What am I afraid of?

I had big plans for October.

I was going to do some deep soul work with my Wild Kuan Yin Oracle, finally introduce myself to the Vision Quest Tarot, and show my rune-stones some much overdue love (Decks for October).

I put all my other decks away (which basically means I took them off my desk, because the decks I tend to use live within grabbing distance anyway), and put these three front and centre.

And then I did nothing.

There they sat, looking at me, day after day. And I just looked back. Okay, I pulled a random card or two, but I never made the time to actually dive in. And because I'd made a commitment to only use these three this month, I suppressed the urge work with any others. And so I worked with none.

Whyyyyyyyyyy??

One habit I have been able to maintain is that of "talking" with my mother each morning, using my Sibilla cards (they have special dispensation from the Three Deck Rule). So I asked her, "Why don't I work with my cards more?" And she said -

I avoid spending time working with my cards because I might discover deep and personal insights, so instead I fill that time getting public recognition and satisfaction from sharing my card related interests and ideas with others. I'm talking the talk rather than walking the walk.

Hmmm, guilty as charged. There are some shadow areas I'm still not sure I'm ready to look at. And if I were to really immerse myself in my practice, where would it take me?

I'm already trying to ween myself off Facebook. Instagram is okay because it doesn't required that much interaction. I can post and look and not have to spend ages reading and responding to discussions. YouTube is a bit more of a problem because I could easily spend several hours a day watching all my favourite channels.

But the real issue is not how much time I spend avoiding working with my cards, but dealing with the reasons for the avoidance in the first place.

A lot of it is simply laziness - just difficulty making myself do it. I work, I come home, I do my chores, and then I just want to take it easy.

Some of it is a lack of focus. I don't like throwing cards for myself without some sort of need or question, and I haven't found a way of reading for others that I feel comfortable with. That's another of my shadows - the fear of what actually using my ability for others might look like and how it might impact my precious "quiet life".

And some of it is environmental. My space is not entirely my own - it hasn't been for several months, and I don't know how long that's going to last. Ha! I've just noticed that Belvedere + Stanza could show me waiting for my privacy. 😏

I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed from here. I keep hoping something will happen that will force my hand, because I can't seem to make any progress on my own. I think I've written all this as a kind of shadow work journaling (another thing I want to do but don't), to get it out where I can see it and hopefully begin to deal with it.

My mother can use Sibilla better than I can!

Back in April I took part in an Instagram tag called #sibillaprile, where we looked at the Italian Sibilla card meanings and used the cards for daily draws and short readings.

At the same time I was beginning to try to communicate with my mother in order to resolve past issues (daughters, mothers - there's always issues). So I invited her to speak to me through the sibilla cards.

Mistake.

She took over! No matter what I pulled cards about, she was in there. I'd be like "How the heck does that relate to--?!... Oh. Hi Mum."

So we came to an agreement. I would have a card conversation with her every morning, and she would leave my cards alone the rest of the time. So far that seems to be working.

But dang! if she isn't better at using the cards to get her point across than I am at interpreting them. And she was never into cards when she was alive. How does she do that?

And here is a prime example that I just had to share with you. Yesterday was our granddaughter's first Communion (that side of the family is Catholic*). That morning I asked Mum if there was anything she wanted to talk about and La Fedeltà fell out. So I put it back in the deck, shuffled a bit more and then pulled the two cards before and the two cards after that card in the deck. I noticed that the next card was Donna maritata, the mother card, so I put that down as well - it seemed to be saying "Listen to your mother".

There was to be a garden party/buffet after the event, and I knew it was going to be a very hot day, so I took this to mean keep an eye on the granddaughter (Bambino-La Fedeltà) so that she doesn't overdo it (La Leggerezza: recklessness, Disperato per gelosia: get frazzled) at the party (Allegrezza al cuora). I also noted the tent and hat in la Fedeltà - stay in the shade.

I often check the card on the bottom of the deck for extra details, and this time it was Ammalato: Sickness.

Soooo, guess who got heatstroke, was violently ill all yesterday afternoon and evening, and had to take to her bed. Yep. Me!

I should have known the message was meant for me. I am my mother's Bambino after all, and she even appeared at the end of the spread.

To top it off, when I made a note of all this in my journal, I wrote that I was "sick as a dog"...
Oh haha, Mum, very funny.

*Apologies for the distancing tactic, but it matters to me, and I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Frankly, whenever I witness a Catholic ritual, I can't help but notice how much it resembles witchcraft. I mean - candles, bells, incense, recitations, transubstantiation... Just sayin'. 😉