3-2-1 On following our dreams and managing self-conflict
This series is inspired by James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter. These messages include 3 short tarot card pulls from me, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question for you to muse on.
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3 tarot cards from me
Deck: Spolia Tarot
The Chariot
A black swan and a white swan pull a charioteer across a vast, smooth ice-like terrain, under the heat of Mars.
It seems impossible, but somehow, the dualistic/opposing forces create a tension that propels this person forward. There’s something about this particular alchemy of circumstances, elements in the environment that sustain progress and movement. When moving towards a goal or desire, our brains like to think that we’re totally in control when we know every single little detail, but The Chariot teaches us that while awareness and personal responsibility are crucial, part of what creates momentum is trusting that unknown element, loosening our grip and holding the reins with soft hands.
The Sun
An acrobat connects with laurel as they position themselves into a scorpion handstand with one foot touching another hot masterpiece — the sun.
Do you know those moments when you consciously expand into your innermost desires, longings and passions, and it almost feels too unbearable to hold? This wild energy is so expansive that fear drums up in our bodies. We turn away from the creative heat and all sorts of protective and defensive mechanisms take over. Our left analytical brain might then try and reason us into the impracticalities of pursuing any sort of creative endeavour.
But wait! That handstand felt so good.
How do we bridge these conflicting thoughts and feelings?
By becoming the bridge yourself. Do whatever it takes to ground yourself. Put your hands on the floor. Gather your favourite scents and plant pals. Feel that cool, earth energy sustaining you as you inch closer to what you’re generating. Consciously expanding also includes knowing what you need to unfold into each action — and that comes with practice and a beginner’s mind. You become the hot masterpiece by showing up and returning to yourself. Again and again.
7 of Cups
Seven gold cups float in the air, each filled with items that could be perceived as desirable or fearsome.
Is the snake oracular or poisonous? Will the poppies provide medicine or sedation? Will this new home create freedom or restriction?
It’s impossible to really know until we reach for the cup and ground it with a dosage of reality. The Seven of Cups shows up when we’re amidst a deep creative exploration. We’ve received a burst of inspiration and our imagination runs wild — for the better or worse. But don’t let the ‘worse’ part disrupt the ‘better.’ Let your imagination run wild without the disruption of your left analytical thinking brain and fear body/child self. Once that creative part of you has roamed free, then invite those analytical and critical thinking skills to harness and contain and wield it into some sort of action — even if it’s just following a curious whim.
This card also wants you to pay attention to what you’re ingesting — food, media, conversations, etc. — and identify what’s nourishing vs poisonous.
2 quotes from others
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”
– Ursala K. Le Guin
“Life is a series of seasons, and what works in one season may not work in the next. What season are you in right now? What habits does that season require?”
– James Clear
1 question for you
What’s one grounded approach or action you can apply to your own dream-following practice?