Keep calm and carry on!

Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer

The quote at the top was the first thing that popped into my head when the King of Cups, Mr Steady, appeared in this week’s card of the week draw. It’s also a pleasant change from The Hanged Man of previous weeks. Oops! I’ve just remembered I was going to update that post with the reading I did to uncover why he was stalking me. Here’s what I discovered.

1. What is the importance of the Hanged Man in my life right now? The 6 of Swords appeared here – the rite of passage card. Healing from the loss of a parent is a rite of passage that must unfold at its own pace. Do not be in a rush to ‘get over it’.

2. What is preventing me from hearing the message of the Hanged Man? – 6 of Wands. Usually I see this as the ‘go you’ card, celebrating success and being cheered on. In this case, I feel the cheering crowd (my lovely family) may be so keen for me to heal and ‘’get over it’ that I’m not able to hear my own inner guidance on taking some alone time. There are days when I’m pretty much on a level with life in general and days where everything triggers tears and opens a deep well of sadness. Those days shouldn’t be seen as taking steps backwards – they are simply steps in the grieving process. I may need to coach my family into accepting that these days are normal. Feel the feels but without overwhelm.

3. How can I release any blockages? The Queen of Pentacles. What a beautiful card to look at, surrounded by nature. The days when I’m down can be eased by doing the things that give me head space and pleasure. There’s nothing more guaranteed to slow down the mental chatter than getting my hands dirty in soil. Starting the Spring tidying in the garden and greenhouse can give me the ‘alone’ time I need while literally grounding my spirit. Other activities I love, which are grounding and nurturing (like the Queen of Pentacles) are yoga, aromatherapy and baking bread. The end result is a flexible person, with a calmer mind, smelling fabulous and producing tasty bread!

Now that I’ve corrected my omission, I’ll look a little closer at the King of Cups for this week. He is Mr Cool, sat on his throne while the seas behind him are roiling. He reminds us that life and emotions are often turbulent, but we don’t have to get swept up in the storm. The trick is to keep calm and objective, avoiding moodiness (haha! Good luck with this menopausal woman!) or the urge to trap people in emotional thumbscrews.

Emotional manipulation is something I strive to avoid, having been on the receiving end before. However, the King reminds me that while emotional freedom for others is great, I have boundaries that need to be respected. Keeping a calm and balanced approach to boundary protection needn’t turn into a drama if I keep a level head, balancing the head and the heart with kindness.

That’s quite a tall order for one week, but not impossible. And it’s a four day week this week, finishing with a much needed 4 day break.

Next week’s post may be delayed until Tuesday as I take time out to get into the countryside and feed my spirit with nature!

Wishing you health and happiness.

Julie xx