Five of Pentacles - The Fat Cat

The Five of Pentacles comes up in my daily drawn card more often than I'd wish, and appears at the times when I'm feeling worry and insecurity over my financial state, which is exactly what this card's meaning implies. It's not my favourite, but on the positive side, I see it as a card of transformation, if I trust my intuition and have enough faith to allow the God of my understanding to do what I can't do for myself.

This perspective has enabled me to become rather immune to my worry, and the fear of financial insecurity. Experiencing these feelings in many ways has made me stronger, given me more compassion and gratitude. The most difficult bit about being in this situation in the past and occasionally today, is, I don't want to ask for help. I know this is a common experience for many people, they find it difficult to ask for help. The problem being, this is false pride, and it makes you angry. You don't want to appear weak, or you might fear being judged, causing an individual to cut their nose off to spite their face, and now added to your trouble, you're walking around without a nose, not a pretty sight!

Five of Wands - The Beast

A card about struggle, the Five of Wands reminds us that we can overcome the struggle that exists, but we don't have to, nor do we need to, struggle alone. Everyone needs some kind of help at some point in our lives and it's important we ask for help but there's nothing easy about asking. It's a humbling experience.

Letting false pride get in the way, only results in our egos becoming the beast, and the struggle with depression  and confusion that Leonard Cohen speaks about plagues and overpowers us. It's the dragon we need to fight against and we're not likely to win that battle if we have a lack of trust in our intuition and instinct, causing us further depression and apathy. At this point we loose our way in confusion, we loose sight of our vision and courage.

The Five of Wands is a hopeful, empowering card if we heed the message it conveys.

Strength In Numbers - Kindness Can Turn Into Miracles

I drew the Strength card this morning after asking a question on behalf of a life long friend, who is going through some serious health problems.

When I see this Strength card I immediately relate it to having a personal strength of character, and having the ability and presence of mind to overcome adversity. After some very hard lessons and many years of trying to do things on my own, coping and fighting against weakness, I finally realized I didn't always have to be strong, and that it was perfectly acceptable, and even desirable to allow myself, and more importantly to accept my own weakness, and to ask for help when I needed it.

People are mostly, and usually more than happy to help in whatever way they can, if we will only ask. Suddenly we find that our weakness becomes strength, because we have had the courage to reach out.

Cutting my nose off to spite my face, having a stiff upper lip, or a stoic attitude, is not strength, it is false pride. We delude ourselves into thinking that we can do everything all on our own if we are just self-reliant enough. No one can be strong all the time, and no one is an island. We need one another, and we need to care for one another, as the Creator loves and cares for us. The old adage 'Strength in numbers' is very true, as is 'United we stand, divided we fall'. You often hear these repeated time and time again, because they are so very true.

Although it is important, that we ourselves ask for help, we in turn do not have to wait for another, to ask us for help, if it is needed. Never underestimate kindness. Kindness can turn into miracles, and we all could use a miracle, and it is a good thing to ask for one, or why not even ask for two?

The Wheel of Fortune - Hubris & Humility

Oh I had a feeling, and was hoping for a "good" card today. This is it I thought, The Wheel of Fortune! I haven't drawn this before for myself. I was excited or maybe I just had too much coffee!
A Major Arcana card, cause and effect, along with Karma are the operative words. Reaping what we sow, bla, bla, bla. Sorry, I know I sound jaded, and cynical but please hear me out.

Unknowingly until now, I've been thinking about all this meaning, present in the Wheel of Fortune, really, since yesterday, and today. Perhaps because I've been doing some readings for folks lately, that have caused me to contemplate my own life, but I do this a lot, in one way or another, because I am involved with reading the cards everyday, but I've always been introspective. I got that contemplating my navel thing, down pretty good!

The Wheel of Fortune's meanings makes me think, yes I agree, we do reap what we sow. But what about those of us who seem to frequently get more of our share of suffering, and difficulty? It is hard to make sense of it all. We can feel even like, there has got to be some kind of person responsible for this, and when it all goes bad, we want to lash out in anger, and find someone or something to blame, because it is unjust, unfair and even cruel. When it goes well, sometimes we forget to be grateful, to really appreciate what we do have.

