28th

When Tried and Tested disappear...

It’s 'FeelGoodFriday' today and so I’ve once again turned to the Fairy Wisdom oracle deck for a positive and uplifting message with which to send us into the weekend. Today it is the Fairy of Creativity who has come forward to ask us to put our creativity to good use against a problem or situation that has been challenging us. Nothing is insurmountable, everything has a solution if we are prepared to look at it from a different angle.

Tried and Tested are good friends to have. They help us navigate our way through most days. They are reliable, can be trusted, but recently they seem to have been absent which means we are facing a sticky situation alone. And that is why the Fairy of Creativity has appeared today, to remind us that even when friends are absent, there are others to who we can turn.

It is Unproven and Speculative who are out of the box today, telling us to let our minds roam free in the pursuit of a solution. There are many different ways we can solve a problem if we are prepared to look; to find the money to pay an unexpected bill, get to somewhere without our car, achieve both our work and family commitments without letting anyone down. In my case I’ve been struggling all week with the problem that a well known online publisher will now only let me order author copies of my books from America, making the cost prohibitive. I’d done nothing, hoping Tried and Tested would come back next week, but now a nugget of an idea is forming. I’m not sure it’s a long term solution, but it’s definitely a short term one, and short term at the moment is all I need. It buys me time until Tried and Tested return.

So today think outside the box. If what’s worked in the past is not working for you now, don’t wait for things to change, or accept defeat. With the help of the Fairy of Creativity, and her friends Unproven and Speculative, let your creative mind wander and come up with something else that will work for you instead.

27th

Use your advantage

When I drew the Scorpion from the Animal Wisdom deck I knew that I had to turn to the Thoth tarot for the second card. There is an intensity about the imagery on the Thoth tarot which you don't always see in other tarot decks. The cards, rather than guide, dig deep into our consciousness whether we want them to or not. Aleister Crowley, the creator of the deck, was of course a very intense man, and in turn evokes intense feelings, but few people realise that it was not him, but Frieda Harris, the artist of the cards that was the driving force behind the deck. She wanted an outlet for her art, and so asked Crowley to create a tarot deck based around the book of Thoth, his own driving passion. Crowley agreed, not only because Harris knew his passion, but because she knew his weakness. He needed the money.

The cards today tell us that if we want something to happen, we must find a way to get what we want, even if this means we have to strike hard, fast, and if necessary, low. We have to target not only the desire of others, but also their weakness. Use their own needs and wants against them, if we have to. In short we have to do what it takes, even if that means playing dirty. We may not like the idea, but life, though we may wish it to be so, isn't always fair. And if there is something we want, and I mean really want, we cannot sit on the sidelines and let an opportunity pass us by when there is a way we can get it.

We all have something to lose. And sometimes we have to turn it to our advantage. Because we can be sure that if push came to shove, others would not hesitate to turn their advantage on us.

26th

The difference between giving up and letting go

There’s a difference between giving up and letting go. Giving up suggests defeat and failure, we have failed to achieve what we set out to do, lost the opportunity to make something a success. We have allowed events or a situation to overcome us, it has been more powerful than us and we have had to stop. Letting go on the other hand means acceptance, it puts the control for how we react to events in our own hands. We have the power and have used it to make the decision to stop. Although different, they are two sides of the same coin.

At 4 o’clock this morning, the time of the day when my body clock dictates that my mind is at its most active, I decided to give up trying to arrange a meeting. I wasn’t trying to arrange it at that time, I’ve been trying to arrange it for the last two months. But for whatever reason, the attempts have been fruitless, and so I came to the decision that I was just going to give up trying. And that left me feeling irritated and annoyed that I’d not only wasted my time, but I’d delayed something I wanted to do.

But what if rather than giving up I’d let go? In deciding I’m not going to keep chasing for a meeting, I’ve taken control of my time. In not trying to arrange the meeting with them, I’m now free to find someone else. The difficulties I’ve encountered were a sign from the Universe that this was not the right time, and they were not the right person. It’s taken me a while to listen, but in letting go rather than giving up, I’ve not stopped but started. Started to take control and started to take action. Giving up and letting go may be two sides of the same coin, but they lead us to completely different places in our minds.

