A conversation with the cards

Drawing one question at a time.

Why am I so stressed out? 

10 of Wands - You feel overburdened. LOL. Wow, have you got your face in it. 

Yeah, thanks. Okay, why do I feel overburdened? 

6 of Wands - You want to be victorious. 

How is wanting to be victorious making me stressed? (Card jumped from the deck and flew behind the computer) 

Ace of Pentacles - Buying a house isn't a battle. There are no winners and losers. Buying a house is a financial commitment, an investment.

No one's going to buy the best house in the world (in your price range) out from under you and leave you the 'loser'.  Victory is not going to be snatched from you, because there is no 'victory' in buying a house. There is no perfect house. There is no best house. Every house is a compromise, and they're just buildings, after all. Just buildings. 

But it's a building I'm going to live in and pay for.  It feels like a gamble. How can I make this process feel less like a gamble? 

Knight of Wands - Boldly go. Don't shy away from this. But don't give the horse its head. Keep it reined in. There's no need to go off half-cocked or drive yourself over a cliff.

What exactly should I be keeping in check? 

Knight of Pentacles 

But the Knight of Pentacles is a slow mover, why does he need reining in? And if it's not a battle, why do you keep throwing me all these warrior cards?? (angry face)

 Try thinking about who these 'warriors' are instead of that they're fighting. Do you see them fighting in any of these cards?

Moon in Virgo, with Virgo rising, dear. That's you, you know. Knight of Pentacles is your Inner Teacher Card and your Mode of Expression in the World, according to Mary K Greer's book 'Tarot for Yourself' (pages 38-39). Perhaps it's your need to plan for every eventuality that you should keep in check. 

No, I don't think so. I don't want house buying to be some sort of leap of faith. And I don't want fear to be the driver. I don't want to rush. 

'I don't want, I don't want, I don't want.'  It's always 'I don't want' with you. Who told you to rush, anyway? I told you to stop trying to make sure it all goes exactly like you want it to go.

Okay, how should I proceed with this process in order to feel less burdened by it? 

Temperance - Nobody's rushing you. You're doing that to yourself. Nobody's making you buy a house. You decided to do that yourself. And nobody's stressing you out about this. You're doing that to yourself. Back off and find a balance. 

How do I find a balance? And what is it I should be balancing? 

4 of Cups and The Chariot - You didn't need to draw those cards, I already told you how to find a balance in Temperance -- back off.  But okay, find a balance by being more patient. Observe what's on offer and wait until the next opportunity comes along, like little dude there in the card is gazing at the three cups while a fourth appears from the side.  Notice he's not snatching and grabbing at the cups and nobody's trying to wrestle him to the ground for them -- not a battle. And all right, we'll say it again in a different card, you should be balancing your Chariot side, the part of you that is wanting to force this to happen and to control every aspect of it. 

So what is the most nurturing and balancing thing I can do for myself today? 

I already gave you my advice with Temperance. I suggest you go back and meditate on that card. But if you insist okay, 9 of Cups. Try just being happy about something today. In fact, try being happy about everything today.  Don't think about any of it. 

Playing Card Week Day 4: Financial document snafu?

What does the day hold?

Black - red - black:  Ups and downs. Be aware.

Spades - Diamonds - Clubs: Troubles - money - work.

10 - 4 - 7: Lots, stable, troubles!

Good thing this is just a daily draw. When I woke up at Stupid O'clock this morning, I thought of calling in sick, but I'm not going to. I shall slog through it. I feel better now that I've been up a while, just tired. We need to get hold of some documents to give to the mortgage broker today, so there's the 4 of Diamonds, and 7 of Clubs is a practical problem. I think this looks like a past-present-future reading. I wonder what the practical problem is.

Now, if I read it as pertaining to my agreement in principle, it could mean there is some problem with the application and it may be delayed.

So we'll just have to see how this pans out.

