Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. But other things are harder. Try it: “I’m not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it’s not a priority.” “I don’t go to the doctor because my health is not a priority.” If these phrases don’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.”
― Wall Street Journal
Today I am being stalked.
When I sat down to write this piece I was going to write about something else entirely. Wait, that is not strictly true; ok, I was going to write about my Professional Development course but as that is now going to be reformatted and delivered in modules I found myself pondering as to what to write. As I think about this change in topic I realise that the stalker and my original subject matter are not that many worlds apart!
The stalker is none other than the 10 of Wands.
Stalkers are like a slap in the face; they are going to get your attention. They are going to grab you and make you listen. Stalkers invariably are a big message from the unconscious. They tell you to do something about your current well-being in whatever shape or form that may take. Stalkers are akin to rumbling thunder from deep within the abyss. It is best to view this call to action as divine providence, meaning, it could basically save your butt further down the line.
So, this morning as I am wandering through my cards chit chatting with them about this and that the 10 of Wands kept appearing.
My first reaction is that there is something going on in the collective which may well be true. I reached out for information that would tell me what is happening in the ephemeris and am told that 10 of Wands is Saturn in Sagittarius, Lord of Oppression. Sounds about right and I will be very interested to discuss with astrologers just what that might mean in the bigger picture. From what I do know, Sagittarius is an ethereal sign, fond of the arts and of travel. So for it to be caught up in the corner with the dark teacher that is Saturn will be Sag’s worst nightmare!
Crowley describes the cards as thus: ’The whole picture suggests oppression and repression. It is a stupid and obstinate cruelty from which there is no escape. It is Will which has not understood anything beyond its dull purpose, its “lust of result”, and will devour itself in the conflagrations it has evoked’.
What could this possibly mean in the collective consciousness?
I sense that we are at a point where a revision is necessary. We are being called to look at how we choose to spend our time, who and what we swear allegiance to, where we direct our willpower and most importantly, what are our goals and targets that will assist in manifesting that which is core to our progress both as individuals and as a society.
I think that, in general, we have been so scattered by various events in recent news that we have all made attempts to stabilise and move forward by any means possible but this scattering has disabled our ability to adopt realistic goals and visualisations. The will is like an arrow shot from a bow but the arrow requires a target and in our attempt to carry on regardless we have overreached. Targetless and heavy we are rendered vulnerable and at the mercy of fate itself which is more likely to be you cohabiting somebody else’s dream rather than inhabiting your own.
It is time to take control.
Results and proficiency will not be achieved until we have reorganised and reconnected. Our involvement in our own activities should be our choice as opposed to them being a blind force.
In Tarot Sagittarius is Temperance, Saturn is World and Devil. (Hermit and Wheel of Fortune could also be Saturnian by their nature.)
Could this imply a move forward towards healing and balance in the world, a coming together of like minds and souls, albeit motivated by difficult circumstances? This could be a golden opportunity to put the world to right. However I think that in order to do this we should check out our own backyard first.
When this 10 appears for us in a spread we are alerted to being too busy and over laden.
We are striving forward but are slowed down under the weight of all our stuff, some of it possibly belongs to others but we have somehow managed to take responsibility for somebody else’s baggage. There is an underlying message in this card that a pattern could be broken which will liberate us from the constraints of martyrdom and the micro-politics of doing unto others.
As a Wand card it speaks of passion and creativity. Are we too busy to hold our creative selves together or is it that we are simply not creative enough, life has somehow got in the way?
A key word could be Prioritise. Dump anything that doesn’t serve us, work only with that which will bear fruit in the immediate.
Here is the 10 of Wands in various areas of our lives.
PERSONAL
Maybe we are overburdened at the moment. It is possible that our relationship to our dearest has become a weight. We have become attached by the wound of relativity and it is holding us back, we have outgrown the halcyon beginnings of the romance. The arrival of this card indicates that there is a requirement for us to heal and seal the wound, break a cycle of suffering and move on either as a couple with a shared destiny or as an individual on a path of purpose.
RELATIONSHIPS IN GENERAL
This 10 is mirroring back to us that we are good at supporting the needy but often to the detriment of ourselves. This is not so much carrying the underdog but more like the lame carrying the lame. There is an element of superstition here that if we don’t go out of our way to put the needy on our shoulders we could be struck by lightning! If this is the case then we have to learn it is ok to say no. It is ok to be self-orientated, it is ok to put our life right before we work on others. Meditation on boundaries and self-love would be useful here.
CAREER
We seem to have over committed. Too many projects, outlines but no detail, we carry the burdens of the team, company or a personal business ethos and are receiving no thanks or acknowledgement. An inflated sense of capacity and ability make us bend under the heaviness of obligation. Imposing limits will create a structure in order to achieve what can realistically be done in the framework of what you have in front of you.
