The Daily Draw: Ten of Pentacles

Featured imageThe energy of the ten of pentacles is about family, security, legacy, and stability.

Last night, home from work, my six year old son gave me something called a “Dad Book”, his invention. He had taken a copy book and filled every page with things we enjoy or like to do together. There was a picture of a playground, a football, a rocket, a “learning page” with the alphabet and all the single-digit numbers. On the last page he drew a picture of me. Of course, some of this artwork required interpretation, but that’s not the point. He was thrilled with his work and how he was able to make something for me that made me happy.

It’s wonderful to watch children develop and blossom in the primary school years, when they first learning what they like do, what they are good at, gradually growing from babies to toddlers to children while developing their own independence, self-confidence and self-esteem.  These are the years, before they become teenagers, when mom and dad are still the smartest, bravest, strongest, tallest people in the room. The years when they can take for granted that, no matter what, there will be hot meals, clean clothes, cuddles and kisses, praise and acknowledgement, and a story at bedtime.

Except, of course, it isn’t always like that, and that can be heartbreaking. The world is full of refugees, orphans, broken homes, etc. And while we can give our time and our money to help make the situation better, we do not have the capacity put all the pieces back together for those children and give them back what they have lost – their innocence, their childhood, their sense of security. These children are forced to grow up and deal with adult issues at far too early an age, and there is little we can do about it.

We don’t have enough influence to change all this today, instantly and dramatically, on a global level. But we do have a great deal of control over what goes on in our own homes. How our children are treated, how safe, secure, and nurturing their environment is. As parents it’s our responsibility to make sure it is all of those things, no matter what.

The worry, stress and anxiety of the adult world is for adults to deal with. Any anger, anxiety or resentment, whether justified or not, is not something that should be handed down like a legacy.  Even if you feel the earth is moving beneath your feet, everyone is against you, and you are one pay cheque away from the street, in this moment you are able to provide a safe environment. Tomorrow is another day.

As parents, we owe it to our children to heal ourselves or seek healing so that we are not energetically blocked and drained by the actual or potential threats to our own feelings of security, confidence and self-esteem.  Our children deserve us to be clear and present in our own hearts and minds in order to better connect with and guide theirs. It’s not about covering up the cracks in the foundation. It’s about ensuring the foundation is solid, and being grateful that we have the opportunity to do that in a world where so many do not.

The Daily Draw: The Magician

The Magician

I had a lovely three day weekend in Waterford with my partner Trish where we wined, dined, chilled, and watched some rugby. It’s good to be able to get away and stop the treadmill, the constant demands of work, housekeeping , home maintenance, managing the schedules, meals and laundry of small children, the routines that fill so many hours of each day to the point where it can be hard to find the time and energy for the things you want for yourself in this life.

We’re heading into the most reflective time of the year, when I think about what got done in the current cycle, and what got put off to the next one. It always seems that there are so many things I would like to do and so little time in which to do them.  When it’s late and I’m tired from the activity of the day, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of thinking and dreaming and doing nothing because I can’t do everything. The Seven of Cups comes to mind. So many options and so little focus.

So today the Magician comes along to remind me that everything I need to succeed, to create, to do is inside me. I need to channel some of that energy I give to other people and use it for myself. It is easy to think of energy as a finite thing, but it is ever flowing all around us. Sometimes you have to get out of your routine to see it, but it is there always.

The Magician also reminds us we need to focus that energy and point it in the direction of our intentions for best results. Clarity and precision are required, because the results will be directly impacted by those two attributes. Theb take action, and know that the effort will have a real effect in this world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily Draw: Nine of Wands

Featured imageOnce bitten twice shy. The person on the Nine of Wands looks, bitten battered and bruised. It’s been a hard slog and it isn’t over yet. He stands ready to defend his position, momentarily resting against his staff, yet holding it before him awaiting the next conflict. The other eight wands flank him as a protective barrier.

It’s one of life’s ironies that the more sensitive you are, the more likely you are to be familiar with the forms of self-preservation and protection illustrated by the Nine of Wands. We build energetic walls around ourselves to protect ourselves from the overwhelm of other people’s emotions and energies. We keep our guard up when we are out in public because we know how easy it is to get pulled in by that swift river of emotion. We are ever vigilant against having our energy drained by others, partly because we’ve let it happen over and over again, often doing so intentionally in an effort to help others.

The person on this card is not open because they know the cost of being open. But he remains on the field. He hasn’t gone off to look for a cave, a monastery, or a mountaintop like the hermit might. This shows a degree of necessary resilience to continue on, to try again, to do what feels right where others are tempted to do what is easy.

Why is this person still here? What is he struggling for? What is it about his path that makes him continue on in spite of all the challenges?

