Friday, October 11, 2013

10/12/13-10/13/13—Loving Home

Weekend Reading: House/Heart/Lady from the Wicked Sibyl. This trio can be read a few ways. Home is where the heart is. Her home is lovely. She loves her home. But no matter how you say it, it's all about the home love this weekend. So make plans to not make plans. Do something to beautify your home. Make it a loving home. Give good energy to this structure that serves you so well. Your home reflects who you are, inside and out. So since change and growth was the theme of the week, consider that, if you change something in your home, your body and spirit might follow. I know when I throw away clutter, I feel less cluttered inside. So do something good for your home this weekend and do something good for yourself. 

DAILY DRAW NEWS!!! I'm taking a week off from writing and posting my blog—the first time in the history of the Daily Draw. If you're reading this on Facebook or elsewhere, that means you'll have to visit www.tierneysadler.com if you want to read every day. I'll still have fresh posts up every day, but they'll be classic ones, hand picked for your week. :)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

10/11/13—Making a Plan and Moving Forward

Today's Draw: Eight of Rabbits (Wands) in the What You Can't Change position from the Badger's Forest Tarot and the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you ever use "I'm strategizing the steps I need to take toward growth" as an excuse to remain inactive? Or are you more likely to move toward growth with no plan at all? And how's that solar plexus chakra of yours doing?


Today marks the final element in our spread for the week. Here's what we have so far:

Question: How can I make growth a more peaceful process?

What You Can Change: You can change the way you approach growth. Instead of waiting until things get so painful you HAVE to change, you can take a kinder, gentler route. 


Action: Change your mindset from one of "avoiding the pain of change" to one of "following hope", then you will naturally move toward growth instead of avoiding it. When something has to change, that means there's no hope left in it. Hope only lies in growth and change. Follow hope. 


Underlying Influences: Consider that, when you're avoiding, you're bringing the energy of avoidance and fear into your "next new thing". Ask yourself if you want your new beginning to be born in a stew of negative energies or positive ones. 

What You Can't Change: Moving forward toward the hope doesn't mean you move forward mindlessly. Still take the time to consider your game plan and each move along the way. 

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty impressed with the way this spread worked out. I think it rendered some solid advice in regard to the question. And, considering all the positions and cards were chosen at random, it pretty much covered everything perfectly. For those who aren't well versed in tarot, hopefully this week illustrates the way the tarot weaves a "story of advice" for whatever question you may ask. 

Now on to the geeky things for tarot readers (and a little more of the reading). First, if I were laying this spread out all at once, I probably would have moved the What You Can/Can't Change cards together. But as it turns out, the wisdom of the way the advice was revealed can't be questioned. Which is to say that today's combo came to us in a sort of "now that we've got all that said, be careful not to move forward without a direction" kind of way. 

And that is what the Eight of Rabbits wants to say. It encourages us to be brave and use thoughtful action in pursuing growth. Sometimes we can use, "I'm thinking up my game plan" as an excuse, but we do have to make a game plan and really define where we want to go. 

Both of the cards that talk about hope (photo below)...the ones in the Action and Underlying Influences positions...have a significant amount of yellow in them. Yellow is the color of the solar plexus chakra, the chakra that governs self discipline, personal power and confidence. It is the chakra for being proactive. Issues in this chakra can lead to addiction, excess or inaction. So having yellow in the two positions of the spread that are encouraging action suggests you pay attention to your third chakra and keep it open and clear because its current state is acting as a barrier to reaching your goals. 

I also perceive a lot of upward motion across the five draws, suggesting a need to get out of the weeds and move further toward our higher selves. Surrendering to growth is certainly one of those ways. 

So that's the week's reading. I included all the geeky notes to illustrate things people might want to consider as they grow in their tarot practice. Noticing consistencies across cards is one of those techniques that can turn you into a better reader. It's really whatever stands out to you. For example, another reader may not see upward motion in all five cards. But because that notion revealed itself to me, I said something about it. It's not that I'm right or wrong, it's what intuition reveals. 

Next week is going to be an entire week of classic posts at the Daily Draw. I'll have some spotty internet connection and, rather than worry about it, I decided to just schedule a week's worth of posts in advance and take the week off. 


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

10/10/13—Shifting the Energies of Change

Today's Draw: Ace of Fire from the Dark Goddess Tarot in the Underlying Influences position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you believe the energy you bring into a situation, shapes the situation? What kind of energy are you bringing into change? Are you following hope?

We're doing an entire spread this week on the Daily Draw and so far we have:

Question: How can I make growth a more peaceful process?

What You Can Change: You can change the way you approach growth. Instead of waiting until things get so painful you HAVE to change, you can take a kinder, gentler route. 


Action: Change your mindset from one of "avoiding the pain of change" to one of "following hope", then you will naturally move toward growth instead of avoiding it. When something has to change, that means there's no hope left in it. Hope only lies in growth and change. Follow hope. 

