The Lovers - Choice & Consequence

 This Major Arcana card, The Lovers is mostly about choice. A personal choice that we make for ourselves. I have some choices to make and frankly it's tempting to just ignore these, and do nothing, but that is a choice as well, and the consequences will soon follow I know. As it's been said in many ways, "Choose the behaviour, choose the consequences."

 Many choices we make are difficult, and some even easy, including all the seemingly little inconsequential decisions we make from day to day. These choices involve material, emotional, and intellectual decisions, and they mirror back to us the kind of person we wish to be.

 When we strive to do the right thing with discernment, regardless of how difficult it may be, we then have the opportunity to become stronger happy individuals with integrity, who have the courage of our convictions, and to be all that we are meant to be. 

 Here we are dealing with our own free will and instinct. This card can often signify a choice in love, career or creative activity. We are urged to look carefully at the implications of our choices, instead of jumping into something blindly without careful consideration.

Eight of Swords - Patience

When I was in grade nine, I remember hearing my Geography teacher say under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear, she said, " Patience is a virtue ". The class was about to drive the poor woman over the edge.

We have all felt this way some time in our lives when we are tested, to the point that it felt we were at the end of our rope, and our patience is wearing thin. It is then, that we have to stay the course, dig our heels in, and find that reserve, to draw on our inner resources to persevere, and some how find the patience we need to overcome, whatever circumstance. If you don't, the situation will get much worse, and you very may well regret it, ending up in a worse mess.

You cannot ignore this situation, and you need to face it square on, even if there is nothing to be done. Coming to terms with reality, and going through whatever the challenge is the only way out.

The Eight of Swords portrays a situation of being in bondage through fear of the consequences. Fear will paralyze, rendering you incapable of moving forward, and you know it. You know you have played a part in creating this dilemma, and need to honestly accept responsibility for what you have contributed to this situation. There is a solution possible, but there is a need to try to understand what it is you want, and take action in order to change it for the better.