Turning over the next card

During the first year my boyfriend and I were dating, we started a tradition on/around our birthdays for which he would do a year-long reading. It's a 15-card spread that contains one card for every month of the year, the forces working for and against you for the year, and the feeling of the year.

Taken in whole, this year's spread is a very good spread with some obvious warnings. The tower comes up in a few months, and I've been warned about falling into my old habits and traps. This is why I am trying so hard to overcome them--I see myself as a person who is mostly succeeding, but in moments of doubt I am completely held hostage by my wandering attention span and inability to focus on complicated tasks for long periods of time when not working in the presence of others. Unemployment has not been kind to me, nor has it made my goal of overcoming myself very easy.

August: The Hermit

Last months' card was the Hermit. The Hermit is a card of introspection and a desire for solitude. Either intentionally or accidentally, I have lived the hermit's role this past month. I've usually only ventured out after dusk, and I've been involved in intense introspection trying to figure out what my goals and my path in life are. At the end of the month, I do not believe I have reached any concrete answers.

However, that is not to say I have not made any progress. I think I've realized finally that there are no concrete solutions. There is no clearly defined path to follow. There is only karma. To change my path forward, I need to change my actions in the present. The past does not matter because it is behind. The goal is to live every day as if I have woken up for my first day. I have a set of knowledge, a set of patterns, and a body. If the patterns are maladaptive, I need to change them in the moment, not examine the reasons why my patterns are broken or plan the future that will exist if I do or not make changes. The purpose of every day is to live in that day, make the best choices possible, and that's it. Eventually, the patterns that held me back will weaken as new ones arise.

September: The Ace of Cups

Here is an interpretation of the Ace of Cups from the Aeclectic Tarot:

Emotions rising up for new love. This usually indicates that the querent is feeling a new welling of emotion or beginning to have some vivid dreams. They're not writing the poetry yet, but they feel the desire to, or they may have caught sight of a figure across a room and felt a tug at their heart. They've lifted the cup and they want to drink from it.

I believe this is my month to seize and cultivate change in my daily life. This is the month to meditate, to keep up to date and in advance of my creative projects, and to keep the gates of introspection wide open so new discoveries can be made. I have some work scheduled this month, so learning to juggle my personal goals with work will be very important before the firestorm of work scheduled for October hits.

I can't believe August is over, but it's time to keep moving forward into the uncharted territory of post-grad.

All the best,

j