Beneath the Current
This Week's Collective Card Reading
As a client recently said to me in a rescheduling email—”summer is a wild beast.” This indeed feels true as I’ve been running from one activity to the next. I feel myself longing to surrender to the chaos and also not wanting to miss out on any fun. Usually experiences make it easier for me to write. But, after I sat for nearly an hour today, trying to write this newsletter, I decided that I have too much to process to try and make meaning of it all right now. So surrender, I will. The beast wins today—there is no essay forthcoming.
When I feel stuck in this way, one of my favorite mantras is: “How can I be helpful today?”
Shifting the focus away from myself and into my place in the collective feels like such a relief.
I’m grateful that this collective reading has become a way to be of service and a ritual I can rely on. I hope you find a moment of peace or reflection here.
Now, let’s see what the cards have to say.
Here is our collective card reading:
(Scroll slowly if you don’t want to see the cards revealed before you choose.)
How this works: I invite you to take a slow, grounding breath and let your attention settle. When you’re ready, look at the three cards and notice which one, two, or three, you feel most drawn to. Trust your intuition. Then scroll below the photo to read the message connected to your card(s) and let it support you over the days and weeks ahead. As always, please take what resonates and leave the rest.
If you chose 1:
The Ocean
Water is the element of emotion. Sometimes warm and inviting and often deeper than it appears from the surface. The wave metaphor is strong with this card. Reminding us to move with the current and allow hidden feeling to arise.
My favorite definition of emotional intelligence is having awareness of our feelings without immediately acting on them. The Ocean asks us to take time to process and listen. Our feelings are almost always more temporary than they seem. Sometimes there are moments when we must get swept up and seize the day—yelling “I love you” as a train rolls away. But, more often than not, we need time to reflect. To find a response that serves us rather than let emotions dictate our choices.
This is an invitation to go beneath the surface and ask yourself without judgement:
What is true for me right now?
What would my highest self choose to do?
When we can’t come to a decision, sometimes giving ourselves permission to sit with something long enough can bring the clarity we need. Give yourself time and allow the metaphorical wave to move through you.
If you chose 2:
The Lovers
The lovers card is less about romance and more about choice. Consider your relationship to giving and receiving in partnerships. Not as a way to keep score—that’s rarely a good idea—but as a way to feel balanced and nourished. All meaningful relationships go through seasons, and the lovers is an invitation to consider which season you’re in.
Often when I pull this card for a client they are being asked to choose with their heart instead of their mind. I notice that highly intuitive people are often more protective of their hearts and less trusting of others. Perhaps because we’ve been burned so many times, or were told we were too trusting?
Take a moment to consider:
What do I long to give or receive?
What do I truly have the capacity for?
Keeping the door open to possibility doesn’t mean staying unguarded. Self love often looks like boundaries and self protection.
If you chose 3:
Temperance
Life rarely asks us to choose between two extremes. Temperance is a card of finding the middle way. Weighing the greater good and seeing from different perspectives. It’s easy to get caught up in over thinking here. So, remember that there is often no perfect choice.
Temperance calls us to keep an open mind, listen deeply, and ask for help from your higher power. What’s often needed is less force and more allowing. Instead of acting on the first signs of discomfort and rushing to make or break a situation, we can allow the path to become clear.
This is an invitation to ask yourself:
What would balance look like in this situation?
Are there any comforts I am clinging to? What would it look like to loosen my grip?
Consider not only what could go wrong, but all that could go right—including that choosing yourself doesn’t mean abandoning others.
The middle way can be hard to see if we demand it show itself too quickly.
Thanks for being here.
With Love,
Sheryl
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Website: sherylwagnermedium.com
Even when you are "stuck", you end up writing such a lovely newsletter. I guess being "stuck" is a way of telling yourself that you have to think it through to come up with a solution.
I read all the collective cards you put out because there are words of wisdom in each one of them that apply to us. My favorite line was " choosing yourself doesn’t mean abandoning others." I am going to hold this thought closest to my heart today.
Another lovely reflection. That deck is beautiful.