25th

A bump in the road

It’s Tarot Tuesday so today I’ve turned to a different tarot deck from my collection, one I haven’t used for a while. It’s the Pagan Tarot by Lo Scarabeo. It’s a modern deck, in so much as the imagery is taken from modern life and although the basic meanings of each card are the same, it is supposed to help us equate the meanings more easily with our day to day lives. I’m not usually a fan of modern imagery in tarot cards, but I like the art on these cards, they kind of have a feel of 1970s America and remind me of Saturdays as a kid watching American TV programmes which always seemed more modern than British TV.

But anyway I digress. The first card drawn is The Chariot. The standard meaning of The Chariot is forward movement, but here we’ve hit a bump in the road. When I look at this card I always think we’ve broken down, but that maybe because my husband has a Citroen 2CV and I’m used to breaking down on motorways. We may have just stopped on the side of the road, paused our journey taken a bit of a break.

I’m going with broken down though, because of the other two cards in the spread. The thing about breaking down when we are on a journey is it seems like the end of the world, but the reality is it’s a temporary setback and we always get moving again. This maybe under our own steam when the car is repaired, or in a recovery vehicle. We are never stuck on the side of the road forever, and that’s what The Chariot is saying. We’ve hit a stop in our journey, but it’s not a hard stop, just a temporary one.

The second card drawn is the Five of Cups. Fives are turning points and cups relate to emotions, so it suggests we need a rethink. We don’t really want to change our mind, we’re quite happy with what we are doing and that’s why the Universe has dumped us on the side of the road. It’s a cosmic wake up call. It’s the Universe’s way of forcing us to stop and think. There may be another way, a better way of getting what we want. And we need to stop what we are doing so we can assess if what we are doing is working.

The final card drawn is the Ten of Wands. Tens signify completion and wands, action, so we are definitely going to finish the journey, and get to the destination that we planned. What I like about the Ten of Wands in the Pagan Tarot is that two of the wands are on the ground, as are two cups. That rethink the Universe forced us to have has meant that we have discarded what we don’t need. Which has made the journey easier. That minor problem that we ignored and which meant our car wasn’t running smoothly has been fixed and we are on our way again. And it’s a much smoother ride because we’ve got rid of the problem.

What do we need to leave behind?

When a lizard feels threatened, it sheds its tail. It does this to distract any predator that is chasing it, the predator is distracted by the tail, which continues to wriggle for a few moments, and the lizard makes its escape. The lizard feels no pain through this process of self amputation (there is another name for it but I can’t remember what it is this early in a morning), and a new tail grows back causing no ill effects to the lizard that can live to fight another day.

This survival skill, if what comes naturally can be classed as a skill, came immediately to mind when I drew the second card today, the seven of swords from the Rider-Waite. One could say that the image is exactly the same, a man makes his escape carrying five swords, whilst leaving two behind. If he had tried to carry all seven swords, he is likely to have either been caught by the soldiers in the distance, or, if they had got close, drop them to make a run for it. In leaving two behind, he can make his escape much more easily, giving him a greater chance of survival whilst still gaining something.

The cards are telling us today, that in order to move forward we have to leave something behind. We can’t take everything we have gained from the past, even though it may have benefitted us and we are attached to it. By clinging onto everything we currently have we can’t get what we now need and we may struggle to move on. It has served us well, but now is the time to let it go.

I read a quote on Facebook last week, in fact I think I shared it. It said “you can’t keep one foot in your old life, and put one foot in your new life and expect change.” If we want change then we have to let go of something we have, even if it dear to us, for otherwise there is no room for anything else to take its place. It’s tough to hear, and tough to let go, but if we want something new we have to let the present become the past.

24th

23rd

Take me by the hand

Aerionul appears for the second time this week, continuing the trend of the last couple of weeks where the same cards appear over and over again. When this happens, it is the Universe’s way of telling us that we are not listening, not seeing the signs we are being shown. We always have the choice to listen or not, if we don’t the Universe will get the message and move on, but first it will check, ensure we have the opportunity to follow the guidance if we choose.

