Know your boundaries. Realize that access to you is a privilege that can be revoked. How many of us allow toxic people to remain close enough to hurt us, again and again? At what point do we decide to let them go? To cut them out of our lives? That applies to romantic interests, spouses, co-workers, and even family members.

I don't believe that anyone has a right to continue hurting us just because they're family. Poisons can come packaged in all sorts of fancy bottles and we can even feel sentimental about some of them. But in the end, the poisons are still toxic and best not to be consumed.

Cutting toxic people out of our lives can be painful, especially when it's someone we have been taught to believe has a right to be in our lives, but what is the ultimate cost to ourselves? I think it's less painful to cut them off versus the pain endured in a life of accepted abuse.

So, I repeat... Know your boundaries. Realize that access to you is a privilege that can be revoked.

Light, Love, and Blessings…..
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​Last week I posted about The Tower card. It was the card that came up and so I put together some words about it. I was in for a bit of a surprise as that card moved beyond just being blog content and proceeded to guide and reveal the week that followed.
 
On Monday of last week, the day after drawing The Tower, I was in a morning meeting to discuss a major contract I’ve been working with for several years. It was announced that all of the work is now changing, being redefined over the next few months, and people will be moved around to accommodate the necessary changes. Are the changes bad? No, not at all. They’re quite necessary for the planned developments we’ve been talking about for a few years. Nevertheless, the announcement was quite a startling way to begin the week while I was still in the process of caffeinating.
 
The next day I had the deeper realization that everything was shifting, not just outwardly. I realized that I have begun to move in another direction with other projects as well. Things became very clear, illuminated from within just like the lighting struck tower on the card. The Tower card an indeed reveal inner epiphanies and awakenings, not just outwardly shifting events.
 
Let’s skip foward a few days and move to Friday. I went to my car to drive to a meeting and the battery was dead. The Tower card in some situations can indicate issues with electronics. I’ve had it come up for crashing computer systems. On Friday, however, it was the electronics of my car dying as a result of a kaput battery. Of all weeks for it to go out!
 
At that point I began to rediscover my sense of humor. It seemed The Tower card was manifesting itself on different levels in my life over the course of a week. But, thankfully, The Tower seemed to have played out by the time Saturday arrived…..
 
All of this helped to remind me that the cards have multiple dimensions and layers of meaning. Sometimes one level applies in a reading, or perhaps all of them at the same time. I’ve found that the cards can indicate the unfoldment of events. They can also help guide inner transformation and realization. Sometimes that inner work is trigger by the outward events that are revealed and consequently navigated. The cards also help me to remember to keep a sense of humor with everything that happens.
 
The card I drew for the coming week is The Wheel of Fortune. Lots of changes are coming!  Keep your head up, stay focused on goals, and never forget to smile and laugh along the way.
 
Light, Love, and Blessings…..
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The Tower card popped out this morning as I was shuffling my deck of cards. I usually start each day with my deck and a double espresso because that's just how mornings work for me. And the Tower.... what a great way to start the day. Oy vey!

The Tower card displays a tall structure being struck by lightning. The Rider pack has this card as The Tower. The older Tarot de Marseille labels it La Maison Dieu, which translates as "the House/God".

Sometimes things fall apart. Sometimes that happens gradually and on some days it seems to happen all at once. Life can be traumatic. Many of us are products of years of trauma. Many times The Tower card indicates a warning that things are about to get rough. This can trigger many of us to shut down, close off, and run for the hills.

But, The Tower can be much more. The card is inviting us to wake up and recognize that some things have outgrown their usefulness in our lives and need to be set free. If it crumbles, then it needs to be released. Let it go! Rebuilding can be an incredible opportunity to take what we've learned and make something even more beautiful in our lives.

I used to get upset when things fell apart. Now, well, I still do. (I'm not going to pretend like I'm some ascended being that's immune to human experiences!) I get upset but then I move on instead of hanging out in the rubble.

If situations are no longer supportive, it's time to let them go. If people have become abusive or simply not supportive, then they too have reached their expiration date in my life. Yes, it hurts. Grieving the loss of situations and people is not fun so just be honest about it. Acknowledge the loss and then get ready for better things.

I cringe for a moment when I see The Tower and then prepare for something even greater in my life. The way I look at it, clearing out the rubble means having more room for the really important things.

Wishing you a beautiful week!

Light, Love, and Blessings…..

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The picture above is of the Tower card from three different decks that I use. From left to right: Rider Waite Smith (US Games), El Gran Tarot Esoterico (Fournier), and Tarot de Marseille (Camoin/Jodorowsky).

Comfort zones are for sleeping, for taking breaks, and for healing. They’re not where ultimate success is found. If we stay in our comfort zones for too long, we will languish, wither, and our dreams will die.

Comfort zones, and the fear of leaving them, serve a purpose. They keep us safe. They are protective mechanisms to keep us from being hurt again, from experiencing loss and disappointment. If you want your ultimate success in life, then you’re going to have to consider acknowledging their roles and then decide to not be ruled by such coping mechanisms that don’t ultimately serve your greater good.

The image in the 2 of Wands of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck shows a man holding the world in one hand as he looks out at the world. Sure, it looks like he’s successful and has money. His view is from a higher vantage point than the surrounding buildings but check out where he’s standing…. he’s safe inside his own world. He’s going to have to step out from his comfort zone if he wants to embrace his vision.

Sometimes you need to take a chance, move into the fear and uncertainty, and embrace life outside your comfort zone.

Light, Love, and Blessings…..
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