Eight of Swords: Self-Driven Perspective

Years ago, I was getting a reading at a psychic fair, which mostly consisted of me complaining vigorously about the judgy small town in which I lived.

I’d seen this reader before, and knew she was good. And I really, really wanted to move away from all this bullshit and was hoping she’d see a path for me to do that. So I was hanging on her every word, looking for clues.

“It wouldn’t make any difference, if you moved,” she said.

I was dumbfounded.

“You take yourself with you wherever you go.”

I wasn’t too happy with that answer. She was supposed to tell me how to escape, damn it!

So I complained about the reading to Captain Virgo. I was in a pretty complaining mood, evidently.

I was even more dumbfounded when he agreed with the reader. Agh!

It probably took me a few months to get the point and more like years to completely internalize it. So let me save you the trouble.

The issue was never judgy people in my small town. The issue was ME being insecure enough to care. I had to be judging myself first in order to notice or give weight to anyone else finding fault, if they even were. If you’re already judging yourself, you see everyone else through that lens, you know?

I was judging myself, and hence attracted those experiences everywhere. I followed up by finding fault with others for not making me feel better about myself. In fact, I was one of those judgy people, judging others for what I perceived to be their judging of me. It’s a full-on feedback loop and I was responsible for all of it.

Now, I could have altered my self-talk to soften it. “Oh well, everybody has their own perspective. They can do their thing and I can do mine. It doesn’t matter if anyone approves of me or not. Feeling good about myself is my job.” I could have focused on feeling good about myself, period, and left them to think whatever it is they thought. The sensation of being judged would have faded away.

What if we decide it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks? What if we decided that we don’t actually know why anyone else says or does what they do, anyway? What if we make our own commitment to be kind and loving to ourselves first, and let the rest of  our experience  shape around THAT energy?

Because I can tell you now, it will make a difference and fast. You don’t even have to move to a new town!

You get what you’re putting out. If you don’t like what it feels like you’re getting, change what you’re putting out. Next week would be a great time to practice this.

Next Week in Tarot

For outlook, we have the Eight of Swords and advice, the reversed Ace of Swords from my favorite working deck, the Radiant Rider Waite (in a tin).

The Eight of Swords is an old friend to me–or maybe it’s “frenemy.” Because I’ve seen it so many times in drawing for myself, I know this card very well. It points to self-restriction. The swords are nothing more than thoughts, or more precisely fears, all the reasons this lady believes she is unable to make progress. The water beneath her feet show us her perspective is based upon emotion as much if not more than fact. In reality, she’s loosely bound and the castle is visible in the distance. Even those swords don’t fully encircle her, but she doesn’t know it because she’s not letting herself see options.

The reversed Ace of Swords suggests not overthinking. An important detail is likely to be missed if you think you know all there is to know here. An opportunity for escape or progression isn’t being noted, probably due to an assumption that is simply untrue. Both these cards point to a restricted field of vision.

The coming week is a perfect time for revisiting assumptions, looking at those situations where you feel you have no options and asking yourself how much fear is driving that feeling. I’m not saying you have to take a leap of faith. Far from it. Simply acknowledging there may be a route forward and giving yourself permission to see it is all that’s required. Let the universe sort it out from there.

Whatever you want to get? PUT OUT THERE and start in the mirror. It’s the only way that works. I know, we’ve tendency to point fingers and assign blame but forget being “right.” Forget who’s at fault. Forget what you think you know.

Be what you want in your life and watch what happens (and fast). It’s the only way that works.

Where might you alter your perspective?

If you’re looking for a consult, you know where to find me.