Reiki Flow

The Daily Draw: Queen of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacles is very generous with whatever she has to share, and pragmatic enough to share what she sees that people need. For example, she might not give money to someone who has gambling issues, but she might give that person a hot meal, a place to stay, and give them space to tell their story. Of course, the next morning this Queen might likely have the number of a counselling service in one hand while handing the gambler the phone that is in her other hand while standing in the doorway blocking exit. She’s helpful like that.

Other people might let someone deal with their own bad decisions, but she has a hard time watching someone struggle when she can help – she’s too big hearted for that, even when people might judge and criticize her for doing so. That’s almost a challenge to dig her heels in.

That’s not to say this queen is a pushover or a soft touch. She’s on the right side of the line between empathy and gullibility. If the person she is helping is straight up with her she will support them. But she can spot dishonesty, even when it takes the form of lies of omission, and she will drop her support for someone who she sees as taking advantage of her while being less than authentic, though she might have a heart pang about it and perhaps give that person another chance further down the road.

I know I’ve got a specific focus today, and there is a reason for that. I’m experiencing this energy in action at the moment. One of the traits of the Queen of Pentacles is the ability to keep confidences and secrets, so the only other things I will tell you is that the situation doesn’t have anything to do with gambling, (which is not as obvious a hint as you might assume. The analogy just seemed to work) and that the Queen isn’t necessarily a woman, or even one person for that matter. Remember, court cards can represent an energy that is in or needed in a situation as easily as they can represent an actual person.

Under the circumstances, I wanted to capture a few thoughts that were relevant to this card while they were present in my mind. If you want a more well-rounded look at the Queen of Pentacles, click the link.

The Daily Draw: Ace of Swords, Reversed

Ace of Swords, reversed Swords are the suit of the intellect. They have to do honesty, decisions and judgements that might be coming from you or coming your way, and having the inner strength to do what needs to be done and face any resulting issues.

The Ace can represent making a fresh start, beginning a project or making a big decision that will have a large impact on your life. With this energy, know that the time is now. Be ready to move or the ship will sail without you. If you don’t make a decision, one might be made for you.

Reversed cards aren’t necessarily bad cars, and I think in this case it’s more of a caution to make sure you’re clear in your thoughts before acting. Miscommunication and delayed information are more likely to occur during a Mercury retrograde phase, so try to get all your facts straight before acting. Don’t assume what “common sense” would dictate. Check to make sure! Negotiating your way through life might be simpler if we were all thinking with the same brain, but we absolutely are not. That would be kind of boring anyway.

(Definition common sense – n. What you know that you think everybody else should know. Note: that is not the same thing as what everybody else does know.)

So overall, the message is to protect yourself and be aware of what’s going on around you. You might face obstacles, closed minds or twisted logic, but you don’t have to let them stop you. Just be careful, and try not to feed into any negativity.

The Daily Draw: Ace of Wands

wandsAce The Ace cards are symbolic of beginnings. With the Ace of wands, this is could be the beginning of a creative or spiritual effort, opening up to your potential and greater possibilities. It could also be the start of a project or process that could take a great deal of energy and courage. You might see this as an adventure, or it might show up as a great effort depending on the situation and your attitude towards it.

Yesterday, you may recall, the Hierophant gave me the opportunity to speak about the challenging group dynamics that resulted from the recent reshuffle of personnel at work (I prefer not to use the term “human resources” – it sounds anything but human). Revisiting it, I probably could have a lot gone further, at least with one group, in depicting the level of apparent chaos that seems to be present in the core of that group, and as much as it might be fun to witisize in more detail, perhaps it might be more circumspect to simply say that they seem to have gotten used to, and gotten away with, going about their business in a way that is rather unreliable, and at times unfathomable. Indeed, I spent a considerable amount of time yesterday trying to determine what the questions were regarding what my contribution to that group would be, nevermind the answers.

Ah but that was yesterday. Today I have the energy of the Ace of Wands to help me put some order on this chaos, and I was pleasantly surprised when two colleagues I’ve worked well with before showed up as additional support for that core group. Collectively, we spent about an hour today determining what the questions were and how we were going to address them, sans conflict or drama. Oh, there might have been a little defensiveness at first, but our focus was on what needed to be done and how we were going to do it, not on who’s fault it was that it hadn’t happened yet. Where would that have got us?

We’re only at the beginning of a large task. It seems like a lot of work, and it probably will be. Plus Mercury is retrograde, so we might not even know what we don’t know yet. Today I’m confident that we’re going in the right direction. I can see a path forward where yesterday I could see only overgrowth and garbage.

I am so ready for the weekend.

