Anabelle Bernard Fournier

Stop giving power to the shadows around you

The card today is the 10 of Water reversed from the Dreams of Gaia tarot. This card tells us that we may be letting shadows, ours and others', dominate our life.

This card features a beautiful young mermaid holding the moon disk and moving the waves. The eye of Ra present in a solar heart watches over her, while a turtle surfs the currents below.

When this card shows in a reading, it warns you that you may be living either in the past or in the future, but not in the present. Shadows of the past and ghosts of the future might plague your vision, but if you focus on the present you will see everything clear up.

Check that your beliefs and perception are based in something solid and real. Sandcastles in the sky (or on the beach) last only as the tide goes; take a picture, enjoy the melt, but do not attach yourself to them. It's like the Buddhist sand mandalas: they last a moment but are meant to be blown to the winds, a reminder of the ephemeral nature of life.

Nothing is eternal except the present moment: if you lose yourself in it, you will never feel rushed or pushed. The right decisions come naturally and the right thing to do appears effortlessly.

Today’s card is The Maiden from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. This card reminds us that we are all free beings and that family, peer and social influences are just that: influences. You don’t have to listen to any of them.

This card shows a brown-haired maiden wearing a flower crown and a dress made of spring leaves. She is attended by butterflies and bunnies and she walks a mysterious path towards a clearing in the forest. She walks barefoot without fear of hurting herself. A sacred waystone marks the route, but will she follow it?

Sometimes our limits are self-imposed, and the dreams we don’t follow are those we forget to work on. The Maiden is full of childlike innocence yet filled with adult maturity: she has the wisdom of a mother, but without being tied down by a child. It’s okay to not want to put roots for a while, but remember that a home is an essential need.

Know that as a free being, you are free to seek your own answers to all the questions you have. You do not have to listen to received ideas about anything; you can make your own enquiries, consult peers and mentors, and make up your own mind.

In the end, The Maiden is here to remind us that innocence is not childish: it’s important to look at the world with a beginner’s mind, at least once in a while, in order not to become jaded.

Is something distracting you?

Today's card is the 2 of Earth reversed from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. This card describes a situation where people are distracted and moved away from their goals.

The card shows a brown-haired woman juggling four eggs. She wears a dress of leaves and stands still in a forest clearing. Her focus is in front of her rather than on the eggs she is balancing in the air.

Usually, lack of motivation comes from being overburdened with something: stress, responsibilities or commitments. It's time to make your priorities straight and choose what matters most to you. What are the unnecessary or unimportant things that you still hold on to?

To clarify what's important to do right now or later, you can use an Eisenhower matrix. This tool is very helpful for separating the important from the unimportant, the urgent from the non-urgent. Are you missing any important tasks, or are you too distracted to focus on the important things?

In the end, this card tells us that your focus is not in the right place. Take a step back, look at your life as a whole, and decide what matters most to you. Then make decisions accordingly.

Greed is borne out of an unanswered emotional or spiritual need

Today we have the 8 of Water reversed from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. This card is about gratitude and appreciation for the things you have, and reversed it warns that you may be acting entitled.

The card shows a dark-haired man wearing a simple dark blue robe, showing his chakras. His hands are open to the energy of the sea, the moon shines bright and big behind him, and two dolphins jump out to bless him.

True abundance comes from gratitude for what you already have and a healthy sense of what you actually need in your life. When this card shows up reversed, it's a reminder that you may be entitled or greedy, not only for material things but also for other people's time, other people's feelings, and other people's energy.

If this resonates with you, perhaps it's time to slow down, look at what you actually have and see how your needs are probably all already fulfilled. Stop trying to gain something and start giving back: you'll feel better having shared back to people around you.

Let us hold up Gaia together
Today the card is the 6 of Earth from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. The equivalent of the 6 of Pentacles, this card tells us that we have to work together to keep our environment, our families, and our communities together.

On the card, a strong satyr carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, like the Greek god Atlas. He is bound to his charge yet carries the key to his freedom around his neck. But his hands being busy, he cannot free himself. With his right hand he offers fruit from his orchards, which he cut off with the sacred blade on the left. If you want to free him, you need to accept the gift from his hand, which requires trust.

The message for today is summarized by trust. We need to trust each other to do the right thing. We need to trust ourselves and our communities to take care of each other in hard times. We need to trust that Gaia only wants the best for us, and we need to show Her that we can be trusted to take care of Her.

This card might also appear to remind you that something important needs to be taken care of. Is there an issue you’re ignoring or a decision you’ve been putting off? Take action today, or as soon as possible; otherwise you are letting the Universe make the move for you, and you might not like the results.