Finding Your Lost Mojo

This reading is for the lovely ladies in my Tubby Town club who posted on-line today about their lost mojos and struggling to find it again.  Here's some guidance from the tarot on how to get your mojo back.

To do this reading I decided to use the lovely Vanessa tarot deck, which is very cute, quite girlie and modern. Very appropriate for our lovely mojo ladies.  This is the message from my tarot cards for you today:


I shuffled the cards and drew 5 at random in the following order:

What to concentrate on: King of Cups



The King is a 'court' card and these represents people or their characteristics.  Kings stand for completion, reaching the pinnacle of a situation. Cups represent emotion, love, feelings and also creative / intuitive energy.   This card is telling us to imagine how we will feel when we achieve our goal.  We need to remember where we are trying to get to and re-focus on it.  This seems to have been forgotten recently.



What to let go of:  7 of Swords
The 7 of Swords is often referred to as the 'deceit' card, and this fits perfectly here - deceiving ourselves that:
The extra glass of wine won't hurt...
Just one more chocolate bar will be fine...
I'm ok counting my points in my head...
Leftovers and crumbs don't have points...
or the famous "I'll start again tomorrow".....and when tomorrow becomes today then there's the next tomorrow to start again...

Interesting that this particular card came up in this position, reinforcing what we already know - what we need to do, or rather - stop doing.


Which card most closely resembles me at the moment: 3 of Swords
This card is commonly associated with unhappiness, pain, sorrow, dark moments.  Another truth from the cards. Losing our mojo is a horrible feeling, that loss of control often accompanied by despair and frustration - sometimes also a feeling of helplessness.  The 3 of swords has to be acknowledged and confronted.  Let it go and move on. Sometimes this card can be saying that it's time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take back control.




What's holding me back: Page of Coins
Pages are also 'court' cards, but are the younges and represent ideas, embryonic situations or characterstics.  Coins are associated with money, material and practical matters, and in terms of timelines are a very slow-moving suit.  What is holding us back here is intention, represented by the Page, but not backed up by action. Thinking about things to much and not doing anything about it.

What can push me forward:  Queen of Swords
The Queen of Swords, another 'court' card, is very clever and intelligent; she also cuts through the crap and can be quite ruthless when she wants to be.  We need her drive, determination and single-minded approach to get going again. In other words, what can push us forwards - is ourselves and our will to succeed.


So there it is lovely mojo-seekers.  The message from the tarot is that we need to:

• Remember and focus on our goal
• Stop deceiving ourselves
• Stop feeling sorry for ourselves
• Stop thinking about it and start doing it
• Take back control, and be single-minded about it.

With thanks to TABI (Tarot Association of the British Isles) for the spread used.

Plateau!

Well, I have been pretty good since I re-joined the Tubby Town club in January, but the past 3 weeks the scales haven't been shifting.  A lesser woman would cave in to chocolate, but not me. I have my friends Will Power and wine to console me!

I've been measuring myself and I am losing inches though.  There's a pair of jeans that I lived in from mid last year up until recently that are just too big now.  So I am making progress even though nothing is showing up on the scales.

What is my problem?  One that many will envy me I know - tarot-wise, it's the 10 of Cups.  I am really, really happy.  The 10 of Cups cards represents the ultimate relationship, family and domestic bliss.  I am too chilled and so my adrenalin and metabolism just aren't speeded up enough.

It was my card last year, and is my card for this coming month (April) in 2011.  I'm not arguing with the 10 of Cups. 

But I'll take this card with a slower weight loss any day rather than the devastation that The Tower brings to one's life, albeit often accompanied by a big, fat (oops, sorry for pun) weight loss.

Here's hoping for a better result on the scales at Tuesday's reckoning day.  I'd like a Tower on the scales, but nowhere else in my life please!

Boredom

Today I am bored.  That's fatal for a dieter.  That's a road that leads to snacking city.  I've got lots to do but don't feel like doing any of it.

What guidance from the cards?  Today I was drawn to a deck that I don't use but that seems to reflect my mood - the Mandala Astrological tarot deck.

My card for today:  The Princess of Swords.

This card can be about cutting through the crap, clearing out the old so that things can be seen clearly.  I have been getting this card a lot recently, even when reading for other people and I think it's trying to tell me something.  My tarot friends sensed a need for me to get rid of something, a need to change in some way. 

The Princess often means a sweeping change.  Well, this is true - the diet has done that.  I'm eating lots of fruit and my wine bill has shrank considerably.

So if I've made changes already, why get this card today?  A reminder to keep up the good work perhaps?  Not to slip back to old ways, especially as it's weigh day tomorrow and I don't want the scales quiver in fear as I approach.

Then I was drawn to look for a more inspiring Princess of Swords image, and so selected the one from the Golden Dawn Ritual tarot.  Aha! So this is the real message perhaps.  Is this me when I've lost a bit more weight perhaps?  Ok, dream on.......

What Type of Dieter Would This Be?

Today I thought I'd draw a card and ask "If this tarot card were a dieter, what type of dieter would they be?...." 

I shuffled today's guest deck - Sharman-Casselli - and drew a random card, The Tower. 

The Tower is a major card and is generally associated with sudden, abrupt, unexpected and often destructive change.  You can see this from the images in the picture on the card.  The sort of change it might represent could be, for example, a spouse announcing out of the blue they want a divorce, unexpected redundancy etc.  This card is often greeted with some foreboding, as it's so often associated with an unwelcome and often life-changing event.

What type of dieter does The Tower represent?    Answer:  The one with a Self-Destruct Button. 