What would your answer be?

The Daily Draw: Two of Cups, Reversed

Two of Cups ReversedThe two of Cups Reversed tells me that today is a day when awareness, patience, and diplomacy are called for in interpersonal relationships. Mercury is still retrograde. Miscommunication and misunderstanding can occur easily. You might say one thing and the other person might hear something quite different, partially due to their own internal filters and expectations. Your intention might be benign, even innocent, and the other person might take your words as a personal insult. On the other hand, you might be the one who is feeling sensitive and taking things personally.

If you feel conflict approaching suddenly and unexpectedly, try to be patient and be aware of the context and dynamics of the conversation. Did one of you say “left” when you meant “right”, leading to escalating frustration over who meant what? Is the other person really angry with you, or are they angry about something else and you just happen to be there? Is there a subtext of being under pressure? Is there unexpressed sadness or hurt?

This is probably not the best day to be a right fighter. Take a lesson from the willow and be a little flexible. Are you arguing over minor points that really aren’t that important? Showing up five minutes late, milk instead of cream in the coffee. Let go and try not to get overly emotional about the small things.

If you can’t steer clear of contentious subjects today, then speak with kindness and consideration. That may not be a fool-proof course of action, and you may ruffle some feathers or cause some upset regardless of how hard you try not to.  But at least that will be because the other person has issues with the truth of what you are saying, and not the way in which you are saying it.

If you do experience a falling out with someone you are close to, remember that the relationship may be blocked, but it’s not broken. Sometimes relationships flow easily and effortlessly and sometimes you have to put in some effort to unclog the channels. This might be a day when that effort is required.

The Daily Draw: Eight of Swords

Featured imageThe first card for this long-delayed latest series of blog posts shows a woman who is prevented from taking any action, making any moves, even looking around her to see where she is. She is restricted, confined, trapped. She’s in a rut of self denial.

Say what? OK, sure she’s bound, blindfolded and imprisoned by swords, but who’s swords are they anyway. With the swords cards there is an indication that at least some of the problems are self inflicted. As bad as the Ten of Swords appears, for example, the indication is that the the victim is making things out to be far worse than they are. The Nine is all about the the things that keep us awake at night – worry, stress, anxiety and other useless activities that we would do well to let go of.

And so the theme continues with the Eight of Swords. The question you want to ask yourself with this card is: Who’s rut is it anyway? It’s easy to convince yourself you can’t make plans for your self, do things for yourself, take care of yourself properly, be yourself because you have too many family commitments, too many work commitments, too little time, etc. etc. etc. And all these things might be valid concerns on one level, but on another level they can keep us stuck and, at worst, serve as excuses for not taking chances, not stepping out into the light where you might be seen.

It can be less scary to be trapped in a routine where you know what’s expected and what to expect at all times, as opposed to being free to determine for yourself who you are, where you go, what you do with your life. Be free, feel the fear and travel into the unknown regardless. Beware the trap of complacency.

Here are some previous thoughts on this card.

The Daily Draw: Three of Pentacles, Reversed

Featured imageThe three of pentacles focuses on teamwork, group effort, planning and design, and organizations. So when it’s reversed it’s a good indication that it could be a messy day in any context where you’re not locked in a room working on your own.

It could be a day where you need to deal with errors created by miscommunication, incorrect assumptions and lack of clarity.  For example, let’s say you’re working with a team of people building a bridge. Half of you are working from the east, the other half are working from the west. This is the day you discover that the western half of the bridge is 100 metres too far north to meet up with the eastern half.

The three of pentacles is also the card of guilds and unions, and a real world example of how this reversed energy is playing out today is with a major chain of Irish department stores where union members are on strike. They’re striking over a contract which guarantees them only 15 hours of work a week. You can say it’s immoral and unethical, but unfortunately you can’t say it’s illegal because every person going on strike has signed this contract of their own volition. Many realize that their chances of this strike being successful are somewhere between slim and none, and they could end up worse off than when they started. Meanwhile, co-workers who have the same type of contract but don’t belong to the union will cross the picket line and continue to work. This will probably lead to further conflict when the strike ends.

If you’re working in a group environment and you can’t opt out for the day, you might want to make sure you have all the safety gear you need for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual protection.

The Daily Draw: The Magician

Featured imageThe Magician and the High Priestess are the yin and yang of the universal life force, the great creator, each a half of the whole. The Magician represents the masculine energy when that force is perceived as split into apparent opposites. He is consciously aware and ready to achieve.  He has the strength of the sun, the power of his will, and the ability to achieve results using his creative energy.

