Four of Cups - Snap out of it!

Today’s card is the Four of Cups from the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot. This card is all about discontent, boredom and lack of interest in about everything. Look how he has closed himself off from all outside suggestions on how to feel better. If we are getting stuck in this energy it can easily lead to self-pity and even depression.

It has been quite a while since I really felt like blogging or in doing anything whatsoever and this card depicts this feeling perfectly well,. Yes, I have been very busy moving my husband to a temporary care home because the house where he was living before is getting a rebuild. This event was physical and emotional draining for me. It left me with little energy for myself and it eventually got the best of me. I know all too well this kind of thinking can easily become habitual and self-sustaining. I knew something had to change but it felt like I wasn’t able to do so. Until this morning, when M told me I had to become responsible for my own wellbeing and to be willing to do the things which would make me feel better. She can be quite persuasive when she feels it is necessary. So I got out of my chair, took a shower, went out for some groceries and started blogging. I feel like a different woman now. I have flipped a switch and I have snapped out of this funk.  Thank you, my dear girl, for a firm kick in the butt.

And then... and then.. and then…..

Storytelling with tarot is something I really love to do. Mostly when my card of the day is not quite what I expected or hoped for, I start asking questions and drawing more cards until the story unfolds and the message becomes clear to me.

Today I started out with the Eight of Cups from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot. Usually I love pulling this card. It gives me permission to leave everything behind and to spend some quality alone time but today it felt a bit challenging so soon after all the shadow work I have been doing last month. My initial reactions was: "Oh no, not again!"  So I pulled the Four of Cups, where a man is longing for the cup in the sky and doesn’t see the beautiful ones in the grass. This card tells me how I felt in the beginning of October. I had all those grand ideas of how I would spiritually grow and  although I did grow/change,  it was so entirely different than I expected it to be. And the Three of Coins is showing me how different it all was. I found my creative fire again and the courage to do something with it. Up until now the cards haven’t told me anything new. It all feels like a big intro to the main plot: the Six of Swords. This card is all about a journey again. I think it is about taking all the ideas of how finding creativity has been my “salvation” under consideration and asking myself questions like: “Why do want to create? How do I feel when I create? What part of me do I share with others when I create? Etc. Making a painting is not the destination of the journey it is the beginning of a new journey. And then I pulled the last card: Judgment which is to me the call to an authentic life; when we step out of the box of who we thought we were and  to sing the song of our soul of who we really are. 

Time to leave my Tower

For today I wanted to share again a part of the IG Shadow Work challenge with you. This day the question for our daily draw was:

Devil – What do I need to let go of?

For me The Devil is all about illusions, so with that in mind I shuffled my cards and drew the Four of Wands. While shuffling, another card jumped out of the deck, so I decided to pay attention to this one too. It was the Four of Cups. Now I had two fours to work with. Four is the number of Stability and Security but two times four feels more like stagnation and being stuck in the mud.

The four of wands urges me to let go of my futile attempts to keep resembling a nice and quiet conventional family in a house with a white picket fence. I thought I had had it all once but all too soon I discovered that life isn’t about experiencing the suburban bliss but more about how to cope with the many challenges life offers you and how to cherish the moments of breathing in and out in between.

Besides the need of letting go of this illusion it is also important for me to let go of my feelings of discontent with my life as it is right now. Clinging to this illusion and the sadness over my major loss makes it very hard for me to really move forward.

Today, eleven years ago, my dream of always and forever was shattered to pieces. Maybe it is time I try to pick up some to the shards to make room for new dreams. In order to do this it is necessary I leave my tower but before that I have to fill up my Cups with lots of love and gentle compassion for myself because it is so scary….. 

A Tiny Tarot Reading for the New Year

This morning I decided to draw two cards for the coming new year just for an overall view; a kind of theme.

The first card would provide the question or the situation and the second card would be an advice or an elaboration for the first card. I've used the original Rider Waite for this mini reading.

The first card I got was the Four of Cups. This card is asking me to consider when I feel really content. Is it because of the beauty of these three cups, or is it about the content or is it perhaps because I have the time to sit beneath a tree to relax? But what about the fourth cup? Do I need it on order  to be more happy and content? Does this cup hold the promise of  perfect everlasting happiness and joy. It is something I need or just want because it has been made available?

This card has brought up a lot of timely questions because My word for 2015 will be “Simplicity”:

Trying to be happy and content with the small things, feeling gratitude for the daily events and also trying not to be not so easily influenced by YouTube and blogs etc. as to what I “need to have”  in order to be happy J.  

