Spiritual Sunday #4

Introduction

Man, does this ever look grim. (Maybe I should stop doing these things. Maybe ignorance really is bliss.) I honestly wasn't expecting something this bleak after the recent ones -- so this was a disagreeable surprise. I've seriously thought about doing this one over -- hoping something happier came up.

The last time I considered that was the reading that came up for my website's free Ezine on September 11, 2001 -- four hours before the planes hit the towers. Everything was still relatively normal -- and life was different. The cards for that day though gave a very disturbing and sobering message. As I said, I considered doing them over.

But I decided, "It is what it is" ... interpreted it ... and published it. After all these years, I still have it somewhere. I should maybe drag it out again some day and show you what disaster looks like in three cards on a table. Moments like that give you a respect for this craft like nothing else ever will.

Which is why I'm looking askance at this one. Anyway -- here we go.

These cards literally scream Burnout!! That was the word that came when I turned them all over. It will be interesting to see how the story plays out. Given that some of the recent readings have been about stepping back, doing self-care, centering yourself again -- I truly expected something more encouraging. (I've been racing with some new ideas I'm pretty excited about. I don't feel that dissonance yet. As I said -- we'll see what happens.)

This week's layout

This week's theme

The Empress Rx = being creatively blocked, feeling burned out & exhausted, unloved & unloving, unappreciated & undervalued, a serious need for self-care & a new perspective, time to give concerted care to your emotional & physical health -- before things get a lot worse

Ordinarily I might spin this to say ... give yourself some extra rest, downtime and encouragement. And that advice still holds, but it may not be enough -- for a while. It's the other cards and their surly scenario that make this one especially striking. This week, the Tarot has turned into a Dutch Uncle ... saying, "I'm not kidding even a little. You better listen. You need to stop mistreating yourself."

This week's personal issue

10 of Fire = you are carrying all you can handle; you have an excessive work load / too many responsibilities; you are weighed down almost to the breaking point; don't take on anything else.

This card and its meaning are pretty unequivocal. As a kind of backstory, it often depicts a situation where you can do things better than anyone else -- so you get loaded down with excessive chores and commitments because ... you're strong & capable & you do excellent work. If in there you hear how you've become a victim of your own success -- and all this "extra stuff" on your agenda is because you're so accomplished / efficient / skilled / able, etc., then you've grasped the meaning of this card -- at long last.

No one else can do what you do as well as you can (are you too much of a perfectionist?) / as fast as you can (can you delegate anything?) / as economically as you can (are you working too cheap?), etc. You may have been nickle-and-dimed into this situation one little extra chore at a time -- but together they're becoming impossible to manage ... and you're about to reach critical mass.

In fact, that's the next step in this sequence -- breakdown, collapse, chaos ... and from that comes a new beginning, a fresh vision, a new start. But, sadly, it often takes this to get there So the advice from here is basically -- if things are coming apart, if the center won't hold, don't keep trying to maintain the impossible. Let it dissolve. When the dust settles, pick up the pieces -- and rebuild. Be discriminating in what you take on -- and remember this experience. Try not to do it again.

This week's emotional issue

4 of Water = being withdrawn, bored, burned-out, "not interested," unmotivated, emotionally & creatively stagnant

You may have too much going on to consider taking on anything more, or you may be recovering from an intense time of running yourself ragged. Either way, you're so stunned & exhausted all you want to do is sit and stare into space. You need to realign your focus, decide what's really important to you -- and take some steps to come alive again ... before too long.

Meanwhile, don't get tangled up with anything that doesn't really excite you or that you recognize from the start just "isn't you." The fact that you seem idle, that you have "a lot of time on your hands" for whatever reason may bring invitations (or hassle) from people who want help or who want to put you to work on their projects.

Don't say "yes" just to keep the peace -- or get rid of them. You need some time to yourself. You need some space. You need to find your creative drive again -- and that's unlikely without some time, rest, serious contemplation & realignment with your authentic direction Create conditions that invite that. Consider that your job now ... period.

This week's intellectual issue

10 of Wind Rx = resisting an inevitable change; being in denial about what's actually going on; not facing the truth of your situation; avoiding the "fresh start" which is the next step in this progression; dealing with serious hurts and injuries; holding onto a painful past

This 10 reversed is frequently the result of a serious disappointment, failure or betrayal. Some "discovered truth" -- either recently made or soon to arrive -- puts your entire way of looking at life in a completely different perspective. Objectively, it's a better situation because at least you're dealing with "reality" now. But the calamity of this revelation / admission / realization, etc., can be an absolute bitch to cope with.

Something you devoutly believed & invested a lot of faith (& yourself) in turns out not to be what you hoped for at all. Something (or someone) stands revealed as not at all what you thought it was. The concept of "betrayal" is very significant in this card's interpretation. Things like broken promises, infidelity, business failures, someone conning / using / taking grossly unfair advantage of you, leading you on, etc., are part of this energy.

About the only good thing you can say about them is ... they finally release you from situations / ideas / efforts / alliances that were not going to work ... & unfairly drained you of too many resources. (At its worst, this card can mean physical death ... meaning literally drained of life.) This week may bring some really terrible news -- or a change of mind and attitude that hits the "reset" button completely.

(Egad ... is this awful enough yet?)

This week's practical issue

4 of Earth = ground yourself, take care of your assets, spend wisely, focus on economy & value, protect your interests, keep what you've earned, don't waste anything

This card can indicate you are putting too much emphasis on money, that you're obsessed with income / budgets / expenses / "cash flow." It shows you have "enough" -- but that there is no leeway. You can stabilize yourself / take care of yourself / meet your obligations -- but just barely.

You're doing a lot to "keep it together" -- but your inability or reluctance to take appropriate risks (or even breathe easy) may hinder you. You have enough to take care of yourself / your loved ones / your lifestyle, etc., today -- but there's always tomorrow ... and it will be here before you know it.

Final notes ---> Two tens, two fours and The Empress reversed. These are all indications of stagnation, being stalled, treading water, barely holding things together -- maybe. But the tension and exhaustion are palpable. Life itself does not stay like this. Life never stands still. So we're on the edge of a major tipping point -- as I said ... "reaching critical mass."

When it finally goes over the edge, or dissolves, or collapses, or releases ... the results may be extremely challenging. (Not worse than what you're handling now though, TBH. Just different.) The rendering back into "raw materials" will let you rebuild -- and improve -- and be smarter and different. But it may be a while before you see and believe in that silver lining.

Time for some changes. See you Tuesday.