Gift ⭐️ Five of Wands Rx + Eternity
This week is all about working through conflict and finding ways to connect instead of isolating. The Five of Wands Rx shows us that the arguments and inner conflicts that we think will keep us stuck forever are actually just temporary. In the moment, it can feel like the thoughts that are plaguing us - or the disagreements we find ourselves embroiled in - are insurmountable. How can we find common ground when our views are so clearly opposed? How can we ever find our way beyond the pain and anger that certain people arouse in us? When we find ourselves stuck in this way, it can help to look at where we are applying pressure, which corresponds to where our attention lies. If you continue pushing against something that won't budge, you will only tire yourself out at best and at worst you'll work yourself into rage or despair.
Challenge ⭐️ Two of Cups + Reward
Our challenge then is to find a different way of relating to the people and things that upset us. The Two of Cups is all about connecting with another person (or part of yourself) from a place of loving compassion. The Reward card from the Oracle of Oddities reminds us that this way of approaching things is in itself a gift. Instead of thinking about what we deserve to get out of an interaction, whether it's the acknowledgment that we are right, or something else we feel we are owed, what if the interaction itself was the only reward we needed? Even (or especially) with the people we find it hardest to connect to, practicing radical kindness is a gift that can lead us out of any impasse. This doesn't mean letting people mistreat you. Practicing kindness may simply mean deciding to show up for a difficult conversation. Or deciding to allow yourself permission to *not* show up when it comes to people who are toxic in your life. Whichever you choose, if you can do it with kindness for the other person, and especially for yourself, you no longer need to keep beating your head against a wall.
Advice ⭐️ Three of Swords Rx + God
The Three of Swords upright speaks of the kind of pain or angst that seems so embedded in our hearts that it feels like a permanent part of us. Reversed, though, we are finally able to let those swords that have hooked us fall away. You don't need that pain anymore. It isn't serving you. Let it go. Again, by shifting where you are placing your attention, you can release yourself from what has been keeping you caged. Remember to look beyond yourself, look out instead of in, look up instead of down. Tap into the life force of all that is good around you, the webs of love and grace, the communities that support you, the light that is always somewhere in the darkness, if you only remember to look for it.
Tarot deck used: The Wild Unknown
Oracle deck used: Oracle of Oddities
