Welcome to a new week! Today’s card is the Nine of Wands (from the Modern Witch Tarot by Lisa Sterle)
Wands is a fiery suit. It speaks of energy, action, and battles. In numerology, nine is the number of culminations or peaks.
Nine of wands is a card about fortitude and boundaries. If you’ve been engaged in a long battle with something (like writing a novel, perhaps?) you’re almost there. With perseverance and focus you can complete the task and emerge victorious.
But sometimes our battles are internal. This is where boundaries come in. Have your priorities been in conflict with everyone else’s? The Nine of Wands reminds us that to win, we must have a good defense.
Did you know that when Nora Roberts had two young kids at home, she used to put a sign on her door to remind her sons that they shouldn’t disturb her except in the case of fire or arterial bleeding?
If you’re struggling to get some writing done, then you need to put some boundaries around it. Turn off your phone, block the Wifi, and put a sign on your door alerting all potential invaders of the consequences of interrupting a writer at work. Or perhaps you could wake up a little early and get your writing done before time gremlins take over the day?
Remember: Boundaries aren’t about controlling other people’s behavior. They’re about taking responsibility for our own behavior. This requires us to actively name our priorities and honor them. It means we must keep our promises to ourselves.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the word “discipline.” I used to see it as a very negative word—I associate it with nuns bearing wooden rulers with which to rap the knuckles of kids like me who couldn’t sit still in class.
But now I look at it differently, discipline comes from the root word “disciple”— a devout believer of a philosophy, leader, or belief.
What if you were a disciple of your own creative work?
It might look like this:
-Having a routine or ritual to support this belief
-Be prepared to defend it against naysayers (even if that naysayer if you)
-See the time you spend doing this work as sacred
-Putting energy into building your vision
The Nine of Swords is not passive. It calls us to take action to defend the things we believe in.
Obviously, this card could also be talking about other looming battles. We all know there are a lot of battlefields right now. The same advice above applies to anything of which you consider yourself a disciple.
Your homework:
Sit down today and think about your priorities. Make a list, do a mind map, create a vision board. Do you have healthy boundaries around these sacred things? Are your defenses in place? If not, spend some time figuring out some concrete ways you can have your actions reflect your beliefs.
Have a great weekend, friends!