The cards pictured are from the Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck.
The Eight of Swords and Prince of Disks
We are entering a new month this week and welcome a Full Moon in Leo on February 5th. Both cards help us find clarity and wisdom as we move through the days ahead.
When the Eight of Swords comes up in a reading, something is interfering with the natural flow of energy. We may feel stuck and that there is a block. This interference may cause us to slow down, feel confused, or not know how to move forward.
The Eight of Swords wants us to check in with ourselves. Are these blocks coming from inside us? Do we feel tension physically or mentally? Or are they coming from outside us? Is someone blocking us from reaching our potential or adding toxic energy?
In traditional Chinese culture, Qi is the vital life force that flows through everything. When we feel healthy, Qi is believed to flow freely through the left and right sides of our bodies. If we have a block in energy, we might feel sick, have muscle pain, or feel low emotionally.
You can work with your Qi by visualizing energy flowing freely throughout your body without any blockages. Drinking plenty of water and moving in ways that feel good also supports this work.
Spend some time thinking about your blocks this week. Try to back away from the places you feel stuck and instead focus on where things move with ease. Changing our focus will bring more positive and free-flowing energy into our lives.
It is no use hammering away on a blocked door if it does not open. Once we back off, then we can gain perspective and connect to places that feel lighter and more fruitful.
The Swords rule the mind and communication, so another way to work with the card is by writing down your thoughts to find more clarity. Express what is overwhelming you, make a list of your plans, create a budget, or journal your affirmations.
Using the written word to let out what is in your head will bring a much-needed release. Articulating what you feel and organizing your thoughts will be powerful tools for healing.
Our next card is the Prince of Disks. He sits on a cumbersome chariot pulled by a large but determined bull. At his back are boulders of different sizes that push into his skin.
The boulders represent our past and the pain we have experienced. We cannot let go of the hard times behind us, so there they sit as we carry them along our path.
We could feel depressed by the number of struggles we have gone through and our inability to fully let them go, or we could embrace it as something that makes us wiser, stronger, and more compassionate.
I think this card can speak both to our personal and collective pains. We feel heavier because of everything we have been through. But we are also more aware and, hopefully, more loving.
We have grown in our empathy and our perceptions of life. We can feel and see things we couldn’t before. We know how to support people in ways that match what they truly need. We also can see through deceptive and corrupt actions.
Traditionally, the Prince of Disks is slower moving and he takes time to make decisions. He does this in order to think deeply about what is his next step.
The pains of his past have given him wisdom and insights. He uses this knowledge to think through all the scenarios and what could go wrong.
With the Prince of Disks, we tend to be smarter in the choices we make. We do not fall for the same mistakes and we put our relationship with ourselves first. Similar energy of the Leo Full Moon, we feel confident in our abilities and decision-making.
One warning with this card is to be aware of falling into a pattern of overthinking everything. Our past can make us overly critical and we can feel like inaction is the best choice. So, be on the lookout for any stalling behavior. We must still make decisions, even if we take more time to do so.
Mantra for the week: I embrace my past as my teacher and feel full of wisdom. I invite organization and clarity to my world.
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