Seven of Swords - Do I Take My Own Advice?

 The Seven of Swords can be seen by some as a dark card. I see it as being about applying the skills of diplomacy, tact, charm or even gile as a means to an end, to achieve the outcome we want or need. But what really interests me is in knowing how I apply these skills to myself?

 Sometimes we can be good a convincing others, or giving our expertise advice to someone else, but when it comes to ourselves, we're often not so motivated, even though we might very much want or need a desired outcome.

 Having a a big ongoing brouhaha with ourselves gets to be real tiresome, very frustrating, and we can easily just give up. Letting go, and turning it over can certainly help matters and for me prayer helps immeasurably, and even if I didn't, I'd have nothing to loose. Being a little stubborn helps too.

  If it's something you absolutely have to do, and there are existing outside mitigating circumstances that cause you to get your arse in gear, these can certainly get you moving, because if you don't, there will likely be a price to be paid. If the price paid is going to be worse than doing what you aren't motivated to do, in all likely hood we'll do it, because we don't want to loose face, be embarrassed, ashamed or simply disappointed in ourselves for nothing trying. Most times the price is too hard on the old ego.

We can't always find the ideal approach in order to get the job done, but whatever approach we take, and it does get the job done, you might find that you feel a whole lot better for this, and wonder why you didn't or couldn't seem to heed your own advice.

I've been busy over this past month getting some major, what I'd describe as big yucky jobs around the house done. As a matter of fact, I just finished one that had me contorted in just about every imaginable position. But as we say here in the Maritimes, I got 'er done! Wow, I'm sure glad that one's over. I'm getting better at taking my own advice!

Nine of Pentacles - My Mouse Is Alive!

I drew this card a few days ago, but didn't write a blog post about it, I thought about quite a bit about it's meaning, and just put it back in the deck. Sometimes the relevance of a card doesn't become clear until later. That's what happened here.

We had a planned power outage this morning, which lasted less than half an hour. I had forgotten about it until it went off.

So, I then began to write in my long hand journal with my cup of coffee, while sitting at my computer with no power. I was grateful I'd got my breakfast and coffee before the outage. The next thing I knew I'd knocked over my coffee onto my computer desk. I never impress myself when I do this. Shortly after cleaning that big mess up, the power came back on, only to find I could no longer use my mouse to orient my way around the computer. Argh!

I spent the next following hours booting ( not literally ) as much as I felt like it, and rebooting, reading manuals, etc., when it dawned on me, perhaps I'd drowned my poor mouse in coffee?

I was determined to take my mouse apart, if I could only find a small enough screw driver to loosen the screw that held it together, in attempt to hopefully dry out my mouse. More argh. I couldn't find a small enough tool to get the thing apart. I went into the bibs and bobs drawer to see what I could find. Nothing that would fit, but finally discovered one screw driver. It was perfect! A really handy one my friend had given me a while ago, I'd completely forgotten I had. My friend is a real technological wizard.

 I went from much frustration to hopeful elation. I got it open, cleaned and dried the guts of that mouse. It was pretty gross. Finally I got it snapped back together. and twisted that screw back in where it belonged.

This whole process took me four friggin hours.  But I have to tell you I felt exactly like Daedalus in the Nine of Pentacles. My hard work and determination paid off and I'd resurrected my mouse! I really felt that self-satisfaction that comes with hard work and determination, in spite of my frustration. There's nothing wrong with celebrating your small accomplishments, and to feel proud of yourself. If I can overcome and achieve the small, seemingly incidental things it helps me to believe, and to know I can accomplish more than what I think I am capable of achieving.

 I'm sure I would've  felt differently if my mouse had truly bit the dust. I'd have to accept that, and try to find the best resolution to my problematic dilemma. But in the mean time, I am overjoyed that my mouse is alive, and like Daedalus, I am justifiably pleased with myself with what I was able to achieve, and I appreciate my skill!
 
I've learned to approach life as an adventure , it's not about the success or failure. It's more often than not been my experience, that I learn more from mistakes.

