Three of Swords - Lighten Up!

Upon seeing this card initially, of course I have a kind of visceral reaction to it, because well lets face it, the poor dude that has being impaled, is dead in the water, has come to his demise and end of life in a very undignified and gruesome way.

The Three of Swords is the culmination of what went wrong in the Two of Swords, a  kind of paralysis or standstill, dictated by fear, when it comes to making a decision, and moving forward.

This Minor Arcana numbered card, has come to be one of my very favourites, because it isn't about death, it is about life and recovery. It represents the end of a solitary journey of the soul, like Persephone, embodied in the mythic figure of Psyche to descends to the underworld, who has come out the other side transformed, and the healing can now begin. Now the stream of goodness, a new path can be taken, that leads to infinite light, that the individual tries to find a way to share through one's experience, strength, and hope with others.

Though this card may appear dark, and the journey taken may be very daunting, there is an abundance of light to be found at the end of the tunnel.
Humour is the great gift waiting, that we are also given in this transformation. We learn to laugh at ourselves, after having feelings of self-pity, and ego-feeding deceptions. We learn to lighten up, not take ourselves so seriously, and we begin focus on our recovery, and healing.


   “When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness. Instead, keep your head up high and gaze to heaven for that is where your broken heart has been sent to heal.” ~ Author Unknown.

 Cat Reading Tarot Cards -  B.Kliban

Page of Cups - Facing the Gorgon - Unexpected News

Well I got unexpected news today, as the Page of Cups indicates, of a spiritual nature. Not before going into my anxiety panic attack first. This time it was different. I got real quiet, and mindful within myself. Then I said a prayer. These two actions made the difference for me. My prayers were answered immediately, the anxiety left, once I decided to ignore my panic, and did what I had to do. Don't you wish that could happen all the time? I do think it does, for me, but I don't always take note of it in a real conscious way, until later. What happened today was different, and I know I need to nurture this kind of transitional shift within.

This Page speaks about the gentle stirrings, and nurturing self-care. It is the renewal of self-love and having a general interest in the body, the environment, and a focus on emotional pleasure rather than on pain or  painful memories.

I love all the Pages in the Tarot. They are youthful, possessing innocence, and a purity of heart. They always bring a message for us, because they are messengers and capture the essence of transition.

The Page of Cups will eventually become the truly romantic spirit in the form of the Knight of Cups, who makes the world a better place full of vibrancy and colour.. He will go onto slay the Gorgon Medusa, that butt ugly she-monster, with those snakes comin' out of her head.Ugh, she real scary ugly!

Well I didn't slay the Gorgon today but honestly it almost felt that way because I faced my fear, turned it over, and like Vasalisa The Wise with the doll in her pocket, I listened to the still quiet voice that helped me find my way, and I didn't forget to say my prayers.

Anne Lamott may favourite author wrote a great book, Help, Thanks, Wow. She talks about how these three words are her most frequently said prayers. I realized today they have also become mine.
What are your prayers? Do you listen to that still quiet voice?

Vasalisa The Wise-Egg Tempera, 2012 - Catherine Meyers

Five of Pentacles - I Can't See The Forest For The Trees

Well now isn't this a fine howdy doo!  I drew the The Five of Pentacles this morning. I admit, my immediate gut reaction to this card, no matter how many times I look at it,  my reaction it always negative. It looks gloomy, dark with just enough impending doom to make me jump into bed and pull up the covers over my head! But that's just me.

When I am experiencing negative events especially fear surround financial insecurity, I can go into a quick panic mode and so I have to consciously take action to resolve whatever it is I am dealing with. So I did this this morning and I am feeling much better now. I reached out only to find there really was absolutely no need to panic. Seems this is a lesson I have a hard time learning because it comes up for me more often than I would like or perhaps it is a life long lesson to be learned.

The Five of Pentacles presents an individual focusing on their own distress and failing to see that help is at hand. Oh ya that's the card for me today!

When I think about panic I always reflect on when I got certified as a SCUBA diver. It was emphatically expressed to us over and over, to overcome panic, because it could kill us. As well, we had to plan our dive plans, and dive our our dive plans. We could make mistakes on our dive plans when being taking our exam to get certified as this would be an immediate fail, because this could kill you too. There is an important life lesson here for me I believe that I need to apply. Breathe deep, breathe in, breathe out, don't panic, and make a plan. Breathing is essential to staying calm, considering we need about 80% of our oxygen for our brains to function properly. It's only when we are in a relaxed state, when we can concentrate and make the right decisions.

Panic ensues when we lose faith in ourselves I believe, not unlike Daedalus did. He confused his self-value is  with his material security, and he lost his sense of direction. When this happens we can start again and reorient ourselves to the outer and inner level.

Next time I draw the Five of Pentacles, I hope I'll see it in a positive new light.

Two of Wands - Courage

I love the Two of Wands in the Mythic Tarot because it speaks of courage, that is imparted to another, represented here by Chiron,  the centaur, half human, half horse, the wounded healer or the teacher. Jason has been told about the Golden Fleece and that he is a prince, and rightly needs to claim his inheritance to the throne.

Chiron

 The adventurer and the beginning of a creative vision is represented here in the Two of Wands and a goal that is believed in, though it is not clear as to how this goal will be achieved. This goal is full of creative potential, depending on the courage of this individual to face the unknown and to put their faith in the invisible creative power.

This is a wonderfully affirming card, spurring and inspiring the individual to come out of the cave so to speak, face the fear and to take hold of the new adventure and bring this new vision into fruition and concrete being.