Seven of Staves - Stop fighting and enjoy the sunshine

Today’s card is the Seven of Staves (Wands) from the Goddess Tarot. Look how this poor woman is struggling to fend off her opponents. For me this card sometimes represents my inner battles with all kinds of situations I think I am responsible for so I need to find a solution for them. But nothing is farther from the truth than this slightly presumptuous notion. Often difficult situations (mostly with family) mostly need time to be resolved and my tendency to “help” is rooted in a deep need for controlling and assuming my solution is the best option for everyone.

And today, looking at this card, I realize (again) it isn’t my responsibility to solve everything for everybody at all. Maybe I should turn around and enjoy the sunshine on this beautiful September day. A perfect day to ride my bike and look for Autumn colors in the trees. And while I will enjoy myself maybe some of those issues will resolve themselves a little bit on their own.

"Let go and let God/des"

Seven of Wands - True Colors

Today’s card is the Seven of Wands from the Joie de Vivre Tarot. This card is about courage, persistence and standing up for yourself. Instead of the defensive character of the Rider Waite version of this card, here we see the aftermath of the battle. Beam, beaming with confidence and joy, has stood up for his beliefs and dreams and has shown the townsfolk, who want everyone to be like them, that it is okay and quit rewarding to be who you truly are. To show your creative nature, your own uniqueness; your true colors. He has taken off his greyish coat and is brave enough to show the colorful outfit he is wearing underneath. Even though it was a bit scary at first, he is so happy he has come this far.    

I wonder what he will do next. Will he come down to live among the townsfolk again; Inspiring them to live a more authentic life or will he turn around and search for his own tribe?

"I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow"
(Cyndi Lauper)
 

Seven of Wands – A time to clear out the Dead Wood

For today I pulled the Seven of Wands from the Original Rider Waite Tarot and I picked its counterparts from the Wildwood Tarot and The Wild Unknown Tarot. 

When I pulled this card, the first thing that came to mind was of course “standing up for your beliefs” but when I saw the other two cards, I was reminded of how some of us (including myself), struggle with too many creative idea’s, passions and whatever keeps our heart and soul occupied. That got me thinking about the concept of pruning. After the Summer our garden looks a bit like a jungle. Some of our plants, like the Wisteria, even grow offshoots which almost strangle you when you walk past them. But if you want to have flowers and the next year you have to master the art of pruning. Prune too much and the plant will wither and die, too little and all its energy will go to maintaining all the excess branches and leaves instead of growing new flowers. In short we have to prune our non viable ideas (for now) to give room to our most  passionate desire to come to fruition. And perhaps maybe you will be amazed by how rich and luscious your creative talents will grow and develop.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” Steve Jobs

Happy Easter

With the Four of Wands and the Seven of Wands from the Joie de Vivre Tarot, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter Sunday!

These two cards encourage us to enjoy the celebrations with our family and friends but also they remind us to  take care of our own needs and make time for ourselves. As always balance is is everything!

Hugs Ellen

Knight of Wands - I can’t stop the Rain

The last few days have been quite busy and I suspect there are still a lot of those days ahead. Due to the changes in my household I felt too distracted and too tired to pull my daily cards. Somehow my daily routine has been tossed upside down and this has made me realize how much I depended on that routine to get things done and make room for me as well.

After a few days without tarot, I pulled the Knight of Wands from the Raven’s Prophecy. This is the same card from about a week ago. It seems I needed to hear and feel his creative energetic message again today. He reminds me to take charge and be strong for myself. I am a worthy cause to fight for as long as I take care not to hurt the ones I love.

When I asked how or when he would help me I pulled the Seven of wands. Usually we see a guy on a strategic spot defending himself against his enemies. But in this deck we see a hand shielding the little flames from the pelting rain. This is what needs to be protected at all times: “the fire inside that makes you uniquely you.”

You can’t fight the rain, you can’t make it go away but you can be there for yourself, take good care of yourself so the rain won’t dowse your inner fires.

For me personally this means to carve out time for myself during the day, since the early morning hours are not always for me alone anymore. I want to spend more time in my room to read and write, to play with my cards or just to find some peace and quiet. I am sure if I am willing to give me all of this, the sun will come out soon enough again.

Queen of Pentacles – Taking care of Everybody

Today’s card is the Queen of Pentacles from the Joie de Vivre Tarot by Paulina Cassidy. The perfect card for Easter Monday.  The queen is sitting quietly near a clear brook. She is holding a Pentacle in her arms which to me resembles a cushion with a heart and the moon phases embroidered on it. With one of her other hands she is petting the hare sitting beside her.

