It’s Sunday. The day I review my plans for the week, and I always start by first drawing a card from my favorite Tarot deck.
This morning’s card is the Four of Swords. Not pentacles for once. Something changed, hmm? Well, I’ll start by examining the card and trying to figure out some personal message the card has for me. I don’t recognize this mythological character, so that’s not helpful. He is sitting on a flat desert plain. Sitting cross-legged, like he’s meditating. His swords are lying on the ground. The meaning I pull from the image is that he may be tired of the battle and in need of some introspection. The sky is blue and the overall ambiance restful but lonely. So, I’m thinking this card is telling me I need to take time this week, away from my usual frenetic pace of work and family, to contemplate where I am and what I want. Let’s see what my little book says…
This is Orestes. I don’t know who he is, so I’m going to Google him. Orestes is the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon (of Trojan War fame). There’s a long story about his father returning home after the war with Cassandra, the seer, as his concubine. His mother conspires with her lover to murder Agamemnon, and Orestes, along with his sister, Electra, flee. He ends up living in exile (this desert plain) until he returns to avenge his father’s murder by killing his mom and her lover. He goes mad after that and is tried by the gods for the crime of killing his mother, but is acquitted. That’s who Orestes was. A son avenging his father and who goes mad. But this card depicts him when he was in exile, awaiting his chance to exact revenge. Interesting.
Back to the book (The Mythic Tarot), it says simply, that this is a time for “quiet recuperation and introversion” while I “build up strength in preparation for further efforts.” So, am I supposed to stay off the Internet? Keep my door closed to family while I contemplate my life? The recuperation of my hand continues. That fits. Keeping my head down, focusing on what I need to do while ignoring the “noise” around me? I can make that fit. The meditation and contemplation? Well, I do kind of go inside myself when I’m writing, so I can make that work, too.
For a chance to win your choice of one of my downloadable stories, tell me whether you ever take time away from “the noise” and what that looks like for you.
I’m attempting get back to as close to normal this week as possible, starting with Sunday being my planning day. Before I begin, I always shuffle my favorite tarot deck and choose a card to represent the week.
There was no shuffling, of course. I cut the cards again and again, then chose the top card. I revealed the Queen of Pentacles. Pentacles, again. Hmmm. So, I study the card. She’s pretty and voluptuous. Mature. She holds a gold pentacle in one hand and grapes in the other, so I can assume she likes her comfort. Is she supposed to be me? I’m not wealthy, but I live comfortably. Is she offering the grapes to others? I offer my “grapes” to my friends and family. So, what does it mean for me? Perhaps the week is about seeking and sharing comfort with my family. I like that thought.
Now, I’ll check the book. This is the Lydian queen Omphale. She purchased Heracles in a slave market. He was a rough barbarian, and she coaxed him into wearing rich clothes and enjoying the “comforts” she provided. She shared her largesse freely with him. So, my reading falls in line with the book’s. I’ll continue with a limited work schedule while my hand continues to heal and enjoy time spent with the family. I’ll pop for takeout and coax them into some sort of entertainment—a movie night, perhaps? We’ll chill. So, back to my calendar…
So, my question to you is do you have some sort of weekly practice that helps you sort out your week? Do you open your journal or planner and jot down appointments? Do you check the local theater schedule or make reservations at a restaurant? Do you own a tarot deck to help you “meditate” or divine your week? Comment for a chance to win a hand-painted bookmark!
It’s Sunday, and I slept in. Wish I hadn’t. My dd woke me a little while ago to ask me a question, interrupting a dream about me baking a lemon cake and wanting to add poppy seeds, but I had no poppy seeds, so I collected mouse turds to put into the cake. Is that a prescient dream? Will I be that mouse-shit crazy when I have dementia?
Anyways, it’s Sunday, which means it’s time to brush up my weekly work plan and balance my checkbook. After that, I might just kick back and do nada! Before I begin updating plans, I’ll pull a tarot card…
The Nine of Pentacles. Hmmm. What does the picture tell me? Well, Daedalus (you know, father of Icarus who flew too close to the sun?) is standing behind an impressive stack of gold. The grapes are ripe and abundant. He’s wearing a gold gown rather than his usual craftsman’s apron, so he’s celebrating, right? What does that mean for me? Will I have a “good money” week? I’ll check the book. It says, this card is about reward and achievement. That it “augurs a period where one might be justifiably pleased with oneself…” I’ll take that. Now, I actually have to do the work to earn that card!