And today we find out what the underlying influences are that drive the need for peaceful growth. Change and growth are going to happen whether you try or not. But why, outside of the obvious, do we benefit from being proactive and following hope?

The Ace of Fire comes to remind us of the energy we bring into any undertaking. If you go peacefully and happily, you will surround your prospects for the future with the energy of peace and happiness. If you go kicking and screaming, however....

I remember some advice I got many years back, "make sure you're running toward something, rather than running away from something." Going peacefully and happily is "running towards". And going because the pain of staying trumps the pain of leaving is a kind of running away. When we finally arrive at our place of growth, will the energies we bask in be pure or will the lingering scent of fear, avoidance and escape sour them?

We are the source of creation and destruction in our own lives. The Ace of Fire tells us to honor that source by keeping the energies of it pure. We're careful of what we put in our bodies because we want to honor what we've been given. We avoid reckless behaviors. So why would we willingly or willfully disrespect that source by trying to deny it growth and expansion? Why would we disrespect the higher source that sent us down here by refusing its gift of hope?

Personally, I've never considered the energy attached to the kind of avoidance I've practiced in my life. My current career as a freelance writer was something that was begun pain-free in surrender to the elements of change. In fact, the weeks following the decision were some of the most peaceful and happy of my life. I felt connected to the all that is. I didn't go in fear. Like the Fool, I lept in complete trust. 

But if I one day tell the story of some of the changes I want to make in my life today, so far the story would read, "yes, I made it, but it was a long, painful road to get here." Is that really how I want to think and feel when I pursue my passion this time around?

So what really lies at the crux of peaceful growth is not just a more pleasant journey. It's the energy the journey brings to the new beginning. If you believe in manifestation, like I do, the universe delivers to you based on the way you think and feel about something. Fear and avoidance are toxins. Which reinforces yesterday's advice... "follow hope" instead of the toxins. What we think about our future and how we perceive the journey toward it will shape the future itself. 

For me, it's getting harder and harder to justify any resistance to change. How about you?

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

10/9/13—Following Hope

Today's Draw: Six of Wands from the 1969 Tarot in the Action position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you have a good reason why now is not a good time for growth and change? When, do you think, is a good time? And if that good time never comes, are you good with that?

This week we're doing a full reading at The Daily Draw and here's what we have so far:

Question: How can I make growth a more peaceful process?

What You Can Change: You can change the way you approach growth. Instead of waiting until things get so painful you HAVE to change, you can take a kinder, gentler route. 

So now that we've discovered what we need to change, today we'll be covering how to proceed. Now, I offered some suggestions yesterday, but what today's card suggests is that we can re-language the thought of growth in our heads and/or break our mental habits surrounding it. 

The 1969 Tarot book defines the Six of Wands as "hope, even for the deaf ones". The first thing that occurred to me when reading that is, when it comes time to make a change in our lives, the only place you'll find hope is in the growing or changing. So when you're holding on to the known and comfortable and refusing to grow and change, you're holding on to situation where no hope exists!

That was a lightbulb moment for me, because when I think of it from that angle, standing still takes on a whole new light...or lack of light actually. Why would we hold on to hopelessness or a hopeless situation? Whether it's a job or a relationship, that realization alone can help you reframe the entire situation and change the way you approach it. 

So the idea is to re-language the idea of growth and change from being a scary, challenging process to something along the lines of "following hope". 

A further thought I had was that the "deaf ones" referred to above are those who "have good excuses" for why they can't change or grow. Let's face it, it's there's never a "good time" to grow. So if you're waiting for all the circumstances to be right, it will never happen. 

The voices in our head that tell us it's a bad time or that someone needs us or XYandZ have to happen before we're cleared for takeoff on our growth, they're all bullshit. So the deaf ones are the ones are the ones so deafened by their own excuses that they can't hear hope above the din. And what "hope, even for the deaf ones" means is that, no matter what your excuse is, the only place hope lies is in leaving your current situation behind. No excuses. No buts. No further discussion needed. The simple truth is that you're choosing hopelessness over hope. Add that truth to your excuses and you should be able to quiet them down. 

The way I see the figures on this card, the Batman in the foreground seems committed to the voices in his head and refusing to hear the sound of hope so close by. Superhero indeed! Would rather focus on fear than step into the light. So the next time an excuse rears its ugly head in your mind, say "I choose hopelessness over hope." Because that's what you're doing. See how long you can live with THAT. 

It's time to grow the eff up (like we said yesterday) and follow hope. 


Monday, October 7, 2013

10/8/13—Growing the Eff Up

Today's Draw: 10 of Swords from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm in the What You Can Change position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you go into change and growth kicking and screaming? What can you think of to change that pattern this time around? Would making a contract or a list of action items help you?


This week we're doing something different at The Daily Draw. We're doing a spread using my Deck of 1000 Spreads. Yesterday we determined the question for the spread—How can I make a growth a more peaceful process. So today marks the first answer in that spread. 

