Naked Heart Tarot

Ides of March – ND #96

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Et tu, Brute? – Photo: L. Weikel

Ides of March

We’re starting a new week. I wonder what’s in store for us, collectively, as the week begins with the Ides of March? (Well, technically the Ides are on Tuesday, but close enough.) And then, only three days later, the moon reaches her fullness – bringing who knows what to completion and conclusion? And then, one day after that, the Spring Equinox.

That’s the thing about time – it just keeps on keeping on. Sometimes it feels like it’s whizzing by and other times it feels like we’re in an inescapable slog through quicksand. It’s even deceptive in the sense that it may feel like we’re living in an interminable, static loop and then suddenly, we look around and realize everything has changed.

It feels like the coming week could be one of those. One that feels like nothing is changing and yet when we reach its end, we’ll look back and realize everything has.

A Guide for the Week

Given that this week holds the potential for a lot of upheaval and change, I thought I’d choose a card for us to have as a guide to what’s in store as the week unfolds. No matter what happens, perhaps this card – and its foundation – can help us make sense of the chaos.

The deck I decided to pull from is The Naked Heart Tarot* by Jillian C. Wilde.

Two of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Main Card: Two of Swords ~ “Inner Struggle”

“Two swords are tied up with an anchor, suggesting that in order to move forward, you need to make a decision that may be weighing heavily upon you.

The Message:  The Two of Swords represents a time when you are battling with a decision on how to best move forward. You feel so anchored by the weight of a choice or point of view that it slowly pulls you down, and keeps you stuck. You may feel roped to an internal struggle between your head and your heart, not knowing which has your best interest in mind. Your heart may already know what to do, but you are feeling unable to let your guard down and commit without having all the information needed to make a comfortable decision. Sometimes, a choice just needs to be made, and it takes a leap of faith. No matter how hard or painful the choice is, you must make it. Once it is made, you must anchor yourself to the choice. It is the only way to move forward with peace and a new beginning. Ultimately you can make no wrong decision. Under the guidance of the Universe, you will always be nudged back to where you belong.”

Ten of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Foundation Card (Underneath): Ten of Swords ~ “Resolve and Release”

“The rat lies on its side as ten swords are driven down from above piercing its spirit, hinting that the end is near.

The Message: The Ten of Swords represents a time of completion when a much-needed ending to a conversation, idea or discussion is necessary. You’ve already been through every detail, argument, theory, and solution there is to offer, and now you are starting to cycle through them again. Rat energy reminds you that it is time to purge old ways and victim mentality, release the clutter and the story attached to the situation, so you can allow room for new beginnings. Going back through it and over it all will not bring you any closer to resolution. It is time to get to the heart of the wound, and cut out the drama, and bring things to completion. Time to release and let it go. Agree to disagree or just bury it in the past, so at this stage, you can more forward. You may feel a sense of resistance or sadness as you go through the process, but it is also an opportunity to reflect upon valuable insights. All is not lost, it is a chance to drop the weight of the mental baggage that has cut so deeply into you, give it to the Universe and let it go. The worst is over.”

My Take

These cards almost certainly have application in one form or another to our own individual lives and circumstances, since we’re each a microcosm of the macrocosm (living out those adages “as above, so below” and “as within so without”). But the broader implication, the prospect of even weightier decisions becoming necessary regarding global circumstances, is obvious.

It seems to me that the longer we postpone making the choices we fear (but which inevitably must be made), the anchor only becomes heavier.

The hope I see in these cards (and there is some) is the prospect for peace in the top card – and the realization that the worst is over in the foundation card. But for the worst to be over, the difficult choice must be made.

Let’s hold in our hearts a vision that the ‘powers that be’ make the highest and best choice for all of us, individually, nationally, and culturally, for humanity, the Earth, and all Her children. We just might be at that place in our evolution.

*affiliate link

(T+96)

Setting of Tone – Day 859

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Hawk – 19 March 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Setting of Tone

Today turned out to be a much more delightful day, weather-wise, than what I was expecting. While it was still chillier than last week, I was grateful that yesterday’s dreary pall of rain didn’t carry over into today. As we took a walk late this afternoon the lingering breath of winter felt exhilarating. And encountering this messenger, surely one of our horny hawks from last week’s extravaganza of mid-sky mating rituals and raucous attention-getting, felt like a seasonal setting of tone.

What tone might this hawk be setting?

First and foremost, Hawk (as an archetype, hence the capitalization) is a messenger. And this one perched not on a pole or at the apex of a tree, as is their usual preferred observatory, but rather smack in the middle of a telephone wire, perfectly balanced above the center of a roadway. And s/he watched us approach for a good quarter of a mile before taking flight again.

It strikes me that for a bird as hefty as a hawk, balancing on a wire takes more skill and focus than might be demanded of a sparrow or bluebird. This fact gave more credence to the deliberate intention of the act itself. This hawk was not trying to hide itself from us or observe us from afar. In fact, I swear it maintained eye contact with me the entire time I walked toward it with the hope of getting as clear a photo as possible.

I’m not suggesting that it showed up just for us, but surely a higher and more stable point would have been preferable as a hunting perch. And part of its message could therefore be that we need to bring an extra dose of skill and focus to achieve our goals this spring.

Communication, Creativity, New Life

Sitting on a telephone wire above the middle of a road. Being obvious and direct in its work as a messenger, possibly using new means of communication. Patiently awaiting the arrival of the new growth/life that so much effort was put into creating last week during the very public and unmistakable mid-air mating dances and rituals.

The energy I felt from this hawk was that it almost wanted to whack me upside the head with its wing. Perching there on a wire overhead it just felt like it was deliberately making itself obvious to us. It was pretty much demanding that we pay attention to it and heed its message – which at least partially was conveyed last week when she and her suitors made such a ruckus as they created new life.

Confirmation

Just as I started writing this post, I decided to choose a card from the Naked Heart Tarot deck, asking for a message on setting of tone for the spring season. I chose the Three of Wands.

To me, this card says yes, create a sacred space in which to focus your creative energy. Allow the rising sun that signifies the burgeoning energy of springtime to fill and illuminate your life. Give yourself a protected space in which to give this new life, this nascent creativity, room and space to grow.

Three of Wands – Naked Heart Tarot deck

(T-252)