Learning by my mistakes
I spend a fair amount of time driving my children around, and waiting for them in the car. I have always been a radio 4 addict. I don't listen to any other channel, I love the comedy, Archers, and the total mix of topics covered.
Yesterday I heard John Cleese taking about the value of mistakes. He explored how acknowledging mistakes, and looking to learn from them was the secret to his success.
It is easy when life is busy to plough headlong on, working harder and harder hoping that things will muddle through. I certainly struggle with the self discipline of spending time reflecting & planning. If I am not "working" (i.e doing & earning money) or creating content I would rather be with my family, reading a good book or watching a movie.
I know how important reflection, learning from mistakes & planning is. It's just that it tends to get pushed to my tomorrow list. So I decided to design a Tarot spread to help me to do this more effectively.
I needed the spread to be;
Simple (I never follow through complicated stuff)
Actionable (I wanted to be able to use it as the basis for business planning)
Flexible (I need to be able to use it for different questions.
So here is the spread I devised;
This is a spread I did for my online business. I felt the 6 of pentacles in the Druid-Craft deck is saying i am doing just fine.
I often link the 6 of swords with the song in Guys & Dolls "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" suggesting you don't need to micro manage and struggle, sit down, stop stressing & trust.
As the 6 of Swords is the mistake I need to learn from- I feel that I have been keeping my head down a little, not wanting to cause ripples or difficulties. This works well with the chariot, saying it's time to harness my hopes and fears and be decisive in moving my business forward.
So I tried the same spread with my Barbara walker deck, this time asking about my personal shaman journey. I am towards the end of an in-depth shaman healing course.
Card 1, How am I doing. Well I had to laugh, the Goddess I work with most is Hel, who is very much associated with this card (though Hel herself is Queen of Wands) For me this card is about my journey. Knights are out to prove themselves, on a mission. And I am learning a lot working with Hel!
Card 2, my mistake. I was well aware of this. As I am always running the group, or a student in a group, or the healer, I never get a chance to "let go & commit" to the shamanic journey. Interestingly I have booked a private session with one of my teachers at the weekend and I intend to jump in to the abyss.
Card 3, Action. Here we have Bran, who I link with the Fisher King. I see the Fisher King as representing Soul wounds. And tracing an emotional wound back to source (in this life or another) is exactly what my shaman course has trained me to do.
Honestly, I could carry on doing this spread for hours! But family needs call. I will be doing this spread regularly as a reflection & planning tool for my business, my life, and I expect for clients.
