March 11, 2011 - The Three of Wands/Three of Pentacles

I am at an interesting place in life.  I suppose we always are, but some moments, some situations seem particularly full of possibilities, like that time after high school when life stretches before you and nothing seems certain and nothing seems impossible and of course you're going to do it right the way your parents didn't.  Fifty-two seems to be one of those times.  My daughter is graduating high school, close to embarking on her own.  I still have good years of work left and my creativity is at a steady burn.  I could move and taste life at another place, let that geography soak into my being and alter me.  I could still do many things.  My cup is still more than half full, or at least could be.

That was my state of mind when I picked my cards, one for the reading and another to clarify.  The way isn't clear ahead (when is the way ever really clear), so I've been peering into the mist, trying to discern where I might be headed.  So the Three of Wands is actually an interesting and appropriate card being, as it is, a card of foresight and leadership.  This is a man who stands on the cliff edge like the Fool, but leaps in full knowledge of what he wants and the price.  The Three of Wands moves fearlessly into new areas, boards the distant ships and sails boldly wherever they are headed.  That tells me that I will have to leap not knowing where I'm headed.  I will have to have faith in myself, in the inherent goodness of life, in the belief that whatever and wherever life takes me, I'm exactly where I need to be.  I couldn't have done it before my heart attack and bypass surgery, but I think I can do it now.

I probably didn't need to pick a second card.  I actually didn't pick it; it picked me.  The Three of Pentacles is about teamwork, planning, and competence.  This is actually a good reminder for me that life is a collaboration and futures are made hand in hand. It also requires some planning, although, that said, it would be a mistake to think we could plan exactly where we are headed and how we will get there.  Still, God helps those who help themselves.  I need to be ready for the coming future, so I can leap fearlessly.  I need to plan and prepare for my future, for it is coming.

May I be ready.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 - The Ten of Cups

Today I got a "precautionary" pink slip.  I knew it was coming but that didn't make it easier when it came.  And I found myself near tears again and again, not because I don't think I'll find some work, but because the last few years have been hard and I wanted work, at least not to be.  That said, I will confess I continue to have difficulty with change.  Even knowing change is inevitable, irrevocable, doesn't make me hold on to things I want any less tightly.  You'd think I'd have gotten used to keeping a loose grasp; you'd think I'd be prepared to have things ripped from my hand for no better reason than because.  Alas, no.  I hold to friends, love, and apparently to work long past done.

So I turned to the cards when I had a bit of distance and perspective and this is what I drew - the ten of cups.  When this card shows up in a reading, it often signals a time of abundant blessings.  It tells you to reach for the blessings you deserve and they will come to you.  This is a card of peace, joy, and family.  All in all, not a bad card but a reminder, I think, of what is important.  The job is good; I like it, and it helps give us what we need as a family but it's not the most important.  That was the thing, sitting problem solving at home this afternoon; it all boiled down to we will make it work, regardless.

The ten of cups reminds us that joy is our birthright.  It was a good reminder on a day like today.