Enchantment Protection

From the Fairytale Tarot, the Moon; from the Tree Affirmation Cards, the Elderflower:

           The story of "The Nixy" tells of a water sprite who made a deal with a man: wealth for the youngest thing in your house. Of course the idea of never being in want again made him say 'yes' before realizing what that would entail - giving up his newborn son. Nixies are patient; she had to wait until the young man grew up before he came near enough to the pond to snag him. It would be the young man's wife following the advice of a witch (by performing several tasks) who ultimately reunited them (though that took some time since they had been enchanted and didn't initially recognize each other). Because of its lovely, fragrant blossoms, the Elderflower (aka Elderberry) has been assigned the keyword 'enchantment.' Both these cards remind me of how easy it is to see only what I want to see, especially if what I desire is within reach. I may avoid investigating or acknowledging what the end result will be in my eagerness to have what I crave. But every thought, word and action will send out little seeds which will eventually turn into a fully grown field that resembles my underlying motive.

Self-imposed rules aren’t constraints, they’re good decisions made in batches—they’re behavioral boundary markers you get to position yourself, through your own experience and wisdom. The real ball and chain is the liability of not having standards independent of your mood and other acute pressures.  ~ David Cain

Elves and Elderflowers

From the Fairytale Tarot, the Eight of Coins:

A poor shoemaker, down to his last piece of leather, wakes up the next morning to find one of the most beautiful pair of shoes he's ever seen. With the money he makes from them, he's able to buy more leather. Each morning, he finds well-made shoes waiting to be sold. The shoemaker and his wife finally stay up one night and see elves doing the work. Wanting to thank them for their help, the wife sews little clothes for them as a gift (and in elf-lore, releases them from their obligation of help). When I am trying to learn or accomplish something, I have times when I think, "I just can't do this." Yet if the willingness to make the effort remains, I can manage to keep plugging along by relying on the inspiration and expertise of others.

From the Tree Affirmation Cards was drawn "Elderflower:"

My attention is captivated and enchanted.

Have you ever been enjoying something so much, you completely lose track of time and your surroundings? I often do this outside in the yard as I pause and watch the bumblebees or birds. Such an intense focus is required in the Eight of Coins to develop and hone one's craft. There are so many distractions, it's easy to get off track. But I must carve out time to devote to my goal if I'm ever to reach it. My goal for today is to finish gathering items for my mom's birthday present. At 78 she doesn't much care for "dust-arounds," she's only interested in things she can actually use. As a result, her gifts can sometimes be hilariously mundane. (So far in her box I've got a 4-deck card shuffler, lithium batteries, Goop, and a music cd.) I've still got one more idea I'm working on though...