The cards in this week’s spread are The Fool, The Devil, and the Four of Swords.
The Fool is the very first card in the tarot deck. He’s shown as a youthful adventure seeker. He believes that he has all he needs to start whatever it is he wants to start. He’s not thinking about the hows and whys. He just wants to start off, even though he’s walking off a cliff. He believes that all will turn out right.
Reversed as it is in today’s reading, can mean that it’s time to stop, take a look around, get your feet firmly planted. It’s not time for anything new, it’s time to think about what you want to move forward for.
That ominous looking card up there is The Devil. The word devil brings up thoughts of sin or punishment. However, in the tarot, this card is about being tied to something that is not good for us, like an addiction or other destructive behaviors. It is most often something we can free ourselves from.
Finally, there is Four of Swords. Here there is a knight at rest, four swords levitating above his head. In the tarot swords represent our thoughts, our ideas. This knight is taking a break. He’s done enough thinking, thank you very much.
This week, it’s time to take a long-deserved deep breath.
I’ve been in a flurry of activity, starting project after project after project. I haven’t given any of them my complete attention. I haven’t completed any of them.
I love chasing the next big, new, shiny thing. When something hits a sticky spot, a little hitch, I try to power through it. I use all of my energy, sometimes going without sleep, trying to fix it.
Maybe I get through it, maybe I don’t. No matter the outcome, I’m still juggling everything else.
What’s the point in doing this over and over? What do I really accomplish? Do I ever take the time to enjoy the process and feel the elation of completion?
Nothing, nothing, no and no.
Focus is not a bad thing of course, it’s how we get things done. But when that focus is fraught with anxiety and worry, nothing really gets done, at least not as well as we intend.
It’s time to take a step back. It’s time to decide what it is that we really want to give our attention to and give it fully. How do we decide? By asking ourselves what we intend for our lives to be.
Thinking too far ahead makes me dizzy, though you may enjoy having everything planned out. (Here’s where I point out that life doesn’t always go as we intend, so it’s best to be flexible.)
This week, ask yourself, “what has my attention?” Then ask if this what you intend. If not, spend some time thinking about what you want to happen in your life or the next year or even the next minute. (Like I said, going too far ahead doesn’t work for me.)
Be like the knight, take a moment to relax your mind. Meditate, take a walk, or even take just a breath. You get to decide what sword or thought that you take up again. And when you decide, use that relaxed focus to make it happen.