A Provocative Tarot Reading
Today I pulled the page of swords, as a reflection card. I’m always curious to see what ‘food for thought’ a card offers. Thought provoking is always useful today I found it quite provocative as day 4 of my holiday, sitting poolside overlooking the Crocodile river into the Kruger park.watching a family of perhaps eight elephants, two babies and a couple of younger ones, loitering on the other side of the river bank, splashing themselves with mud, hippos honking lazily as they submerge themselves in and out of the water, and no doubt where a few crocodiles lurked….a scene to just sit and absorb and savour, so I was surprised by the Page of Swords.
This page gets onto higher ground to gain perspective in order to be proactive
I see the page of swords as an active card and the Page of Swords as advising us to be opportunistic, strategic even in taking our opportunities. The Page of Swords gets up onto higher ground so that he has a little distance to gain perspective of what is going on around him and having taken in the surrounding view and all the relevant information he uses his intellect and mind (swords) to go for what he wants.
I often say the Page of Swords is selfish, or needs to be, in order to go for us to go for what we want, what we desire. He holds the sword of truth aloft as his surveys the situation, and by using his logic and intellect he makes the right decision forward. He is strategic in his approach and judges the right moment to activate his opportunities.
So getting the page of swords as a daily reflection card for the first week of my holiday, was quite surprised as it wasn’t a relax and enjoy kind of tarot card, more a you need to be proactive card, so my first question was/
Is there a specific opportunity here, that I should be paying attention to? Taking advantage of?
The only answer I could apply was make the most of this opportunity. Of being on holiday with friends in a beautiful country with extraordinary animals and birds and nature.
Was there an opportunity I was missing?
Except for relaxing and taking it all in I was stumped. Mind you switching off the busy bottom, even on day 4, can be a challenge. Taking full opportunity of being on holiday and able to do nothing but be here now, fully present, taking in the most spectacular scene might have an aspect of the page swords. After all, I was, also thinking about all of this is terms of writing the blog?
Perhaps this is the moment to say how useful I find it to be ‘forced’ (on account of my website needing ‘original content’ to list well on google) to write down tarot insights as so often it is only by journaling and putting my inner thoughts on paper that I understand myself and it brings a whole new richness to my personal experience of a day, a week, a holiday. In a way these blogs become a best friend in lieu of a friend, partner, witness, by my side looking at this view for example, to share this experience. Although actually I wouldn’t discuss half of this with another. I enjoy having conversation with the tarot and myself.
But it got me thinking….am I making the most of it?
All pages take action. Did I need to be more proactive?
As the week progressed the insight of the page of swords became clearer.
Day 6 of the holiday had progressed. No longer was I wafting from terrace to a swim, with my godson we had driven to TomJacku, a small private game farm, for the next part of my trip and to stay wih a a dear friend’s son and wife and their new baby and their friends. A completely different vibe, working couples, half my age, combine holiday, babies and working (on their computers and in meetings online) we ended up the first day by packing everything into coolers and setting off for a sundowner and brie at the dam. The next day R and I were heading into a private game reserve in the Kruger Park where he shared a lodge with said friends. We would have to take all our food, water, booze, into the park so a big shop ahead, menus to be decided. There was a decided atmosphere of a group of very close friends who knew how to work as a team. And had many adventures together. I wasn’t quite sure how to fit in which is when the page of swords came to my rescue because fitting in was going to require a certain amount of getting to know people, checking out the dynamics, observing what was going on and jumping in when the moment seemed right, to engage and connect and find my place in this new group.
The page of wands was giving very helpful advise it seemed to me, almost explaining this was a situation where I couldn’t just sit on my laurels to get the best out of my holiday, I needed to to be proactive. And make the most of this opportunity.
Day 7. REWARD!! We arrived and on our first sunset game drive we had the most stunning sighting of 6 lioness strolling in the bush. I took a not very good video of four of them padding quietly passed us. It was an evening I will never forget as three of us sat round a fire and looked out over the African bush and stars above.
Here you can see four of the lioness of the six strolling across our path in the Kruger Park.