Hi 👋🏽, I’m Stacy Casson. I have over twenty years of continuous improvement experience. I’m calm in a crisis unless you are that jerk in the White Tesla who does not understand how indicators work. Get ready with me. Is your calendar packed to the gills? Are you constantly double or triple-booked? Do you groan when your alarm goes off? You don’t have to face the overwhelm alone. I write this blog to help us get ready for the week ahead. “A problem well defined is a problem half-solved.” – Dan Martell.
This week, I’m returning to THE LINEAGES OF CHANGE TAROT, Copyright © Lineages of Change (Adrienne maree brown, LLC; Alta Starr; chelsea cleveland; and Krista Franklin) for inspiration to guide us in the week ahead.
What is happening next week? For once, my personal calendar is not jam-packed. My work calendar does have back-to-back meetings and three major projects all due at the same time. Just thinking about it makes me want to hide under the covers and watch K-Dramas. The Mutha of Earth is a mysterious hooded figure surrounded by flowers and black snakes with white patterns. The colors are purple and brown. I have been trying to be as unbothered as an AI-generated granny and also grounded, yet I’ve taken no tangible steps to do this. The color purple makes me think of tapping into spiritual practices, and the brown about getting grounded. The snakes are all the tasks writhing about on my calendar. If this card were a person standing before us, what might they say? Rest is essential, but can be a trap if used to avoid your responsibilities, as highlighted by the snakes resting in some of the flowers.
What obstacles do I anticipate? My buddy, the Four of Air, is back. My struggle to rest physically and mentally will persist since I have not truly addressed it. Don’t you hate it when you ignore what you know you need to do and it comes back to bite you? The universe has soft-punted the ball over to me with a relatively calm calendar. Will I be able to hide away and say “No” to invitations? I have daily downtime scheduled. This card reminds me that rest is not a nice-to-have. I am already taking Zicam because I feel my immune system is struggling to keep up with the abuse. The only obstacle to my resting is myself.
What can help? Using tools such as bedtime mode and sticking to a wind-down routine. Listening to bodily cues, such as my eyes burning because they are tired, would help me to rest. The Root of Fire seems like the opposite of resting. This woman is energized and walking in power. The root cards in this deck are equivalent to the knight cards in traditional tarot. This reminds me that how I choose to spend my energy is an active choice. I need to recharge my batteries if I am going to have the power to accomplish all the things on my calendar and to-do list. Do you have downtime built into your daily schedule? If yes, are you sticking with it? If not, start small. Block out some time tomorrow. Even five or ten minutes can make a difference.
What is a potential next step? The Three of Fire seems ready to party. The card is reversed, so I need to be careful, as overwhelm is a possibility if I don't rest. There is a thin line between productivity and burnout. Who or what lights you up? The fire seems to be contained. What boundaries are needed to ensure we have the energy to accomplish our goals? I found that taking the time to debrief on my day at night was very helpful. Perhaps as part of my wind-down routine, I can reflect on my wins, opportunities, and goals. It is essential to be grounded. Fire needs oxygen to burn, but once we put it out, we need to ensure we cover it in dirt so that it does not get out of control. Namaste
Picture Description: Four Tarot cards in a row. The Mutha of Earth: a hooded brown figure with a feathery face and human hands. It is surrounded by black snakes with white circular patterns and flowers. There is a purple haze to the picture. Four of Air: A mask with four glowing red eyes hides in the foliage. The Root of Fire: A full-figured Black woman struts into the light in the cosmos. Three of Fire reversed: A red goateed face from the nose down with three flames for a head. There are two additional faces in profile attached at each side.