I think it's important to acknowledge the unfairness, and the unjustness of life, and allow ourselves to be angry. Anger is a feeling and I think it is more productive to simply feel and accept our anger in order to let it go, so we don't live in the problem and allow resentment to enslave us, our attitude toward life, and the universe. But it is just as important to see and exemplify fairness, justice, kindness and mercy in the world.

Life certainly is not all flowers and roses. We don't want or need to hear a bunch a platitudes and psychobabble we find condescending, and that minimizes what we are going through. Usually, when we are  experience hard times, we just need someone to hear us, and listen, we don't want advice or and philosophical gobbleygoop. My spell check won't even accept that word! 

 I heard a program today on the radio about aging. This older gentleman called up, and said he uses a slogan often to help himself wade through the messes of life. " Now Here This ". This isn't a spelling mistake,  here refers to the here and now. He compared the past and future as being swamps, that we get stuck in, and can create more unhappiness than what we are already experiencing. What this wise man in his eighties said, gave me serious reflection.

There are definitely laws of nature we can't deny, mostly we don't understand them, and it requires a faith and trust in something mysterious, unseen and seemingly unknowable. There is nothing we can do to control these laws. I wonder, if we could in fact control these laws, and the cycle of life, what would happen?
 It probably wouldn't work out so well in the long run, I strongly suspect. Human beings don't seem to be able to make good choice when left to their own devices and without the help and guidance of a power greater than ourselves.

The Wheel of Fortune depicts the Moirai, the three fates, daughters of Mother Night, conceived without a father. They wove the thread of life in the darkness, and in the secrecy of a cave, symbolizing the womb. They represent the source of life itself, older than the oldest gods, with so much power, the king of gods Zeus, dares not to challenge them. The profound inner journey is heralded. and coming to terms with one's life, past, present and future.
 The Fool is now shaken from complacency and begins the inner journey of humility, that will lead him to his own source.

The Wheel of Fortune is a card of sudden change in fortune, be it bad or good. Rest assured, whatever way the Wheel turns, there will always be growth. I think this is the positive bit. Granted we must dig in to our inner resources personally. 

If we refuse to accept or challenge our circumstance by shaking our fists at God, we may be afflicted with what was called hubris, compounded with even more problems, due to our false pride, and even arrogance. What ever we are in denial of, becomes a harmful nemesis. You don't want to mess with a nemesis, believe me , I know. She is the spirit of divine retribution for hubris. She is a real drag, and will bring you down.

                                                            Nenesis - 1837 - Alfred Rethel

King of Swords - Leadership

 
There is much discussion in the media about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as of late in the media. It makes me wonder statistically, just how common place this condition is presented in soldiers, leaders and with many of us who grow up suffering a certain amount of it, due to some kind of trauma. I also suspect this is why the King of Swords, although is greatly associated with leadership, kindness, decency, fairness, and ethical behaviour, he is can be disconnected between what he values and believes in, and what is shown and manifested emotionally toward others, especially toward those that he cares about. This lack of emotional connection with others is very frustrating to those who love him. It has been best described as having an inner homelessness. He has great difficulty showing emotion, leaving him isolated, and often alone.

I learned at a young age through a wonderful mentor, who was a director of our local hole in the wall, YMCA, that being a good leader is one who truly knows and understands, how to serve. He helped so many of us troubled teenagers by his example and service. He taught us about leadership.

If we are leaders and we want to serve, we need to be able to connect emotionally with others, and to know to take good care of ourselves, like we would take good care of others. If we don't know and understand this, we will eventually, sooner or later burn out, expecting to be all things, to all people, while neglecting ourselves.

The King of Swords shows that there is an abundance of positive characteristics in strength, that is demonstrated in inspired ideas, with a very strong intellect, great compassion and ethics. These qualities can be applied to future ideas and goals, that can be accomplished, and easily achieved.

If we do find ourselves disconnected from what we believe in, and suffer from that inner homelessness, we need to find a way to reach out, and seek help. False pride is useless, when we cut our noses off, to spite our face. No man or woman, is an island.