There are times when life feels like one enormous to-do list. My quietness of late is because I am in exactly that phase and you find me knee deep in a house move. This morning I took up the old lino tiles in the kitchen and finally ruined my sparkly manicure. But even in the midst of that very sweaty and sticky job, I saw the tarot.
The floor in the kitchen was like a spread, and as I pulled up each tile, it was like taking away those cards representing a previous bit of my life. They took a bit of shifting, and the remaining glue, as well as being stuck to the bottom of my shoes, will forever be under the new floor which is being laid as I type. A sort of foundation to what my life is now.
Splendidly, I found precisely eight pence in coins hidden beneath that old lino. The cards play out in the most literal of ways sometimes, and the Eight of Coins in the kitchen reaches out with a message to say that things are paying off. Work is going well, but this is a period (and has been for some time) of intense effort. The rewards are worth it, but there is a gentle message that not every day has to be one of labour. We are not our jobs. We don’t have to be defined by the work we do. There is always something hidden beneath the lino and it’s important to allow that some space to breathe and grow. Below is the Eight of Coins from the Marseille tarot, looking not unlike a rug on the floor.
Sometimes we feel as though we’ve got our life set in stone and that the cards laid out for us are permanent. This can, of course, be a good thing or a bad one. Many of us spend our time longing to lay down foundations and root ourselves somewhere that feels safe. Others long to step away from a past which feels like it just doesn’t fit anymore. Either way, it can be hard to shift what has been there for a long time.
What the cards can do is help us to see the patterns in our life clearly and make a conscious and personal decision to change those patterns if need be. Sometimes it can be a house move which can clear the way for a new path, but it needn’t be so drastic. Even small changes can have immense effects in our lives.
This week, why not lay the cards out in a mat, or carpet which symbolises ground beneath your feet? What is it that lies beneath every action you take, every action you avoid taking? What is the glue that is sticking your feet to the ground so you can’t move forward? What is the soft, welcoming rug which gives you a sense of warmth and privacy?
Pay attention to to the cards showing up in your life in ‘real’ manifestations too. A pile of sticks by the fireplace? A new set of kitchen knives? A spilt glass of wine? What are the cards saying to you, even when they’re safely in the box?