The Magician is aware of and dwelling in the world around him. He is also conscious of his ability to make his mark on that world, using it to create in the same way as an artist might use a blank canvas. On the RWS deck you see the Magician standing at his alter, one hand pointing his wand towards heaven, drawing down the energy. The other hand is pointing towards earth with the intention of grounding and manifesting – as above so below.

When you see this card know that you have it in you to create your own fate, realize your dreams, and control your own destiny. Use the energy of the Magician to dare to do great things that others might only dream.

The Daily Draw: Queen of Swords

First off, apologies for disappearing for a week and a half without notice. Sometimes one just has to recharge one’s inspirational batteries. Hope there are no hard feelings.

Featured imageThe Queen of Swords tends to take things seriously, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she is serious in nature. She may be the most amusing person in the room with her quick wit, maybe even using that tongue to pierce someone’s pretentious armour, for example, if the humour takes her. But that doesn’t mean she’s glib – one way or another, everything matters.

She puts great value on truth and fairness, and is not shy about pointing out injustice when she encounters it. That might show up in the humour referred to in the previous paragraph, or there may be a soap box and protest march involved. She might not organize the march, but she will certainly be there to spur people on with her words and a sense of commitment that is apparent to all.

This queen relies on her own judgement, and why not since she is so good at discerning the truth from fiction, the worthwhile from the waste of time, and the wine from the plonk. She comes by her opinions honestly and with integrity, so sometimes has trouble understanding why people disagree with her about things that seem so obviously one sided. Which is not to say that two such queens won’t disagree about such a seemingly (to them) one sided issue. But deep down she knows that her opinion is just that – her opinion, no matter how invested she is how convinced she is of its validity

Today may be a good day to draw on this queen’s energy. Try to look honestly and objectively at whatever situation you are in even if, maybe especially if, it involves looking at yourself. Know that you have what it takes to rise above the drama and conflict to make the best decision for you, a decision you can be at peace with.

The Daily Draw: The High Priestess, Reversed

Some thoughts on Intuition Blocks

Featured imageThe energy of the High Priestess is passive, intuitive, secretive, and mysterious. It is full of potential. She is the yin to The Magicians yang – the archetypal feminine energy as opposed to the masculine energy of the magician. She draws on the subconscious where the Magician is focused on rational, logical thought. She waits patiently without acting where the magician is all in-your face action.  The High Priestess seeks the unknown and walks through the shadows of the night while the Magician prefers manifesting in the material world in broad daylight.

So why is the High Priestess reversed this morning? The most likely reason is that there is a resistance or block to the energy she wants to share with you. Maybe you can hear your intuition but you are not listening to it. Maybe you don’t trust it or are uncomfortable with it, or maybe you are having trouble accessing it.

Look at any block and there is a good chance there is a fear behind it, holding that block in place. Many of us are anxious in the shadows, in the unknown , in the darkness, in the subconscious, in any place where we can’t see clearly. Sure, film producers have made billions milking that fear, by showing us an endless array of horrors, 99.99999% of them total BS (Even when the movie poster tells you the film is “based on a true story”).

But of course what we can see, no matter how much it frightens us, isn’t half as scary as what we can’t see, whether that be in a dark room at the end of the hall or, perhaps especially,  in the dark corners of our minds. When it comes to scary images, no one can compete with your own imagination.

If you want to see what is behind the High Priestess’s veil, you need to be comfortable enough with the unknown to keep your ego from panicking and shutting off your flow of intuition. Clear the fear from your solar plexus that blocks the flow of energy and help your ego stop chattering. Ground yourself in the belief, in the fact, that you cannot be harmed by the shadows, even if you are disturbed by them.

Maybe you’ve come to believe that practicing with and developing your intuition is bad or wrong. Years of conditioning can cause one to feel guilty or wicked when there is no legitimate cause to feel either. Or maybe you were conditioned to believe that intuition is all a lot of nonsense. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t really believe that, but there may be remembered voices in your ears demeaning you for having faith in something that goes against their version of science, or isn’t in the Bible. I’ll let you to reconcile those two concepts in your own head. The first step to deprogramming yourself is identifying the programming. Then you can begin to separate what you feel inside from what others told you that you should feel or believe.

We are all intuitive. Some people seem to have a natural aptitude for it. Others don’t seem to have it, but it is still there, hidden or dormant. Maybe you just need to let go a little. Let go of the need to know what happens next, be open to the unknown and make peace with not knowing everything. Let go of judging, especially of judging yourself and how you’re performing but observe, listen, be patient. Let whatever will come to you without trying to force a result.

Meditate and practice going deep within. The more you do it the easier it gets. There is an abundance of online resources to choose from. Experiment and see what works for you, then write it down so you can reference it later.

Ask for protection if you feel you need to, but believe in your own integrity of being, know that you are safe, that you are loved unconditionally.