The Daily Draw: The Hierophant

The Hierophant Even though I work with a large number of people in a technology development company, as a writer in that company I can pretty much do my own thing, relatively speaking. As long as the finished product is useful, readable, and on time no one really seems to care how I get from point A to point Z.

However, as readers of this blog may already know, there was a significant restructuring at the beginning of this month. Not the economic kind of restructuring that people dread, but the kind where the human resource pool gets shuffled like a deck of cards and people become part of completely different projects, which people also dread. Not me personally, but many do.

I like to keep things interesting, and moving around from one project to another means there is always something to learn. However, this particular reshuffle seems a bit epic, and there is more to learn than just the content I’m covering. There is also the learning that comes from a collection of people working together for the first time. In the short term at least, this means a certain degree of conforming to processes and practices of the people leading those groups (I tend to span several at a time).

Did I mention Mercury is retrograde? “So?” There is a certain degree of hiccupping going with the group dynamics of some newly-formed teams, and it can be roughly categorized under delays, miscommunication and general muddle. Ironically, for example, yesterday it was communicated (even as Mercury was changing direction) that there was two weeks of documentation work that needed to be done by Friday morning that no one bothered to mention before now. (It won’t be, by the way). And enquiries into the context for that content have been met with DIY pseudo-bureaucratic subterfuge worthy of a Franz Kafka novel.

I’m not having a moan, just trying to illustrate the need for a certain amount of conformity and the ability to work together as a group, with a common system for achieving what should be common goals. I need to read and accommodate (within reason) the way others do things and vice versa. Otherwise the only thing we’re going to produce is conflict, which will surely be noticed by those higher up the management chain, who may decide they need to impose their own brand of conformity.

And that’s why today’s card is the Hierophant.

The Daily Draw: Eight of Pentacles, Reversed

Pentacles8_Rx In case you haven’t heard (ha ha) Mercury goes retrograde today, although you might be feeling the effects already. Being a Virgo, with Mercury as my ruling planet, I know I do.

Today’s draw is the Eight of Pentacles. The person on the RWS card is adept at their craft, with a certain level of skill and knowledge about what they are working at. Others must think so too, because he seems to have enough work to keep him busy, having made a number of pentacles with more to go. There is a total focus on the job at hand and an attention to detail – it’s as though nothing else matters but what he is doing right here right now. He’s not a master yet, there is still much to learn (isn’t there always) but he is well along the path.

So, the reversed aspect? I would say that a retrograde planet Mercury is not this person’s friend. I mean, look at him – does he look like he wants to be distracted? But that’s exactly what can happen at this time, in a variety of challenging ways. For example, the materials he needs for his products may arrive late, or not at all, or he might be shipped a box of silver plates instead of gold ones. Customers may say they want 10 when they actually wanted 100, “Sorry. Did I say next Thursday? I meant today. I tried to ring you but your phone seems to be off and it wouldn’t let me leave a message.” That last one could very well be true. Mercury retrograde loves playing havoc with electronics.

Of course, he might find he can get into a muddle without any help. For example, reflecting on his work after a concentrated morning’s effort, he might suddenly wonder why all his pentacles have six points. Perhaps he should have worn his glasses, but he can’t find them (psst! They’re in your apron.)

Keep calm. Be kind to yourself and try not to get stressed if the next few weeks contain a certain degree of error, delay or miscommunication. It’s Mercury retrograde for everybody, even people like this guy who are usually quite on top of things.

The Daily Draw: Seven of Wands

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”, goes Newton’s third law of motion. In other words, if you push against something (or someone) you will be pushed back. When it comes to people, I don’t know how “equal” that reaction is. You rarely see someone pick a fight if they think they’re going to lose. Someone is always bigger, faster, younger, smarter, more fit. In fact, I’m not sure I believe in the concept of “fair” fight. Then again, I don’t much hold with the concept of fighting, so what do I know.

Ah, but not all fighting is an easily recognizable physical altercation outside a pub at 1 AM, is it. Even though the young man in the RWS Seven of Wands seems to be fending off a group of attackers, attacking a group of defenders, or both, this energy could just as easily (and more likely) manifest in a battle of wits, words, water balloons or solicitors, to list a few examples. But it would still be aggressive, one opponent against another.

On the other hand, aren’t we meant to stand up for what we believe in? And isn’t one of the inevitable consequences of doing so opening yourself to the possibility of attack? One thing we can be certain of in the social-media savvy 21^st century is that if you publicly state something, anything, even it seems to be of little consequence and completely incapable of causing offense, there will be people who have something to say against it. Some people just seem to thrive on conflict and drama.

