Enticing Exit Ramps

From the Fairy Lights Tarot, the Two of Wands:

As a man travels through a desert, a lovely sight catches his eye - a cascade of stars light up an oasis. He has somewhere he must be, a mission, but the pull of this enchanting vision is strong. I have a friend who is always on a new diet plan each time she calls. One week she might be trying out the diet and exercise plan at Curves, and the next she's on the Dolly Parton diet. She never sticks with anything for very long, because there's always something that looks more inviting (read: easy with quick results). Yet looking at the varied stack of books on my bedside table, I have no room to judge. I've read a few pages from each but never finished most of them, as there's usually another book I'm in a hurry to start. Dictionary.reference.com defines goal as "the result or achievement toward which effort is directed." If I wander off each enticing exit ramp I see, I'll never get close to my destination. It's not just the "starting" that will move me toward my objective, but the effort of day-to-day plodding along.

From the Heart of Fairy Oracle comes the fairy "Oh No:"

I always walk early in the mornings after I've fed the cats and myself breakfast. Today as I was heading out the door I noticed one of the cats had barfed all over the porch glider, so I had to stop and clean that up. As I was doing that, I remembered the clothes I had left in the washer all night which needed to be put in the dryer. My day is generally full of these types of incidents; this fairy reminds me to have a sense of humor and not take them personally. The moment I start thinking the Universe hates me and is out to get me, I'll start sitting on my pity pot and never get anything accomplished. Everyone has at least one "oh no" moment during the day - it's just part of living life.  

The Usefulness of Clarity and Humor

This week I'll be using the Margarete Peterson Tarot, a deck that took Peterson 22 years to complete.  Today's card is the Ace of Feathers (Swords):

A peacock feather seems to hide the moon behind it, suggesting mental clarity without emotional baggage.  The "eye" of the feather represents seeing the truth objectively.  It has been said that in the days of chivalry, "by the Peacock” was a sacred oath, because the peacock was thought to have the power of resurrection and renewal, like the Phoenix.  This idea might have been born from seeing the peacock drop all of his beautiful feathers during molting season and then later replace them.  I do know the power of thought - changing my thought can alter not only my mood and attitude, but my life as well.

     The oracle deck I'll be using this week is Heart of the Faerie, created by Brian and Wendy Froud.  Today's card is "Oh No!:"

The Frouds give the key phrases "Just one of those days, Obstructions, and The Unexpected" to this impish fellow.  I'm running on four hours of sleep today, and after the emotional day I had yesterday, this is NOT the card I wanted to choose!  Yesterday I felt overwhelmed by life.  I found out two old friends were battling some serious illnesses, another wanted me to perform an impossible task, and another has had her life turned upside down and wanted me to provide her with an instant solution.  If I had a secret cave somewhere, I think I would have gone and hid in it last night, just to have a break from everyone.  Yet this card and the woman battling brain cancer both gave me the same advice: Don't lose your sense of humor.  And though these are some serious issues, my own inner imp tells me that while I can offer encouragement, I'm fresh out of fairy godmother wands.