Of course there is so much more to this word then  what I can write in this post for now. I  will have an entire year to further explore the depth of its meaning.

The second card is the Magician.  The first thing I noticed were the four tools on his table which is all he needs for making his magic happen. If I would tap into this archetype I would find my inner strength would be enough to be fulfilled and happy. It is in myself where my true power resides.  Not even in the tools in front of me. Whatever is in my three cups or in the fourth; they are merely things to enjoy but not necessary to become fully who I am supposed to be.  

It sounds good to me and hopefully I will remember this when the next “temptation” comes along

Four of Cups – Enjoy what you have and feel abundant!

This Four of Cups from the Anna K tarot couldn't be more fitting for me and is so right on time to be my wake-up call.  I've told you before I was feeling a bit under the weather lately and  I have to admit I have ordered a few decks to feel better. Although I am super glad with those decks, I know I wasn't ready to explore new decks since I've got my birthday presents in may. But one way or the other they just kept being delivered by the postman. He is such a great guy! J

Anyway I feel a bit like this man in the picture. He’s got all these delicious dishes handed to him by his loving daughters and he doesn't seem to appreciate the taste or the effort at all. He is just sitting there wanting something  better or different.

Emotional shopping or eating or whatever takes your mind of the hurt or the sadness is never fulfilling. The hole is just as deep when the first rush of excitement about a new purchase or chocolate bar with hazelnuts has faded.

So what does this all practically means to me?

• I am going to put a stop to my splurging on decks until September the 21
• I will keep meditating  to be more connected with The Divine and myself
• I will play with the decks I have and try to enjoy them and connect with them on a deeper level (diviner)
• I will pick up my gratitude practice in order to be more aware of the abundance in my life
• I will try to take better care of myself; to be more attentive to my actual needs instead of burying them under heaps of stuff and cookies
• I am not going to beat myself up if one of the resolutions above don’t work out  (Broom )

The last deck which has arrived was the Enchanted Lenormand.

When I took the cards out of the box two of them fell out : the Broom ( something is swept away, cleansed or some kind of punishment or quarrel ) and the Diviner ( well guess who that is with all her cards). It seems I have to clean and organize my drawer and take stock of what I have and be happy with it. Then I want to sweep out  this negative behavior of numbing my feelings.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Melody Beattie

A Three Card Daily Spread – Trusting my swordy skills will remove my blindfold

For today I've done a three card daily tarot spread for myself with The Original Rider Waite Tarot. The positions are as following:

1 The general energy of the day

2 The challenge of the day

3 The gift of today

The Original Rider Waite tarot

1 The general energy of the day – Four of Cups

For me today this card is all about having enough to deal with and not needing any more cups  with emotional “surprises”. There is a lot going on at home which is putting me in the position of maintaining the emotional stability and to be honest it is exhausting. So three cups in a neat row is manageable but I don’t want anything else on my plate. Please !!!

2 The challenge of the day – Queen of Swords

My rescue might come from my inner Queen of Swords if, I will be able to channel her qualities: Keeping my head above the clouds. Making kind but firm decisions and setting some boundaries to take care of my own peace of mind. How I love this Queen and the wisdom with which she reigns

3 The gift of today – Eight of Swords

Yay, my gift is to take of my blindfold and step out of my circle of limiting beliefs. I am stronger than I think I am and pitying myself is not the way to tap into that strength. So chin up and try to take some time to recover, without wallowing in self pity.

So I will be able to cut away the ropes which are draining my energy and do the things I love which a clear mind. Staying active is the best medicine for today and every tomorrow

Three card Daily Spread - Something needs to change

For today I've done a three card daily tarot spread for myself with the Druidcraft Tarot. The positions are as follows: 

1 The general energy of the day

2 The challenge of the day

3 The gift of today

1 The general energy of the day- The Four of Cups. It seems my lethargy of the past week isn't quite over yet. The events with M has taken a lot of my energy and I am still feeling a bit “bleh”. The cards of the last three days have been obvious doorways to a different mindset but I have not yet been able to give in to their call. I am thinking a lot about what I want to change and what is worth to hold on to. But looking at the person in the card it is clear my batteries has to be recharged again

2 The challenge of the day – Three of wands.  This card is urging me to rise up and stand tall . To look at the road ahead.  To be aware of what I have accomplished and  how foolish it would be to stay in the shadow of the tree too long. The road is there to be taken, not to be looked at.