Two of Pentacles - The Adventure of Little By Slowly

Daedalus stands at his table working on his skills and using the tools of his trade. Decisions are to be made and decisions made in the past have lead to his present circumstances that have benefited him.

Having the tools in hand, to get the job done, we can continue to build a good foundation, one the skill at a time. The challeges ahead will be accomplished if we use discernment in choosing the right tools, and apply ourselves to achieve our goals.

 Sometimes it is easy to get impatient, and ahead of ourselves. We want everything yesterday or immediately, and may even want to give up, especially when we are closest to our goal. Slow and steady wins the race. Little by slowly we can reach our destination. Perseverance, trust and a little prayer goes a long way.

There is always a risk involved if we want to grow.  Adventure in growth is often scary. We can't control the outcome, and the unknown can cause us to be fearful, especially when there are road blocks and hurdles along the road.

Regardless if we succeed or fail life lessons will be learned and confidence will be gained. True it can be a balancing act, in that we should weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes we have to throw caution to the wind, have faith, we need to trust and believe in ourselves.

Two of Pentacles - Change and Fluctuation

In the Two of Pentacles we see Daedalus at his work table with all the tools of his trade. He is busy and committed to developing his skills and reputation.

Pentacles concern our physical selves and all things connected to the earth, property, work, finance and practical matters. Most people are usually juggling all these things at once, and trying to keep all their ducks in a row. It is essential to keep grounded if we have a creative drive for material gains. In order to do this we have to take risks, and put whatever resources we have, to work if we want to makes changes necessary for growth.

 I think there is only one thing that does not change in life, that's change and fluctuation. You always hear, change is a good thing. I believe generally, change is good for us, though it certainly may not feel this way. We have to find ways and means to prepare ourselves for change and learn to go with the flow.

The path of least resistance I am not a fan of, and sometimes it is a good thing to resist change. When I think of change, the first thing that comes to mind is the Serenity Prayer. This for me has been, and continues to be the most important prayer I can make. It's all about acceptance, courage and wisdom in knowing what I can and cannot change. It is however essential to have the flexibility to be open to new ideas, and to be willing to take risks in utilizing one's talents. This is not always easy, but the most important thing for me really, is to say this prayer everyday, because this is what helps to prepare me for change and fluctuation.

Like Daedalus most people are usually juggling many things at once, trying to keep all their ducks in row. It is essential to keep grounded if we have a creative drive for material gain. The old adage of " Money makes money " I believe to be true. If we don't have the financial resources to do this, we still have to take risk, be adaptable and to put whatever resources we have to work, but with discerning wisdom to know what we can and cannot do or change.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr

Two of Pentacles - Balance

This Minor Arcana card, the Two of Pentacles that I drew today is appropriate, and something I find useful for me right now. It's the card that signifies balance; juggling things and the matters of life, and not loosing sight of other areas, that are in need of attention and care. We can't take on more than we can handle.

Material matters may be disrupted in some way.
Daedalus is portrayed here at the table where all the tools of his trade are spread before him. This represents if we take on too much we can loose our way. If we are to put our money and energy to work, we must be firmly grounded, in order to do so with patience and hard work, one step at a time.

Many years ago I learned to juggle with those hard rubber balls. It's not an easy skill to learn. Many folks, when they decide they want to learn how to juggle, or any other skill, think they can skip the steps needed to learn. We start with one ball at a time, one step at a time. Once we can conquer the first skill, we can move on to the next and work our way through each steps.
In a similar way, the concerns we have that pertain to our lives, like juggling this requires us to first have our feet securely planted on the ground, we need to be relaxed, so we can focus, and concentrate on the task at hand. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted, thwarted by storms, or chaos that are going on around us. Our priorities and goals need to be clear, set in our minds, and built upon on sure footing but being light footed simultaneously.

We learn to develop a skill by watching another who is skilled. Then we are shown the skill, and we follow up with practice, which leads to mastery of the skill. It is important to have mentors, that we can learn from. But it is ultimately up to us to do the leg work necessary for us to accomplish our goals, and we can ask for help.

The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you've lost it. Anonymous