A More Effective Action

This week I'll be using the Llewellyn Tarot, created by Anna-Marie Ferguson and published by Llewellyn. I'll also be using the Beasts of Albion, an oracle deck created by Miranda Gray and published by Aquarian. Today's draws are the Four of Pentacles and the Lion:

I often think of the Four of Pentacles as the Spending Sabbatical card. There are many things we can 'spend' - time, energy (health), and money. Such a pause is a practice in prudently using our personal resources. To Albion (ancient Britain), tales of lions seemed just as extraordinary as those of unicorns and dragons. The Lion soon became a symbol of courage, strength and guardianship, especially in the sense of self-sovereignty. It's ironic how many enablers seem to magically appear when a person decides they want to limit ____ (fill in the blank). However, as David Cain encourages, we can guard ourselves by training to replace a reflexive action with a more conscious and empowering one. He lists several examples of mindful consideration: in rock climbing, when you want to pull with your arms, try pushing with your legs; in chess, when you see a good move and you want to make it, try looking for a better one first. "That’s what all training amounts to, as far as I can tell — conditioning ourselves to take a more effective action at a certain moment than the impulsive one we start out doing."