one lays out a roadmap: an invitation to explore and interpret a symbolic illustration of your current path in life. Will you sign on to a new job or project offer? Manage to take that vacation you’ve been eyeing? And what about those in-laws, neighbors, co-workers and bosses? Will harmony prevail? A conflict be negotiated? The aims achieved? Every facet of life is on the table. The elements of Fire (drive), Water (emotion), Earth (material possessions) and Air (innovation and ideas) are represented.

When we study the images in the photos that emerge for you, themes will come up. I have collages of all the colors of the rainbow in my oracle collection. Let's look at some psychic symbolic messages in the color BLUE as seen in a collage I made along with some other cards.

Depending on where your eyes land, you might be attracted to the surfer’s blue wave, the farmer’s blueberries, the cowgirl’s blue jeans, the cerulean gemstones or the cyan aquamarine eyeshadow.

This card stood out for me recently for its messages of passion and thrills. The surfer riding the wave, the luxury of the grapes, the gemstones and infinite blue sky.  

Maybe you’ll get Red—a whole different ballgame. Or Yellow. Then there’s how two colors mix and what they represent when they pair. That’s a story for next time. Or your next reading.

Aloha,
Derek
theoffice@derekcalibre.com
646-696-8441

From my years in New York and Honolulu— two multi-cultural, melting-pot cities—I became attuned to regional accents. Some of my clients have moved around a lot. When a mix of timbres come out of someone, I don’t attempt to plumb origins. Others can say one word and give away the region of their roots.

Have you ever conversed with someone whose accent is as flat as a newscaster, and then they pronounce the word, ‘about’ as ‘abōat’? You think, “Wait a minute! You’re from Canada aren’t you?”

As idle entertainment, check out a fascinating website that explores the world’s infinite accents. It’s replete with a jillion locales in fifteen second mp3’s. It’s The International Dialect of the English Archive: IDEA.COM. The same poem is read by people of all ages from all over the world—Hong Kong, Barbados, Northern Ireland…on and on. You can make a fun game to play at an intimate party after dinner: everyone goes around the table seeing who can mimic the accent best.

Anyway, many accents are subtle, like someone from WiscAHNson might pronounce the A in Chicago as in ATtitude or ANgular.

I’m working towards some psychic magic here. This Brady lady is vacationing in Honolulu (Bunch Insiders: sound like a familiar episode?). She books a session in person. Her reading felt cathartic and insightful, mostly because of her willing participation and buoyant spirit. The same energy happens in a phone or on-line session. The most rewarding readings are sprinkled with levity between the tender moments. This was one of them.

Her accent is completely neutral. No drawl or glottal stops. None of the vowels have diacritical marks. My opening question to her might have been because her name is Brady. I leaned back and thought of Florence Henderson, the mother on the TV show. For years she famously appeared in TV ads for Florida Orange Juice. But surely that show was filmed in Hollywood? I asked, “Do you happen to come from or live in Orange County California?”

She looked at me for a good five seconds. A closed-lipped smile slowly appeared on her face. “I was born there and raised between Huntington Beach and San Diego. How did you arrive at that?”

“Ah, Madam! This isn’t the space to delve into the mechanics. We can do that another time.” I continued, going off the Brady Bunch impression. “So you have, uh, two families?” 

One photo depicts the waterfront of Helsinki. It was a strange card to pop out in a recent reading for a client from Hawaii, as Finland is so far away. But my rule is that I have to accept the cards that come. I’m always aware, when reading the cards, that they aren’t necessarily to be taken literally. When a seemingly offbeat card appears in a reading, there’s a reason. I’ve learned that those cards usually mean something deeper than what is literally depicted. I mustn’t be prejudiced. I’m always asking, what’s the symbolic meaning?
I don’t know much about Finland except that I imagine the Finnish as being adept at art, design and fishing! They hosted The Helsinki Accords, which was a peace conference signed by the United States, Canada, and The Soviet Union. They were based on three principles: Security, Cooperation, and Human Rights. This can matter if a client is asking if a new job is going to last (security says yes) or if he’s going to get along with a new boss (cooperation and human rights say yes too)

Then I thought of the homophone Finish/Finnish. I said to my client, “I see you quitting your job. Is that on your mind?”

Her eyes lit up. “Boy is it ever! I’m so glad you see that.”

This is often the way the cards indicate a point. All it takes is imagination and the willingness to associate.

These are plumerias from Hawaii in my back yard. They are beautiful, delicate and sweetly fragrant. No one is in the scene, but I conjured the picture. Why? Because the beauty was so striking. When? Any day (the tree is always giving off flowers).

The back yard is a comfortable place. No stress here! It grows wild and in some places is like a field. It's home to many butterflies, insects, worms and grubs. I don't have to do much to maintain it.

I could let this image speak to unrelated topics like whether to take a trip or job or not. The keywords that come out of the questions will lead you to the insights.

​Happy dreaming! ​