Today's card is the Two of Air from the Gaian Tarot: a woman is listening to the all sounds around her, the twittering of birds, the sound of leaves in the wind and so much more. But then she stops paying attention to them and is just simply hearing them. It is only then that she is starting to hear that soft tender voice from within: The voice that only speaks with love and kindness and never is about fear or despair. She closes her eyes and she smiles because she hear whispers of Peace and Quiet which she longs for so much. In her hand, she cradles something precious, perhaps a talisman to keep her grounded and centered throughout the day.
I've seen this card many times already but today, for the first time, I noticed her necklaces. She is probably wearing these as talismans to represent the four elements. Today this highlights for me the necessity to not only think about life but also to feel, experience and want something from it as well. I think I will put my four elemental crystals in a little pouch to carry with me throughout the day as my talisman. They will remind me to stop, breath and listen instead of always chasing toward the next item on my todo list
Aff: I take time in my day to listen and be open to receiving insight.
(J.Powell Colbert)
My question for today was which part of me is in need of some nurturing and loving attention and I pulled the Nine of Wands from the Shadowscapes Tarot.
Yes, lately I am too often fully armored and expecting the worst. That is my default mode when stress is piling up and I feel like I have to be ready for whatever calamity might happen next. But of course, that is all in my head because nobody knows what the next moment will bring and I am not responsible what others might do. My sole responsibility lies in my answer to their actions.
Then I was wondering how I could pamper my inner warrior, my always present sentinel and I pulled Strength. In this card, the rider has dismounted his lion and caresses his manes. Behind him, a cat is playing with a bell tied to a ribbon. Birds are flying over him and the bamboo in the background is reminding him of how swaying in the wind without breaking, is a strength too. Look how the yellow from the first card lowers itself easily into the next. While the first card is uptight and is asking for constant alertness, the second card lets us breathe and enjoy the moment. Today this card radiates balance and inner peace for me
Even the guy in the Nine of Wands needs to stand down for moment if he want to do his job properly otherwise when the real attack come he is lying in his bed with a burnout
Today’s card is the Ten of Wands from the Druidcraft Tarot. It is a card of feeling obligated and overburdened. An old man is carrying his ten wands uphill. His destination is not yet in sight, so we don’t know how far he has yet to travel before he can lay down his heavy wands.
When we often feel like this it can be a sign that we need to change our behavior and/or our attitude towards the need to do it all by ourselves. This is easy to write down but so much harder to establish in real life.
Lately, since I’ve started my journey towards more spiritual freedom, I find my wands to be so much lighter and easier to carry. Also, my wands don't hurt my back as much as they used to. And when I do feel tired, I don’t mind tossing them on the ground and take a nap on the side of the road. Life isn’t all about work and fulfilling (often self-imposed ) obligations and expectations. If only we were taught that play and having fun are just as important as doing our job and,…. most importantly, that it is okay to say NO once in while.
Today’s
card is the King of Cups from The Raven's Prophecy Tarot. In this depiction we
see a glass which contains just one
feather. The king of Cups is known to be a very good listener. He truly can hold
space for how you feel deep down and for what you
need to unburden. Only after you have told him everything, he will give you
great advice on how to move forward without any pressure to see his way as the
only way.
But who really
knows what is going on with him: Always smiling,
always nodding , always calm. Who knows what
this feather is all about? He will not share, without being pushed quite a bit. His feelings
are buried deep beneath his responsibility as king. But beware, these build up emotions can explode unexpectedly and then he
feels exposed, ashamed and crownless.
So what advice
could we give this King and I got the Hanged Man: this card encourages him to
take some time to explore how he feels
about being the archetypal counselor and perhaps even more importantly to explore how he
feels….
Often taking
a step back will give us a more clear perspective on a lot of things; even on what we didn’t know troubled us in the first place.
I know all
too well how it feels to be a King of Cups and when build up emotions become a hazard
for my family and myself.
So for
today will try to be more open about how I feel, if only to myself in my
journal, in order to prevent my glass to break into pieces once again. And yes,
taking a few good deep breaths or a time out after “King of Cups duty” is a very sound advice indeed!
