Intuitive Tuesday -- Five of Wands (reversed)

Every Tuesday I select one card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life. What messages are here for you?

Each Thursday I choose one reader's comment from Intuitive Tuesday and pull an additional card for more clarity...so check back on Thursday to see what cards come up.

Today's card is the Five of Wands (reversed). Fives are midway through the ace through ten cycle and typically symbolize upsetting the balance, disrupting harmony, change, competition, challenge and conflict.

Pulling this card in the reversed position isn't necessarily a bad thing because upside down can mean less of or the opposite of the upright meaning of the card.

The suit of Wands indicates energy and action. Combining the number with the suit, the Five of Wands can be an exciting challenge, changing conditions, new ideas and experiences, conflict, struggle, competition and the need to prove oneself.

If you have been caught up in these types of situation you know how exhausting it can be to maintain your energy levels. With the reversed card, you can relax a bit, knowing that some of the struggle may be over. What a relief!

Five of Wands (reversed) can also indicate mixed motivations of the people around you that may lead to conflict, but this card can give you a heads-up to not take things at face value and possibly dig deeper on an intuitive level to determine what other factors may be motivating people. With a deeper understanding, you will then be able to use this information as you move ahead.

When I mention a conflict in your life, what is the first thing that pops up into your head? Focus on that situation and see if you have moved beyond the original battle or competition that originally presented itself. If so, how can you continue to move forward?

If not, perhaps the Five of Wands (reversed) has to do with hidden motivations. If that is the case, go beyond what you see happening in this area of your life and intuitively dig deeper to "feel" what's really going on. Your intuition will tell you if you simply ask and be open to what comes to you (see, hear, feel, listen, taste, sense, etc.)

The Five of Wands (reversed) feels like a relief at this point in life. You can now look forward to the energy of the Six of Wands which is the "victory" card. After a tough battle (Five of Wands), the taste of victory (6 of Wands) and holding your ground (7 of Wands) are just around the corner. Remember that this too is a cycle, and with the five, you are about halfway there.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Playing Basketball, Now and Then

All three of my sons play on the school basketball team. They've played three games and have five to six more before the final, end of the season tournament.

I played basketball in junior high and high school. We didn't have championship teams, but I LOVED to play...I still do! And I can take on my teenage sons and their friends...and give them a good run for their money. :)

Now, that doesn't mean that I am not sore in really weird places the next day...but I am a tough competitor on the court!

My Perfect Moment Monday post today captures the times when I am sitting in the stands, watching the boys play. I'm as intense as they are -- calling fouls, yelling for them when there is an open pass, reminding them to box out and rebound, and warning them of an oncoming screen.

Going to their games and watching them practice are high points in my week. I LOVE it!

This gives me an entire season of Perfect Moments! Go team!!

Out of Adversity Comes Opportunity

I've mentioned before that I am reading the book, "The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons" by Napoleon Hill as part of my Master Mind Group.

I found this quote in the chapter on Imagination and I wanted to share it with you:

"If the winds of Fortune are temporarily blowing against you, remember that you can harness them and make them carry you toward your definite purpose, through the use of your imagination. A kite rises against the wind - not with it!" (page 178)

It reminds me of yet another quote I found in another book I am reading called, "Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga":

"We say it is too difficult to make the hard choice today. And yet the obstacles in our path are the path. Every time we stretch beyond our resistance and our fear, we make a choice for life. And every time we choose life, we find that fear loses its grip on us. We all know more than we think we do, and we are stronger than we believe ourselves to be." (page 28)

Both of these quotes speak to the perspective that problems and obstacles are put in your path to help you move forward. If you view them as opportunities for growth, they are not as overwhelming and don't seem as powerful.

What mountains can you make into mole-hills simply by changing your perspective?