Embracing New Ideas of Success

We have such a satisfyingly targeted group of cards this week, dear readers! I have to admit, I tend to prefer deeper, existential readings. Why do something practical when you can wax poetic about the meaning of life? But being up in the clouds full-time doesn’t often result in a grounded daily life, and this week we’re being invited to step into the details of our lived experience, especially the parts of it that tie to real, tangible, and rewarding growth.

Interestingly, this isn’t happening without some conflict. The Page of Swords is taking up a great deal of space in our spread, casting their discerning, dare I say persnickety, gaze back on our experiences in the world of wands. I’m seeing this combination - two wands cards plus the youngest energy in the swords suit - as incompatible and even hostile. Strangely, however, this is a good sign - that we’re growing in new directions promising enough that they threaten our ideas of what’s possible. Our task this week, then, is to cultivate a welcoming awareness of the ways we cut down our progress simply because we can’t imagine life working out so well for us. If this reading has a single message it’s this: Don’t dismiss an opportunity just because it doesn’t like up with your idea of success.

Now, I’m writing this in a somewhat grumpy, sleep-deprived haze, so I know I’m falling on the far end of the spectrum of our wands experience. We begin with the Six of Wands, a card that’s pointing us towards our recent achievements. Some of us may be very aware of the parade we’re riding in. Others, like me, might need to do some searching to identify what’s been going right. Wands are a card of action and instinct and the sixes in tarot deal with themes of balance and achievement. How have you been harnessing your energy and willpower and following your instinct to grow? The moves we’ve been making are starting to bear fruit. Whether you’re aware of the moment of triumph or not, take some time as the week begins to place yourself on the horse and do a victory lap.

I love the solid relationship between this card and our central player, the Ace of Wands. Since the six shows balance, the next step requires something new to tip the scales in the direction of growth. And look at the positioning here! In acknowledging and celebrating our wins, we’re inviting in the next step. Celebration, giving ourselves credit, accepting accolades without shame - all of these acts are sending out an invitation for what’s next.

There’s a risk here, too. Asking for something is vulnerable. Wanting something is vulnerable. Standing in your power is vulnerable. It’s no surprise, then, that the Page of Swords is popping up, sword in hand, to explain away our natural growth. Has your progress in the past few weeks felt suspiciously effortless to you? Is this path challenging your ideas of how work, success, and change should look? I’m thinking about the tendency to equate suffering with worth, difficulty with quality, ease with laziness, and growth with danger. Sometimes, having a welcoming, humorous approach to this response can effectively defuse the tension. Treating the part of you that’s bristling at the thought of things being nice with a loving pat on the head is the perfect way to circumvent the invitation to overanalyze what’s self-evident: that something is going well and growing. There’s no need to jump in and muddy things with our eager (and often destructive) minds.

The Ace of Wands is appearing on the scene mid-week as a beautiful and affirming response to all of our growth. Pay attention to new opportunities, connections, and pathways opening, especially if they’re more in line with the work you’ve been doing recently and not your old (even childhood-related) ideas of what success looks like. If it’s new, exciting, and alive with potential, walk towards it! Accept the invitation! That’s all we need to do right now. The rest will reveal itself over time.

Since pages are the youths of tarot, it’s possible that this situation is bringing up issues from childhood. Directing self-compassion and deep attention to the true message of the Page of Swords could result in healing realizations. Why are you feeling so resistant to growth or change? How can this be seen as a good sign? And how can you redirect the Page of Swords in you to a healthy task, inviting it along for the journey instead of exiling it?