Are you ready for change? Are you really ready???
What is the theme this week?
The Eight of Wands:
A young boy stands in an open field, taking aim with a wand in a simple bow. His eyes are trained on the sky, and his face is a study in concentration. The land around him is ripe with summer. There are mountains in the distance, and light is peeking out from the clouds above. Nine eagles, symbolic of courage, are flying towards him from the distance. Seven other wands, all tipped with shining crystals, are ready to take flight with the one he is launching, to all shoot together to their target.
Wands are fire cards, messages of energy, motivation, and passions. Eights are symbolic of change. This week, you are going to be called to answer the prompts of moving into change where your passions and energies lie. These decisions could come very quickly and you will have to rely on your courage when they come. You will need to be sure, like the boy archer, that there will be all of the necessary tools beside you, ready and waiting, for you to take your aim.
This sounds so much easier than it actually is. How many of us have the tendency to freeze, or over-think and miss our marks? We have been propelling towards great change in these last months, and for many of us, there has been this urgency to clean our emotional houses and prepare for the unknown that we have felt coming. To step when we are called to is going to be an act of faith – following one’s passion is often where the heart and the head go to war with each other, and often the head wins out. Fire cards, when they call us to action, tell us run to, or with, the flames. At times this can go against everything we have been taught, and take us well out of our safety zones.
If you are called and go forth, everything will swiftly change for you. If you pause or step back, the wheel will keep spinning and the cycle you have been living in will repeat so that you can try again to perfect the lesson you are learning. The choice is always yours.
What do you need to work on?
The Emperor:
The Emperor stands in what appears to be tower overlooking a kingdom. Behind him, the sky is red and hazy, with jagged peaks. He carries a staff with the head of the ram, which also adorns his tower, which is symbolic of Mars, and of leadership. The carvings in the tower depict Gods of older times. An eagle stands vigilant to his right, a sign of freedom and strength. To his left, the sphere of rulers, symbolic of his responsibilities and power. His robes are purple, red, and black - all power colors, for royalty, flesh, spirituality, and strength. His golden crown holds the colors of root, solar plexus, heart, and throat chakras, of which a person would need to be open and functional to be an effective leader. He gazes at you, knowing his power, but not lofty with it. A Major Arcana card, the Emperor comes to you today to let you know about something that has a long-lasting effect on your life. At his most basic, the Emperor represents authority and can be here to remind you that you are the one with authority over your life. He can also show up to remind you to set healthy boundaries for yourself, and then stick to them. His deeper message is about how you create your own reality, and write your own future through your thoughts and actions.
Because this week is a call for change, The Emperor asks if you have the courage to follow your passions. It is very easy from a safe place to speak of what we would do if opportunity came knocking, but often, in that call to action, we hesitate. It is all an internal war, and only we can decide how we will handle things. It is time to take charge as the creators of our own life, and actively pull those bow strings when the time comes to strike. The Emperor does not lead with fear, nor does he stand in tyranny. He is calm in his confidence, but confident in his ability to make the right choices and stand his ground. We need to work on embodying this facet of ourselves so that we, too, will be ready to build upon what lights a fire within us.
The Six of Swords; reversed:
A simple, yet pristine boat is leaving the shoreline and heading out for a new destination. A figure cloaked in green (the color of nature and wealth) mans the boat; the ferryman, wearing a scabbard that holds four gilded swords. The figure before him, the passenger, is seated and clothed in blue for emotion, with two more gilded swords before them. There is light shining on the land up ahead of them, and it is bursting through the darker clouds that seem to be currently surrounding them. Within the light, white birds are taking flight. Swords are the cards of thoughts, words, and actions. In this card, the emotional passenger is ready for a fresh start, and is leaving behind them the darkness of the past, heading into the light. Having this card come up in the reversed position says that there is something holding us in stasis; most likely our own lack of flexibility or fear around an emotionally trying issue. Sixes are growth cards, and in this one, we grow with the air energy of the mind.
