MAY 2018 TAROT READING: THE FIVE OF WANDS & THE FOUR OF SWORDS
“It makes a difference, doesn’t it, whether we fence ourselves in, or whether we are fenced out by the barriers of others?”
Today I'd like to talk about wheel spinning: the message brought to you by the Universe for May 2018.
We pulled the Five of Wands and the Four of Swords, two cards that have fairly explicit metaphors presented in the images.
If we first look at the Five of Wands, we see a group engaged in a stressful conflict, with all their wands going in every direction. There's no method to their madness, and it's clear that everyone is trying to work independently on something that's going to need the consensus of the group to accomplish. (Well, unless they were all to throw the wands to the ground and be done with the whole thing.)
In these situations we feel as though we've got the pedal to the metal, without realizing we're in first gear, so all we're really doing is spinning our wheels, grinding our gears, and getting absolutely nowhere.
There's no forward movement despite the chaos and energy and perspiring that's happening.
Especially if you're running your own business, at the helm of an important creative pursuit, on a deadline, or simply in a "need to get stuff done" moment in your life, these situations can feel more acute, more awful, more frustrating because we feel powerless and impotent to some larger going-ons that seem to be thwarting our efforts.
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Looking now to our resting man on the Four of Swords, we're shown an image of rest, contemplation, introspection.
It's funny - this month's tarot reading feels like an easy one to interpret, but a difficult lesson to put into practice.
The lesson that I take from the pairing of these two cards is that when we're spinning our wheels, we need to stop. Whether that's putting the thing away, closing the document, excusing ourselves from the call/meeting/dinner, we have to completely stop the pedal pushing.
Oftentimes when we're in wheel spinning mode, we want to push through because a) we know we need to get the thing done and, b) we're on deadline and we don't have time to take a rest.
The thing about this lesson is that you need to take the break if you want to move forward quicker/easier - whether it's going for a walk, taking a nap, reading a book, or doing a workout - whatever you do you need to truly empty your mind and put everything on pause if you want to have a chance of breaking through it when you get back.
While you're gone turn your internet off, reset your router, shut down your computer (or clean up your workspace, turn off your phone, send everyone on a break, etc.), because it could be that one thing that dissolves the resistance and will have you back on track when you sit down to it again.
Once you force yourself to take a break you may find that you'll go faster, and you'll get more stuff done. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but often true.
You know when you're having one of those days when you wake up to 100 emails that you forgot to respond to the day before, and you're scrambling to get out of bed while your body is screaming for another hour of sleep, then you put salt in your coffee instead of sugar, and then your hot water is broken so you can't shower... on days like that when everything feels more present, more heated, more pulling on your attention - those are the days when you need to go for a 45 minute walk without your phone. Everything can wait. And if they can't wait, well then that's their problem, not yours. This lesson applies to them as well!
Paint your nails (actually maybe not, because you're going to get it all over your fingers and do a horrible job and be upset about it), walk your dog, do something that doesn't require any work. Go to the beach, go to the park, go to the gym, and then when you come back you'll find that the flood gates have (perhaps) opened. And if they hadn't, try again because the Universe is begging you to let go of your attachment to the ends you're working towards.
Bottom line: whatever it is you're trying to get through, if you keep coming at it from the same angle, you're going to be met with resistance.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
The other part of the message is the spirit of competition.
There might be a competition on the horizon, a job you're trying to get, a client you're trying to sign, and now is the time to assess your plan and hone in on the tactics you're thinking about using. Don't do anything, just write down your plan and consider the outcomes you want. Mediate on the feeling of winning whatever it is you're trying to win/achieve.
The second half of getting there is the action stage, but right now the universe wants you to be in a more contemplative state.