What the Self-Destruct Button dieter does:  The Tower dieter has been doing really well, sticking to the programme, resisting temptation and then suddenly, out of the blue and for no real reason starts binge eating and drinking and undoing all the good work they've done so far.  This is followed by a feeling of "Well I've messed it up so far, so I might as well carry on bingeing."

The Diet Lesson for today from The Tower card:

We've all had our "Tower" moments at some point.  The lesson from The Tower is that sometimes the destruction is necessary in order to rebuild and move on.  In the case of the Self-Destructing (Tower) dieter, pick yourself up and dust yourself off, don't carry on Self-Destructing, draw a line under the binge, get over it and move on (get back on track).

Good Luck!      *puts unopened wine bottle back in the fridge for later*

Now is the Time Four......

Today's post is being sponsored by the card Number 4.


I chose the 'Now' card from my Psycards deck to represent today, and that Now is the moment to get a grip on this diet. Then I realised it was also card number 4, and this is number 4 year - 2011 = 2+0+1+1 = 4.  So maybe this year is finally the year I get down to seriously trying to losing weight.

After a 3-month break from this blog (and the diet) and half a stone and a broken foot later, it's back to business seriously now.  I signed back up with Tubbie Town yesterday and so far have stuck to my allowance, even with a night out last night. 

So today I look to the number 4 for inspiration.  In tarot, card 4 is the Emperor which is about being in charge - one of a dieter's biggest struggles.  Food (or in my case wine) beckons and tempts us, making resistance hard. 



For further inspiration from the Number 4 here are the other corresponding number 4 cards in the Psycards deck:

Father (13):  Authority.  We are in charge, in control of our eating (and drinking).

The Stars (22):  Hopes, aspirations.  Setting our weight loss goals and going for them.

The Sage (31): Wisdom, teaching and learning.  Learning new habits.  Making wise food choices.

Union (40): Bringing together the warring elements within ourselves - that voice within ourselves that says "....one extra cake won't hurt";  the self-destruct button that says "I've already blown it so I might as well just go mad".  We need to learn how to break this mould.

Downwards and Downwards

Well, half a pound off this week.  I certainly didn't deserve that, especially after the enormous lunch I ate at friend Linda's on Sunday and then a weigh-in on Monday morning.  It must have been all that rushing around at work last week.

A workshop I attended recently inspired me to engage with my Thoth cards again, so here is today's message using a randomly drawn Thoth card.

6 of Wands - Victory, and it certainly was.  Half a pound off this week and I didn't try at all.  However, the warning of this card, my fellow dieters, can be about pride coming before a fall - and I should not fool myself that if I continue not trying then I'm going to keep losing little bits of weight.  I need to get a grip, I've had two careless days already this week - and get back on track.  Imagine if I'd tried - I would have done even better.

So let's draw another card to try and inspire me to do better the rest of the week.  My eyes were drawn to my Tarot of the New Vision deck which I haven't used yet at all.  Giving them a good shuffle and three cards fell out - so these are my message for today.

10 of Cups, happy families and emotional fulfilment.  Indeed - and so why worry about dieting?  That's part of my problem, although one I'm very fortunate to have.  I'm generally contented and happy.

Well - happy as I am - my clothes just don't fit and my arms are fat, and that's why I need to get down to some serious dieting, especially with Christmas approaching.  I don't want to be a Pudding this Christmas!

The Ace of Coins - new beginnings in a money and material sense.  Hmmm....would be nice if that meant new (smaller) clothes although if I carry on as I am being such a careless dieter, then it'll be new but bigger ones.  This is perhaps a little warning to me from the cards.

But I like the last card - the Wheel - a change of fortune;  being in the right place, the right time.  Looking towards a change for the better - the message couldn't be louder - I need to go forwards in a different way.  I hope The Wheel offers some good luck to help me to stay on track.  Left to my willpower alone, I will struggle.

Ok, one small step at a time though.  My resolution for today is to make a low-point pasta salad or similar to take to work tomorrow for lunch so that I'm not tempted by all the food outlets around me in the centre of town.

May be the picture of the Wheel of Fortune actually represents my plate - and a warning about all the temptations surrounding it!  That feels more apt!  Ok, message received - home-made lunch for work tomorrow it is!

Defeated

This was actually yesterday's card, the 5 of Swords from the Modern Medieval tarot deck.  Traditionally this is the card of 'Defeat'.  And even before I pulled it I knew yesterday was not going to be a good diet day.  I went out with my best friends for drinks and a Thai meal.  And I had no intention whatsoever of even trying to be 'good' diet-wise.

So fellow dieters - what did I have?  Well, my friend G and I started off at my house with a whole sharing-size pack of vegetable chips between us and a couple of glasses of wine.  That wasn't our fault though - the cab was late and we were hungry and just killing time (and diets!).

We got to the pub and met up with J and had more wine and a good old girlie natter before going to the Thai restaurant.  Thai is probably one of the least diet-friendly meals out you can have - coconut milk / cream, peanut sauce etc.  But - fellow dieters - I do feel that if you are going to blow the diet, then at least do it in style.  Let's not be half-hearted about busting the calories bank.

So some fish cakes, spring rolls, a green curry and more wine later later we're on our way to the cab rank to get home.  And that reminds me to look again at the card I drew.  Look at the characters in the picture, they don't exactly look like victorious warriors do they?  To me - they actually look a bit uncomfortable.  And that reminds of another meaning of the 5 of Swords - pyrrhic victory.

So yes - I did bust the diet completely and had a great time.  I knew I was going to.  And I don't regret it.  But I haven't actually beaten the diet at all.  In the end the diet will win, because I've probably now done some damage weight-wise that I'm going to have to undo.

I can't face pulling today's card yet - that's for later.  Still, at least the major arcana doesn't have a card that says 'Fat'!