Seven of Disks and Six of Swords
The cards pictured are from the Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck.
This week we move into the sign of Virgo on August 23, until the September 23 Equinox. Our cards help us transition to a new season with awareness and power.
Our first card is the Seven of Disks, also known as Failure. Even though this card can bring up fear and resistance, it’s a genuinely positive card.
The Seven of Disks means we are open to taking risks. We are about to learn more than we ever could if it was only blue skies ahead. However, we can still feel wary of its energy.
Failing is a messy business. It is hard, uncomfortable, and scary. Whether it is a failed relationship, business, or personal goal, we doubt ourselves when we fail.
We think there is something wrong with us and we are doomed to fail forever. We cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and how we feel now is how we think we will always feel.
But as annoying as it sounds, failures make us much wiser and stronger than successes ever could. They teach us how to love ourselves regardless of our outside circumstances and they teach us how to persevere when faced with heartbreak.
The truth is, nothing is wrong with you. Failure happens to everyone regardless of what you see on the outside. Everyone is struggling. Relationships end, money is lost, and ventures don’t work out.
However, it’s what we do next with those failures that determine our experience. It hurts to fail and we have to let ourselves feel that. We need to mourn whatever we lost.
But we should also let ourselves feel proud, we were brave enough to try something. We were vulnerable and we took a risk, we should feel good about that.
Take time to evaluate what happened. We can ask ourselves these questions: How can we grow and change to be more successful next time? How can we be kinder to ourselves when we do fail? And how can we manage our fears so they don’t lead to inaction?
These are all questions to contemplate when we are faced with failure. Working with these questions will lead us to more strength and wisdom as we move forward. They will help us build a more loving relationship with ourselves.
The Failure card has seven coins in a pattern that looks like eyes peering toward us. There are also beautiful dark blue feathers that create a lovely pattern. I have always seen these coins and feathers as the face of an owl.
Owls have long been the symbol of wisdom. And to me, that is what failure is all about. Failure speaks to the difference between being smart and being wise.
Wisdom is a deeper more intuitive feeling. It comes from experience and age. When you share wisdom, people gain insight into their own experiences and avoid painful mistakes. Failure makes you wise.
Our next card is the Six of Swords, and it brings us greater objectivity. Much like a scientist, we are able to sort through the evidence and make decisions based on facts. We can zoom out and see with a birds-eye view, removing our personal biases and grasping situations with clarity.
Imagine we were on a boat that just went through stormy waters. The seas tossed us around and covered us with salty water. We may have felt confused as we were unable to see through the fog and clouds.
There was a great deal of anxiety as we held on tightly to our vessel. But the sea finally calmed and now we can see clearly. The calmer waters allow us to reconnect to ourselves. The fog has lifted and we are making our way to dry land.
On land, we have a clearer view and are able to make difficult decisions more easily. We are able to connect to our logical thinking and make choices from a non-anxious place.
Before, we felt confused and stuck, but now we are able to choose things that will bring us stability and happiness based on this clearer perspective.
So put these skills to use this week. Focus on areas where you have felt stuck and use the energy of the Six of Swords to sort through the blockages.
Perfectly aligning with the energy of Virgo, now is the time to organize, de-clutter, and plan. The balance of emotions and intellect also makes us able to navigate delicate situations or conversations more easily. The Six of Swords will aid us in thinking and speaking with precision.
Mantra for the week: A willingness to make mistakes makes my life bigger and bolder. From a place of clarity and balance, I am powerful in all my endeavors.
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