The Seven of Swords is quite willing to engage in conflict for a cause. It is commendable to be that committed to your beliefs. Fighting for them in a manner that can be seen as aggressive results in people being more defensive than receptive. That might work if your main goal is to impose your will. “Winning” may be more important to you than the collateral damage of encouraging people already opposed to you to become even more entrenched. If you are trying to change hearts and minds, open conflict is probably not the best way to go about it. I think the Strength card might have something to say on this subject.

If you do feel the need to go all Seven of Wands, there are some questions you should ask yourself first. Is the struggle worth it? I don’t just mean are you that committed. Is it worth going through the conflict and dealing with the consequences? How will you be affected if you lose? For that matter, what happens if you win?

Before going into conflict, one of the most important questions you want to ask yourself is “are you right?” Yes, of course you are. Everybody’s right. Don’t believe me? Try finding somebody who thinks they’re wrong. So what does it mean if you’re right and your opponent is right? Most likely, it means that you have two different perceptions of the same thing. Hitting the other person over the head with your seven-foot staff might render someone unconscious, but will probably do little else to change their perception. Maybe there’s another way.

The Daily Draw: The Magician, Reversed

The Magician Reversed Not surprisingly, being towards the beginning of the Major Arcana, the magician represents basic abilities. In the RWS deck, the table in front contains his working tools, which are the four elements – earth, air, fire and water. The magician has the capability to use these tools do anything that can be imagined, capability being the key word in that phrase. With one hand raised towards the sky and the other pointing downwards, the magician draws energy from source and grounds it to mother earth, ready for action, but not yet applying that energy to anything.

All of us have the ability to draw on the Magician, to use that power to create, build and manifest our dreams and desires. And all of us have the ability to tell ourselves that we do not possess this innate personal power. That brings us to the reversed aspect of this card. While it can indicate misuse of this power, today I feel it has more to do with blocking or not being able to fully access the energy of the magician.

For example, today is allegedly the most famously depressing day in the Christmas shopping season – the day the credit card bills come in, Blue Monday. Personally, I laugh in the face of Blue Monday. I’ve been smashed for weeks. But it does seem to be a big, debilitating thing for a lot of people. For that matter, the basic concept of Monday seems to be a big, debilitating thing for a lot of people, especially when it is so cold and dark in the morning. “I can’t deal with this. Can’t I just stay in bed and hibernate until sometime after the equinox?” Uh…no.

Why does it seem so much easier to invalidate one’s abilities rather than affirm them? Not everyone will agree with the assumption that the former is easier than the latter, and I’m glad because that shows progress. But it’s true enough for too many people. Well, bollo…enough of that nonsense! Hibernate and see what happens. You’ll be famished by the end of the week. In a month or two the heat will probably be disconnected for non-payment. You’ll never make it to the equinox if you don’t get up out of your bed (literally and figuratively) and get moving.

Since we can all agree that surviving the winter would be a good thing, and that we have, in the past, proven ourselves capable of channelling enough energy to survive these cold dark months, why limit yourself to merely surviving? What’s wrong with thriving, hmmm? Will that require some changes? Probably. Will that be easy? Probably not. Are you capable of using the abilities of the Magician to thrive? Of course you are! Do you believe that?

You’ll have to answer that last question for yourself. But remember, just because you don’t believe something, doesn’t mean it’s not true. I couldn’t believe there was somebody in the music business who’d never heard of Paul McCartney until Kanye West came along. I digress, but I hope you see my point.

Know that you can access and use the basic abilities represented by the magician. Reaffirm that knowledge until you have an indisputable belief in it. Focus on where you are going and don’t let yourself be distracted by any negative feedback you might be getting in your immediate environment. You know that idea that’s been running through your mind, the oneyou haven’t quite got around to acting on? Start now. Maybe it’s that non-smoking/exercise/weight loss/etc. plan you’ve been starting “next week” since the new year started. Maybe it’s time to sign up for one of those adult ed. classes there seem to be so many of this time of year. Maybe it’s none of those things, but you do have something in mind at this very moment. Find a way to tap into the energy of the magician, then choose what are you going to do with that energy this week, today, right now?

The Daily Draw: Temperance

All things in moderation – this is Temperance in a nutshell. The energy represented by this card is about finding balance, the centre ground, a happy medium (no pun intended). Finding and holding on to that balance is a fundamental part of wellbeing and peace of mind.

The posts I’ve done this week seem to relate to planning for a project, a business or a journey down your path, for example. There’s been planning and vision with the Three of Wands, analyzing those plans with the Page of Swords, then the energy of the King of Pentacles, an enterprising soul who can make it happen (maybe you, maybe a mentor). Temperance may be coming up as a timely reminder not to lose the run of yourself and take on too much. In the past I’ve found myself going full tilt into projects and soon realizing I couldn’t keep up the 24/7 pace, which led to an inevitable let down, compounded by exhaustion, when I discovered (again) that I can’t do everything all at once all the time. If your beginning a project, a job, a business or your walking a bit further down your path, for example, try to set a pace you can easily sustain. It might seem frustratingly slow at first, but you’ll probably make more progress in the long run. You’ll also have less chance of running yourself into the ground.

