Where Has All the Compassion Gone?
Lately, when I’ve been surfing around the internet reading the news, listening to videos or reading facebook and twitter, I’ve noticed a lot of derogatory comments about how we should handle people in their lowest moments. I’ve never had a thought to harm another, and I’m always surprised at how quickly the masses wish to subject people to pain for their wrongdoings.
I like to think that tarot is a reflection of life. We will go through lessons, joys, and experiential growth. Naturally, my mind turns to tarot to try and make sense of where the loss of compassion happens, and where is that upon the Fool’s Journey in relation to the cards of second chance. I have spoke about the cards of second chance before: the Tower, Justice, and the Wheel of Fortune. (You can find that post here)
What cards are the cards of compassion?
Ace of Cups from Simply Deep Tarot
The first card that I associate immediately with compassion is the Ace of Cups. The vessel is held wide as if to say, “I’ll catch you if you fall, wash you clean and then let you fly freely with love.” It’s not a trap. It’s more of a big huge cleansing. Compassion says, “I’ll emotionally pick you up when you fall.” With both the Ace of Cups, and the King of Cups, there is a sense of understanding with unconditional love that none of us is perfect, but yet you can still be loved and cared for just as anyone else.
Compassion is a virtue, which I included in A King’s Journey Tarot as it appears in the Seven of Spirit. The virtue is described as ‘unselfishness’.
I ascribe one of the meanings as follows,
“In order to FEEL compassion and empathy, so you can serve others, you need to detach from your self-serving ego and feel from inside their shoes.”
and
“You are being asked to give of yourself. It is your obligation to help others. You have received, now it is time to give.”
Seven of Spirit - A King's Journey Tarot
One thing that I had to notice was that in order to have spiritual compassion for another, we would have to be passed the exclusive gates of the initiated, according to my rendition of the Fool’s Journey. (You can find this outlined in my companion book to A King’s Journey found here. )
This tells me that unless a person welcomes and embraces all their life experiences, there is little chance they will be escorted into the higher realms as an initiate.
One roadblock does seem to be the collective mind. In the reversed Seven of Spirit the masses are tossing the man’s good effort to the wayside. It’s a selfish attempt to place themselves above someone with misfortune by pulling them further under, rather than climbing out of the pits on their own merit. How do you combat that? Through personal and honest sharing. I firmly believe that we should not blame, shame, or guilt people when there is an honest attempt of redemption and asking forgiveness for that which was mistakingly done.
Sharing opens our hearts, which takes us back to the Ace of Cups and the King of Cups. Our hearts becomes a vessel in which to help carry the burdens that have flooded over the rim of someone else’s heart.
Good Faith Action : When you catch yourself ready to ridicule another, ask yourself what you could have done in that situation, and help them understand it through your eyes.. speaking softly as the King of Cups does, and through personal sharing and unselfishness as in the Seven of Spirit, and ask yourself how you could be of service to them.
Blessings,
Chanel
How far does Your Personal Spiritual Boundaries Reach ?
Hierophant - Simply Deep Tarot
What do you value so much in yourself that you will absolutely not STAND for another person to violate? Did you feel a strong conviction run through your entire system? Did every cell in your body give a collective, ” HELL NO! ” at the mere thought of ‘it’ being taking away from you?
That’s a spiritual boundary that you have built up around you personal boundaries. The Hierophant / High Priest is a card that speaks strongly about the importance of your spiritual convictions. In A King’s Journey, I designed the card so that the Fool would not be able to so much as enter the sanctity of the church without first finding his own personal convictions. For this, he would have to be at a point in his life to say, “absolutely I will protect my mind, body and spirit from entertaining toxic temptations.” If he doesn’t understand his own demons, he will never understand the greatest battle the soul will ever know.
The Hierophant in Simply Deep Tarot took a different form, although showing a similar meaning. His personal spiritual boundaries must be able to co-exist with the delicate nature that surrounds him. That means his spiritual values must reflect the level of respect that he intends to give unto others, because he already gives it unto himself.
So here’s a thought to leave you with.. What personal boundaries do you have to protect your spirit. How do you live as an example of that personal spiritual boundary in your environment?
For example, if you respect your body as a temple and do not have sexual intimacy out of wedlock, preserving yourself for the sacred union with another? Do you also respect that in people that you meet every day on the internet by withholding sexually explicit conversation?
That’s an extreme example, which unfortunately happens far too often, but let’s look at another. Using your body as your temple, do you respect yourself through never speaking negative words to yourself? Do you respect that in others by never saying a negative comment that will tear them down?
Really take a look at this. When I did, it brought a new awareness to me about the purpose of my values and the space I hold for them in my environment.
Let me know how this worked in your life.
Blessings,
Chanel
Have you had your rest lately?
