Present Path Tarot
Navigate to your best life
The Dance of Soft and Strong
A new friend recently shared how she sees herself as rigid and wants to shift that in herself.
This inspired a lot of questions in me about where the sweet spot is between holding your values while also being malleable and flexible.
Keep in mind that perfection around this vast subject is nearly impossible. You don’t need to have it all figured out. That in itself would be too rigid.
Let this be a ponder on your own balance with the questions provided.
Some Tarot cards that touch on this subject:
6 of Pentacles: Give and Take
Giving
When we are overly generous of ourselves, it’s easy to feel taken advantage of.
Perhaps we offer more than we actually feel inspired to give, and then resent others acceptance of our good graces.
Perhaps we struggle to say No to requests.
When we withhold what we want to give, we can become isolated and brittle.
Receiving
When we resist other’s support by being walled up, they are also denied sharing of themselves in a way that can create connection.
Of course, if you know their offering comes with strings attached or you truly don’t want that connection, then this can be a healthy boundary.
But often we say No to what we desire out of shame of feeling need, or our guilt about putting someone out.
Ponder: What ways do you want to give and where would you like to hold better boundaries?
What ways do you want to receive and how can you ask for that from the people who are able and willing to support you?
4 of Pentacles: Control
Sometimes we need things done a certain way to ensure quality. You want the tiles set evenly in some aspects of life.
Often though, we desire things to be done in a certain manner that goes beyond necessity. The way from A to B can be done via a myriad of paths, and we push to have it accomplished by our own methods.
Perhaps we want it done sooner, and lack patience.
Perhaps we are anxious about someone else being incompetent.
Perhaps we are overzealous about an outcome we cannot actually control, and try to do so with micromanagement.
Ponder: Where do you cling to order in a way that you can allow for more ease?
What values do you hold dear that are not worth being easy going about?
Justice: Values vs. Preferences
Rigid thinking is like a law that is abused and out of balance. Outsiders are punished harshly, while others get little consequence.
It is essential to lean into fair play and be aware of our bias.
If we are overly guarded, we can treat all our desires as absolutes as a form of protection.
We can slow down and ask ourselves:
“Is this violating a value—or just challenging my comfort?”
“What’s the cost of being flexible here?”
“What’s the cost of staying rigid?”
Ponder: What are your non-negotiable rules that you stand up for with everyone equally? (Note: Self-respect is a healthy top priority).
What are your preferences that you can request and let pass if someone is not on the same page?
Wheel of Fortune: Accept Change
Rigid resists change, even when it is beneficial.
Change is inevitable; and yet it is also consistently scary to our nervous system.
When change arises, it’s important to notice the response you feel in your body. If you are activated, you are more likely to react with rigidity.
Build trust in yourself that you can manage what comes. You can course correct along the road ahead as you see your needs arise.
Ponder: What can you do to reset your tension when new information creates a resistance to change?
How can you see potential benefits from the shifts happening that are currently outside your comfort zone?
I’ve been visiting my friend Anna in Panama and have enjoyed her nature with both sharing her needs and being accommodating to my requests.
If I ask for something and she’s open and keen, she’ll even find answers for me. If I do and she’s not interested, I can trust she will reject the idea directly, without being bothered by the request.
She claims it’s in part because she grew up in rigidity and now leans flexible. I can see how she also owns what matters to her, and that comforts me so I don’t feel like I am overwhelming her.
If you desire a dance into your soft side, sign up for a personal tarot reading with me. Available times are sporadic until February 20th, so text or email me to make arrangements.
Come in for a personal values inventory from within during an intuition coaching session.
Learn the many other cards that relate to this subject during a tarot reading lesson with me.
Share the conversation around balancing your world in a Tarot Together session.
Bring community together when you hire a tarot or palm reader from Portlandia Fortune Tellers.
Have a lovely weekend considering your own dance with firm and supple.
Respect Your Balance,
Jenna Lynne Roberts