The New Year and the Knights: Getting Back on the Horse

The Knights in the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck: Centennial Edition; US Games Systems

Returning to something after a long break, hiatus, or sabbatical intimidates most of us. Whether it’s getting back to work after being out with an illness, taking up a hobby after many years or even the prospect of returning to “real life” after a vacation, getting back into action can fill us with dread. I’ve written on the blog before how much I love the New Year and the clean slate it brings. As we’ve stepped into this New Year and I’ve wanted to get back to activities I’d left on the back burner, like writing this blog, the Knights of the tarot popped into my mind. It must have been the “getting back in the saddle,” or “get back on the horse” sentiment that prompted me and I’m glad it did because the metaphor is perfect for picking back up wherever we may have left off.

The Knights of the tarot might be the true underdogs of tarot. Part of the court cards of the deck which many people already have a hard time interpreting and relating to, the knights occupy an energy that is under-represented in tarot. The Pages represent novices and new beginnings. The Queen and King represent the feminine and masculine principles of mastery and authority. However, when people pull a Knight card they often stare blankly and understanding comes to halt.

The Knights represent the continuation of something already set in motion: an idea or thought, feelings of love, creative endeavors, or building something. The Knights upon their steeds carry out orders given by the Queen or King or they complete with skill what the apprentice Pages cannot. In short, whether swiftly or slowly, Knights get things done.

As I contemplated the New Year and my goals, I realized that so many of our goals and resolutions for the New Year aren’t really new, but are our attempts to get back to things we’d abandoned or forgotten. We aspire to get back in shape, finish learning that second language or take our proficiency to the next level, or complete household projects left in states of flux. Oftentimes finally finishing something is even more rewarding than taking up a new project.

As you proceed into 2023, this is a wonderful time to reconnect with forgotten projects and goals. It is never too late and connecting with the energy of the Knights may help you focus with purpose and determination. Let these energies bring you clarity and understanding. The Knights of the tarot are not at all hard to relate to once you understand their meaning. They are warriors who get things done in their own unique ways.

The Knight of Swords and the Knight of Wands from the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck: Centennial Edition; US Games Systems

I like to the group the Knights in pairs. First, we’ll look at what I call the Speedy Knights: the Knight of Swords and the Knight of Wands. Sometimes these two remind me of the phrase, “Fools rush in.” They both are typically depicted in the RWS (Rider-Waite-Smith) tradition as riding full-gallop on their chargers towards wherever they’ve been directed or commanded to go, wand and sword raised in offensive positions. The Knight of Swords embodies thought, ideas, and beliefs in action. The Knight of Wands embodies creativity, passion, and even spirituality in action. Both knights waste no time getting to their destinations. Fools may rush in but sometimes they are right on time!

The Knight of Cups and the Knight of Pentacles in the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck: Centennial Edition; US Games Systems

Next let’s look at the Steady Knights: the Knight of Cups and the Knight of Pentacles or Coins. These are the “Slow and steady wins the race,” knights. They both sit atop their steeds in a calm if not completely still manner in the RWS. The Knights present forth their cup or pentacle, almost as offerings rather than as weapons to attack like the wand and sword. The Knight of Cups represents emotion, compassion and romance or love in action. Love really cannot be rushed. The Knight of Pentacles represents finances, work, and progress in the physical world. Traveling or attaining physical resources is never a quick thing in the eyes of Spirit: these things take time.

Invoking the energies of the Knights in tarot can really help us focus on our goals and actually work towards them successfully. The qualities that the Knights characterize cover all facets of life and we can relate them to any task. I’ve listed a breakdown below that should be helpful when determining which Knight would be most helpful for you to work with based on what you plan to achieve. Using the energy of the tarot Knights can help you have the most accomplished and successful year yet while learning about and becoming much more comfortable with these court cards. Give them a try!

The Knight of Swords in The Lightseer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne; Hay House

Knight of Swords: Connect with this knight in relation to all things thought-based. Ideas, brainstorming, written and verbal communication. Finally writing that book or taking up journaling again. Learning to be a better public speaker or learning a new language. Starting a book club or a weekly reading routine. Go finish school or go back to acquire an advanced degree.

The Knight of Wands in The Lightseer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne; Hay House

Knight of Wands: Connect with this knight in relation to all creative and spiritual endeavors. Start or finally finish craft projects or art pieces. Work on inventions and innovations you’ve never gotten on paper. Learn to play a musical instrument, start dancing again, get back to doing improv. Finish sewing projects or do cosplay. Start meditating again or studying a religion that’s always interested you. Devote more time to metaphysical studies such as tarot, astrology, and witchcraft.

