Give your mind a timeout and come to your senses...

Normally depicted as a soldier at rest from the battle (Rider-Waite 4 of Swords Left) it is an indicator to us to take a mental timeout.  Because, let's face it, we're all fighting a mental war whether with ourselves, others or just problems in general. Like soldiers, if we don't give ourselves the space to mentally rest, we're going to lose the battle.  But in our everyday lives when we need it the most, we can't just lay down and take a break!  So what do we do...we come to our senses.  In the Tarot of the 78 doors 4 of Swords (see right), the answer was just leaping off the card at me.  What an ingenious way to depict the same message.  This blind man has to engage almost all of his senses just to do the things we sleepwalk through.  He has to be conscious by default!  So...when this realization came to me, I started experimenting with this newly discovered wisdom to see if it would really work.  One night, when it was my turn to do the dishes, instead of thinking about all the other things I could be doing, or wanted to be doing, or should be doing, I just felt the wetness of the water, the texture of the sponge, I became aware of the smell of the dish detergent, and the sounds outside.  While I was experiencing all of that...low and behold, my mind was no longer looping.  It couldn't go on and on while I was inhaling life through all my senses.  It was awesome!  You just gotta try it some time.  If you are thinking how hard this might be and don't want to offend your mind, try the letter below.  It worked for me...maybe it'll work for you!

Dear Mind,

First let me start by saying thank you.  I know you work hard for me and I know how exhausting that can be.  I also know that we've been spending an awful lot of time together and I think you need a break, as do I.  I've recently discovered I've been neglecting my other friends, sight, sound, smell, taste and touch and I really miss them.  Please don't get upset.  I'll just be laying you off for a short time so we can regroup.  Enjoy your time off!  See ya soon.

Denise

Happiness is a self serve affair...

In the last few weeks I've listened to people complain, myself included, about too much rain, too much heat, having to pack for vacation, their jobs, their family and the list goes on and on.  At times it appears we have become a society expecting our happiness to be served up to us on a silver platter (or in a cup as the case may be) and even when it is, we are still not satisfied.  Like the man in the picture, regardless of the fact that we may have a cup of health, a cup of employment and a cup of family, we're always in search of that other cup that will give us the happiness we're longing for to make our lives complete. 

So what can we do to jolt ourselves out of this state of apathy?  How about indulging in each one of the cups that we DO have and remember a time when we didn't... 

When I start to feel like this and say... my job is really pissing me off, I remember when I was unemployed and worried how the bills were going to get paid.  At times, when I long for some peace and quiet, I stand outside my house and listen to the sounds coming from inside and am not only thankful that I have a family to occasionally drive me nuts but the ability to hear them as well.  When my attitude really gets ridiculous, I dig deep and remember to be thankful for things like indoor plumbing, my washing machine, my dog who's always happy to see me and even the grass that sometimes grows too tall in my backyard (because it means I have a backyard for it to grow in)

Gratitude is a magical elixir that you can pour yourself whenever the need arises...so don't be stingy, pour until your cup overflows...

Bottoms up!

And you say that as though it's a bad thing...

Someone said to me today..."When I see The Tower card I always think it's a bad thing." 

My reply was, " guess you're not too fond of change or surprises and the Universe ends up blasting you out a window so you find out you can really swim and/or land on your feet!"

My personal belief is that there is no such thing as good or bad.  Just a judgment we place on a person, place, circumstance etc.  In hindsight, 99.9% of the time whatever event we labeled with such disdain ended up being a huge gift that changed the trajectory of our lives. 

So when I see The Tower, I say to myself "Self...there's something big coming our way so we'd better pay attention!"  What ever it is, whether an "Ah ha" moment or something uncomfortable that requires us to move beyond our comfort zone, our lives will be changed for the better.

So next time you get The Tower card in your reading, take a look at it from The Hanged Man's perspective...