Yesterday , Easter Sunday, was  in general a good day but also as usual an exhausting day. My husband was happy and content and that is something to be thankful for. Also the rest of the family had a pleasant day, everybody enjoyed M’s Easter wreath , cookies and some buns. Dinner was good. When my husband went home again it was time for me to send my hare goodbye until next year’s Easter. I embraced my heart and cuddled it softly. Some special me-time was called for; not only for that evening but also for today. 
Because of my Hermity nature I always need some time to regroup myself after such a social event. And I wondered what would be the best way for me to do this:

Then I pulled the Seven of Wands and I had to laugh out loud. What  a lovely reminder of yesterday’s post. Look at me standing there, defending the worthwhile; my own space, my own needs. Not always easy but definitely necessary  J

So for today I am going to keep to myself and do the things  I love to do: blogging, meditation, reading,..... 

I hope you all have a lovely Easter Monday too.

Seven of Wands - Friend or foe?

I've taken up my own challenge and I have cleared my altar up to three items: one big white candle, one a white clothe, a tumbled Labradorite, and the Druidcraft tarot. Until so far I am enjoying it very much. My altar radiates simplicity and peacefulness. No distraction from all kinds of little symbols and decorations. For now, I like it.

Today’s card is the Seven of wands from the Druidcraft tarot. This is a fitting card to pull for the holiday season. My initial impression is to defend my own boundaries mentally as well as physically, during these busy weeks. But when I look a bit closer maybe these men are not approaching to attack the guy in his refuge but merely to share their ideas and to ask for his help, Maybe this apparent attack exists only in my mind, triggered by my need for rest and solitude. Perhaps I should try to and listen first and decide how I want to spend my time and energy, always remembering to keep quite a bit for myself too. So today I will try to listen attentively before thinking an defensive NO! Defending boundaries is not only about killing all the trespassers but more to distinct friend from foe

Seven of Rods – respecting boundaries; no trespassing!

Today’s card is the Seven of Rods from the Anna K tarot. We see two men in this depiction  They are in conflict, fighting, attacking and defending. Usually I identify with the person defending the tower. I always have the feeling I have to defend my personal place and time in this household. A remnant of when my girls where younger and my husband was ill. But  today I am not so sure this is only about my boundaries. We are living with three adult women in one house and it’s still difficult for me to see my girls that way because I am also still there mother who worries a lot and is quite controlling in nature J

So maybe this is a sign for me to let go of the reins a bit more and trust them to make their own decisions and let them make their own faults. Of course when they ask for help or guidance I will always be there for them. Seeing us resembled in this card  the need for change is obvious. We all need our personal space. Since there is also a chance my  S.I.L. will come and live with us for a few months there will be definitely need for some checking and/or maintenance on our personal fences  and discussing  some ground rules about "fair fighting".

Seven of Wands - Boundaries

After our family weekend, the Seven of Wands is coming up repeatedly for me. Today it is the version from the Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr. When I look at the picture I instantly feel like I have to brace myself for something. This card is all about being faithful to my own convictions and to stand up for my beliefs. I am the only one who knows deep down what is good for me and I will stay strong and chose my battles wisely.  I am not going to start any argument but I will not give in to manipulative behavior either. It is obvious this is a solitary act of bravery against six other wands but I am rather with myself  than with people who don’t really see me for who I am.

So this card is all about creating boundaries for my emotional balance and as a way to keep “the peace”

When I am writing this the Goddess Durga comes to mind. I haven’t given her much thought lately. Maybe it is a good idea to reconnect with her energy by chanting to her during my meditation and/or to meditate with her seed mantra: Dum

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others".Brene Brown

Valentine’s day spread for Self Love

I have found a wonderful spread on Daily Tarot girl for self love to perform on, or just before Valentine’s day.  I have never been a  fan of Valentine’s day before. When my husband was still living with us it wasn’t that popular yet and nowadays you can imagine it is not something we pay any attention to. Until now! What a perfect day to celebrate Self Love. There will be definitely lots of chocolate involved and who knows what other goodies and treats I can come up with.

But first let’s have a look at this wonderful spread made by Kate. I have used the  Anna K Tarot. Not the most romantic deck I have, but it turned out to be a really good choice. It has become a beautiful layout especially with the yellow center card and all the blue cards around it. 

Anna K Tarot

1 Relationship to Self – What is your relationship with your Self like? 

The Six of Wands. I am glad to be able to agree fully with this card. When I consider where I’ve come from I really see myself as a winner. Doesn't mean I am there yet, but still.

2 Admirable Qualities – The parts of yourself that are easy to love  

The Hermit. I love to be on my own. I am a Hermit in heart and soul

3 Disowned Self – Your “shadow”aspects, the parts of yourself that need more love and acceptance from you 

The three of Pentacles. I see this as my creativity being locked in the basement. I have to accept that a difference between dream and reality is always going to be there and I shouldn't let it keep me from creating

4 Release – Judgements and expectations that you need to release in order to be more loving to you. Seven of Wands. I have to let go of the fighting against myself. Let go of my own stifling expectations and strive for perfection. It is smothering me, it is exhausting me and it is keeping me from doing anything at all.

