1/23/13—Grabbing a New Rope

Today's Draw: The Seven of Staffs in the "What to Leave in the Past" position from the Glastonbury Tarot and the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you wish you could just snap your fingers and have a different life? What do you need to let go of so you can grab ahold of that thing you'd rather have? What keeps you from doing it? 

You'll be seeing me use my Deck of 1000 Spreads here more often, I imagine. When tarot readers do full readings for their clients, they usually have the context of a spread position to help them focus their reading. Most blogs just choose a Card of the Day, as I have for the past two years. But adding the context of a spread positions gives us a bit more information about what the cards are trying to tell us. 

Before I get to today's message, I found a curious package on my front porch today. It was curious because it wasn't the size or shape of anything I was waiting on from anywhere. And it came by FedEx, instead of the mail. Inside was the book that goes with the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Now, I've been pretty cool about this whole thing so far, but seeing my name on a book for the first time...well, that's something special. The other day I was responding to someone in the UK about my deck and I checked the book stores I usually buy from in England and they had it for pre-order. Seeing your idea spread around the world is pretty cool, too. And knowing your British cousins (my mom was from England) can walk into a store and see your product on the shelves...wow. 

My book and deck will be sold in a kit with a box. It seems everything is printed and now it just needs to be assembled and shipped out to sellers. I started on this particular journey about two years ago. And now it's this real, tangible thing that the biggest tarot publisher in the US, Llewellyn, is going to send all around the world. And people will know my contribution to this art/skill that I've dedicated so much of my "hobby" time to 25 years. And one day I hope to do the same with the kind of writings I've been doing for you for the past couple of years. Today I'm quite grateful to the universe. :)

Yeah. I wrote that book. I'm cool. 

So, on to what we should leave in the past. At first glance, you're probably thinking, "huh? Leave courage in the past?" That's what I thought when I first saw it. I thought I was going to have to really spin today's entry...haha. But I don't. Because each of the wands that's burning in the fire is the baggage of the past. The man has transferred the energy of his story, his mistakes, his pains and the other aspects of his psyche that have caused issues in his past and present. And he's thrown them in the fire. No more crutches. No more excuses. No more holding on to outdated versions of who he's supposed to be. 

By doing this, he's cleaned the slate and created a vacuum for new things to rush into. In tarot, there's a popular spread or reading layout called the Celtic Cross. And one of the positions is "Greatest Hopes and Fears". And the cool thing about this position is that the card that appears here is usually something we both hope for AND fear. Life often brings that irony...the thing we most want is the thing that scares us the most. 

This clean slate thing is one of those things we both want and fear. We want something new in our lives, but we don't want to let go of what's familiar and predictable first...we want to keep it in our grasp in case the new thing doesn't work out. Even if we hate the old thing. Letting go of one rope that's keeping you in the safe and familiar, just so you can grab another that's going to swing you god only knows where, takes a lot courage. 

So today's card combo is telling us it's time to let go of that baggage and grab on to the new rope and go where it guides you. I started letting go of the old rope a number of years ago when I started committing myself to teaching, writing this blog and working on my people and leadership skills. And when I reached inside that package that landed on my front porch today and pulled out a book with my name on it, I knew the old rope was gone and I had now grabbed on to the new rope. 

I've been preparing for this all my life, in one way or another. I suppose it's possible this will be the only book I write...the only public "product" I create...but I think I know in my heart that this is just the first crack in a dam that will one day burst forth with something only vaguely resembling the quiet, invisible life I have now. 

So it's time to gather up my staffs and ready more of my past attitudes, limitations and false beliefs for the fire. If I want to do more and serve more with my words—which I do—I have to rise to my ambition. I don't have to be there tomorrow, thank god...haha. But I at least have to light the flame. 

What are you being called to burn away?