The Hermit spends his time in solitude, however you can see that he does not feel unpleasantly alone. He appears to be in deep contemplation, as he in in a yoga pose and enjoys the stillness of nature in the dim starlight. The pink flowers in the scene give a slight hint of romance, as the hermit is in a state of self-love. The starlight strikes the mountains with a pinpoint of brilliant light, just as the hermits own meditation seems to light the lantern at his feet.
     The Hermit often appears when it is time to step back, to spend some time alone in self-care. If we are to remember what we are called to do and what our purpose is, we must take time from the business of life to go within and refresh ourselves. In this way, we find our inner light and come forth with positive energy to shine on the world and the ones we love. Today, take a little time to yourself, relax, and love who you are. 'Blessed meditations!

     The King of Sword is an older man, who is quite well educated, with a sharp wit. He can be quite difficult for others to read, and scrutinizes everything. At times, he may come across as cold, calculating, and defensive. However, he is great at both the big picture and the details and is definitely someone you want on your side when intellect is required.
     While this card may represent a person or attitude who may be prevalent today, it gives important advice. Today, watch things closely as they may not be what they seem at first. Step back and think before making any big decisions. And, as the hawk eyes staring at us here reminds us, sometimes what we need to watch most closely is ourselves.

     Like yesterday's card (7 of pentacles) the 3 of pentacles may represent a time of hard work. However, with the energy of the number 3, this work may be more creative, enjoyable, and productive. The three men here are all working together, utilizing different talents to organize and build. Progress here appears to be going fairly quickly as balance and harmony are achieved through teamwork and achieving a working rhythm.
     Today is a great day for following ambitions and continuing projects, as satisfying progress is likely to be made. The energy of this card allows us to put all of our focus  and energies on one goal, so that we can confidently achieve what we set out to do. Enjoy this day of great work!

     If you haven't read The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life by Deepak Chopra, then I highly suggest it. I picked this book up a couple of months ago, when things seemed to be dragging, and I found an incredible amount of spiritual motivation.
     Deepak compares spiritual health to the health of a cell in a human body. In order to keep you healthy, each cell must act according to its purpose: interacting, reproducing, healing, and dying at just the right moment to keep the whole of your body strong...and yet, despite the life, death, and change all occurring in the body, you retain a sense of identity.
     Like our own cells, we are individuals on this earth designed to work together, remain healthy, and fulfill our own tasks.
     Using the cell metaphor, Deepak discusses the apparent paradoxes of life and death and good and evil. He clearly and logically combines religious study and his own experiences to help us come back to what he calls "the one reality" where we are healthy, able to let go, and feel like we are fulfilling our destiny.
     

          As you can see here, the seven of pentacles features a downtrodden looking man. Chipped pentacles are buried in the ground at his feet and halfheartedly clings to two of them. Note, however, that although he appears to be in ruin, he still stands; there is a feeling of pushing through here. 
          This card encourages perseverance. All may feel at a loss and failure may seem inevitable, but we will never get where we are trying to go if we don't keep putting the work in and looking for other options. When we feel like we've been struggling and getting nowhere, we need to reassess and try, try again.

This is a great card for summer, as things a heating up and we find ourselves with more energy and excitement. This Card features a single wand--alive with electricity and bursting out sun-like radiance. It seems to rise up out of the deep blue waters and skies, signaling new creation.

The Ace of Wands carries with it a very raw, fresh, and potent energy. It is the passion that builds within, exploding forth to propel us through challenges. Mostly simple put, this Ace is willpower itself and signals a positive motivated energy to the day!

          I'd like to comment on the vibrantly-colored artwork pictured at the top of this blog. I stumbled across it in a typical Google search, the brightly swirling colors caught my eye and gave me a boost. It was one of those pieces of artwork that made me want to linger. The next thing I noticed was the quote featured below the woman in beautiful bliss; "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind." It seems great spiritual ideas often come in the simplest forms. 
         The structure of these two sentences strikes me matter-of-fact. They are poetic, yet there is little prose or flair to them. As far as I know, they were written by no known great spiritual scholar and they are no verse of any bible. Whether or not they were even written by the artist of the piece rather than added by an admirer is unapparent. And unknown and presumably ordinary human being wrote those strong words. 
         Whether we are considered great or small in our society, whatever we believe or experience, each and every one of us is a human being; we have felt pain, seen beauty, thought thoughts and felt feelings. Therefore, we are all spiritually intelligent in some way. For what is the spirit, but the essence of who we are, what we sense, and how we grow? We learn from every experience and emotion, therefore, we are always gaining more power to heal and grow, even in spite of ourselves. 
          For this reason, I find this quote confidence-inspiring. "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind." These words remind me that in many situations, I may be growing more and performing better than I think I am, that even when I feel most clouded and blind, something underneath, this soul, still is guiding me toward more knowledge and better things. I hope you find the same.


P.S. Today's Card of the Day is the Eight of Wands. Perhaps all these perceived challenges will result in a burst of new things today. Can you feel it?

CARD OF THE DAY: Eight of Wands -- Jumping In

This card is a burst of energy! An excited looking young man, mouth wide open leaps forward on the card, as though fueled by lightening. Eight wands jump out around him. A white bird flying overhead in the distance seems to have the boy's eye...

The eight of wands is certainly a passionate and energetic card. As you can see, the figure on the card flies wildly, yet there is great confidence in his face. He leaps forward, beyond all odds, knowing that he will succeed. This is a card of great breakthroughs, be they spiritual or in some earthly project (although really, don't the two often coincide?). Today, perhaps it's time for a leap of faith. Just be ready to land back on the ground!

CARD OF THE DAY: Three of Wands - Creative Flow

This card radiates warmth with pink and gold tones, and a dark haired, flowing young woman in the scenes center. Although she appears to be kneeling, there is dance in her movement as she reaches gracefully toward the sun. Three lotus flowers bloom before, three wands are set around her, and birds fly about in the distance. The feeling is flowing, warm, and positive.

The 3 of wands represents creativity and growth. The lotus flowers represent the spirit, which this woman radiates as she enjoys her own inner power. Her passions do not overtake her, rather, she lets them flow through her while remaining confident and serene. Today may be a lovely day to do anything which unlocks your creative strengths, you may find that you want to fuel this toward greater things.

CARD OF THE DAY: Strength

This card portrays a warm feeling, as the sun is shining above a lush and plentiful landscape. A woman with wild brown hair stands,  slightly taunted look on her face, as she holds a golden cloth bearing a kingly lion just above her naked form.

This is one of my favorite Cosmic Tarot cards and a wonderful card of the day. Strength is something we all need to muster up at a given time in life. And this is not the strength that comes from physical brawn. It is the internal power to move forward, no matter what the circumstance. I find in this card the human spirit, which can override all emotion and force us onward, just because we all have that deep, hidden drive inside to live and enjoy life. Today, be your own sunshine. Whatever has been clouding your world lately may just fall away if you find your light of strength inside and decide to do something that makes you feel bright and alive!