Aerionul suggests we need to lead or be lead, to take someone by the hand, or have them take us by the hand, and show, or be shown, the way forward. But which is it? Is it us who needs to lead or us who needs to be lead?

Today I turned to the Thoth tarot for the second card, which suggests that it is us who needs to be shown the way. The Universe was drawn, the final card in the major arcana, the card that signifies completion and the end of a journey. But have we realised this? Do we know this phase of our life is now at an end?

We go through many, many phases in our life, some last years, others last months or a matter of weeks. We will be living through several phases at the same time, they run parallel to each other but not in tandem. One may end as another one is starting and we are in the middle of several others. And because of this we do not always realise that one phase has run its course. One phase has now ended, and we either haven’t realised or are choosing not to notice. And the Universe is now stepping in because it is not in our best interest to repeat this same cycle twice.

Very soon someone will enter our life, take us by the hand and lead us forward. Be willing to take their hand, for it is in our best interest to do so.

22nd

Are we suspended in time?

Three cards from the major arcana today which is rare in a three card spread. Cards from the major arcana always signify major events, so today’s guidance is important, and the tarot asks us to think deeply on the message the cards contain.

The first card drawn is the Devil. When the Devil appears it is a sign that we feel trapped in a situation. The chains around our neck are binding us to our present, but if we look closely at the card, the chains can easily be removed. It is us who are remaining in a situation which we can easily leave if we choose. We always have the freedom to choose our own path, but so often in life we put up with the way things are, because it makes us feel secure.

When you draw cards every day, the cards tell a story, encompass themes over a period of days and weeks. Two days ago I drew the Grasshopper from the Animal Wisdom deck, and the four of cups from the tarot. The Grasshopper represents freedom and the four of cups suggest that we are ignoring a path we are being offered. The Devils appearance today reminds us again, that freedom is a choice which we do not always choose to make.

The Hanged Man, the second card drawn, gives a possible reason why. The Hanged Man often suggests we need to look at a situation from a different perspective, but also represents sacrifice. In the Bible, Peter asked to be crucified upside down as a further punishment that he had denied Christ three times. Are we refusing the path of freedom, because we feel we owe it to someone, or our past self, to keep things as they are? Is potential happiness in the future, and the acceptance of the risk change means, a worthwhile trade for the stability and security we have today?

The third card drawn is Temperance. Temperance suggests we are exploring change but are not yet committed to making it. If we go back to the image in the Devil it is like we have loosened the chain a little further, and are looking to see if the Devil has noticed. We are dipping our toe in the water to see what could happen, but can easily go back to how things were if we find the water too deep. The cards suggest that freedom can be taken, but warns that the price of freedom is never known now but in the future.

There is a difference between contentment and happiness. The cards today suggest that we are content with our lot in life, but that we could be denying our true happiness by keeping things as they are. It is down to us to decide whether contentment is enough. But though the choice is ours, the cards are sure of one thing. We are at a crossroads now and have to make a decision soon. For sometimes in life we have to commit, one way or the other. We cannot remain suspended in the what if.

Say Yes!

My fiftieth birthday was in the first lockdown, and feeling sorry for myself because my birthday celebrations in Gran Canaria had to be cancelled, I wrote a book called Fifty Ways To Feel Alive. It contained fifty ways to get the most out of life and I spent an enjoyable couple of months researching different ways people used to squeeze the max out of each day. Like most things I do, as soon as it was finished I hit the publish button and didn’t think much more about it (maybe I should start advertising it a bit more as it is a good book even though I say so myself), but I do remember the fifty ways, or most of them anyway. And one of them is to say “Yes” for a day.

It’s an idea taken from the yes days that are popular in the US, where for one day a year parents say yes to their kids instead of no. Yes you can have ice cream for breakfast, yes we can go to the zoo, yes you can stay up until 10 watching TV. Although the concept may sound alarming, and there has to be ground rules before you find yourselves maxing out the credit card on a trip to Disneyland, the reasoning behind them is a sound one. In constantly having to say “No” parents often feel as though a day is a battle whereas saying “yes” means more collaboration and a greater understanding of the child’s wants, needs and thought processes.