So, I’ll be updating things, and maybe tackling the rabbit cage (I guess I’m still thinking about those mouse turds). What are your plans for the day?
Just as an FYI, I’ve got friends popping in with posts this coming week. You’ll want to check them out: Leah Braemel, Genevive Chamblee, and my cousin, Brent Archer!
I’ve said it before, but I pull a tarot card on Sundays as a part of my planning for the week. Just one card to interpret.
For Christmas, my lovely son-in-law had a very special gift he’d been eager to give me. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, he’d say, “I saw it, and I just knew it was perfect for you!” When we opened our Christmas presents, he watched to see me unwrap it. As soon as I did, I wore the biggest smile because he’d totally nailed it. He’d found this box of Next Generation tarot cards, which combine my love of woo-woo with my nerdy love for Star Trek.
So, I’m not sure how useful they’ll be in the future (I think they’ll likely sit in my curio cabinet with me Star Wars figures), but I shuffled them this morning and pulled just one card, and…
I couldn’t believe it! Out of 78 cards—Worf! Swear-to-God, hand-on-my-heart, WORF! I could’ve pulled the three bars of latinum (Star Trek currency), and it’s just a picture of three gold bars, and I don’t know what I would’ve “read” from looking at the card—but I got Worf!
So, as always, I concentrate on the card itself—what the picture tells me. Worf is naturally the card of Strength. Worf is a warrior, through and through, with a strict code of honor that he adheres to. When he loves, whether friend, family, or lover, he goes all in and he’ll always have your back. When he engages in a conflict, he’s not going in with diplomacy in mind, he’s going to kick ass. So, for me, this week, I’m going in to kick ass!
I checked the accompanying book to see what it had to say, and basically, I will overcome all kinds of obstacles with my indomitable will. Check
Which is exactly what I hope for. I began last week roaring in on my New Year’s ambitions. However, by Wednesday, I was sick with a virus—hacking cough, headaches, runny nose. Not COVID! I did a home test, and then the doctor did one on Friday. Now, I’ve got a mountain of pills to take to kick the infection. I’m hoping today is the last day I’m dragging ass, and that I’m going to “Worf it” this week!
Do you love it when something cool like that happens? Some lucky draw of the card or something just falls into place like it’s supposed to?
As I’ve said before, I’ve been pulling cards on Sundays to try to make it part of my planning process. On Sundays, I update my work and personal plans to ensure I record what I accomplished and didn’t, before turning my sights on the coming week. It’s not that I “believe” in the tarot, but the practice reminds me of aspects of my life I wouldn’t otherwise consider when I set my plans. So, onto this week’s card…
Wands! I love wands. Let’s just look at the picture first. Here we have Jason of Greek mythology. If you remember, Jason was sent on an impossible mission to retrieve the Golden Fleece by the king who had usurped his father’s throne. Knowing he’d face many dangers, Jason formed the Argonauts, a group of heroes, to accompany him. In the end, he defeated mythical beasts and supernatural warriors to take the fleece. This picture depicts him carrying the fleece while his warriors appear dressed for a celebration behind him. So, what does all that mean for me? I think it means I’ll conquer some beast this week and that everyone around me will give me attagirls. I have no clue what that beast might be, perhaps it’s a small one (meeting all my goals? cleaning my office?!).
Maybe I should consult the book… Okay, I did pretty good. The card represents triumph and recognition from others. As for Jason, he’s not quite done. He still has to deliver that fleece… Hmmm.
Y’all have a wonderful week. If you’re bored, you can always come see what’s happening here. 🙂 ~DD
It’s Sunday morning, and very, very early, which is nice because it’s quiet. On Sundays, I like to start my weekly plans update by pulling a card and asking how my week will go.
This is the card. Let’s talk about the artwork here, first.
I want to ask the guy on the card where he got the gown because my daughter would love it as a nightgown—the color’s perfect for her red hair, and she loves those empire-waisted nightgowns. The grapes suggest wine, the pentacle circles look like small kegs sitting on their sides. To me, just looking at this, I’m thinking Thanksgiving is going to be fun.
The 9 of Pentacles means you’re ready to enjoy the well-deserved fruits of your labor. It depicts Daedalus—you know, Icarus’s father?—the guy who made wax wings then flew too close to the sun…? Yeah, that guy. Well, daddy was a skilled craftsman. His son might be toast, but he’s earned a good life for himself. I’m down for that! 🙂
For those celebrating Thanksgiving—here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday!
