King of Cups
On this blustery day in Kansas, it is Valentine’s Day, and while I had my sweetheart brunch this morning, my heart is filled with turmoil. I’ve recently made the decision to stop doing spa gigs as my full time money maker, and while my body feels great now with the absence of physical labor, my nerves are raw from the fear and guilt of abandoning my career. I have bills, I had clients that relied on me for pain relief, I have a spouse that needs me to contribute. But I couldn’t do it anymore.
I won’t get into all of the reasons why, people rarely want to hear about the ails of others, I know, it’s draining. But what I will say is that after awhile, if I didn’t make some serious changes to my life, I no longer have the right to complain about something I keep choosing. I am 35 now, and I became an esthetician when I was 18 because I wanted to live on my own. But as years have gone by, I’ve acquired more licensures in self-care; esthetics, cosmetology, cosmetology educator, massage therapy, Reiki, but what I’ve dreamed of the entire time I’ve chosen these skills, is to work from home!
But 15 years ago there weren’t very many options for working from home, there wasn’t the content creation, so I kept choosing things from a survival point of view. And yes, I know this is very first world problems, but hey, I live here in the U.S. and these are the issues. None of these jobs have provided me with the long term security and benefits that a person needs to live. So I’ve made a serious decision for my health and my future, I’ve gone back to college once again, hopefully to finish this time. And while I’m in college I’m allowing myself to be a full time witch, burlesque creative, Reiki healer and (gasp!) a writer.
Now, with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the tarot! My intro was necessary for what I’m about to tell you fellow creatives and heart-led sweetie pies. The King of Cups is not here to fuck around with the safety of your heart. “Protect your heart,” “For the sake of your heart,” “Follow your heart,” how do we put these well wishes to good use? They’ve never been very helpful for me, I need my advice to be a bit more blunt.
The King of Cups is a card about being a good leader, that’s what a lot of short descriptions say. But what it demands of us to take control of our thoughts and environment, those things that affect our emotions for better or worse. I couldn’t wait around until I finally loved what I was doing for work, I had to make the choice to be brave and choose what I really want to do. This card demands that we stop being bitter, we stop taking our issues out on other people and take some responsibility for our life.
The King of Cups is a card that expresses self-care in a way that we don’t want to hear. It says, “go to the doctor,” “go no contact,” “actually go to the gym,” “get up and dance instead of ruminate,” “take your meds,” “message them individually instead of vague post,” do you get what I’m saying here? And if you’re struggling with these things like many of us including myself are, I suggest starting a dialogue with that inner King of Cups. Ask what can you do in this situation to FEEL better? Yes, feelings phobic people, even you need to find ways to feel better.
I would be remiss to not mention how unbelievably fucking hard it is to be a small business owner, artist, and healer right now, especially if you are a woman, LGBTQIA, a minority, and/or disabled. You aren’t alone!…And I know that isn’t comforting either on really bad days. What I will include here at the end is a Reiki healing prompt. As we take in a tornado of scary information these days, I want you to spend extra time sending clearing energy to your head space, and heart space. Clear what no longer serves, call back your power and refill with compassion for yourself and others (“Others” can be your pets if humans are pissing you off too much.) You don’t need to take an hour to do this. It can be a 20 second exercise for you to center yourself in moments of emotional instability. To begin, ask whatever energetics you are in alignment with to guide you through this healing session. Use your hands, crystals or just imagine the energy in those areas. Once you are finished, thank the energy for the healing and shake it out!
For my atheists, you may ask the energy of the Big Lebowski to be your guide, it doesn’t matter, what we are doing is trying to calm the nervous system.
Take care of the little kingdom you have, care for the things you have, care for your thoughts and take responsibility for where those thoughts lead, good or bad. XOXO
Tarot card is from The Moon Dust Tarot by Florance Saul