This is one of those cards that for many people there's an immediate understanding of what’s being signified. That the person is carrying too much, and carrying it awkwardly or inefficiently. A classic case of over-doing…

I can almost hear the kerfuffle too… can you? Listen … The clack-clack of wands bumping into each other, voices rising and falling and talking over each other, the shuffle-shuffle of feet, the huff-puff breath … argy-bargy.

My sense is underlying any fear-frustration of doing something new, is shame. No one wants to look like an idiot and be subject to ridicule. Shame stops us short, shuts us up, and shuts us down. But, behind anyone who’s ever taken a risk, and tried something new, is either the willingness to look silly, or not caring that much if they come off looking awkward.

Often times of difficulty, and personal or collective crisis requires a silencing of all the voices and distractions that can dull clear thought and sharp instincts. But rather than escape, a middle way could be temporary retreat.

It’s interesting that the most prominent and intriguing aspect in this moons card - the hand holding the cup, emerging from the cloud - is what seems least interesting to the main human character.

In this way, the purpose of being focussed, organised and attending to details is to produce a rich harvest. Something of substance, that serves to nourish and support you and others in the long run. The notion of harvest also encourages a stopping of work, proper rest in ritual celebration of what’s been achieved, i.e. not collapsing from exhaustion merely to start again tomorrow.

Three 6’s in a row seems significant enough to capture my curiosity and inquire into it. Moving beyond the stability-rigidity of 4’s, and the change-conflict in 5’s; the winter season of 6’s can suggest a return to some harmony-indulgence.

The triangular arrangement and attitude of each player speaks to broad, stable social structures that maintain some people/organisations/ institutions to hold onto particular prosperity-power dynamics. Paradoxically, perpetual one-sided giving or receiving is not sustainable. Either reciprocity becomes the norm, and / or …out come the scales.

What’s key here is respite, not escape. Because the swords - represented here as troublesome immovable thoughts - are going along for the ride, and fixed (stuck) in the belly of the boat. … A bit like ‘baggage’, you’re taking these swords/thoughts/beliefs with you. You’re not denying them, you just need break.

Insomnia and sleep disorders are a vast a varied issue that requires a multi-pronged review. But when it comes to a mind that’s laying on a 9 sword load of heavy thoughts, particularly if they’re unsolvable, or they’re world-other problems, then giving up the anxiety of the fight through some form of acceptance and detachment from them can help in the moment.

Psycho-spiritually, transformation and healing can happen when we’re able to synthesise opposites or reconcile differences that occur within us, or between us and the outer world; like, this-that, self-other, good-bad, right-wrong, light-dark, conscious-unconscious, body-mind, masculine-feminine etc.. So it’s not so much about choosing one way or thing, and not the other, but by seeing what arises as both unite.

… with this type of insidious, shadowy and mesmerising force - a softly, softly approach will not cut it. You have to meet it with an equally powerful and drastic measure to rid yourself of it.

… when we place these superhuman ideals of what a father is, on everyday human fathers, then we as individuals in a child-father dynamic might have felt anything from mild, to extreme deficiency in the relationship if father didn’t meet up to the ‘expectation’.

… on one hand, there is much that is beyond your control, and on the other, the choices you make matter. How you use your power can make a difference to you and others. So if you were even for a moment to observe your domain from a higher plane, take an expanded all encompassing impersonal (God-like?) view, your choices and actions might take a different flavour.

How you behave in words and actions during conflict teaches you about the health and responsiveness of your nervous system, and your boundary style. If you’re not conscious of that, how you are during conflict can be a direct reaction based on your conditioning, wounds or traumas, rather than the circumstances in front of you today.

… With 3 generations being depicted in the image, you’re also being asked to step back and take a deep time perspective. Where you can observe from your higher mind, a longer and wider view of family and where you – at this point in time - are in the mix.

At certain times I find that inspiration and ideas seem to come all at once. There’s a build up of creative energy ... and depending on your mindset, this can be invigorating OR overwhelming. But, as wands are connect to the element of fire, this raw creativity needs to go somewhere, lest inspiration and ideas fizzle from lack of attention, OR the sparks rise up into a fire that burns out of control…

Emotional resilience develops as you learn to 1) tolerate the discomfort of the difficult emotions, for a time, 2) without becoming stuck in victimhood, grief, despair, rage or hopelessness, and 3) make moves to begin again, in a new direction making new connections, with new skills or attitudes.

Most of us are conditioned to “play nice”. As children we were discouraged from saying “no”, pushing back or arguing. At the same, compliance is rewarded with being told how we’re being such a “good boy/girl” or are so “easy” or “quiet”. This card can be a reminder that there are times that taking a stand is vitally important for your sense of self and your individuation. Especially if deep within, you know what right for you.

Beyond being a fancy way of saying ‘choose’, discernment suggests a high level of nuance and consideration of facts, values, effects and outcomes. To discern requires time for contemplation and a capacity for deep listening.