True Courage is silent. It is the flower that blooms from a tree with deep roots. When we think of being courageous, we often think of an outward expression of our confidence, such as standing up for ourselves, pressing a point or cause that we feel is just, and facing adversity by confronting opposition. While all these are appropriate, we should first view courage as an internal state of being. If we find a need to convince others of something, the question to ask might be, “why do I care so much about being right or proving my point?”
It is a helpful checkpoint as we can often save ourselves a lot of unnecessary dialogue and wasted energy by which we come down to a level of discourse instead of allowing others to meet us on ours. Certainly, a healthy state of personal awareness demands that we investigate the integrity of our position, and we may be tested on that front so that we can either refine our position or feel more deeply rooted in it.
For this to be of any lasting value, we need to be incredibly honest with ourselves and our motivations. We will need to establish the integrity of the foundations we build our premises upon for they will be judged. When confronted by those who challenge our position, we will need to feel resolute, not by a reactive mind, but by a knowingness that we have undergone a process of self-evaluation that has yielded immense insight, and through which our confidence has been borne.
If we are committed to our personal truth, as the 7 of Wands suggests, then we immediately rise above those who challenge it. We may feel prompted to articulate our position, even possibly to defend it. This could feel like a test as the week begins. The thing to watch out for is being provoked to respond. There are no other people represented in this card, only the individual who is faced by six wands. Who are you reacting to? Understand that this might very well be the “desire” to act rather than the “need” to act.
The Emperor card takes this meaning deeper for he is a master strategist. He didn’t establish his kingdom by wasting energy on every opponent. Such an approach would surely have depleted his psychological boundaries, pulling him deeper into self doubt and defeatism. It is a path that will invariably lead to pleasing others. His message here is: be selective about who you engage with.
Establish (or reestablish) some boundaries. Know when to walk away. If you’re discussing important matters with others, be aware of groupthink mindsets. If you can contribute something valuable, please proceed. However, it will be important to tune into the underlying tone of the conversation and be wary of any intellectual traps. Many people are very clever with words; that doesn’t mean they are right.
If you can discern that, you will have maintained your individuality and the psychic boundary around you. This is also known as self-authority. The lion resting beside the emperor shows our restraint and also our awareness. This is an image of true courage and strength, which is fundamentally an internal state. It is not concerned with the noise and chatter of popular opinion.
As the emperor gazes directly at the woman in The Star card, we see exactly the kind of result that takes place as we move through this kind of testing. It is the representation of a complete and authentic expression of our inward energetic self. From here we shine effortlessly, we radiate our truth, we are at peace and are safeguarded from adverse and reactive elements.
If we cannot understand the value of our boundaries and cannot maintain them through the application of the awareness of our environment, we cannot experience The Star card’s qualities. We become contaminated by far too many distracting and foreign ingredients that compromise our well-being. We must be committed to this.
It can’t be overstated enough. If we are not careful about who we engage with, we can easily entangle ourselves in unnecessary energetic exchanges that don’t serve any purpose except to pull us into other people’s ideas about how they think we should be.
This can be a week to practice this commitment. Knowing what is right for you based on all that you’ve learned and concluded is enough. If you are compelled to respond, do so with maturity and self-awareness. Fewer words with greater authenticity is far more powerful than long discussions that lead nowhere. Know your position and walk away at the moment you feel uncomfortable. Momentum can grow quickly, so less is definitely more.
In knowing your self-worth, you will maintain your peace of mind and the sanctity of your domain, both internal and external. Ultimately, this is a wonderful exercise at establishing a stronger and stronger foundation for your continued happiness and freedom. Certainly, you are worth it.
Affirmation: I can decide who I want to engage with on topics that are important to me. I can decide if I need to respond. I am committed to my mental, physical and spiritual well-being because I listen to how I feel and respond accordingly. I love my space and I continue to thrive in it.
Thanks for reading, and I wish you a wonderful week!
Daniel Palmo
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let us be awake.
Unfolding Tarot 
very helpful, thank you
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