For today I have decided to do the Within-Without-Advice spread with the Smith Waite Tarot. The cards I drew fit perfectly with my previous post about my attempt to create a “Free-Flowing routine” in order to establish some fulfilling and more healthy habits.
Within – Eight of Pentacles
It seems I feel quite content with the result of my new routine. Working with it brings structure in my life and a great deal of satisfaction. Gradually I will get better in maintaining my new and still fragile set of habits.
Without - The Chariot
Look at me I am riding on the wind. Just doing great. Oh no, not quite the movement I was expecting. Yes, this chariot has left the city behind the walls but now, in his concrete wagon he is going nowhere. It looks very impressive on the outside world but what is going on the inside of the charioteer?
Advice – The King of Cups
This is for me the archetype of the healer. He is our inner therapist, the part of ourselves that is able to distance himself of the problem at hand. He urges you to find out what is really going on.
Yes it is obvious I am already trying too hard; becoming too rigid in my efforts although my intent was to stay compassionate with myself and surrender to the flow of the day. This is so me: wanting to do my very best, even if it is not the best for myself. So I will take this advice at heart and I will proceed more slowly, more gently and more consciously about how I am feeling.
For this new moon, I have pulled one card from the Fountain Tarot as to what energy I should embrace during this next cycle of the Moon and I got the Six of Wands: Another Six after last New Moon’s Six of Cups. Six in tarot is a very auspicious number; it is all about Union, Harmony, and balance. The Six of Wands speaks of hope and motivation and is a very timely card for me because as of late I am trying to build a free-flowing daily routine for myself to get things done and get a more healthy lifestyle. A free-flowing routine might sound like an oxymoron to you but it does work for me. I’ve started with one habit I want to keep above all, which is meditating for 15 minutes before doing anything else and all the other things on my list were mere suggestions. Now I am also writing daily in my journal and drawing a tiny sketch a day. For me, the success rate of my “routine” is very motivating. I feel very accomplished by doing these three things which will cost me about 45 minutes a day. Only when I feel these three activities have become real habits, I will add one more. Also, I have promised myself that taking a step back when I feel overwhelmed has nothing to do with failure but is, in fact, a kind and compassionate thing to do.
The whole premise of this experiment is getting motivated by success and to take one baby step at the time. Every little success is a like golden star on my chart. And every little setback a pink heart of compassion.
Nobody
likes to get a card like this: Dreamer Three (the Three of Swords) from the Tarot of
the Sidhe. We see a Sidhe woman with her heart ripped out. It is torn apart and
eaten by three black ravens. The three trees which are rooted in her skirt are
bare. With her hair she is connected to the blood red clouds and behind her a
large sun is rising behind the mountains. She is fully merged with her surroundings
yet she is heart - and soulless.
“The
heart of Dream is torn in three
Leaving
a hole where the whole should be
The
blessed ravens feast on sorrow
That the
light may bring a fairer morrow”
How many of
us are living like this. Going through the motion of our daily lives and not being aware
of how we feel and if we are living the
life we want. Is our heart still in it, or is it torn out and crushed by unresolved
grief and heart break. So often we don’t take the time to acknowledge our pain
and we think when we act as always, eventually it will go away. But believe me it won’t.
It will strike back even harder just as long until you feel the hole inside
you. The positive side of this card is when
you do connect with your pain you will heal. Your heart will become more
resilient and at the same time more compassionate, tender and loving. “Be gentle with yourself and only go as fast
as the slowest part of you feels safe to go”. After you've healed your
heart and soul, you can dream again about what you want out of life, because with a heartfelt
dream all options are open to us again
Lyrics:Gentle With Myself
By Karen Drucker
I will be gentle with myself.
I will be gentle with myself.
And I will hold myself like a newborn baby child.
- repeat…
I will be tender with my heart.
I will be tender with my heart.
And I will hold my heart like a newborn baby child.
- repeat
And I will only go as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe to go.
I will only go as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe to go.
I will be easy on myself.
I will be easy on myself.
And I’ll love myself like a newborn baby child.
- repeat
And I will only go as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe to go.
I think I will put my four elemental crystals in a little pouch to carry with me throughout the day as my talisman. They will remind me to stop, breath and listen instead of always chasing toward the next item on my todo list