3 The gift of today - The Hermit. And what a gift this is. Not only do I have to look at the road ahead but I also have to look inward to become mentally and spiritually aligned: to discover if what I want and where I want to go from here is in sync with my heart’s desire, my core purpose, Sometimes I am too eager and impulsive; to all or nothing and it is a wise thing to reflect before I continue to walk the road ahead.

While reading these three cards it occurred to me how the man in the Three of Wands and the Hermit are connected in this spread. They both are standing straight and are looking in the distance. In the three of wands the man is standing in the shade of the tree and is looking into the bright light of the day while The Hermit has his lantern to light his path in the night. They both are standing on higher ground; a safe place to consider their next move or decision. And they both are supported by either a tree or a staff. Finally the last thing I've noticed was that in both cards a path is depicted. In the Hermit card the path has lead him to the cliff, while in the Three of Wands the path is yet to be discovered.  I love how this Hermit is accompanied by the wolf of yesterday’s draw. It is just like he is trying to get my attention again. How wonderful it will be to find some Hermit moments today 

Four of Vessel and Ace of Bows: leaping out of limbo

Yesterday was a difficult day. Last Friday, M. had learned from her doctor she had to have an ultrasound of a lump under her yaw which has been sitting there for about six weeks. And we all know what everybody is  thinking, when a lump is in the picture. Whenever one of my kids is not healthy and I don’t know what is wrong with them, I worry a lot and my anxiety tends to get overwhelming. Gradually I get sucked in a kind of limbo, where all I can do is wait, hope and pray and desperately seek for distraction in gaming or watching TV-series. In limbo tarot shouldn't be allowed. The cards speak only about gloom and doom and I am forgetting the fact I don’t do predictions. But then the moment came we were at the hospital and the doctor spoke the liberating words:” It’s nothing serious”. I barely could keep myself from kissing the man. We celebrated life with a large ice-cream. When I came home I felt so good, happy and relieved.

Wildwood Tarot

This morning I looked at the last two cards I had pulled yesterday before we went to the hospital. And no, the Ace of Bows isn't a laser or radiotherapy and the Four of Vessels isn't a waiting room in a hospital. When I look at those two cards today  I see myself sitting in limbo not knowing what to feel; “Sickness of the soul” and “emotionally frozen” the book is calling it. But then there is this Ace of Bows,this spark of life,which encourages us to stand up and start living again. It is almost like a rebirth.

A surprising combination of cards: Four and Ace of Cups

This morning after a dreary weekend, I wondered if the cards would show me a shift in my frame of mind. I still am feeling somewhat tired, bored and restless. No wonder when I picked up my already beloved pack of cards; The Original Rider Waite Tarot, I pulled the four of cups. Could it be possible this would be another blah day? I can identify with this man so much: his arms and legs are crossed He is closed for any new idea, feeling or opportunity to be happy. He clings to his moodiness and boredom. 

The Original Rider Waite Tarot

So I pulled another card with the question what should I do to end this cycle of self pity; how can I clear my inner blocks and stand up and do something nice for myself? And I pulled the Ace of cups and after I gave those two cards another look I had to laugh. It is so obvious. In the Four of Cups the man is presented a fourth cup by the heavenly hand. The same cup and hand are depicted in the Ace of Cups only bigger and in my case louder. It is as if the cards are screaming to me: Pick up the damn cup woman and take responsibility for  your thoughts and how they make you feel. Shake of the indolence and embrace a new attitude of love and gratitude!

I noticed this combination of cards would only convey this message to me with a Rider Waite deck. In most of my other decks there is no giving hand and the depicted person is gazing eagerly at the fourth cup in the sky. So I am happy I picked up my O.R.W. deck.

Don’t you just love is when the tarot speaks to you like an old friend? 

Four of cups: seize this moment

This morning I have drawn the Four of Cups from the Robin Wood Tarot. This is the first deck I’ve bought after The Rider Waite. I remember how uncertain I was, if I would be able to read with it. In those days I was all about learning the meanings by heart and sometimes I even forgot to look at the pictures myself. I totally relied on what the books told me. And how confused I was when some of the books contradicted each other. I am so happy to have learned to look at the depictions more closely now and trust my own intuition so I can combine book knowledge with my own feeling about the cards. 

When we look as this four of cups it is quite obvious this man is not happy. While the facial expression of the man in the Rider Waite is rather flat, in the Robin wood there is no doubt about his discontentment with his cups. He doesn’t want to look at them and while turning his eyes away from the cups in front of him, he doesn't notice the opportunity handed out to him by a magnificent radiant cup.

