Two of Cups Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Managing What I Can’t Control

Notice how I did that? Manage what I can’t control. You may giggle now.

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Stress, it is a killer. Or so says Bartok in the animated “Anastasia” film. Right now I am working hard to manage some stress that I can’t control. Notice how I did that? Manage what I can’t control. You may giggle now.

But managing my reaction to that stress? That I can do. I’ve got some great tools that I’m not using. My Zentangles? I keep picking up my pens then realizing that this or that or this other thing need doing.

One thing I do have access to is the companionship of my pets. Or am I their pet? Sometimes it is hard to tell. I can’t sit down without having at least one of them near me. Right now I’m at my dining room table with my eldest cat curled up in the chair next to me. His sister is sleeping on the window sill. They’ve both had a very rough morning of bird watching. Tough life.

The dogs wait for me to sit on the couch. Then the Basenji wedges her butt against me while the Chiweenie worms his way between me and the arm of the couch. No matter if I am curled up in the corner. He will have his way.

Today’s card is from the charming Cat’s Eye Tarot by Deb Givin, DVM. Here two black and white cats wind around one another. It reminds me that even when I am tripping over my fifteen pound Maine Coon, I’m only doing that because he loves me so much.

We’ve all heard about pets being great stress relievers. They are. Even when I am whining that I don’t particularly WANT to go for a walk, I always feel better after that walk.

What pets do you have? I’d love to hear about them.

Today’s affirmation:

I am relaxed. I am calm. I manage my response to the stresses of my life. I breathe in. I breathe out. I am enough. I am a beautiful, strong, woman. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Two of Cups, Cat’s Eye Tarot, U.S. Games Systems Inc.

Why I Don’t Do Resolutions Any More

There’s a reason I don’t do resolutions any more. see, I have a pet peeve. Well, I have a lot of them but there’s one in particular that just makes me snarly. And since I don’t like being snarly, I avoid people who break their promises.

The Two of Cups is a card that makes me think of kept promises but also the fragile future of a promise. So many things can come up. So many bumps that make us have to change our minds, break our promises.

A resolution, to me, is a promise I make to myself. When I inevitably break that promise, I get snarly with myself. Since I don’t like being snarly with myself, I don’t make resolutions.

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What I have learned is that if I create goals, I can see them in different ways. I set up specific steps to achieve them.

Are my goals resolutions?

Yes and no. Yes in that I am resolved to go them but no in that I don’t see them as promises to myself. I see them as things on my yearly to-do list.

So in a way I’m playing word games with my own head.

It works. I wasn’t doing resolutions for a long time nor was I doing goals. Then the happened and I got busy. Really really busy.

Dreaming.
Creating.
Goal setting.
Celebrating success.

Was it easy? Nah…I had to make time for the work. I had to do the work. Then I had to get out of my own way.

So yes, I’m very fond of the workbook. I’m as fond of it as some of you may be sick of hearing about it from me. LOL

Two of Cups, Dreaming Raven Tarot, Schiffer, 2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Parts, Love+Deep

Today’s card reminds me of sadness and being misunderstood. And that’s a rather unusual interpretation for this particular card. Normally this is the card of love and romance and partnership.

But the Lorelei, to me, is a sad creature. She only wants love to come to her. She sings for love. She attracts love. Sadly none of them want to stay and that love is destroyed. Often, so is the lover.

Per the Dark Goddess Tarot, she is a German spirit of unending desire. The phrase in the Little White Book (LWB) is “the deeper you go, the harder your heart beats”.

So perhaps the Lorelei can find love if only one person will go deep enough to understand her. Deep enough to see all her parts–both light and dark.

Isn’t that what we all want? Just someone to love all of us?

Journal prompt today: “Do I love all their parts?”

Two of Water, Dark Goddess Tarot, 2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Why Did I Do That?

Today’s card reminds me that I need to be actively engaged in my own emotional choices. I must remember that what I feel is my own responsibility. I cannot allow my emotional choices to be made by others.

I mean that I cannot say, “Oh I did that horrible thing because I was mad at so-and-so.”

I mean that I cannot say, “I was speeding because X told me I had to hurry.”

I can say, “I was hurting when I did that horrible thing” or “I was speeding because I thought it was urgent that I get there.”

By taking the “other” out of my actions, I own what I do. I was thinking about this on my morning walk with the dogs. I released one emotional burden yesterday. It hurt, y’all. It hurt to release it. Doesn’t feel much better today to be honest.

But? I know it was the right thing for me. I hope it was the right thing for the other person.

I had to make an emotional choice where I put myself first. I had to be reminded by someone who loves me that I was trying to put blame where it didn’t belong once I’d done that releasing.

My reaction to that reminder was…poor, to say the least. 😀 I reread what they said this morning and got more of what they meant. But last night? HOOO BOY! I did not want to hear what they said. AT ALL.

So what about you? Do you have any impending emotional choices? See if you can make them from your heart-centered, self-focused place. See if you can not say, “If X hadn’t done X, I wouldn’t have to do this.”

As my dear One pointed out, it’s in the scorpion’s nature.

Two of Cups, Dream Raven Tarot (Beth Seilonen), Schiffer, 2013 (aff)

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

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Who Do You Need Most?

This card is a reminder that all I need is love. And that the Beatles have been haunting me this week. Stop that, you bad bad boys!

Here is the Two of Cups from the Thoth deck. Honestly, as much as this deck doesn’t appeal to me, this is a favorite depiction of this card. I find it soothing and just lovely to look at.

One of the things I’ve been trying to do lately is to love myself more. I don’t feel as if I do it enough or maybe it is that I am not regular about it. I need to do it daily. Do you?

I find that when I see myself as both cups, I do better. When I stop needing someone else to fill be up, I am a person I just like more. What about you?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “If they need me, I must be worthy.”

What about you? Do you need you?

For your 180 second challenge today, do something for yourself for three minutes. Love you.

Two of Cups, Thoth Tarot, U.S. Games

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!