Nine Of Cups - Follow the yellow brick road

My daily draw for today is the Nine of Cups from The Hidden Realm Tarot. Like in the Rider Waite tarot we see one man alone with his cup but he is not smug and complacent and he is fully aware of the challenge of this card. Although we have a lot to be grateful for and we feel content and satisfied, it is our life’s quest to keep looking for the one thing that is truly fulfilling; our hearts desire. This man gazes in his chalice filled with water which he hold carefully in both hands. He looks calm and relaxed. In this cup he sees his hearts reflection; the good and the bad. There is a lot to be grateful for but also a lot of pain and sadness. Yet all these experiences together made him the man he is today and from here his journey will continue. He is going to find his dream and follow it. He knows it won’t be easy but he has enough strength from all the challenges he has overcome already. Although it is tempting to stay put with your cup and reminisce over the good old days the road to the Ten of Cups has to be taken.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step “. Lao Tzu

PS. This was the first time I've done  my daily draws with one deck for a whole week. It was a good experience. I liked it to immerse myself in the symbolism and artwork of this deck. Throughout the week this deck felt like a constant companion. One thing less choose each day. J

The gift box exercise

Today I want to share another exercise with you. I've came up with this one yesterday to pass the time in a positive way, while waiting to go with M to the hospital for her second ultrasound and  a biopsy.  I am happy to tell you things look positive but we still have to wait another week for the test results.

For now back to the exercise. When you think about it, a deck of tarot cards is like a gift box with 78 presents.

So what did I do: I picked up my Joie de Vivre Tarot and pulled a card which I interpreted like opening a present:

I am fully present in this moment to receive the gift of  (name of the card)……….. which is (gift)……………………

I've pulled  a lot of cards one after another and it felt like being showered with goodies and gifts from a group of very close friends. Sometimes when you do exercises like this you get to know your cards on a slightly different level. Which in turn can add another layer to you regular readings

A few examples:

* I am fully present in this moment to receive the gift of  Nine of Swords which is the strength to look upwards to see the hearts in the tree

* I am fully present in this moment to receive the gift of  Four of swords which is to go within and put my worries aside

* I am fully present in this moment to receive the gift of  Nine of Cups which is to wish for my heart’s desire

* I am fully present in this moment to receive the gift of  The Devil which is The awareness of having scissors to cut my cords

As you've noticed it doesn't matter if the cards are “good or bad”. Every card can be interpreted as a gift. Of course you can alter the sentence at your own discretion. It is the idea of receiving gifts that counts. For me it was an encouraging experience J