Four of Swords - Simply Deep Tarot
Today I’m reminded of how hard many soloprenuers work towards their success. Before you know it, the day escaped and you are basking in the moonlight that peeks through the window next to your desk.
The draw of the Four of Swords relays the importance of taking a moment of rest from time to time. This resting period should be a TRUE rest. One in which your spirit can have a chance to detox and let go of all the energetically charged tag-alongs that we pick up as we go about our day.
In my Ebook – Tarot and the Ten Commandments, I go discuss the importance of the fourth tarot card inside of the fourth commandment regarding the Day of Sabbath.
The Spirit / God, Universal energy, or whatever your belief, it is necessary to fill yourself with this life giving breath of energy that cleanses our spirit and keeps us connected to the Web of Life.
So, if you haven’t had a chance to just relax and form a connection between the Earth and the Heavens, I invite you to make time in the next 48 hours to do so. You are worth it!
Chanel
Do you have the gift of Clarity?
One of the greatest gifts that we can have, as we are growing spiritually throughout our life, is the gift of clarity. It allows us the ability to view every moment without mental or emotional fog building up. As a tarot reader, our clarity during every given reading is imperative. Clarity affords us the ability of insight. Through clarity, we can be transparent
and allow ourselves to be a channel between the Universe and the Querent.
So, how can we achieve a state of clarity?
Through unlocking the chakras that keep us bound to our own physical, emotional and mental issues.
- Chakra 1 – Ground yourself properly, extending roots deep into the Earth.
- Chakra 2 – Detach by releasing your emotional detachments.
- Chakra 3 – Remove insecurities, biases and the need to please others.
- Chakra 4 – Allow your heart to remain neutral, do not pull in or release any energies.
- Chakra 5 – Let your voice box be grounded through your heart expressing, without filter, the Universe’s will
- Chakra 6 – Open your third eye to see beyond what you see and know with your eyes, let there be no judgments
- Chakra 7 – Receive wisdom from your Higher Self by disconnecting from what you know to be true through experience.
Try this tip before you begin your reading and note if your readings are a bit different. By the way, soon I will be opening up my website, The Healthy Chakra, to help spiritually minded people work and live on a much higher level than before. Energy work is one of my first loves, and I’m in a place where I want to share with others.
As always, please share your results!
Many blessings,
Chanel
Sloshing your emotional chalice?
Ace of Cups - Simply Deep Tarot
The chalice represents the womb of our emotions. For some the container is small, for others it is quite large. Some will be so drunken in emotion that it sloshes over, spilling their sloppy entrails all over your shoes. Still others will hold tiny slim shot glasses that can only handle one swig of emotion at a time, and often not at very dependable levels.
In tarot, when we pull a card from the Suit of Cups, we are being asked to reflect on how we are receiving emotion. Receiving is the big word here.
Let’s do an exercise together for one sec. Imagine for a moment that someone was handing you a glass. You hold your hand out and accept it. What does it look like?
Is it a martini glass? A shot glass? Perhaps it is a tall thick every day glass. Maybe you prefer coffee cups? Whatever it is, notice the size, the stem, the thickness. All of these hold clues as to how you receive emotions.
Thin shallow glasses might show that you don’t like to handle emotions, and don’t do so well. A thicker tall glass might show that you have emotional depth that takes emotions to a very deep level (this was my cup by the way). Or, maybe you have a wide open glass with a short stem, perhaps that shows wearing emotions on your sleeve and see everything through emotional eyes?
Look at the beverage inside? Is it water, alcohol, tea, or lemonade? This can show you the type of emotions you are open to receive, or often receive from others. Take in water is a nice clean non-toxic view. Alcohol could be toxic on some levels, but relay a different message on another level.
All of these clues can reflect how you receive your chalice of emotion.
Feel free to share your chalice..
Chanel
The Glass is Always Half Full !
One thing I have learned over the years is that it is so easy to think in ‘half-empty’ terms, or as I call it, thinking in lack.
Most of us will have at least one lack thought a day. I would even wager that many of us will have more than 10 lack thoughts in any given day. Without even knowing, the thought will sneak in.
- I need more money = I don’t have enough money.
- I’m hungry = I don’t have enough food.
- I wish I had more clients. = I don’t have enough money.
- I wish he would call = I don’t have enough attention.
The problem with this line is thinking is that when we think we don’t have it, we automatically start focusing on not having it. When we do that, our brains start pulling all the things we think we don’t have as evidence of not having it. (Our brains like to associate and group items of information.) Once we start doing that, it becomes our truth. When that happens all we have is yuckiness in our lives.
[title]So how to you start looking at life half full?[/title]
1. Stop
That’s right! When you notice any sign that you are getting hung up in lacking thinking.. STOP! There’s nothing wrong with noticing a * lack thought * forming. It’s a great signal to you that an issue has been triggered. Sometimes that trigger can be your body saying.. hey, this isn’t the right path for you, or it can be an issue that you need to pay attention to an area that needs rebalanced.