What holds you back from following your passions? It is clear that we are closing in on opportunity. We have done so before, only to back away from it, and mourn its passing when it passed us by because of our fears that held us back. We have a tendency as humans to get in our own way, and then get angry at the Universe for being stuck in one place. The Six of Swords speaks of this exact thing in the reversed position.
The message here is very clear: The time of change is upon us. We need to seize our courage and power as creators. We need to stop getting in our own way.
Again, the choice is always ours. What shall you do: Seize the moment and fly, like the wands; or sit in the boat and mourn the passing of an opportunity? Embody the Emperor.
Suggested tools and inspiration:
The Ten of Pentacles; reversed:
Ten coins adorn the forefront of this card in the symbol of the Tree of Life. The ornate gateway beyond leads to a stately manor. Foliage, lush and green, adorns the gates, the entry, the yard, and the sun can be seen peeking through the clouds in a fairly gentle-looking sky. The statues on the gate are clothed in modesty, looking inward and towards each other. One gets the impression that this estate has stood, and will continue to stand, through the tests of time. Pentacles are the cards of finances, work, and material possessions. Tens talk about the culmination of events; the end of cycles. In the reversed position, this card speaks of struggling to make things work, and of the poverty mindset that many of us embody that holds us back from abundance. It is kind of ironic how we get in our own way by our views surrounding the material plane. We worry we will not have enough, so we let go of opportunities. Or, we worry that we don’t deserve them, so we watch them pass us by. Identify where you fit into this spectrum early on this week. Ask yourself if your attachment or view of the material world contributes to the embodiment of the Six of Swords above and the fear that holds you back from following your inner fire. If you see some correlations, look deep within and find the fear you are feeding, so you can work with it.
Because tens speak of the end of a cycle, there is some idea or thing surrounding the material place that needs to be let go of. This is the only way to move forward. No one can make you let it go, but it is something that is ending nonetheless. I think, for many of us, we hold a fear of losing our material things because we equate the loss of them with personal ruin. Can you set down this belief and follow your dreams? What is the worst that could happen? What is the best that could happen?
Remember, even the endings and losses in this life all play out for your highest possible good.
The Hermit:
The Hermit resides high in the mountains, overlooking his kingdom of stone, water, and sky. In his right hand, he holds and staff, and in his left, a light to shine upon his world. The crystal at his chest shines like a beacon of knowledge and self. His head is covered in a sign of humility, or submission to the Universe. He is alone, surrounded by nature, by the stars, by all the forces of life. He isn't lonely; he chooses to walk alone to hone his craft. He is clothed in purple, which is the color of Divine Knowledge. He tends to his flame (the lantern) which represents his inner flame, as does the blinding white light of his crystal. The staff represents extra support when he needs it. The Hermit is a Major Arcana card, and relates to parts of our life that will carry on throughout our life. In the upright position, it tells us we must draw inward to hone certain parts of ourselves. The hermit tells us literally that all of the answers and the strength that we need lie within ourselves already, if we can just be still enough to listen to it speak to us.
The story of these cards this week is pretty straightforward. We have an opportunity quickly coming, and to seize it is to truly follow that which moves us. We can attain it because we are supported by the Universe, and already carry within us the capability to see it to fruition. However, we have gotten into the habit of getting in our own way and holding ourselves back from what we want, whether we realize it fully or not. To unlock ourselves from this habit, we need to examine how we relate to the material plane and our ability to recognize the end of a specific material era for ourselves – and likewise see that it is not a failure or an ending that will harm us. We can accomplish this by going quietly within and examining ourselves; we have all the knowledge and ability within us already.
It all comes down to courage. Do you have the courage to look within with honesty? Do you have the courage to give up old destructive behaviors or belief systems? Do you have the courage to look away from the material world and instead look towards the fire within you? Do you have the courage to take hold of what is offered this time?
Trust yourself that you are more than capable of making the right decision.
Have a great week!
-R-