Another aspect of the Temperance energy is the ability to combine elements to great effect. This might show up in being able to put together the resources and materials you need, and it might also manifest as drawing people to you who can help you achieve your goals. Even in cases where it seems like some of those people are likely to spark off each other, it will work out because you will make it work.

Now is the time to gather what you need to put your plans in motion.

The Daily Draw: King of Pentacles

PentaclesKIng The King of Pentacles is someone you can count on. This person is steady and reliable, and also has a sense of responsibility for himself and for others who are in his care, protection or employ. Where others might feel that as a burden, it all comes very naturally to this king. “Sure, what else would I be doing?”

The King of Pentacles is someone you can count on. This person is steady and reliable, and also has a sense of responsibility for himself and for others who are in his care, protection or employ. Where others might feel that as a burden, it all comes very naturally to this king. “Sure, what else would I be doing?” He is consistent too – however he behaves today, he will behave the same way tomorrow.

This person seems to be adept at whatever they put their energy into. Though not always, this is often a person who works with their hands, or nature, or both. They have a strong connection to the earth and the material plane, and like to be able to see the results of their efforts. Where others might be content with the creation of the concept, this person’s passion is to make ideas reality by putting them into practice. They might not be the king’s ideas, and he will be content to share the credit if they are not.

Although quite able to do a job on their own, this person is supportive of those who also want to improve their skill or craft, and will provide the opportunity for development provided there is an earnest desire to do the work.

This person tends to be financially secure. Not necessarily wealthy or even well off, but able to manage what he has for himself and on behalf of the people who depend on him. This king is generous with their resources, whether that be time, money or something else – if he sees a need and he can help he will.

The Daily Draw: Page of Swords

SwordsPage The sword cards very much represent left-brain energies and activities – using the intellect, being logical, analyzing, making judgements, seeking the balance of justice. With the page, the emphasis can be on learning to use these skills and finding good opportunities to put them to use.

I want to get that said because I think I may be going off on a tangent (again) today. Not unrelated, but perhaps not mainstream meaning either. I’ve not said it before in this blog, but when it comes to tarot (and many other things) context is key. You can look at a card as an abstract exercise of understanding its meaning, but once you start applying it to people or a situations, it can take you places you didn’t expect when you were studying it in a vacuum.

First off, I want to remind you that yesterday’s card was the Three of Wands, I focussed on the visionary and planning aspects of that card, preparing for the journey of exploration implied by the card. To me, today’s card seems to be about dealing with what might prevent someone from making that journey.

We get tied to what we know, what we are used to, and that becomes our comfort zone, regardless of how uncomfortable it might be if we let ourselves feel it – we become desensitized to what we are familiar with. On the other hand, everything outside of our comfort zone is uncharted territory and not to be trusted, regardless of how bright and promising the appearance of what lies outside the comfort zone.

Of course, this is just the ego channelling Garth from “Wayne’s World” – We hate and fear change.” Indeed, the ego likes nothing better than to uphold the status quo, because it knows what that status quo is all about. It knows the rules. It knows what is expected and what to expect. When the ego moves beyond the status quo the alarm bells go off and all sorts of worst case scenarios are flashed on the screen of the imagination.

The left side of the brain, left to its own devices, knows that Garth is talking rubbish. OK, maybe your journey or venture won’t go exactly as planned, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an epic failure leaving you destitute and homeless in a gutter with dogs fighting over your remains, or whatever your inner Garth is freaking out about. He might not be the only one. If you’ve been talking through any plans or changes with those closest to you, their inner Garth might be freaking out too. Suddenly you feel like you’re at a Fox Tea Party fear mongering convention.

Instead of going that way, why don’t you try using the energy of the Page of Swords. Use that sword to cut through all the subterfuge. Analyse the information you are getting from the ego. Are there any valid points to be made? If so, approach them logically and try not to let them drain you emotionally. If it’s just the ego being afraid of imaginary dragons, use that sword to slay those dragons and cut your ties to the ego’s fear or other draining emotions that will try to prevent you from making forward progress. If people are trying to influence your decision-making process to make you choose what is in their own best interest, use that sword to cut through that influence so that you can be clear you are doing what’s right for you, not what’s right for somebody else. Use that sword like Archangel Michael would, to cut through the obsolete and worn out baggage that holds you back.