You have found it!
August 2024 Collective Offering
My bbyz, tapping the heart button is a fabulous, totally free way of showing your support for these monthly mailouts (hint hint)
Hello my loves,
Welcome to August: the summer-iest of all the summer months! How have you been? Me? I’ve been revelling in the gorgeous sunshine and heat that London has had over the last few weeks – I can feel the warmth spreading through my system and replenishing my supply of optimism and courage, and it feels GOOD..
In the spirit of August/Leo season, one of the questions I asked for this month’s offering (below) was about how we can embody boldness at this time, and the cards came out lovingly saying the MOST. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the message, and any examples of how you’ve recently been, or plan to be, bold.
Here’s to summoning boldness,
Ilayda x
Wtf are the cards saying?
What is the overarching theme of this month's message? - Eureka
How can I embody boldness in my life at this time? - 9 of Pentacles
What can I practice releasing at this time? - 4 of Pentacles
Eureka sits boldly, beautifully, joyfully at the top of this month's spread, asking us to declare: I HAVE FOUND IT. I HAVE GOT IT. I HAVE MADE IT.
Cool. But what the hell is 'it'?
Look at the figure in the 9 of Pentacles. Take in the lush scenery, the woman's beautiful billowing robes, and the fact that she is on her own, standing upright, contemplative but unmistakably open.
The garden, filled with an abundance of vegetation and coins, represent the fruits of her labour. These are all the lessons she's learned, all the skills she's picked up, all the beauty she's witnessed and created over countless years. These are her rewards for all the times she has faced flood and drought and poor soil quality, and somehow made things work regardless.
The presence of the animals, the falcon and the snail, give extra insight into her, and the meaning of the card. Falcons are wild creatures and master hunters. Taming a bird of prey to hunt on command requires incredible discipline and patience - the same discipline and patience that has no doubt led to this woman having so many riches. Here, we are given an insight into the self-esteem, self-control, and trusting nature of the woman, while the falcon represents her innate power, her good instincts, and her ability to focus on the things that matter. And the snail? Well, the snail hints at the woman's ability to accept her garden with all its imperfections, her skills in being self-contained, her capacity to slow down enough to appreciate life's twists and turns.
All of this stands in total opposition to the image in the 4 of Pentacles - where the figure crouches over a chest, not only clinging tightly to their goods but also being consumed by thoughts of them. He does not appear self-sufficient, relaxed or trusting. Why? Is it fear of losing what he has? Is it a simple desire to be in total control? Or is it worry about what others will make of him?
Note how close in 'civilisation' is in this image, compared to the 9 of Pentacles, where the only hint of buildings, towns, or external structures are barely visible, far in the distance. In the 4 of Pentacles, the buildings lurk close behind the figure, adding pressure to the desire and fear displayed by the fella in the image: trying to keep up appearances is making him rigid. My girl in the 9 of Pentacles, though, is soft, willing to go with the flow, not fussed about outside opinions. Indeed, her ability to go with said flow, is probably what has resulted in her being able to identify many and varied riches in her world.
I say ‘identify’ because the 9 of Pentacles really is a card that speaks to the concept of ‘enough as a feast.’ Our gal pal believes her life, herself, and the world around her is abundant, so wherever she looks she sees treasure. She's able to remain open - ready to both give and receive. The figure in the 4 of pentacles, on the other hand, forever fears the possibility of not having enough, which fundamentally blights his ability to see the abundance he so desperately seeks. Treasures could be dancing naked in front of him wearing banners that read 'I'm yours!' and he still wouldn't notice or be satisfied with them.
Which is all well and good to know, but how does this answer our first question: if Eureka is all about shouting 'I HAVE FOUND IT!' - what the hell is 'it'?
Simply put, 'it' is that yet euphoric feeling of having something special and worthy of celebration. And the cards are reminding us that feeling is often far closer and easier to obtain than the outside world would have us think… If only we could be so bold as to believe that.
When we swap out the belief that every effort must yield immediate and grand results, and instead, find ways to take pleasure in the simple act of making an effort in the first place, we get closer to that Eureka feeling.
When we unlearn the world’s messaging that we must always have and be more - more successful, more attractive, more exceptional, more wealthy, more skinny, more youthful – we get closer to that Eureka feeling.
And when we dare to live slowly, authentically, generously and in gratitude, we get closer to the best, most easily accessible, most sustainable version of that Eureka feeling.
Because the truth is, we can spend our entire lives looking for treasure and magic outside of ourselves, but what if we already have the treasure? What if we already created magic?… What if we are the magic?
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