The Knight of Cups in the Lightseer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne; Hay House

Knight of Cups: Connect with this knight regarding matters of the heart, emotions, and psyche. Go back to therapy. Do shadow work, self-reflection or any kind of self-help that interests you. Be more demonstrative and openly affectionate with loved ones, express your feelings to your loved ones or establish better boundaries in your relationships. Pursue romantic love and start dating or plan to be more romantic within your current relationship. Cultivate more compassion for those you judge.

The Knight of Pentacles in the Lightseer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne; Hay House

Knight of Pentacles: Connect with this knight regarding your work or professional life, finances, and all physical matters. Acquire professional certifications that increase your value as an employee. Prepare yourself for promotion or start your own business. Start budgeting and becoming more financially savvy. Learn about investing or real estate. Make plans to finally travel to your dream destination. Strengthen your physical fitness by exercising, play sports. Conduct home improvements or work in your garden.

Keep the Tongue Pure

Card from The Four Agreements Card Deck by Don Miguel Ruiz; Hay House Publishing

So much is spoken about “the tongue” or the words we speak and the power those words wield. I was reminded of this when listening to a beautiful song the other day. One of the messages of the song is to “keep the tongue pure,” meaning be mindful of what you say. I thought of advice I frequently tell my clients, “Be very careful what you say to yourself, about yourself.”

People often try to be careful with what they say to others, but are much more careless about what they say to themselves. Although in the current Twitter/social media culture we live in, people have become increasingly rude hiding behind their keyboards! Still, as a general rule, people tend to have much higher standards for how they speak to others versus how they speak to themselves. So many of us have the thoughtless habit of berating, criticizing, or insulting ourselves, not stopping to think about how much words like that hurt us when spoken to us by someone else. We also would never dream of speaking to someone else that way, hurting them to their core.

This is an issue well struggle with. I remember a conversation I had with a dear friend once. We got on the touchy topic of weight and she began to insult herself terribly. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks in anger. How dare she speak about herself that way? Cutting her off, I paused to calm myself, but told her that if anyone else were to say those things about her in front of me, I would shut them down. But because she was saying those things about herself, that was supposed to make it ok?

We often complain about our weight before we truly have a weight problem and guess what? Years down the line, many of us actually end up developing weight problems. We complain about being broke only to end up with less and less money. We tell ourselves we aren’t smart enough to start that business or get that certification. And so . . . we don’t. See the pattern here?

Law of Attraction and manifestation gurus love to talk about positive affirmations and speaking what we want into existence, but so many of us have a lot of negative self-talk to undo as well. The great Louise Hay said healing begins with eliminating all criticism of the self (and others). While I do think there is such a thing as healthy self-criticism or analysis, I’m inclined to agree with Ms. Hay. We can be self-aware and look to improve ourselves, but beating ourselves up never leads to positive growth and healthy progress.

Photo Credit: Brett Jordan; @brett_jordan

What you say to yourself is every bit as powerful as what others say to you, perhaps even more so. How can the habit of negative self-talk be broken? One exercise I recommend is using a picture of yourself as a child. Keep one in your wallet or in your phone. Whenever you want to talk down to yourself or curse yourself out, pull out this picture. Look at the child version of you and imagine saying what you want to say to that child. Look at a picture of your child self and try to say the ugly things you were about to say to yourself to that child. Really try. It’s difficult, isn’t it? It probably feels ugly and sickening. Now, ask yourself, “Fundamentally, at the core, what is the difference between me now and me as a child?” The answer is, well, nothing! You are the same person. Why does current version of you deserve to be spoken to harshly but not the 3 or 4 year old you? Performing this exercise helps to give you the perspective you need to understand how destructive this self-talk is.

Reframing the problems you have with yourself helps. Instead of looking at yourself in the mirror and condemning yourself for the weight you should lose, say instead, “Although I’m not the ideal version of myself, I love myself the way I am today and I know my weight and health improves every day.” If you criticize yourself for your perceived lack of intelligence, say to yourself, “I’m open to learning more and more each day. I am a student of life!”

These statements may sound corny and make you feel silly reciting them. But does saying, “You’re a fat loser!” or “I’m such an idiot!” sound better or make you feel better? No! You can acknowledge what you want to change about yourself without insulting yourself and you can even encourage yourself at the same time. And before you know it, you just may become the person you’ve been wishing you were.

Heading into the New Year . . . with Fear

Photo Credit: Jasmin Sessler; @open_photo_js

“Happy New Year!” I’ve always loved declaring this to others each January. The sentiment doesn’t ring with the same enthusiasm as it usually does. The events of 2020 and ongoing shifted many of our perspectives, for better but mostly for worse. To say people are very cautiously optimistic about heading into 2021 is an understatement.

I recall the phrase, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” It is said that courage isn’t a lack of fear but moving forward despite of it. I agree with these sentiments while understanding all too well how hard they can be to live by. The fact of the matter is many of us, scarred from the events of the prior year, are battle-weary and afraid of what’s to come. But there’s no stopping time from moving forward in this human experience. How do we move into 2021 with hopes and expectations of success and joy, not just fear and dread?

Fear can be a useful tool and is necessary for survival. However, constantly being in fear clouds our judgement and can cause us to make terrible decisions. Times of fear will put us in survival mode and threaten to cut us off from the source of all life, Spirit. Time and experience will tell, but I believe the solution will be to move forward with fear and with hope. And to move forward knowing that our spirits are ultimately unbreakable. We are powerful beyond measure. Yeah, I said it!

The Strength card in the tarot comes to mind. This tarot card usually portrays a woman either gently closing or possibly opening a fierce lion’s mouth. This wild and dangerous creature stands or sits alongside her, utterly tamed but yet no less fearsome for having been tamed. We all know what a lion in the wild is capable of. But Strength isn’t about conquering fear so much as it is about taming it. Managing it. Fear may not leave us but we can tame it and walk with it.

The Strength card from the tarot. Featured decks from left to right: Morgan Greer Tarot, Everyday Witch Tarot, and The Originate Rider Waite Tarot Pack

How do we manage our fear like the maiden tames the lion? The first step is understanding that fear likely won’t be conquered. You’ll feel fear when thinking about and planning for the year ahead. You’ll feel fear when pondering the political landscape. You’ll feel fear when trying to protect yourself and your loved ones. Heck, you might even feel fear going to grocery store at this point. Wanting fear to just “go away” is something I’ve wanted so many times in my life. And it has hardly ever left my side! Think of fear as an annoying ever-present companion. Don’t look to get rid of it, expect to let it ride along with you while hopefully not taking up all of your attention.

Therefore, another helpful step is to monitor how much time you spend in worry/fear. Many of us spend hours of every day, if not entire days, weeks, and months in fear. This is not a useful, helpful, or constructive use of your energy. Yes, you will feel fear, but start to pay attention to how often it crops up. Once you notice feelings of fear, set them aside and say to yourself, “Yes, fear, I hear you. But I’m not going to entertain you right now. Maybe I’ll feel afraid or worried later. But not right now.” This may sound impossible to do, but I promise, it works!

Finally, know that you are so much greater and more powerful than anything you could ever be afraid of, including death. None of us wants our human journeys to include painful experiences and especially not death! But all our lives include these things regardless, don’t they? The maiden in the Strength card has a lemniscate above her head. The lemniscate or infinity symbol signifies our never ending battle to tame the beast within and without. It also symbolizes, more poignantly I believe, the infinite soul. The strength and power of our spirit will never stop being tested, for as long as we live. But our spirit will also defeat any foe and transcend any obstacle. Your strength is eternal. Our strength is eternal. The power and resilience of our human collective of souls dwarfs the greatest fears known to man. Whatever fears ride along with you this year and in this life, never forget you are greater.

Psychic “Gifts”: The Curse of Cassandra

Photo Credit: WyronA; @wyron

Psychic gifts among humans are as old as time. I’ve often wondered if divination rivals prostitution as the world’s oldest profession! These gifts are more common than we realize but not well understood. What is not well understood is often feared. Having psychic gifts can feel uncomfortable or scary for the person who possesses them. And sharing psychic information is sometimes not appreciated, even by those who seek it out.

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a priestess of Apollo who was equally blessed and cursed with psychic abilities. Her gift was that she could accurately prophesy the future but her curse was that no one would ever believe her. Cassandra’s tragic plight serves as a metaphor for what many with psychic gifts experience. We all think we want a peak into the future, but do we really?

Many budding psychics or those with psychic gifts have a savior complex. We believe the psychic information we receive can help others and we want to help all the world. We’ll help the heck out of you! I’ve had many beautiful examples from my own life of when giving and receiving psychic insight really helped and added positive value.