5 More Love – Something loving and nurturing that you can do for yourself right now ! 

Page of Cups. Playtime! This page will help me to enjoy the creative activity itself instead of being focused on the result. With his mentality, I am sure I am going to have some fun on Valentine’s day.

I wish you all a very loving Valentine’s day

Finding Durga through Tarot

Goddess Oracle

Yesterday I had drawn the seven of wands and I have asked myself a lot of questions about this card. One of the main subjects was how to defend my own physical and mental private space. I know I have always had an issue with setting my boundaries. Apparently I do respect other peoples boundaries more than my own. I noticed how tired the guy in the card was and how he was likely to give up, putting the needs of the others above his own. (Isn’t the tarot a wonderful mirror J)

Later that night when I had put these thoughts aside, I was surfing the web for another mantra. I have been singing the Tara mantra for some time now and I would like to try another one so I could experience the differences between them. It had to be a short one for I still find it difficult to remember the words. And I don’t want to bothered by that while I am chanting. So I found the Durga mantra: “Om Dum Durgayai Namaha” which means something like: “Om and Salutations to that feminine energy which protects from all manner of negative influences." It looked like a perfect mantra for me. Then I started searching to get to know more about the goddess Durga. The only thing I did know was that she is a fierce goddess.

While reading up on her I discovered (in short) she is a protective mother goddess and she helps us to stand up for ourselves. Googling  for some depictions of her I found this one from the Goddess oracle. The caption says: Durga – Boundaries. And that discovery closed the circle around me and made me feel safe.

I‘ve tried this chant the same night. I particularly liked the version of Thomas Barquee 

When I flipped through my tarot cards I saw that there are a few cards that represent the aspects of Durga for me. First of course the seven of wands but also the nine of wands, and not to forget Strength. It might be a fun challenge to use tarot to describe some more aspects of the goddess (just like naming them) 

Crystal Visions Tarot

Does Tarot give answers or raise questions?

Universal Waite Tarot

Often we turn to our cards when we have problems, are curious about what might happen or for a simple focus for the day. It is not so strange to see Tarot as a deck of cards full of answers, potential opportunities and guidance.

When I drew the Seven of Wands from the Universal Tarot for today, my initial thought was to brace myself for an attack on my private thoughts or my opinions and to set aside a part of my energy for myself this afternoon. For me that is the general meaning and the first answer I get from this card. It is very obvious what the Seven of wands is about when you look at the picture. But when you are reading the cards like that, tarot can get boring so it is advisable to ask a lot of questions when you draw the cards.

Personally, I do this on a regular basis, but I became very aware of this method when I saw the video of Louise from Priestess Tarot. 

You can start easy, by asking yourself what you are seeing in the card and what details are standing out to you for today. Following, you can ask yourself questions about how the character in the card would  feel, why he does what he does and about more particular subjects to which the card is drawing your attention. It is also fun to notice how the questions vary when you compare several of the same cards from different decks. 

It might be a nice exercise is to draw one card or lay down a small spread and ask myself some questions about the card(s) . The challenge will be not to answer them right away but rather let them stew for the rest of the day. From time to time they will bubble up and perhaps raise more questions. In the evening I want to return to the card(s) and figure out what the message was.

A few questions for the seven of wands:

• Who is attacking me? or am I attacking myself?
• Why do I need to defend myself?
• What/who am I afraid of?
• What is my strength which I can rely on?
• What conviction is worth defending
• What/where is my refuge?
• What do I want to be clear about?
• and so forth

Seven of wands: Why am I fighting so hard?

Crystal Visions Tarot

Yesterday was a bleh day and I am afraid today isn't going to be much better. (self fulfilling prophecy???) I am tired, stressed out and often very quickly irritated/angry. I snap to my daughters, and feel bad and guilty about it at the same time.

Where is that positive woman  who was so eager to start the new year? Who did the journaling and came up with all the goals, resolutions and promises to herself?

This is me too. Not the best of me but it’s still me. Look at this angry guy on his fiery dragon ready to strike. But who? What is making him so angry and anxious? In other decks you see the challengers, but here they are hidden. Perhaps he doesn't know them either. I am curious what would happen if he would stop fighting; would the others also quit? Would they conquer him or worse?  Perhaps they would simply vanish. Anger begets anger. fear begets fear and so on. So why not vice versa?

Even as simple as writing about this feeling is helping. (Do you notice the difference between the beginning and the end of this post? That's why I love journaling!  I don’t have to dig deep and try to discover the other six wands. I just have to let go and relax. Give up and breath. Wasn't that my theme for this moon?????