Good grief, what a week I've had of negative Tarot-card pulls! The Tower (unexpected catastrophe), the Three of Swords (heartache), the Eight of Swords (trapped). Lenormand echoed the same with The Fox (deceit) and Coffin (loss). By the weekend, I was starting to get a little antsy. I thought, "Is someone close to me going to die?" "When will the tears start?" "Who's deceiving me?" I'd ask what I needed to know for the next day, and I'd pull a not-so-happy card each time. I admit, my anxiety kicked in a little bit.
Then, last night, I asked the same need-to-know question and pulled the Three of Swords. Again. Alright already!
I sat at my desk today and thought about how I felt when I pulled that card last night: a little overwhelmed, a little disconnected, disheartened. Then, how do I actually feel today? Wonderful, happy, productive, content with my life, excited about new changes in my home and creating my sacred space. Could tears and strife come tonight, when I'm trying to get a precocious 3-year-old to go to bed on time? Sure. Is that the end of the world? No. Ok.
So, I put together this list of what you can do (and what I will try to do) going forward when we pull negative cards:
- Take It In As Intellectual Information
Only. Try not to react emotionally. Don't let the cards feed your fear. You are in control. - Journal About It
Write down how you feel or how you expect tomorrow to go based on this card. Now you're prepared for any possible happening that may cause you discomfort. If you can, journal all of your Tarot card pulls to see what information holds true or is inaccurate. This helps you work on your own intuition as well. - Know That You Create Your Own Emotions
Remember that the level of negativity you experience is solely based on how you react to it. Of course, some major life changes may be devastating, but most day-to-day happenings don't need to end in tears or an emotional breakdown. - Focus On The Positive
Almost all Tarot cards have a positive and negative aspect, and this echoes life as well. Each day is a give and take, a combination of good and not-so-good experiences. The Magician card speaks of success, intellect, cleverness. But it also warns of a Magician who can be deceitful and tricky. When you see a card with positive and negative pieces, acknowledge the negative information, but focus on the positive. - Trust Your Intuition
For example, if you pull The Magician card, think about the people in your life. Is there someone who helps you by using cleverness and intellect? Then, acknowledge that this person may also not always have your best interests at heart or may be, in some other ways, deceitful. This doesn't have to change your relationship, but you may decide to share less personal details about your life with them. See, in time, if this proves true. OR, could the Magician actually represent YOU? Are you a clever, intellectual person, who isn't always honest with yourself? OR, could the Magician represent your job? Does it require a lot of intellectual growth and quick-thinking, but doesn't always deliver what you need on an emotional level? There are so many ways to interpret these cards. So, if you don't FEEL anything horribly negative working in your life, take a step back, and look at smaller signs or signals. Trust that feeling. - Expect Grief
Don't live in fear, day-to-day expecting grief to come knocking at your door, but know that it will happen eventually, that you will have down times. They're unavoidable, and a natural part of life. But TRUST that you have the power and strength to work through the emotions and rise above them in time. There's no need to worry or anticipate bad things happening every day, because you can handle it. - Use Positive Self-Talk
Some positive phrases to help you: "I acknowledge that I may expect some anxiety or worry tomorrow, but I can handle it." "I may have a breakdown at some point, but I'll work through it." "Someone's negative energy may be working against me, but my energy is strong, and I can rise above it." - Change It!
If you know of something in particular that you may already be reacting negatively to, change that reaction! Choose to react with patience, love, and joy, in the face of a potentially difficult situation. - Focus on One Day at a Time
If you're doing readings asking for information about what will happen in the next week, month, or year, try to narrow your time-frame. Try introducing readings that focus on one day at a time, so you can more quickly gauge the accuracy of your card interpretations and intuitive feelings. - Pick Another Card
Though some readers discourage picking multiple cards for the same question, I encourage it. Don't search the deck for the card you really want, but do choose another if something doesn't feel right about the first card pull, or even if you only want to pick another to balance out the reading. You can even ask, "What else do I need to know about this situation?" Or my favorite, "What does my guide want me to know?" I find that card-pulls connected to my spirit guide tend to be (though not always) more positive and reassuring and help me put my fears or doubts to rest. They give me some perspective.
Love,
Gretchen
