Nine of Cups - Actualizing Goals

The Nine of Cups is always a welcome card to draw. Though it is commonly known as "the wish card" I think of it in terms of a card that addresses my own personal vision in relation to goals. I don't make wishes. I do spend time focusing on goals and how to achieve them.

It helps a lot when I reflect on the goals I've had in the past and how I went about actualizing them. It also inspires and motivates me when I look at what others have done to achieve their goals, and  those who give practical suggestions based on their own experience, strength and hope.

I believe our ability to achieve our goals is directly connected to our personal philosophy.

Writing my goals down on paper and referring to them frequently certainly helps. Ultimately I need to do the work in order to make them a concrete reality, and take the practical steps to make this happen, in order to measure whether these goals have been reached which holds me accountable.

How have you gone about actualizing your goals?

I have learned that my goals need to be:

• Smart
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time Bound

If I list my top 5 priorities in life, see if there is a mismatch, and get honest with myself, change can happen.

Here are a few wise words from individuals I admire.

" They say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. " - Andy Warhol

" Walk and be more present. " - Thoreau 

" Keep a diary. " - Virginia  Woolf

" Make your life wide rather than long. " - Seneca

"Define Yourself. " - Anna Deavere Smith

" Break free from your ego." Alan Watts

" Cultivate a growth mindset" - Carol Dweck

" Turn haters into fans. " - Ben Franklin

" Think rather than know." - Hannah Arendt

" Let go of perfectionism.  - Anne Lamott

" Master critical thinking. " - Carl Sagan

" Get lost to find yourself. " - Rebecca Solnitt 

" Be like water. " -Bruce Lee

" Choose courage over cynicism. " - Maya Angelou

" Cultivate true friendship." -Emerson

"Live by your own standards. " - Elenor Roosevelt


" Each one teach one. " - African Proverb

Three of Wands - The Work Ahead

It was my mother's Birthday yesterday. She would have been 103 years old. My mother was my mentor, my inspiration. She had a saying, that she would often repeat to me. " You can only go down so far, before you start to come back up." My mother set a great example for me, of what is means to have inner strength, fortitude, perseverance, and persistence.

 I heard something today from Marie Foleo. She spoke of what her mother use to say. " Everything is figureoutable." This has stayed with me all day.

When we have a dream, and a goal it can be overwhelming, and we can begin to doubt that we are ever going to be able to achieve it. It helps a whole lot to be aware of how to break things down in measurable, realistic, achievable steps, and objectives. Many of us grow up not knowing how to do this, and have to learn it from someone who has been there, and continue learning.

Tonight after drawing the Three of Wands, it became clear to me. It was an affirmation and a confirmation as  being a positive and hopeful card, indicating the initial stages of substantive ideas or project, and the satisfaction that comes with this, but at the same time, it clearly points to the work ahead. The card is a good reminder that the follow through is going to involve  creative confidence at the start, but then creative potential and fulfillment can come to a stand still, if we can't accept and allow for the tests that challenge and stretch our ideas as individuals. We cannot allow ourselves to give up, all because we are feeling overwhelmed and burdened by fear of failure or perhaps fear of success.

This is what life is like, lots of emotional ups and downs, hurdles to jump over, and under. We must find ways to go around, bob and weave. But we need to keep going, keep hands on the plow, and our eyes on the prize. Because I know, understand and believe that everything is figureoutable, and you can only go so far down before you start to come back up. This allows us to negotiate from a position of strength.

Ten of Wands - Oppression Versus Wearing The World As A Loose Garment

Hmmm, what to say about the Ten of Wands. Looks pretty oppressive, and Jason is overwhelmed and hemmed in by all those flaming wands. He's feeling not only overwhelmed, but what he had taken on, in pursuing and finally obtaining the Golden Fleece, has left him depressed, and bored under the weight of everyday responsibilities which has definitely cramped his style.

Jason's great ship the Argo is wrecked, beached and mouldering. He has achieved what he set out to do, but isn't happy. The initial enthusiasm when he began this great undertaking, has long vanished. Jason may have been naive to think that the pursuit of this kind of adventure is not what is really going to bring him sustained happiness.

Like Jason, we can accomplish great things through our projects, and once they are achieved,we can be left with that feeling reflected in that old song,  "Is that all there is?" The answer of course is no, that's not all there is, but we need to find a sustainable happiness within the real world. I am not what I do. This makes me ask myself, is it the pursuit of happiness or is it the happiness of pursuit, or both that are important?

 In the past I was addicted to a state of hyper-vigilance. This kind of addiction I believe is rooted in unmet needs growing up. I grew up with this kind of addiction, because I never knew what was going to happen in our dysfunctional home, and so I unconsciously found myself in similar situations in life and in particularly in my relationships. It just felt normal to me, but I sure was not happy. Like Jason I was unaware of my limitations, and I often made the wrong choices or took on more than I could ever handle.

 Some folks are addicted to the adrenalin rush that comes with some possibly dangerous risks, and they are never happy or satisfied unless they are in pursuit of the next big thing.
Today I can challenge myself within the real world with smart, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound goals. I can still partake in risk and adventure, that awakens the imagination  with new ideas, new goals, and a new gamble, while wearing the world as a loose garment, to avoid burn out.

 I don't feel the need to achieve huge great things today. Hyper-vigilance is not something I want anymore, but changing my habits for the better these days is, with not too much of an adrenalin rush needed.
Getting my next art series completed, having an exhibit, and getting my garage cleaned, that would be real big to me.

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.