Six of Wands - Creative Growth and Self-Confidence

Six of Wands symbolizes creative growth, self-confidence, progress and some kind of public acclaim. It is seen as the most satisfying of the Minor Arcana cards, because focused action yields results and results yield self-confidence . When we are recognized for our accomplishments it can often come with it's own dilemmas and further challenges, like envy and jealousy from others.

Achieving a creative vision can be a heady moment, and it can be a celebratory occasion, justifiably so, however it's important to remember, this too shall pass and we can look forward to taking on the next challenge.

I can't allow myself to be caught up in what others are thinking, whether it be positive of negative. Growth is progress and process, not a destination of perfection. I know will never graduate from life, but I strive to keep on learning and growing, I learned how to survive my painful and joyful experiences and now am learning how to thrive, through the mystery of creative growth.This is the real journey of life for me.

Four of Wands - Thriving Versus Surviving

Before I drew the Four of Wands today, I felt I was being drawn in the direction of love, loving others, and loving the self. I was also reflecting on the difference between surviving and thriving. This was confirmed when I saw this card.

The Four of Wands reflects the joining of forces in order to support one another. Jason could never have achieved his quest for the Golden Fleece had his companions not supported, believed, and joined him in this bold and dangerous journey. Jason also did the same for his companions, he had their backs, and they all not only survived this journey, but they thrived.

Often we are so ready to help, forgive or recognize the beauty in another, and have difficulty accepting help, forgiving or recognizing the beauty within ourselves. Loving others, but not loving ourselves, is to survive. But when we can love ourselves, is to thrive. Thriving extends beyond to include to every aspect and every area of our lives whether is be personal and professional development.

Ace of Cups - Why Emotion Beats No Emotion

   ' My cup runneth over ', from the Hebrew Bible is what comes to mind when I see the Ace of Cups appear. It is also a card that can symbolize the individual who is almost possessed by frenzied passion, and visceral emotion, an experience where the heart overrules the head. We can be swept away in a sea of emotion that is a force of nature, causing humans to display behaviour they wouldn't usually exhibit, such as jealousy, spite, and deceit etc. These are the more negative aspects of the Ace of Cups.

Here we see Aphrodite, the goddess who initiates the powerful upsurge of raw energy toward relationship, and the love between Psyche and Eros.

I was once described as being ' a ball of emotion ', and ' a bleeding heart '. I don't agree with these derogatory descriptions. I actually learned how to stuff my emotion from the age of 6 years of age. I remember exactly the day this happened. I was in the Toronto Sick Children's Hospital with my parents, and my brother Ralph who was in the hospital bed, because he was unable to walk. He been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at this time.

Understandably I was very emotionally distraught, and when I began to express my emotion, I was told by my mother, not to cry. The statement that resonated was, " don't cry you'll make yourself sick ". I saw no tears from my parents, nor from my brother who was then, 16 years old. I got the message loud and clear as I'm sure my brother did as well, that it was not acceptable to express my emotion, and so I followed suite from there on in.

This emotional shut down continued all though my life, until I began to get serious about my recovery from alcoholism, which is often described as being a ' disease of the emotion. ' Alcoholism was all through my family on both sides, and my family had been greatly affected by the disease. Looking back, I can say I went into survival mode, and I kind of disappeared as the family's focus was completely on my brother and his illness.

Today, I understand how suppressing emotions eventually in time, become repressed, in that we are unaware we even have these emotions, and it becomes very unhealthy. If we do not deal with our emotions, they will deal with us.

 It is much better thing to be able to feel, than to not feel. The disconnection from our emotion makes us less human and we are unable to experience love, or life in a holistic way and directly affects our relationships with ourselves and with others.

Having a high intelligence quotient is valued in our society, but it is my experience that having emotional intelligence is just as valuable, if not more so. If we can manage to temper and balance our emotion with our intellect, then the Ace of Cups in our lives will serve us better, leading to a healthier, happier life, where we can thrive, instead of simply trying to survive.

Queen of Swords - Idealism

Today's card from the Minor Arcana, the Queen of Swords is a strong independent woman. In the Mythic Tarot the Queen is Atalanta who was abandoned but her father who was disappointed that he had no male heir. He left her on a hill, but she was rescued and nursed by a bear, sent by the moon-goddess Artemis- Hecate.

Crescent Moon Bear - Catherine Meyers

The Queen appears aloof and cool, but don't be fooled, she has a soft underbelly after experiencing  great losses, and many difficulties in her life. This Queen is very familiar with hard times and suffering, but continues to thrive, not just in spite of them, but because of these burdens she has had to bare, this has given her an inner strength.
She has a vehement sense of justice, and benevolently upholds and champions the rights of others, perhaps as a result of her own loss and brokenness.

 Quick witted with a sharp tongue, she can cut to the quick, being very intelligent and passionate about her high ideals. Not willing to settle in love she can cut her nose off to spite her face because of this idealism, which in the extreme, is an expectation of perfectionism in others; an expectation that was placed upon herself as well at a young age.

The Queen is a woman possessing a strong sense of integrity and pride, but she is also lonely, and isolated as a result of these high ideals. She may be unconscious of her perfectionist expectations, however it does have a positive aspect, in that others are inspired by her, to improve upon themselves.

Being too idealistic prevents us from ever measuring up to a perfectionist ideal. It does not exist in reality, and is an image. This state occurs because this individual is fearful of being human, and leaves us vulnerable to being hurt.

Many of us have been hurt in early life or in the past, which manifests into our adult life, especially if we lack self-awareness, and choose not seek help to resolve these issues. Serious problems arise in our relationships with others, as a result of clinging to an unmovable faith in high ideals, leading to an addiction perfectionism.

Nine of Pentacles - Surviving and Thriving

The cards amaze me, in that, when a card or cards are drawn, they always have a message, leaving me with a sense of wonder, and mystery. Some cards have a stronger, clearer message than others. Nonetheless, they always have a message giving clarity. This morning was no different, when I drew the Nine of Pentacles. It's a timely card.

Wisdom, talent, and knowledge are at the forefront, but alas no love life. Yup that would be me. Wealth is to follow. Really? No more dust sandwiches? Well that certainly would be a relief, but my fear of financial insecurity, I don't see this going to be ending any time soon, but time has a way of flying by, and the good news is, it won't be a long time coming.

 However, wealth is not always about financial gain. It is better to prefer and value wisdom, knowledge, talent, and the personal satisfaction that comes with these attributes; even and especially if obtained through many tribulations and troubles.

 Self-sufficiency and accomplishment come from within oneself, and finding the self-value, embodied in permanence and indestructibility, which is the meaning only reflected, and found in the Nine of Pentacles from the Minor Arcana. It is a card of survival, meeting all of life's challenges and going on to thrive.

There is strong sense of one's own identity here, and knowing what you are made of, understanding the worth of one's life, but it is not a inflated opinion.. This perception of self, is not dependent the validation of others but comes from within the soul, from finding your inner beauty.