Jan 16 | 2023 — Eight of Wands
Happy Monday! Okay — show of hands — who’s ready for Mercury Retrograde to fuck right off? Look at me with all my hands up. Short story of our weekend: dishwasher has apparently been leaking for a while, and it wasn’t until Saturday that the leak made its way under the wooden planks in our kitchen and said “hey, howshadurrin?” SO much fun. <eye roll>
Today’s card is the VIII of Wands. This is one of the few cards in the Tarot deck to now show a person and, honestly, can be a confusing card for some people. Some people say this card is about air travel. I like to see these cards as more of an aerial bombardment, like arrows flying through the air. The question is: did you shoot these arrows or are you the intended target? Either way, I feel the general vibe of this card is “fuck around and find out.”
Message of the Day: I’ve been thinking about this card all morning and thinking about how this can be interpreted for self-betterment. When we look at the actual card, we see these wands flying through the air, aiming at god knows what. These wands most likely represent our choices, things we put out into the universe. Once we pull that string back and let those arrows fly, it’s left to the Universe to determine where they land.
For most of us, our weapon of choice: words.
When you talk with someone, there are more things than just words that go into how you communicate. Posture, body language, tone, inflection, volume, desire… all these things go into the calculation of where your words land. Some people are REALLY good at knowing where to aim (what buttons to push) to get a specific reaction. Others are reckless and fire off at will, being completely reactionary without thinking about the damage that can come from a spray of careless, poorly aimed words.
I talk with my son about the importance of being purposeful when we communicate and choosing our words wisely. Words do not have to be honed into a weapon if we can learn to phrase our thoughts in a constructive way. This takes practice and time. It takes being mindful and being willing to step out of your emotions and into your logical self to craft a statement than can not only de-escalate the situation but also communicate your needs.
We use the phrase “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” when we talk with our son about making choices. This is the kid-friendly version of “fuck around and find out.” They both convey the importance if being smart about how you communicate with people. Words don’t have to be weaponized when you realize you can use those words to steer the conversation.
Another quick thought is when we choose to use those words (arrows) to hurt ourselves. So many of us are critical of ourselves and think or talk negatively about ourselves when we make mistakes. Sometimes we do this via self-deprecating humor, other times we use it as a means of encouragement (“get up you fat bitch, and do 10 more pushups!”). Perspective can change the world and improve how you feel in life. There should be no room for self-inflicted wounds; the world at large does enough wounding that we don’t need to join in.
Decks shown above:
