Munca!

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Some relatives and I have a "language discussion" group going.  Everyday, we introduce a new word from our assigned country.  We have French, Italian, German, and Romanian going (I get the Romanian).  Kind of like a "word a day" type thing.

The other day, my Romanian word was "munca" -- which means "work".  It somehow seems meaningful when you say "It's Monday -- time for another week at 'munca'".  What's it called when the sound of a word suggests the meaning of the word?  It's not like "Bang", or "Pow" -- but "munca" just feels like it matches Monday morning!

I mean, you can say "Unnnhh ... need coffee.  Time for work."  Or, you could say "Unnnhhh ... need coffee.  Munca." ... and I think everyone would still know what you were talking about.

I did a little munca this weekend on my tarot booth -- and also took the grandkids for back-to-school shopping.  Nothing like a day with three little boys under 5 to get you looking forward to a nap!

Or even Monday morning and "munca"!

How about our reading -- again, two cards.  First starts us off, second completes the message.

Our first card -- the Knight of Cups.

Here's the thing about Knights in general -- they're powerful cards, loaded with energy and good intentions ... but there's always some important piece missing.  That missing piece makes them less efficient and effective than they could be.

The Knight of Cups is kind of an opposite knight.  His problem isn't that he's missing something -- it's that he's got too much of something!

This knight's problem is focus -- he's got too much of it!  He's so steel-set on some item -- most likely an emotional one -- that he's oblivious to the external factors around him that affect things.  I mean, look at the picture!  The Knight is completely absorbed by his goblet -- and his horse isn't moving at all (even though it wants to).  His focus is completely inward and the Knight isn't moving -- and he needs to shift that in order to be effective.

His weakness is actually compound -- not only is his focus misapplied, he tends to stay there.  It's very difficult to get this knight's attention in order to get him looking at other factors.

So -- Cups suggests he's concentrating on issues that concern him emotionally.  What emotional matters are absorbing your focus?  Are there issues you're having trouble turning loose?  Do you find it hard to move past certain matters?  Grudges you find hard to release?  Hurt feelings you keep thinking about?  What-ifs that you just can't quite implement?  These are all "Knight of Cups" situations. 

Let's see what our second card offers -- the Four of Swords.

The Four of Swords is the "take a break" card.  Let it loose, rest, refresh, relax -- take a break.  After doing so, you can re-enter the game stronger and reinvigorated.

The Knight of Cups can't stop thinking about something -- and the Four of Swords says "Stop thinking about that!"

Well, kind of obvious and easy to say -- but hard to do.  Sometimes, when it's hard to stop thinking about something, you might find it worthwhile to replace it.  Introduce something new -- a new project, new responsibility, new social activities, new environment.  Maybe you can shift attention by changing things -- take a day off, try a weekend road trip, attend a concert or theater event ... just find something different!

Sometimes when you're stuck, it takes a little "knock" get you unstuck -- so look for that "knock"!

That's it for now -- hope you have a good week at "munca"!

Woodsong

Get Rolling!

 Hi!

Sorry I'm late this week -- have been at a customer site all week and it's been taking up a lot of time.  Am back doing the normal stuff today and am trying to catch up.

Have been building a new booth in my back yard for my tarot reading at Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire.  Will move it out there when I'm done. 

Actually, am building three booths -- two vardo's (gypsy wagons) and a regular stand-alone booth.  Working on the stand-alone booth (will leave a picture when it's done) and realized I'm not as strong as I used to be.  Built part of it on my deck, but now can't move that part off the deck by myself.  Oh well, my daughter has burly male friends I'll have to borrow.  I feed them often enough ... so I ought to be able to ask a favor!

I probably over-built it anyway -- made it much stronger and heavier than it needs to be.  Oh well.

Let's jump into today's reading -- we'll pull two cards.  The first offers some starting point or thought -- the second offers a suggestion as to how we can best utilize that beginning card.

Our first card is -- the Seven of Cups.

This card suggests daydreaming or planning; we're thinking of things that might be.  We all go through this all the time before we actually make any moves.  We might envision how we might rearrange the living room furniture -- we might go through this thought process several times before we actually switch the first piece of furniture.

We might think about career changes -- or new projects -- new friendships -- or learning new skills.  The whole bit that our mind is likely busy doing throughout the day!

Nothing wrong with this -- this type of planning is really essential if we want to be successful implementing our plans.

Here's the problem, though -- at some point, it's important to actually move on to implementing those plans!  We don't want to spend all our time planning and no time actually doing.

