Choose the Good Ones

From the Gill Tarot, the Ace of Swords:

From the sharp point of the sword come four feathers, representing the four elements: air/ideas, fire/ambitions, water/emotions, and earth/physical reality.  Thoughts have so much more influence over my life than I give them credit.  Some of these thoughts can have positive consequences (seeing a need and offering help) while others may be negative (thinking I might lose something and feeling fear).  I don't really have much control over the thoughts that come, but I can can choose to focus on something else if they are detrimental to my physical, mental, emotional or spiritual development.  Gill gives this card the keyword "energy," meaning the ability to do work.  It is a nudge that if my thoughts are beneficial, I still must put them into action to reap the benefits.

From The Circle deck comes "Completion:"

I've done enough backpacking in my younger days to know that reaching the top of a mountain is not as easy as it may seem.  Steep, rocky trails, copperheads and rattlesnakes, freezing rain, and poorly marked trails can cause me to rethink my goal or destination.  Is it worth all the challenges?  Again I see the influence of my thoughts - they can be my most ardent cheerleader or worst critic.  But if I'm going to reach the summit, I'm going to have to choose the good ones.