Shake it Off
For today’s woo, I asked the cards about what’s ailing us collectively. What’s out of balance? There was no mincing words with this one. Too many of us have given ourselves over to our own worst tendencies, particularly expecting or even coercing others to do the work that is our own to do. But we fool no one more than ourselves when we think we can get away without paying the price for this particular trick. Our normal strategy for refusing to face up to the truth that the mistake was ours from the beginning — to try and strong arm control when our softer manipulations fail — has long been exacerbating the problem. Collectively, we’ve reached a breaking point.
Today’s draw:
Heart (Queen) of Wands
The Devil
Sky Father
Innocence (Page) of Pentacles
Deck:
The Naked Heard Tarot, by Jilian C. Wilde
Accustomed as we are to alternately ignoring our problems or punishing others for them, it may feel like too little to respond by taking a step back and being more modest about having the answers. But remember: it was the idea that we are the masters, we have the answers, and others are the ones who need to do the work for us that got us into this mess in the first place. We would do well to shake off our old habits and consider humbling ourselves in the face of our mistakes. Rather than taking our favorite lash to ourselves instead of others, however, why not try something different for a change? There can be something tremendously freeing in approaching learning like a child, when we know we don’t know and are open and excited about learning. More to the point, however, children still haven’t lost sight of the goal: their eagerness to play with new ideas isn’t just a game. It is a fierce desire to be independent and capable, to be able to grow and engage with the world skillfully themselves, without letting anyone else do it for them.
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