daily draw

Moderation is The Key

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes in length, and focused on enlightenment.  During the guided meditation, it discussed how when one seeks enlightenment, you will never find it, for you cannot “be complete” if you are still searching.  Ie: if you are always reaching for more than where you currently are, you are not fully in the moment of the present.

Today’s draw is the fourteenth card of the Major Arcana, the Temperance card.  As with all the cards of the Major Arcana, this card deals with “the big picture” rather than any one aspect of life.

The Temperance card is about balance.  It is about being rooted and patient, at one with the ebb and flow of life.  It is about balance and moderation.

I’m still having a small bit of a problem getting my “creature comfort spending” under control, and the Temperance card has appeared to let me know that a part of finding that control in this area involves finding balance in all areas.

Stop fighting.  Stop struggling.  Stop reaching.  There is no pitting one side against the other, as when they are in true balance, they are equal.  The Temperance card says that I can have my cake and eat it to, but only if I do so in moderation.

The Harbinger of Change

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Today’s meditation was nineteen minutes and forty-three seconds, and was a four-stage yoga nidra by Sadhana over at Integrative Healing on Youtube.  The guide (Sadhana) walked the listener through a full body scan before reaching the awareness out to the surroundings, and then eventually back inward again. It was very relaxing.

Today’s draw is the thirteenth card in the Major Arcana, the Death card.

Death is the harbinger of change. Not the chaotic type of change that would be indicated by the Tower card, but more in the spirit natural progression wherein something comes to fruition and moves on.

Is there any chance that it could be the pain in my mouth and swelling in my jaw?? Just kidding. Although, that would be nice. The natural progression of that, though, probably won’t start making an appearance until tomorrow.

The presence of this card is a reminder that change is a natural part of life. Whether it’s small things, or large ones, everything changes over time. We get old. Seasons change. Life moves on. And that is what the Death card is all about.

I’ve been going through a wide righty of changes lately, from the return to my spiritual practices to even yesterday’s surgery. There’s a reassurance in knowing that sometimes changes happen just because it’s a natural progression of things, and not as some chaotic upset pouncing to throw everything out of whack.

The Death card’s appearance may also have to do with the fact that I am currently going through sugar withdrawal. I cut back sharply on my sugar intake two days ago, and with the surgery that I just had done I’m not allowed to eat anything solid for another 24 hours. This means that unless I want to binge on the Creamsicle ice cream in my freezer or apple juice in the fridge (which I don’t), I am SOL on resolving the withdrawal and will instead have to just ride it out.

This is actually a good change, I think, considering my recent cholesterol results. If I can get through the withdrawal before going back to solid foods, perhaps it’ll help me in staying away from things like packaged cookies and crackers and crap like that.

Reassuring Stability

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Today’s meditation was not guided or timed, and incorporated deep beating exercises with a mindful focus on the breath.

Today’s draw is the King of Pentacles, which represents a solid, fatherly energy, personality, or person in the area of money, resources, and the physical world.

Although the King of Pentacles is a strong alpha energy, it is the kind of energy that provides comfort and stability.

The King of Pentacles came to me this morning to reassure me. I go into surgery today, which is a bit stressful. His appearance is here today to tell me everything is going to be okay.

Don’t Get Sucked Into the Whirlpool

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes and fourteen seconds, and focused on the environment, and how we can care for the environment by focusing on the now and what we do in the present in order to foster a better future.

Oh look! It’s me. It’s funny because the original Rider/Waite/Smith artwork for this card has a woman sitting up in bed with the nine swords stacked on the wall, but her face is resting in her hands. The depiction in the deck, on the other hand, is a woman holding her head in her hands like she has a headache. And, that is exactly how I woke up this morning.

The Nine of Swords Is a representation of fruition and consequences In the area of the thoughts, communication, instinct, and logic.

I believe this ties into The Moon card from yesterday, and this cards aspect of consequences, as the Nine of Swords often indicates that you are letting your worries and anxieties get the best of you and cloud your judgment.

Yesterday’s card (The Moon) warned about taking action without seeing the full picture. Here today we have the Nine of Swords indicating that I don’t have the full picture, as well as pointing out to me that I am stressing out and worrying… and that as a result, I am creating a sense within myself of being overwhelmed.

This card message is to remind me that I need to take a breath. I need to sit back and separate my worries from the facts, and move forward only once I have the correct research in place.

Never having had high cholesterol before, this is a dietary issue I’ve never had to deal with. This means that I have quite a bit of research to accomplish in order to get back on the right track. With my surgery coming up tomorrow and my orders due to go out on Friday, this doesn’t leave me a lot of room for other interests and distractions.

The Nine of Swords is telling me that instead of sitting in my mind and stewing about what’s going on with my health, I should just move forward with the best, most healthy decisions I know of at the moment, and then deal with the research once the next couple of stressful days have passed.

Move Your Ass

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, And focused on the Japanese theory of kotsu kotsu. This translates into “step by step”, and as a reminder that happiness isn’t reaching the end of the journey but rather is found along the path you take to get there.

Today’s draw is the Eight of Wands, which is a representation of quick and energetic forward movement in the areas of one’s passions and enthusiasm, inspiration, and spirituality.

It represents not just determination, but the forward movement that that determination creates. This is a fire card, as in… “light a fire under your ass”.

The Eight of Wands is a good card for me today. I woke up late and I have been running behind ever since. Today is all about the business and getting my order is ready to go for tomorrow. There’s so much to do on Mondays and Thursdays, and when I fall behind like this morning, it just makes it that much harder to get everything done.

Today’s card is telling me that if I bear down and focus on my goal (getting my orders done and everything ready for tomorrow), I will be propelled forward in that direction.

Are use the word propelled for a reason. There are times when I hit my Mondays or Thursdays with all the determination I can muster and yet I feel like I’m moving through quicksand. No matter how hard I try to catch up (or keep up), it never seems to happen.

The Eight of Wands tells me to stay focused, and that if I do so, today will not end up being one of those days.

Appreciating The Now

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes, and focused on fostering awareness within the present moment.

They titled this guided meditation as “awakening”, with the perspective that one awakes from their internal focus to the awareness of the world around them. This is a take on mindfulness that I had not heard of before and was interesting to incorporate into my meditation today.

Today’s draw is the Ten of Cups, which is a representation of completion, transcendence, and possible excess in the area of emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity.

The Ten of Cups is all about emotional fulfillment and contentment, and its appearance today is a reminder to be aware of just how good Things are in my life right now.

I have so much…. a truly bountiful life. I have people that love me, a comfortable home, the opportunity in my life for creativity and self expression.

As is often the case, my focus is usually pushing towards the future, my goals, and what’s next. A visit from the Ten of Cups this morning is a reminder to pay attention to, and appreciate , all of the blessings currently in my life and to not focus solely on what lies ahead.