For the geeks out there, what I've done is I've gone through my Deck of 1000 Spreads and pulled out just the positions that seemed like they would be helpful in answering this question. And from those cards I randomly chose What You Can Change. This is the process I'll use all week. 

The Hidden Realm 10 of Swords pretty accurately pictures a normal way of going about growth—refuse to grow for as long as possible, then in a fitful huff, finally make the move you could have made months, if not years, earlier...haha. As Barbara Moore explains in the book for the Hidden Realm, Morrigan has had enough. And so she swoops down in a violent rage and puts an end to all the "should I or shouldn't I?" and other waffling that keeps us stuck. 

It's funny that this card came up, because yesterday I stated that I usually wait until the pain of growing is less than the pain of staying the same. Which is exactly what the Morrigan represents. In many ways, getting to the point that you go out in a blaze of glory or anger or whatever works. We know it works. Sooner or later the skin you're trying to molt becomes stretched so tight that it just bursts. 

But we didn't aks how to get to the end of our rope and change/grow as a result of pain. We want to grow more peacefully. And today's draw is saying that, in order to do that, we can't wait until the problem reaches 10 of Swords proportions. We have to be more proactive. 

In a way, it's the "grown up" way to go about things, right? It's not that the other way doesn't work, but it's all the wasted time and energy spent along the way. So instead, why can't we chart a course for change? Why can't we take baby steps in our growth and do something just a little differently today? In a couple of growth areas I'm attempting right now, I'm kind of doing that...taking baby steps. The change is moving along slowly, however. 

To pick up the pace, it occurs to me that I just have to move through my fears. That's what I'd end up doing in the 10 of Swords situation anyway, right? So why not just bite the bullet now? Or chart a more aggressive course for those changes that are harder to do all at once? I know I've found in the past that writing things down helps a lot. When you see it on paper with all the steps enumerated, it looks doable. It's more like running errands than altering the entire space-time continuum of my life. 

Sometimes we need to just grow the eff up and stop being a baby about the changes we face before it's too late, you know? What other ideas can you come up with to change the whole "wait until I can't take it anymore" approach to growth?

Sunday, October 6, 2013

10/7/13—Resisting Growth

Today's Draw: Tree + Lilies in the Question position from my Everyday Lenormand and the Deck of 1000 Spreads, both available at www.tierneysadler.com. Is there something you need to shed in order to grow? How are you approaching the situation? When has the process of growth been peaceful for you and why do you think that is?

This week we're going to do something completely different at the Daily Draw. In our own, day by day way, we're going to do a complete spread. For close to a year now, I've demonstrated how we read cards in positions using the Deck of 1000 Spreads. But not all my readers know tarot. And some are beginners. So this week, we're going to see how an entire reading comes together. 

Every reading begins with a topic, question or intent. So I purposely chose the Question card as a way to reveal our question. Lenormand is read in pairs with the first card being the noun and the second being the modifier. So Tree is about health, wellbeing and growth. And Lilies is about wisdom and serenity. I could have formed a lot of questions from that combo, but the question I'm not sure I've ever addressed here is: 

"How can I make growth a more peaceful process?"

Here's why I like that question. I tend not to make changes until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. So things have to get painful before I will shed my safe cocoon of the "known" and dive into the unknown of whatever is ahead. I can see that happening in a couple of areas of my life right now. I can feel my skin stretched to the limit like a snake ready to molt. 

Growth requires change. Sometimes it means shedding certain friends. Or a career. Or a mindset. Or a dress size. And that shedding can be painful. Sometimes it means you have to hurt or disappoint others that you care about in order to keep moving forward. And it always means jumping from the known into the unknown. It's no wonder we will avoid it. 

In fact, I know I have a tendency to put other projects in front of it just to to delay it longer. "I can work on that anytime, but right now this living room really needs painting." So I'll consider colors a month or two, then drag my feet on the painting and, before I know it, a year will pass by without progress on my growth. And the skin I'm shedding will grow tighter and more uncomfortable. I think it's a behavior most of us are familiar with. 

So today's entry revealed the question and the other draws this week will give us some insight on how to answer it. Until then, consider where you need to grow right now—is it in your career, home life, personal life, spiritual life, relationships, what? Look at where you're avoiding or otherwise causing more pain in that process, and why. And also look at those other, more benign projects you're avoiding and ask yourself if you're using that project as an excuse not to grow. 

For me, some areas of growth happen painlessly and quickly and other things are things I really drag my feet on and extend the discomfort of. I think I can confidently say that what lies at the root of all of that is fear. My next round of growth requires changing so much—my career and lifestyle, to name a couple of things. And I KNOW the other side of the growth is going to be a much better place for me all-round. In fact, it's probably exactly what I need to feel fully connected to source again. But I also know that what I have right now is comfortable and known. Knowing that my current way of being is no longer big enough for my molting self makes it that much more painful to hold on to. 

Does this sound familiar to you? What part of your life are you becoming too big for?