Ten of Swords

Aquatic Tarot - 10 of Swords

Three weeks ago, as I carried a laundry basket, half full with fluffy, clean tee shirts belonging to kiddos, my back screamed in agony and I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my left side.  I fell to my knees, and instantly started to chide myself for being so dramatic.  "You just pulled a muscle, you big baby, and it's your own fault for being fat and out of shape," my inner critic said icily.

Well, that bitch was wrong.  What I have is a herniated disc, my fifth lumbar, to be exact, the seat of the sacral chakra.  My primary care doctor thinks the answer is bed rest, Percoset, and muscle relaxers.  My chiropractor thinks the answer is three visits to him a week, at $65 a pop, and massage therapy.  I do not like to be massaged, ever, by anyone, not lovers, not friends, and certainly not therapists.  Affection, I eat up with a spoon.  Hugs, kisses, soft caresses, all of that is good, but I hate being pressed upon and rubbed.  Hate it.  And I won't be doing that any time soon.

I have no desire to put my liver under the stress of heavy duty painkillers, and since this is a Devil personal year for me I have an even deeper than normal aversion to the things, as I do not need to add "pill addiction" to my repertoire of tricks.  I believe in alternate therapies, along with Western medicine, but am not going to be able to financially sustain the regime of chiropractic visits for long.  Besides all of that, I need to be caring for my family, reading for my clients, and writing for Spirit, and myself, because that is my work, not laying around waiting for someone to come home and fetch me a new glass of water.  It's so funny, because sometimes we all want a break, but this enforced one has made me long for jam packed days of full mobility.  I am getting better, but much, much more slowly than any of the professionals expected, and not nearly quickly enough for my tastes.

Simply Deep Tarot- Princess of Coins

I asked my cards what I could do to help myself get better, and my answer, from the Simply Deep Tarot by Chanel Bayless and James Battersby for Schiffer Books, was the Princess of Coins.  This is the youngest member of the Earth Court in this deck, and often goes by the name Page of Pentacles.

The very first thing I noticed about this card is that she seems to be dancing, which is certainly not an option for me at the moment, but I believe that the answer to my healing lies in getting stronger, more active, and because this is a member of the committed Earth Court, to make sure I work towards this goal every day.  As a gift to myself, previous to the injury, I had invested in some exercise grade hula hoops and hoop dance DVDs, and I can see that as a goal to work towards, being able to perform those gorgeous, hypnotic dances.

This young person can also often be seen as a student, so I realized I needed to get educated about my own health.  Back care is something I knew little about, and I have set out to learn as much as I can so that I can properly care for myself.

The result of all this research has led me to believe that I need to ditch the painkillers, get on a simpler maintenance program with the chiropractor, and commit to a daily program of modified yoga and Pilates, and return to my daily walks, at least as far as I can manage.  To that end I have purchased a DVD of yoga designed for those with my specific issues, and bought myself a membership to Audible.com, to download special books I may only listen to while walking, both to distract from the pain, and to reward the effort.  This has been an amazingly effective way to get me out and walking, even though it's cold, even though I hurt, because I can't wait to hear what comes next!

My injury is a big reason for sparse posting, sparse reading availability, but as I improve so will those limitations.  What is working for me, medically, should not be interpreted as general medical advice, and I encourage anyone who is in pain to consult their own doctor and do their own research, because I am a tarot reader and a writer, but not trained or able to dispense any medical advice.  I am just sharing my experiences with my readers.

Love and bright blessings to my readers, and thank you for hanging with me.





Simply Deep Tarot was created by Chanel Bayless and James Battersby for Schiffer Books.