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. 

Work and play in equal measure.

Today's cards: Strength, The Fool, Ace of Rods. Wow, these cards are perfect for me today. I've spent the last few days sick as anything, barely moving, and feeling like death warmed over and then left out on a table to be feasted on by ants. This morning, I have finally have energy and a bit of strength. This morning feels like things are brand new, like there are all sorts of possibilities out there just waiting to be grabbed with both hands. And I'm gonna! It's so appropriate to have drawn these three cards today because that's really what they mean as a triad.

The Fool talks about taking a leap of faith, starting on a new path, jumping off the cliff into the uncertainty while have the belief that things will be well. No, perhaps not well. Perhaps they will be even better than just good. Perhaps they will be stupendous, fantastic, and wonder-licious. And even if they aren't, if we stay present to whatever happens, like the Fool does in his innocence, why then, it will all still be good because we will still be in that moment of living our lives, moving toward our purpose, and staying flexible to whatever life brings us.

I know, I know, it sounds like a bunch of hooey, but stay with me, here. What if we just try to take everything in as it comes towards us? What if, instead of stressing about the might-be's and ought-to-do's, we just relax and go with the flow? A friend of mine says that cats can be our greatest teachers for of that lesson. She says that cats know the Way and they are always in it. Take a look at the image of the two sleeping kitties http://folknouveau.com/izolda/kittiesway.jpg. What if we were all able to relax and just be like they are? What if we all had the strength to know that we would handle things as they came instead of needing to worry about them (excessively) and plan for every eventuality? See, because that's what the Strength card brings us today. It brings us the knowledge that within ourselves, we have strength. We are strong enough to be pliable when we need to be and that our strength can come from within. Our strength will always be a force to be reckoned with as long as we stay in that peaceful place. Like a river that gently wears away rock, our flowing motions will eventually bring about revolutionary change.

The Ace of Rods is a call to action here. The action, of course, is up to us. For me personally, today will be a hit of the reset button. Many of my personal projects came to a close last week. And then, I promptly caught a severe stomach bug. But today, I feel rejuvenated. I feel refreshed. I am not 100% but that Ace helps me take courage and reminds me that I will be fine. I will find the energy and vitality to do my work and play on this planet. The other cards remind me to take the leap of faith of that and to remember to be strong in my own flexibility and confident in my abilities and spirit to get the job(s) done.