release

Ten of Swords – Day 1010

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Ten of Swords – The Naked Heart Tarot* by Jillian C. Wilde

Ten of Swords

I get the feeling that we keep thinking we’ve been through the worst of it. Or maybe more accurately, we keep hoping we’ve made it through the worst of it. But by all appearances, that might not be the case. And it’s hard to avoid knowing what’s going on in the world, or avoiding the way it seems to be falling apart at the seams. So when I asked for a bit of additional guidance tor us this week to supplement our visit by the Hermit a few days ago, I chose from The Naked Heart Tarot*. And I chose the 10 of Swords. (Sort of appropriate, given the number of my post!)

I’m wondering if you had the same reaction I did when I first laid eyes on this card. “Whoa!” I said out loud, causing Tigger to lift his sleepy head off his paws and give me a look. I returned his gaze, showed him the card, and said, “Do I really want this to share this message with everybody? It looks like how I feel – and probably captures how many others feel – but yikes. It’s dark.”

It’s true, too. I’m roughly familiar with the ‘traditional’ meanings of most of the cards in the tarot, and the message does seem to be a confirmation of how I feel. But I judged it and found myself wanting something more optimistic.

The problem is, I asked for guidance. It would lack integrity to pick and choose which message to share and which to not.

Ten of Swords

The image is uniquely distressing, I admit. And yet the message – particularly as expressed by the creator of The Naked Heart Tarot* deck, Jillian C. Wilde – does admittedly feel perfect for us to bear in mind over the next few days (or weeks).

The keywords she ascribes are Resolve and Release. Right on so far.

“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 move 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.

Additional Meaning: Completion, liberation, final discussions, end of arguments, defeat, backstabbed, release.”

Yup. I can definitely see the applicability of this entreaty to release and resolve both on the micro and the macrocosm.

Four of Swords – The Naked Heart Tarot* by Jillian C. Wilde

Four of Swords

Underneath the Ten of Swords was the Four of Swords. While I’m not going to say much about it here, just looking at it I’m confident you can glean how it provides the foundation to the top pick. Underlying our ability to embrace the message of the Ten of Swords is the necessity for us to create a safe space where we can embrace quiet and contemplation. A place where we can be alone with our very own thoughts – free of the yammer, blaming, and arguments being levied all around us.

It’s sort of like the black cat in this card is the Hermit from our pick the other night. Yet again, we’re being urged to create space and be alone with our thoughts. We’re encouraged to allow silence to help us sort out what it is that needs to be released and resolved so a new foundation can be created.

We can do this.

*affiliate link

(T-101)

Peace – Day 582

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Peace – Mystic Art Medicine Cards by Cher Lyn

Peace

This evening, I got out the set of oracle cards I wrote about some time ago, Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards, by Cher Lyn. I asked for a message or a concept that we would benefit from contemplating and reflecting upon this week, as we approach the solstice and solar eclipse. The card that presented itself for us is Peace.

We all have our ideas of what “Peace” means. The obviousness of how beneficial it could be for all of us to be holding this concept in our minds this week is inescapable. But I want to share with you the uncanny words that the author wrote to accompany this card. Her words are, in my opinion, even more essential to contemplate than the image.

Peace – “Mother Mary”

(…)

In the aftermath of a war zone, its devastating effect brings to mind one question: What could have been so important to cause such violence and bloodshed? Everyone’s soul wants Peace, everyone wants love; so what’s the problem? The minds of our civilized culture are programmed with dysfunctional information. Beginning at birth you undergo cultural programming, indoctrination and subtle brainwashing. Your mind has been the domain of your parents, teachers, and preachers; you’ve given rights over to psychics, authors, and television politicians to mention a few. In other words, you’ve allowed others to think for you, without thinking.

Be cognizant, protesting for Peace while unleashing force will most likely create more anger, more war. Everyone around you has emotional wounds. You can’t fix anyone else. Your responsibility and power is within to change ‘you’ and only you. Transform that which is in you. Release attempts to solve, as judge and jury, the anger of the world. The only functioning place to truly propagate Peace is within your conscious mind and open heart.

(…)

The beloved Mother Mary is here, full of compassion and understanding. Whatever it is you are seeking, for all that you need ask the Mother. Allow inner Peace and receive.”

Worthy Goal

Given everything we are witnessing at the moment, I was moved by not only the serenity of the image but especially the uncanny applicability of Cher Lyn’s words at this specific time in our lives – and the life of our nation.

No matter what else we do this week, it feels wise and worthy to contemplate our own inner transformation – to allow inner Peace and receive.

(T-529)

Full Flower Moon – Day 540

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Approaching Full Flower Moon – Photo: L. Weikel

Full Flower Moon

Nope; not yet. But when it does arrive – at 6:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday, May 7th, 2020 – we will be enjoying what’s known as the Full Flower Moon.

I just thought I’d give everyone a little heads up. After all, who wants to miss a full moon whose name conjures images of abundant bouquets of heady-scented, multi-hued blossoms?

Sometimes I wish I could smell the colors of some of the flowers we encounter on our walks. Take these precious little gems sunning themselves beside the creek that flows parallel to our road:

Wildflowers – Photo: L. Weikel

Moon Shadows – Already

As Karl and I walked early this evening, our eyes kept getting drawn toward the waxing moon above our heads. Of course, as we continued along our trek and the sun disappeared completely behind a bank of dark slate gray clouds on the horizon, she became brighter and more brilliant with each passing minute.

By the time we reached home, our forms – and everything around us, especially the trees – cast sharp, unmistakable shadows. And this with two and a half days left until she reaches her fullest expression!

I don’t know what it is that makes me catch my breath every time I see them, but there’s something magical about moon shadows. When I am lucky enough to be outside when the moon casts her brilliance powerfully enough, joy bubbles up and I feel what I can only describe as childlike delight. Magic.

I took the photo above early in our walk tonight – well before the sun even approached the horizon. Something tells me, if we’re lucky to escape cloud cover over the next few nights, we’re in for some serious urges to howl.

A Little Forethought

Remember, full moons are the perfect time to release those feelings, thoughts, or perspectives on circumstances that have maxed out on their usefulness in our lives. As Grandmother Moon is already beaming her message of reflection to us in these days preceding her technical fullness, perhaps she’s encouraging us to spend a little bit of this Covid-19 isolation reflecting on what might not be working for us anymore.

Is there an attitude, a belief, a perspective on life that we used to hold very dear (and which may have worked well enough), but which might not serve us anymore as we adjust to a vastly different world? Is there a rigidity lurking somewhere within ourselves that we might release, perhaps by symbolically blowing it into a tiny stick and willingly sacrificing to a full moon fire?

Intention is Everything

Remember, a full moon fire can be as simple as a tea candle on a dish. The power of any ritual rests in our intention.

Perhaps we can take advantage of the next day or two to reflect on what we’ve experienced ‘enough’ of and wish to release. This month’s Full Flower Moon is arriving at a time when most of us are realizing that this – all of this, this new reality – is, indeed, real. And perhaps here to stay for a lot longer than any of us would’ve believed a month or two ago.

If we’re going to slow down and revel in the beauty and aroma of the flowers that are only starting to bloom in our lives, perhaps we better first clear out the dead beliefs about how things are.

(T-571)