Nine of Pentacles

                                       Be confident, self-reliant and trust your decisions.

     I love the message of this card. It's about taking all that you have learned and experienced and applying it to your life in a way that makes the final product tailor-made for you. It's about trusting that you will make the right decisions for yourself because you have confidence in the wisdom that has probably been hard earned and well-deserved. It's about knowing who you are and loving that person enough to want the very best of what life has to offer and not settling for less. You've made sacrifices in your life to achieve your goals but in the end, it's all been worth it. So carry that confidence with you in all your endeavours, knowing that you have a most powerful person working just for you. Just look in the mirror.

King of Swords

                     Take the emotion out of your observations today and think before you speak.

     I am an emotional person. Most of the time, my first impressions are emotionally based and sometimes have mislead me into believing something that just wasn't true. How many times have I made a decision only to regret it later after careful thought? I'm embarrassed to say.  But for today, I will try to see the world objectively rather than subjectively. I confess that sometimes I pretend I'm in a movie or on the Holodeck on the Enterprise (giant nerd, I know; this amuses Stephanie very much) because if I imagine that I'm in a story then I can see a lot more of what is outside my head. Weird, right? But it works! By taking my emotional self out of the scene I can see what's going on for everyone else and then I feel like I can be a better judge of the situation. And that is what the King of Swords is about.
     Have you jumped to the wrong conclusions because you didn't see all aspects of the situation? Have you reacted to a moment in a way that you later regretted because you didn't think it through? Sharing sometimes makes it better, so let me know what faux pas you have committed by jumping the gun. What tricks do you have to keep yourself from making them again?

Two of Pentacles

                                          TGIF! Fill your day with laughter, fun and friends.

     We mostly learn or life lessons during challenging times but this card suggests there is also a lot to learn during fun times, if only we pay close attention. I don't normally take the time to think about what's going on when I'm enjoying myself, I'm too busy having fun! But I always look back on those times and think "Man, I wish I could feel like that all the time." Full of good humour, light of spirit, not a care in the world. There's no reason that I can't be like that in stressful times as well if only I can keep myself from switching into stress mode. Lately, during those challenging times, I have asked myself " What would Ricky do?" as in Ricky Gervais. In all the interviews I have seen him do, he always seems to be in such good spirits, seeing the world as one big, absurd comedy sketch. And when you come to think of it, it really kind of is.  I have, in the past, thought that if I was watching my life on a sitcom, I'd be laughing my ass off. It helped me put things into perspective and took the tension right of the situation. So, if you do nothing else today, just have a laugh at yourself. It'll do you good.

Death

           Stop hanging on to what is no longer working for you. Open yourself up to new possibilities.

    Ah, Death. I love this card. Everyone is always very freaked out to draw this card but for me it is one of the most positive cards in the deck. Death signals it is time to discard any systems that no longer resonate within your soul. It calls for deep inner probing, although for mostly everyone there is that one thing that will pop into their mind when I suggest there is something not working for them. The deep probing is to determine why they persist in hanging on to it. 99% of the time it is fear of what lies beyond because in Death, we don't know what lies beyond. (We humans are actually hardwired with to need to know. It's a scientific fact that if we can't find the reason for something our brains will make something up for us. Just think about that for a minute or two!) But there is something profoundly liberating by shedding the burden of negative energy that opens you up to possibilities that are often hidden by that heavy load. Opportunities suddenly seem to appear when you rid yourself of toxic people, situations and ideas.
      Start small, if you have to, by taking one negative thought you have about yourself and questioning it. Is it really true? Probably not. How has it harmed you or held you back? Who would you be, what could you accomplish if this idea was cast aside? Is there any reason for you to keep believing it?
      That was easy wasn't it? Now do it again. Work your way up to those seemingly hopeless situations and ask the same questions. You will be very surprised at what happens.
     I am very interested in hearing about any thoughts you have about my posts and happy to answer any questions.

Five of Pentacles

                              
                    Switch your focus from what you don't have to what you do have.

        This is a state of mind I have locked myself into many times as I'm sure mostly everyone has. We look at our lives and see what we lack in material goods and physical attributes. We moan and groan about having no money, being too fat, being stuck in a dead-end job, being bored and tired, having a nose that's too big... well, I could go on forever. People are always very open about all the things that are wrong about their lives and we empathize with them, sharing what's wrong with ours. What if we made a promise to ourselves that whenever we start this kind of talk, we switch focus and speak of all the great things we have and how much there is to love about our lives? What if, when we began the litany of lack, we stopped and began to list the abundance? I sat down with pen and paper to write down all the things that are wonderful in my life and have been astounded by fabulousness of it all. Seeing it there in front of me made me realize that what I believe is true and what is actually true are two different things.  How often does this happen? More than I care to admit and I am betting the same goes for you. Take a few minutes today and write down all the things that are wrong with your life and then all the things that are right. I'm going to keep my list and update it frequently and read it every time I start feeling like that person on the Five of Pentacles.
         Did you make your list today? How did you feel after you finished it? Are you astounded? Tell me about some of the amazing people and things in your life.

Seven of Wands

                                    Fight the good fight. Stand up for what you believe in.

     You know when someone or something stands in your way, tells you that you can't or won't and you get all "oh, bring it on, baby". That is the seven of wands. There a kind of perverse enjoyment in the energy of fighting for what you truly believe in and knowing that you can't lose. Often, for me anyway, that someone or something is that bitch who lives in my head. I'll get the notion to do something empowering and she'll try to talk me out of it. She'll get all whiny "but you're just a weak woman, you can't do that, why bother when its all going to hell anyway, you're too old, blah, blah, blah" I have decided that I'm going to give all those ideas a good go and I really don't give a crap anymore if they work out or not. I have finally clued in to the wisdom of "It's not the destination but the journey that's important." What you learn along the way, about yourself and your world, that's what's important. TO REALLY LIVE (I've hit the caps button by accident but it feels right so I'm leaving it that way). Yes, TO REALLY LIVE, to participate in life, to be engaged, to fight mediocrity with confidence and gusto. And sure, I'm a little bit scared but the alternative is to sit on my butt and slowly fade away. So, bring it on, baby and get out of my way!
 

Wheel of Fortune

          Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. That's life. Deal with it.    

     The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes the ebb and flow of how life works. It represents the outside forces that act upon us that we have no control over. The only thing we do have control over is how we react to those outside happenings. You can plan something to the absolute tiniest detail and then something else comes along and throws it all out of whack. You could say f**k it, throw in the towel and go cry in a corner or you can say f**k it, factor in the change and revise the plan. The more often you can do this the more you grow in a very good way. But don't sweat it if you can't possibly revise the plan. There are times when the best thing you can do is retreat. I look at down times as a time to go inward to find out about myself. I believe the sudden lack of interest in usual activities and withdrawal from society (aka 'depression') as a necessary function of inner growth. It's kind of a hibernation where we can heal and revise ourselves and the way we see the world. We do that when we're physically injured, why not when we're psychically injured? So whether you're up or whether you're down, it's all good. The wheel keeps turning.
     So, where are you right now, up or down? What is going on internally, how are you using this time to grow? Is one part of your life up while another part down? Can you see how the wheel is turning? Let me know,  I'm interested in your stories.