Sometimes this card can represent turning inward or meditation. I think this can help us to become aware of the shining cup in the air. When we let go of the notion of how we did feel, want to feel, should feel and so on only then we can try to discover how we are feeling right now. If we are fully present in this moment we have limitless opportunities how step into the next moment. Living our life like that is an ongoing adventure

We can have it all, if we dare to dream

Yesterday, after an exchange of thoughts with Sycamore about her last post: “Where the Heart is” , I started thinking about how hard it is for many of us to discover what we really want deep down inside. My wishes are most of the time the “good girl” wishes  and I wonder if that is all there is. Could it be I am afraid of my own buried desires? Or perhaps  of my undiscovered “greatness” J. Sometimes we put our light under the basket instead of on a stand mostly out of a false sense of modesty. That’s how a lot of us were brought up.

And what have the cards to say about this? Well they couldn't be more clear today. I drew these three cards without set positions just to read them as a story-line:

Legacy of the Divine Tarot

The Four of Cups tells us how hard it is to find that one cup that gives us the most pleasure; our true passion. Some cups are just fine but mostly they contain convenient and dull wishes, which keep us satisfied in our day to day lives

The Knight of Cups challenges us to follow our intuition and to pick up that one cup that truly belongs to us, to channel all our creativity and passion into it and go for..

The World. This is how we all can feel if we treasure our dreams and follow through on them.

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

How we bring this wonderful idea into practice? That is when the Lenormand comes in play

Scythe+ mountain+ Child

For me it is becoming very obvious: We have to cut away inner blockages and let our inner child play. I am certain that trough playing and experimenting we are all able to find what really makes our soul truly sing. 

Interview with the Wildwood Tarot

Never before have I done a deck interview spread with a new tarot deck. But yesterday, with this deck it felt like it was the appropriate thing to do. In that way we would get formally introduced to each other. Although I know it’s just a pack of 78 cards, it feels like there´s an old energy  surrounding this deck. It’s making me a little bit hesitant to approach it; to work with it. I’m not that overly sensitive, so this is rather new for me and I am wondering: who am I kidding? That’s why I decided to do the deck interview. I've mixed up some the other interview spreads that I've found online. These are the questions for my deck and the cards that I've drawn:

Wildwood Tarot deck  interview

1.       Who are you?

The Wheel -  I am the loom of the Wildwood and I will teach you how to weave

2.       What is your most important characteristic?

Eight of arrows -  I have enough courage and dedication to keep going even when our thoughts  collide and dilemma’s arise. I will keep my torch burning hoping for better times.

3.       What are you going to teach me?

The Gardian - I will show you how to face your fears and how to enter the dark caverns of your mind.

4.       what can I give you in return?

Ten of arrows -  Respect and reverence and an open communication

5.       What are your strengths as a deck?

Knight of bows – fox – I am determined, dynamic and clever, and where necessary innovating.

6.       What will our relationship be like?

Four of vessels – beware of boredom and disenchantment after the first rush of infatuation . We’ll strive to keep things fresh and alive and search for new challenges.

7.       Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself?

Queen of vessels – My child I will guide you with love through the Wildwood and I’ll ask you to dedicate yourself with an honest and open mind to our journey together

This was a very deep experience. I just sat at my table watching my cards and felt really connected to whatever it was I felt. For some cards I had to look up additional information in the guide book but the overall message was very clear… I had to laugh about the gift of respect this deck wants from me. I was right about that J

Also the Fox of bows has given an unexpected touch to this reading. “Innovating and clever” wasn't what I had in mind for this deck. It has added an unknown spark of wit to it.

This reading has been very helpful to get the edge of our first real encounter and we’ll see where we’ll go from here.

Four of Cups – Living in the present moment

Legacy of the Divine Tarot

For today I've drawn my daily card from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. It’s the four of cups. This card is slightly different than other four of cups'  in different decks. Instead of not looking at the presented fourth cup, this man is gazing at the cup as if there was nothing else to look at. In his perception this is the most beautiful cup in the whole world. So instead of interpreting this card as boredom and a lethargic feeling, I would see it more as never be satisfied with what you have and always looking for the next quick fix or rush. This goes beyond buying  more and more decks.J  It can be a way of thinking about every aspect of your life. Material stuff, job, relationship and so forth.

The most obvious solution to this problem is also the most difficult: It is living in the Now; moment, by moment, by moment ….

I get easily distracted by media, advertising and longing for more than I have/am now. But when I am aware of where and when I am, I'm totally content and satisfied and so grateful for my life and who I have become. There is no desire to change this, just to go forth moment by moment  by moment and change will present itself in its own time