Briars and Bandaids

This week I'll be using Tarot of the Secret Forest, created by Lucia Mattioli and published by Lo Scarabeo. I'll also be drawing from the Faeries' Oracle created by Brian Froud with text by Jessica Macbeth; it was published by Simon & Schuster. Today's cards are the Eight of Swords and the Bright Mother:

          We all find ourselves in the briar patch eventually; sometimes it's our own choices that get us there, and sometimes it's just the unexpected twists and turns of life. But how I meet my situation - my relationship with it - will determine whether or not I manage to extricate myself. If I sit around wringing my hands and conclude the sky is falling, those thorns will just grow in more snugly. But if I take the Brer Rabbit approach, remembering I've been given a mind that is geared to come up with some solutions or options, I can eventually nibble my way clear. The Bright Mother suggests a combination of creativity and compassion. While I'm busy disentangling myself using a variety of tactics, I must not forget to practice some self-care along the way. Bandaids, both literal and metaphorical, can be beneficial when I get pricked too hard.

Viewing slips as simple alerts that our willpower is fatigued and needs to recover (instead as indications of failure) will allow us to acknowledge the lapse without getting further off track.

― Guy Winch