Your Week Ahead: June 9 to 15, 2024 – A Skillful Sword

Does it feel like a trap or does it feel like an opportunity? Does it feel heavy or light? Is it useful or serving someone else’s agenda? In a way, this week, we get to decide because things depend very much on how we will want to see things. Things may not be as bad as we may initially respond internally. The question becomes, what path do we follow?

Everyone gets a bit itchy seeing The Devil card. Granted, it’s not a favourite card to draw. However, a lot of good information can come from it, along with some red flags we should know about. It represents something sticky. Getting stuck, fixated, obsessed and burdened by the sensation that we have no options.

Whatever the situation is, it looms over us. It is the illusion that we are tied to, that we can’t see past. The Devil can also represent a person that has too much say over our lives. The ties that bind us can easily be lifted off our shoulders, yet we struggle to find the ability. Authority figures bring about our innate need to find acceptance and approval so that we earn the right to progress past their barrier. The problem is that we lose sight of our inner authority and struggle to individuate from those bonds that are not serving our well-being.

Once we recognize our own abilities, a desire grows to become larger than our situation. Hence, The Devil card is also connected to Saturn (boundaries) and the festival of Saturnalia, the celebration of the smashing of idols, irreverence and partying. It is the freeing of our desires that rewards us with the new ground that is given to us so that we can infuse it with our own energy.

“Power is ever-present. It simply needs to be untangled from the expectations that we impose upon it.”

If one struggles with an overbearing boss who always keeps them in check by inappropriate expressions of power, then standing up to that will stir all kinds of feelings of guilt and of going against the establishment. “Oh little me, how dare I be so bold?” And I can tell you from personal experience, it ain’t pretty. But it’s so worth it because suddenly, you see how small and insignificant this person was. Once we lift off the chains, this towering figure loses their dominance and our whole psychology towards power – and who has it – changes. Power is never achieved by the confrontation and the winning of it by defeating something else. It is by the understanding of its origination. Power is ever-present. It simply needs to be untangled from the expectations that we impose upon it.

Once the illusion is pierced, the landscape is transformed and we see things very differently. The Lovers coming right after The Devil looks to represent this kind of awakening. Who really holds the power? What is this illusion that I am so involved in that I can’t see the beautiful world around me? The Lovers signals a time of balance, integration, and the power our desires have in transforming our reality.

Reality is a perception of our experience. The choice to see things differently allows for our reality to be transformed. The Devil never entrapped us, so it is also true to say that we never freed ourselves from anything. We only experienced the freedom because we sought to bring about a new perception, a new perspective. The movement from The Devil to The Lovers is about our growth and allowing our power to move freely, with purpose and with clarity.

Clarity here is about knowing where we are going and why. We don’t serve anyone, we only serve ourselves. So, seeing our situation from that angle can enable us to be less bound by oppression and more about empowerment. If we can start first by not getting pulled into the sticky dynamics of who has the power, then we can feel freer to access our own authority. This will give us the tools needed to take the best of where we are, and to apply it skillfully to our experience.

This is the antidote to the victim mentality. Who is the victim? What is victimizing us? If we can look more closely at this, we step into a new conversation about the things we interact with. When the perception changes, the rules change, and rules are what the devil thrives on.

Having this kind of shift will require a kind of curiosity about the dynamics we feel closely bound to. The Page of Swords in this reading describes a lighter touch. It is not the kind of hand of a knight or of a king or queen. So to me, this is more about making some inner changes to how we see things. If we can flip things around and not be so caught up in any struggles because we need to pay our bills or complete our tasks, then we can ease our burden a bit.

Perhaps a part of this week might feel like there are few options for us. However, if we see ourselves not as victims but of learners, then we can identify with our power and see ourselves as resilient and diligent. Occasionally, life gets a little hurried and focused. Don’t get too weighed down by it, it will pass. Take things in stride and you will have greater access to your power centre. The blessings are there for you, so keep going. All is well!

Affirmation: I can see my situation from a different perspective. I feel better knowing that who I am is enough, while growing and accepting more energy into my life. Life circulates around my calm abiding centre.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a wonderful week!

Daniel Palmo

Ps. I would love to hear what you think. If you find my writing helpful or would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to comment below.

If you missed last weeks reading, you can find it here.

If you are interested in having a personal reading, please click here for more information.

If you would like to receive my weekly readings emailed directly to you, please subscribe below.