The Knight of Swords

I generally wince when the Knight of Swords comes calling.  Then I try to accept his patronage with gratitude, though I don’t like being reminded of my faults anymore than anyone else does.  This particular knight often warns us of the folly of being carried away by our own wit and sense of refreshing honesty.

The temperament of tarot knights is said to be that of teenagers - enthusiastic, sometimes adventurous, according to the character of their suit, and sometimes - on the less pleasant side - brash, cocky and reckless.  Yesterday the Knight of Swords came calling.  And by mid morning, I was glad I'd received his message.

Positive keywords for the Knight of Swords include:  Incisive, knowledgeable and logical.  On the dark side we have: Blunt, cutting and opinionated.  When a co-worker rounded on me for a misstep, I was a heartbeat away from verbally skewering her with the knight’s blade.  Instead, I thought better of it.  What would I really accomplish by a cutting remark?  I would hardly win her undying admiration for my keen wit.  And frankly, in the morning, my wit is likely to be more along the lines of,"Oh ya?!"  Hardly noteworthy in the annals of retorts.  I pulled back hard on the reins of the knight’s horse, understanding that my co-worker’s reaction was less about me and more about her personal issues of that particular moment. I let the moment pass and twenty minutes later, all was forgiven and forgotten.

The beauty of this age’s electronic communication is our ability to reach someone quickly and effectively.  Click a send button and your opinion flashes across time and space.  Clearly, something I like.  We can’t always choose the sort of messages we receive by text or email anymore than we can chose what people say to us face to face.  However, we can always choose whether we react or respond to them.  When you react, you click reply, or open your mouth and let your judgments and emotions fly where they will.  You may momentarily feel better, but in the long run, fifteen seconds of pure reaction can leave lots of carnage behind.  

To respond to someone is to listen, to determine what their actual need is and whether there is anything you can do to assist them.  Easier said than done in the heat of battle, but absolutely essential to honest communication.  And after all, isn’t the suit of swords about communication? 

Yours In Light,

Lady Oracle

The Full Moon Effect

Today is the eve of the full moon and I have my abundance and prosperity candles ready to go.  I’m burning my incense and sowing the seeds of manifestation like crazy.  I’m a great believer in manifesting ones reality.  How, you ask.  I start with two simple words.  “I can.”

My Aunt Margaret used to say, “Acting always leads to something.”  She was right.  Actions produce results.  It’s that simple. Positive actions yield positive results and negative actions - well, you know where I’m going with this.  And lest you miss the point here, pure thought is nothing but mental action.  So ask yourself: “Where are my thoughts focused today?”  Are you thinking about the big pile of bills in your drawer?  Are you wondering why everybody get something new and you don’t?  If you are, you’re living with the results of your thoughts. Hey, I don’t make this stuff up.  This is just a universal rule, so deal with it.

Never focus on what you don’t want - especially at this phase of the moon.  Instead, turn your thoughts toward what you do want.  “I want to get a new job.”  Now couple that  statement with an action. Type up a resume or fill out the applications.  There, now you’ve told the Universe exactly what you want and you’ve backed up your statement with an action.  Treat yourself to a second action and actually turn the applications in.

Negative images pour into our lives every day and they erode our belief in possibility and worst yet, our belief in ourselves.  Ultimately, you are the only one you can depend on.  You came into this world alone and you’ll leave it alone, so counting on yourself is a pretty safe bet.

In her ground-breaking book, “Living With Soul,”*  teacher and energy healer, Linda Jane Becker, says, “Reality is defined by our individual focus.”  She’s right.  Change your focus, change your life.  Give it a try today and tomorrow.  If you have any questions, post a comment, or email me ladyoracle56@yahoo.com.  We can talk about it.  You can also visit my webpage at  www.ladyoracle.net Hey, I’ll even pull a card for you!

Yours in Light,

Lady Oracle

*check out Linda Jane Becker at www.livingwithsoulfoundation.com   

Monday - August 1st - The Ten of Pentacles

This morning I shuffled my tarot deck for my daily message.  I often go for the single draw when I don't have time for the full spread and face it, very few of us are running ahead of schedule on a Monday morning.  Today's message came in the form of the Ten of Pentacles.  Affluence and material success.  Cool.  Maybe someone should tell the government.  Still, if I'm seeking a message for the beginning of the work week, affluence is a great one to get.  

We hear a lot about the winners attitude and that if we wish to be a success in life, we need to emulate the habits of successful people.  True enough.  It's important to stay positive and continue to focus on what you would like to see more of occurring in your life.  I once worked with a salesman who refused to believe in the term, luck.  He said that LUCK simply stood for Laboring Under Correct Knowledge.  I don't completely agree with him.  His view of luck discounts the odds of chance in the Universe and that's something I would never do.  Luck also happens when you live in the moment and focus there so intently that you, not only see the opportunities as they present themselves, but also have the presence of mind to act upon them. And acting on an opportunity makes all the difference.

So today I am endeavoring to stay focused in the present and look for the opportunities.  Probably nothing too huge like founding my own country will materialize, but after all the biggest events can grow from the smallest seeds.  My message today: Stay focused on the possibilities and believe in the magic of random chance.