We are all in this together.

I've started this post numerous ways. And I, verbose as I am, have no words for this.

Sometimes, I feel like some vital connection to all the other lives on this planet is slipping away. And that connection that used to be inherent must now be nurtured by all of us. Somehow, we have to see, really see, all those beings who need help, kindness, and compassion.

Many people, heck, all of us, are just a few tragic steps from becoming homeless or worse. So many beings (two-legged, four-legged, no-legged, winged) suffer daily. Sometimes, I have to close my eyes and ears and heart to some of it or I feel I will disintegrate in the sorrow and the rage. And yet, I keep trying to maintain the connection. I keep reaching out to others who need help in small and big ways. I live as cruelty-free as I can. And I try to leave any situation better than I found it.

Sometimes, the suffering I see debilitates me and I have choose between drowning in it and staying just a little apart from it so I can have the energy to help where I can. Damn. This is hard. I spent the weekend reading for over a hundred people. Many of them needed help in some serious ways. Many are trying to deal with surviving abuse and rape. And in those few minutes I had with them, I tried to help them. I gave them resources for therapists or crisis centers or just an ear, a shoulder and the knowledge that someone sees them - that someone sees and acknowledges how they have suffered and is grateful they are still here.

To slightly misquote the movie Rob Roy. "If they can bear to endure it, I can bear to be witness."

Here's what I keep telling myself. 

We are all in this together.

Thank you for reading.

This week's tarot: balance, strength, flexibility, compassion, passion, ebullience, and action

Balance, Strength, Flexibility. I could say these are words to live by this week. But then I'd have to add, action, passion, and compassion as well.

This draw of cards is pretty impressive, actually. You don't often see so much positive show up in one three-card draw. Let me go get my shades ('cause our future's so bright, I gotta go get 'em) and try to encapsulate this much awesome into a few lines on a page.

First card: The Chariot. Want to do something? Start it. Want to tell someone how you feel? Say it (from a place of balance rather than grasping, but yeah, get to it, go say it). If it doesn't work, at least you will know for certain one way or the other and you won't spend any more time wondering. The Chariot really means forward motion from a position of strength, balance, and purpose. Deep down, you know what you need to do. Even if it is scary, if you stay in your own peace of mind, heart, and spirit, you will say exactly what you need to say and do exactly what you need to do. There's no real reason to wait (except if you aren't in that peaceful place yet, then yes, I'd say wait until you are). So, if you have a decision to make, make it by Wednesday. If you have something you need to do, no time like the present to start. And if you have something you need to say, reach down deep, figure out exactly what the words need to be, state that you need to be heard, and say. the. words. It might not be terrific in the moment, but in the long run, it will be absolutely what you need. So, take a deep breath (or two or six), find your inner peace, make sure you are balanced, and then go!

Second Card: Queen of Cups. Compassion, tenderness, creativity, emotional fulfillment. All these can be yours, if you cut yourself some slack. Before you can show compassion to anyone else, you really might consider showing some to yourself. Drink deep from the well of your own emotions and see how they taste. Often, we extend courtesies, help, and love to anyone and everyone around us before we ever even think about doing the same for ourselves. The queen is here to say, find that light and love within yourself. Drink it in. Bathe in it. Give yourself all sorts of attention and then when you feel satiated, turn that love, generosity and compassion outward and marvel at the results. Oh and if you have been thinking about pursuing a new creative endeavor, wow is this the week to start. 

And to round things off, the Ace of Rods. Wow and wow. Begin. Leap. Play. Act. Create. Do. Jump. Start. Once you have the Chariot's strength and the Queen of Cups' compassion, you will find that all the universe lines up to take a leap of faith and begin the thing you need to begin. The time will come pretty soon and you will want and need to act. The important thing: take care of your needs, be compassionate to yourself and others and then the passion you feel, the dream you want to pursue will be made self-evident and you will have a window of opportunity from which to fly.

Remember: balance, strength, flexibility, compassion, passion, ebullience, and action. Those are the watch words of this week. Meditate on them. Incorporate them into your inner space and they will become manifest in your outer world. 

Be excellent to ... yourself!

Today's Cards: Queen of Cups, Seven of Rods, Eight of Cups. These speak to me of patience, of no regrets and of winning battles. What a fascinating combination. The Queen always speaks to me of creativity, compassion, and kindness. Since she is the the Queen, she also indicates that we should be showing that kindness and compassion toward ourselves. It's often easier to extend ourselves to others, to help them, to be there for them, but we often find it much harder to extend that same sense of patience and  compassion to ourselves.

So, today, I ask you, what is it that would make you feel cared for? What would it take for you to feel pampered and treasured? A bubble bath? Eating healthy food? Playing with markers and crayons and drawing your wildest and most fantastical imaginings? What do you need? See, here's the thing. Generally speaking, we do a lot of the must do's and need to get done's but we dont' spend time on the want to do's or wish to get done's. So, take a minute. Decide for yourself what you need and then go spend a little time on that.

I encourage you to do this because the Seven of Rods says you'll win the battles you need to fight. You've got this. So, don't worry. The Eight of cups says, you can feel free to walk your path without regret. You are on the right track even if you sometimes feel like you are walking an alien landscape. That landscape may look alien now, but it won't for long. All will be revealed if you keep following your deepest sense of self. Your desires, provided they are in your highest good, are on their way to being fulfilled. Treat yourself well, and it will happen.