It's nice to think "What if things were different or better?"  BUT -- we don't want to stay there -- we want to actually take action to make things different of better.  It means putting out some effort or taking a risk -- but we might gain something if we do so.  We're safe if we just continue dreaming -- but we'll never accomplish anything.  Which do you think is better?

Let's look at our second card for a tip on how we should proceed -- the Eight of Pentacles.

Have you ever been working at a task -- and been so absorbed -- that you don't really notice the time passing?  That's the Eight of Pentacles -- it suggests that sort of enjoyment you gain when you enter into a new project or task. 

Doesn't mean the task will be successful -- but it does mean that it'll be worthwhile.  You gain even if the task ultimately fails -- because the "journey" is the real reward.

So -- our first card is a "planner" ... and our second card is a "doer".  Seems pretty plain what the message is ... consider actually doing some of those neat things you've been thinking about!  Take some risk, take on the effort -- and you'll reap a reward! 

Or -- "Quit stalling!  Get moving!"

What do you think?  Do you see anyplace in your life where this could apply?

Talk to you later --

Woodsong

Be Strong ...

Greetings!

Hope you had a fine weekend and that your week's begun well.  I worked a lot on a new tarot booth for the Renaissance Festival.

There's a saying in woodworking -- "Measure Twice, Cut Once".  My version is "Measure Twice, Cut Once, then go back to the store and buy more wood because you messed up the cut."  My first attempt had the dadoes going in the wrong direction (dado == those little notches you see on the ends of Lincoln Logs).  Mine were angled and I did the angles pointing the wrong way.

My new version won't use dadoes.  I'm not even sure if I'm spelling it the right way!

On to this week's reading:

Our first card -- the Ten of Swords.

We've seen this card fairly recently.  A lot of people gasp when they see the image -- and it does look a little grim!  Really, though, this card has a positive message.  It suggests those times when you feel everything is going wrong and that things cannot possibly get any worse.

And this is good news?  Yes, it actually is!  If things cannot get any worse ... then that means they can only get better!  Any movement has to be an improvement.

So -- don't get discouraged when things don't seem to be working out.  You CAN move on to better things if you try.  It's when you get discouraged and don't try that you get in trouble.

But what can you do to improve things?  How can you gain a positive outlook when things seem to work against you?

That's where our second card comes in -- the Hermit!

Another card we've seen recently.  The Wise Old Hermit is patient, thoughtful, and realistic.  He's not going to go off on tangents when he gets bad news.  He knows that bad news happens to everyone ... we shouldn't take it personal.  He knows that what we need to do is move forward to make things better.  Sitting still and moaning about things won't accomplish anything; we have to put on our big kid pants and take control.

So -- when things aren't going your way, don't let it throw you off track.  Don't shut down and huddle in a ball -- look up and forward, take control, and make things better!

Be strong ...

Woodsong

The Hard Ones Mean the Most!

Hi again!

Hope your week's gone well so far -- I've had a pretty good one over here.

My son and his family are moving back to Houston from Chicago -- really glad to be able to see the grandkids more often.  They're 3 boys -- I've heard boys defined as "Noise with dirt attached" ... I think that's fairly accurate for these three!

Let's pull a quick reading for this weekend -- our first card is the Nine of Wands.

I always picture this card representing someone who's finished up with a difficult task.  He's looking back over his work and is pleased with the results.  He's tired, but is probably thinking "I did a really good job!"  He didn't shirk from the hard task -- he knows that accomplishing a difficult task provides it's own reward.

Pretty positive card to begin with -- let's see where it goes.

Our second card ... the Five of Swords.

This is one where I differ from many readers.  Many (don't want to say most) see this as a negative card -- perhaps suggesting conceit or haughtiness.  I don't see it that way, though.

I see this card representing someone who has faced superior odds in an endeavor -- and overcame those odds.  He's rightfully feeling pleased with himself -- because he knew most people expected him to fail.

When we put these cards together, I see them enhancing each other.  You know you're capable of completing a difficult task -- and you know how good you'll feel when you succeed.  Furthermore, you shouldn't shy away from necessary tasks simply because they appear difficult -- or the odds seem stacked against you succeeding.  Overcoming the odds and succeeding in these situations mean you'll be even more satisfied when they're done!

You want to really feel good -- don't take on easy challenges, look towards the hard ones instead!

And that's it for now -- hope you have a great weekend!

Woodsong

Enjoy Yourself -- But Don't Overdo It!

Hi There!

Hope your week's begun well.  Mine been a little busy -- been at customer sites.  Today's gig cancelled at the last minute, so I'm able to finally get to this week's reading.

Is it hot where you are?  It is blazing hot here in Houston -- temp's at or over 100 degrees most days.  Hoping for a little relief this weekend (who would think we'd consider 95 degrees as "cooling"!), but I'm sure our summer swelter will quickly return.