Edited to add: Well, the day is done and now I know what the trouble was. We had a long discussion about what's troubling us or where we can compromise on the house. The unchanging boundaries of our budget was causing us strife until we did practical work on the problem and reached a compromise of sorts. I relented on the house being in the town centre so that hubby could have his off street parking. We found a house in our budget that was just listed today, and tomorrow morning first thing I am going to call to request a viewing. So, the cards played out! By the way, there was no snag in the finances. We got a decision in principle. :)

Playing Card Week Day 3: Financial adviser

Tell me about this mortgage adviser we're seeing tonight. Is he the right man for us?

Two red, one black: Yes

Red, black, red: A problem is overcome

Diamond, Spade, Diamond: A financial problem is solved

5 of Diamonds - financial health, 7 of Spades - troubles, 8 of Diamonds - Thoughts and ideas about finances

Yes, he is the right man for us. He can help us through the process of getting a mortgage and sorting thing out. Any problems or confusion we have about what size mortgage we can cover or what lending product to select, he will have the knowledge and ideas to help us.

Well, that's reassuring! (Though there's nothing to say this wouldn't apply to any financial adviser, as I didn't ask for a comparison between two. But at least it looks like this guy would do his job. :) )

Playing Cards Week Day 2: A Nine Card Draw

Tell me about my home buying process.

Five red cards and four black. The reds are hopeful, the blacks represent challenges. There are three Spades, the suit of 'the troubles that plague every man.' There is only one 7 (the trouble number), and one 9 (the fluctuation/change card). There are three 5s, a number which tends to do with 'other people', or could have something to do with physical reality, the body, health, or other material objects. There is only one Clubs card, having to do with 'work, callings and plans.' Diamonds appear only in the top line, but also thus become the first card of each vertical line.

Centre card
I cannot ignore that the wish fulfillment card, 9 of Hearts, sits in the centre of this spread. That is a very positive sign indeed!

Top line
Three reds = 'all is fair and fine'. The cards spell success and security, financially. We should receive a decision in principle (mortgage agreement) with little trouble. And I hope it also means we get an actual mortgage without a hitch!

Middle line
Black, red, black = 'Appearances can be deceiving, a temporary respite.' Spade, heart, spade. Woman who worries thinks she has a wish fulfilled but is disappointed. Deceptions seems to fulfil wishes but leads to a lot of stress.

Most likely this refers to thinking you've got a house only to find either something wrong with it or that someone else has already bought it. I haven't asked about what happens after buying a house, but about the 'home buying process.' So this doesn't refer to me getting in a house and finding I've taken on more than I can handle. It's more about frequent ups and downs.

Last line
Black, black, red = 'light at the end of the tunnel'.  Club, spade, heart. Physical, trouble, emotion. Craftsmanship, double trouble! Then Jack of Hearts, the 'lover'. Could this be a positive outcome, one of those, 'It was worth it' kind of feelings? Jack of Hearts looks back toward the two black cards, not away from them...

Playing Cards Week Day 1: Red to Black

This week I'm doing daily three card draws with playing cards. I'll be using the White Knuckle Playing Cards (seaofpain.com).

Playing cards are best for traditional cartomancy or as some like to say, 'full on fortune telling'. There's no reading without a question, and the more specific the better. So let's just get to brass tacks and ask a question:

What is the most important thing I can do today to set myself up for a productive and enjoyable week? 

The colours move from red to black -- red, red, black. Good, good, bad. A problem is brewing. It is an emotional time, leading toward the beginnings of an illness. I do think I'm coming down with something. If I'm not careful, I could become dehydrated. (Hearts are cups and 7 and 9 both point to blockages because of the extra pip filling in the gap between the two columns of figures).

Based on this card I'm not sure it will be an enjoyable week, but the least I can do is drink plenty of liquids. I just so happen to be having a fasting blood test tomorrow as well, and the reading seems to point toward preparing for that. Must not forget and get up and eat breakfast tomorrow!

(For notes on playing cards, see 'Playing Card Mnemonic'.)