The problem only comes when you get stuck on it and it begins to fester to the point of obsession, or stalled movement. What happens is that it anchors your energy to the issue preventing it from moving. When that happens.. WATCH OUT !
Energy is going to come out any which way it can. That means, depression, anger, anxiety, obsessions, addictions, hate, mental disorders, health problems, financial problems, etc. So do yourself a favor, and just stop before you get hung up on it, and advance to step 2. 
2. Acceptance
The wisest piece of advice I ever got from a friend was this…. “If you can’t control it, don’t change it. Only change what you can control. If you can’t change it, then don’t worry about it.” I had to ponder this for a while, but I have come to realize that he was so right!
There are times in life that you just have to accept that it is what it is and there is nothing you could, nor should, do about it. Of course, there are times that you’ll want to, but more often than not, what we feel lack in are things that we can’t change. Once you accept it and look on, then you feel a huge pressure taken off your shoulders. The pity party stops, and the internal fighting ceases.
3. Solutions
I am a believer in solutions ! When you get stuck in lack thinking you can’t move. Simple. You become a victim of circumstance. However, once you identify what issue the ‘lack thinking’ is triggering, you can get out. Identify the problem, then find the solution.
For example, if you feel you want someone to call you more often, get to the bottom of what that issue is for you. If you get to the bottom and realize it is because you are lonely, then by all means, find a solution as to why you are lonely. Do you need to get out more? Do you need a new hobby? Find a solution that you CAN control.
4. Embrace.
Embrace the positive in the situation. Now, I’m not suggesting that you just fake this and mention some wonderful thing you should be grateful for.. blah blah blah. But I promise you that the Universe will balance the positive and negative energies in any given situation. This also doesn’t mean that you stay in an icky situation, either.
Take this example, for instance. My daughter had some cancer tissue removed recently. We identified the problem, found the solution (surgery) and then we embraced it. By embracing it, we educated ourselves on what to look for in order to identify anything questionable in the future. We are making changes to our diet, and we are embracing a healthier lifestyle. None of this says we want anything toxic in our lives, but we have definitely embraced a positive and healthier lifestyle from it. How wonderful is that ? That’s what embracing is all about, the changes that you make in your life BECAUSE of paying attention to what you don’t want to be in your life any more.. aka.. lack thinking.
5. Gratefulness
It was recently pointed out to me that this is an annoying statement. Perhaps it IS over-used, but I don’t think it is any less worthy of being recognized.
It is extremely important that we are grateful for the results of lack thinking. It reinforces to every cell in our energy that we can trust ourselves to take action on any imbalances. This speaks volumes to our own psyche.
Another reason to be grateful is because it is closure. It signals an ending that the issue has been solved and is no longer a worry that will be any concern.
Gratefulness also carries the love of the Universe forward from your energy. With that comes forgiveness, compassion, understanding, and support.
So, whenever you feel that your thinking is in lack, follow the above steps. Here’s a spread I developed to help you visually see through this energy. It’s called, Glass Half Fool Tarot Spread.
Glass Half Fool Tarot Spread
I did a play on words when I named this tarot spread, but honestly, isn’t that what we are when we are recognizing the upside or the downside in any given situation?
This is an easy 3 card spread to highlight the energies of how we are looking at a situation, how we should consider looking at a situation, and what will bridge the gap in order to balance the energy.
[image img="http://www.tarotreadingsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Tarot-Spread-Glass-Half-Fool-211x300.jpg" url="http://www.tarotreadingsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Tarot-Spread-Glass-Half-Fool.jpg" all="rounded"]
Glass Half Fool Tarot Spread by Chanel Bayless ©2011
Position 1 – Half Empty
This card should be laid out horizontally at the bottom of the spread.
It represents what you are seeing as half empty energy. This is your ‘lack’ energy.
If you are in a situation that feels wonderful in some ways, but you think you want more of it, and you aren’t sure why it is not a perfect situation, use this position to find out what the ‘trigger’ SHOULD be in this situation. You may be trying to see only the positive and avoiding the negative attributes of the situation.
Position 2 – Half Full energy
This card is laid out horizontally at the top of your spread.
It represents what you can see as the glass half full energy. If you are seeing rosey cheeks in a situation that is not the most encouraging, but you aren’t sure what you are clinging to, use this position to show you what you are seeing as your full, and use position 1 to show you what you need to see as the energy that is lacking.
Position 3 – The Bridge
This card is laid vertically between position 1 and 2. This is the energy that will bridge the gap between the two so your * cup * will remain in balance.
I’d love to hear about your experiences trying this spread or, like always, if you need help with an interpretation, let me know by posting below .
Also, make sure you read 5 easy steps that can help you move forward in a ‘ Glass half Full’ Mentality here.