On the plus side, football season's started!  That means cooler days in late September are in sight!

We went to Baton Rouge this weekend -- had to deliver the last bit of my niece's stuff to her folk's house, plus we thought we'd go visit LSU's Mike the Tiger prior to the first game.  On the way there, we decided that Mike's demeanor would give us a clue about the upcoming season.

Well, I'm hoping that's not the case.  Evidently, the heat got to Mike as well.  He was sacked out on his back in a very undignified position.  We hopefully decided he was mooning Nick Saban.

BTW, Mikedoesn't live in your typical animal cage.  His habitat includes a jungle setting with shady bushes, trees to climb (and eat!), a large pond to swim in, rocks to climb, and tons of toys.  He also gets plenty of visitors!

I used to work at LSU way back; I remember one year some Tulane students opened up Mike's cage one night as a prank.  I wonder what they thought when they realized they had just loosed a 500 pound Bengal tiger!  The student's weren't hurt, but Mike did eat several pine trees before he was recovered.

Let's move on to our reading this week -- the first card starts us off, the second card offers things to help enhance the first card.

Our first card is the Six of Wands.

Looks like a pretty happy fellow, doesn't it?  I always see this card as a victory parade.  You've succeeded or done well in some endeavor ... and are now taking some time to feel good about it!  Not only are you celebrating, others acknowledge your success.  It's nice to be able to say "I did good" -- but it always feels better when someone recognizes your efforts and says "You did good!"

The first part of the message of this card is "You've earned it -- so enjoy it!"  Being humble is nice -- you don't want to annoy people with your crowing -- but you need to enjoy that sense of accomplishment.  It's a nice reward for your efforts.

The second part of the message is just as important -- "Yeah, but don't get a swelled head, because the game starts over again tomorrow!"  True -- success today doesn't mean we can coast and expect to be successful tomorrow.  But -- we can feel good about it today!

Let's look at our second card and see what it has to offer -- the King of Swords.

I've said before that I always see my dad in this card -- and he's glaring at me because I've just done something stupid!  He's saying "You knew better -- why did you do that?" ... and I'm saying "I know I knew better -- I don't know why I did it!"

This King always knows the answers -- he always the right -- and smart -- thing to do.  He also knows that you know the right -- and smart -- thing to do as well.  He's disappointed when you don't follow what you know is the right path ... and I'm sure you and I are disappointed in ourselves when we don't choose the right path.

This King fits in well with the second part of the Six of Wand's message -- "Don't get a swelled head!"  If we're successful -- and then decide to coast on that success, we're bound to eventually fail.  The King of Swords can then rightly ask "Why did you do such a stupid thing?"

This King reminds us to keep our heads together -- don't let events distract us from doing what we know is the right thing.  There are times to enjoy our efforts -- and then there are times when we need to get back to work on the next endeavor.

I didn't intend this when I mentioned football season -- but if you're following the Johnny Manziel story, you'll probably see how these two cards apply to his situation.  He had unbelievable success as a freshman at Texas A&M (only student ever to win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman), but has since proceeded to party his way into distraction and trouble.  At some point, he may look back and say "Why did I do such stupid things?"

That's it for now -- and "Go Tigers"!  (and I hope your teams do well, too!)

Woodsong

Think of Others

Hi Folks!

About to jump on the road, so this one will be a quick one for the weekend!

Interestingly enough, even though this will be a quick reading, we ended out pulling two Major Arcana cards -- suggesting we might want to consider this message a little more seriously than we might ordinarily do.  Even though it's "quick" -- it still could be important.

Our first card is -- The Hermit.

Well, we saw the Hermit just the other day.  This card suggests applying wisdom you've gained through experience and training.  Not quickly reacting and jumping to a conclusion, but patiently and fairly evaluating all conditions first in order to understand a situation the best you can.

How should we apply this?  Let's look at our second card, The Emperor.

The Emperor cares about his responsibilities -- he wants to make sure the trains run on time and that all of the needs of his people are satisfied.  Only then might he think of himself.

When we put these two together, we get a suggestion that we want to think before we react to a situation.  Be patient and try to understand the situation (and the people involved and their motivations) as best as you can.  Ask questions if you need to.

Furthermore, rather than evaluating a situation by how it affects you, examine it to understand how it affects those you care about.  Consider their needs -- I don't want to say put their needs before yours, but consider how being able to satisfy their needs will affect your own well-being.  You may find the feeling of being able to be responsible for those you care for provides it's own reward.

Sorry for the quick reading this time around -- will see you again next week!

Woodsong