Being a professional psychic, clients come to me wanting to glimpse into their futures or look more deeply into the past and present. There will be times when I divine information about their futures that they don’t want to hear. I totally understand people’s disappointment when this happens but at least we both understand that they came to me; they asked me to tell them what I see, I didn’t just go up to them and offer it.

“For much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”

— Ecclesiastes 1:18, KJV

This is where difficulties and fear really come into play around seeing into the future. Throughout historical literature, mythology, and religion, the dangers of prophecy abound. Some of this is superstition and perhaps used as a deterrent for people wanting to explore their personal spiritual power. What better way to control people than to make them afraid of their own power? But some of this caution makes sense.

I have found that psychic abilities are a double-edged sword. Having further insight into matters can be helpful but there will be times when it makes matters worse. Sometimes forewarned is not forearmed, especially where others are concerned. Many people reject the psychic information they receive because it goes against their beliefs or view of reality. When what was predicted comes to pass, no difference is made. Or the person will blame and scapegoat the psychic messenger.

Receiving psychic knowledge is certainly not foolproof or 100% accurate. Psychics are only human and what we divine is open to our very human (and sometimes flawed) interpretation. However, no matter how accurate your perceptions or predictions may be, they may not always help everyone. While the gift of psychic perception is one I will always be grateful for I recognize that, in a bold way of stating it, it can be a curse as well. Appreciate the psychic view into the future while understanding that sometimes what we see won’t be welcome or even understood.

Stop, Start, Continue

Photo Credit: Brett Jordan; @brett_jordan

Tarot is an amazing tool for spiritual exploration and esoteric study. What is also wonderful about the tarot is how it can guide us through everyday life, no matter how mundane the situation in question. I firmly believe there is no situation in life for which tarot cannot provide guidance. In this blog post I’d like to share with you one of my favorite tarot exercises or spreads I created to help with any situation that has you in a bind.

Certain situations in life are beyond our control, or they certainly feel that way. Our reaction, of course is what we can control. And even that feels impossible at times! We panic, our emotions get the best of us, or we freeze with indecision. Feeling empowered to make decisions is so important, but it’s also intimidating and overwhelming at times.

I came up with a simple tarot spread for guidance one day and found it worked so well, I’ve used it ever since. Many tarot spreads answer questions like, “What do I need to know about situation (fill in the blank).” Answering a question like this can be helpful when you have no clue what is going on. However, when you do have some information, a question like this can render an answer that feels too vague. Common spreads will also cover the past, present, and future of the situation. You think, “I don’t need to know about the situation, I need to know what to do about the situation!”

This is where a spread I call “Stop, Start, Continue” comes in. Knowing that some kind of action must be taken but needing guidance and clarity, I pull three cards, asking, “What do I need to stop doing. What should I start doing? And what am I already doing that I should continue doing?”

Cards from The Spirit Keeper’s Tarot by Benebell Wen; self-published; https://www.benebellwen.com

As an example, I asked the cards, “When it comes to growing my client base, what should I stop doing, what should I start doing, and what should I continue doing?” Using the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot, Vitruvian Edition, by Benebell Wen, the cards I pulled were the 8 of Swords, the Herald of Awakening (the Page of Wands), and the 6 of Orbs (Coins).

The adjustments I need to make are immediately apparent to me! I need to get out of my own head and stop trapping myself by over thinking. I need to start expressing my creativity and communicating spiritual messages with more confidence. Lastly, I need to continue providing content and offering my spiritual services to any would-be clients. I need to take action and continue to be of service. This is much clearer than if I’d just asked, “What do I need to know about growing my client base.”

Cards from Mystic Mondays Tarot by Grace Duong; Chronicle Books

Let’s look at another example. It’s a controversial one! I asked, “How best can America handle the upcoming election?” Using the Mystic Mondays Tarot by Grace Duong, I pulled the 5 of Cups, the Queen of Swords, and the Ace of Swords! Alrighty then! What Americans need to stop doing is focusing on the disappointment we feel at how things are going in the political landscape and in 2020 in general. We’re seeing the glass as half empty, not half full. Then, we need to start communicating our thoughts and ideas with respect and clarity. We need to say what we think with measure and grace. The Queen of Swords doesn’t shout – she doesn’t need to. Then, we need to continue speaking our minds and communicating with each other. Keep having those difficult conversations, don’t shut down.

Hopefully you can see this tarot exercise is great for when you need clear direction and actionable guidance. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!