But a yes day doesn’t have to be between parent and child. We can give ourselves a yes day too. If we think about it we find ourselves saying no internally a lot, and it is such a negative word. “No, I’m not going to wear that red top to work, because everyone else wears dark colours and I’m going to stand out.” “No I’m not going to have that biscuit because I’m trying to lose weight.” “No I’m not going to go for a walk at lunchtime because I’m too busy.” “No, I’ve no spare change.” “No I can’t help you with that as I don’t have time.” Saying no becomes a habit, puts us in a bad mood and makes us feel as though we’re in a battle with the world.

Today the Fairy of Spontaneity is asking us to have a yes day. A day where we say yes instead of no. Wearing what we like, doing what we like, helping others makes us feel good about ourselves and opens doors that we may not normally venture through. It can broaden our experiences whilst also making us feel positive about life.

If we say yes to life, life will say yes to us.

21st

20th

Freedom can be our enemy and our friend

An interesting combination in the cards today, as on first appearance they almost look as if they offer a contradiction. The Grasshopper reminds us that we all have the freedom to choose what we believe, what we think, what we say. We can make up our own mind on a situation, not be swayed by what other people want us to think or do. Freedom of choice is our right and we should always exercise that right because nobody else lives the life that we live.

And yet the Four of Cups from the tarot suggests that we are refusing to accept or allow other thoughts or ideas to take root in our mind. There is potentially another view that we could take, that may alter our opinion. We have every right to reject it, we have the freedom and the right to do that, but the cards are asking us today, is that in our best interest? Because ironically in not opening our minds to other views, rather than being free we are trapping ourselves in our current beliefs.

Freedom if not used wisely can imprison us, it can be our enemy as well as our friend.

Are you an expert?

I rarely watch mainstream TV, not only do I not trust a word that comes out of their mouths, but even what passes for entertainment these days has a narrative and an agenda. If I do happen to catch a few minutes of it though it tends to be either breakfast TV when I’m back from the gym or the news when I’m having my lunch. Neither of them are by choice but I don’t always have control of the remote! And in the fifteen minutes or so that I watch there is usually an expert being interviewed.

We seem to have experts in everything these days. Money saving, cleaning, decluttering, couponing, budget travelling, airfare dodging, time saving, marital bliss, marital strife. There was a time when someone achieved expert status by years of study and experience in their subject. But these days anyone can set up a website and become an expert in anything. And then get interviewed by mainstream media who tag expert onto their name to add weight to what they are saying and disguise the fact that they have paid some random person a few hundred quid to say a few words on the topic of the day.

There is a difference between being an expert and having expertise in something. We may not be experts, very few people in reality are, but we all have expertise in various subjects. And today the cards are suggesting that we may be approached by someone to share our knowledge or skill. It’s likely to be something tangible, they do not want to run an idea by us, or ask us for our thoughts. They want to tap into our expertise, to ask us to talk through what we have done, the lessons we have learned, what worked and what didn’t. We are being recognised for something others believe we are good at. It’s a compliment not a label.

19th

18th

You can't see the wood for the trees.

There is a saying ‘to not see the wood for the trees’. It means that we are so focused on the day to day tasks that we are doing that we forget why we are doing them. Today the giraffe asks us to remind ourselves of our goals, to revisit what we want to achieve in the long term, and to assess whether what we are doing right now, at this moment in our life, is helping us get there.

Adjustment, from the Thoth tarot is the Strength card in most other decks. At first it may appear to be very different, but Strength in the tarot does not mean force, or power, but the quiet strength of working with those who may oppose us to find common ground. Today what may be opposing us is not a who, but a what. Time itself, for we are so busy managing the present that we are not working for the future. Alongside the giraffe it suggests that we may need to change what we are currently doing if we are to achieve the end we desire. To stop thinking only of getting through the day, or the week, but instead focus on what we need to do today to be where we want to be in a years time. And work for the future we want today. For “someday is a disease that takes our dreams to the grave”*

*Timothy Ferriss