9 March 2021
Context
Welcome to Day 68!
As usual, the day started off pretty uneventfully. Last night was another late night. I really need to stop the late nights. The late nights are not honouring the Year of the Metal Cow’s equilibrium. In fact, that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth over-doing is a phrase that I should put out of my mind for the rest of this year. Really, what about that phrase spells equilibrium? Put it this way, the plan everyday goes awry. It feels like I’m losing.
The day was full of surprises, one of them being that both my feet became swollen. Really badly. If the few minutes of elevation that usually works didn’t see an improvement, I got worried. When the ankle that was broken was swelling, that was to be expected. But when the other ankle showed signs of swelling identical to those of its counterpart, I did what any person with access to the Internet might be tempted to do. Look up what causes swollen ankles.
The answers to the search were not pretty. Honestly, the results had me more worried. At that point I needed to rein myself in and although the results on the interest were from valid sources, self-diagnosing needs to be done level-headedly. Luckily, I had a doctor’s appointment booked for the morning as a general catch-up on the broken ankle, it’s just something I can ask about when I’m there.
For me level-headedly means, finding out what I can do about the swelling right down to help myself and not make it worse. That meant putting on an icepack (frozen peas), raising my ankles above heart level and letting work know that I am out for the afternoon. To help calm my mind, and possibly help with the swelling from the inside I sought out herbal tea that was in the cupboard. Turmeric, peppermint, and camomile teas are known to be beneficial calming. So, the peppermint tea was brewed for good measure.
Three hours later the swelling had gone down, and my feet no longer looked like inflated rubber gloves. My mind was clearer, and I felt more confident. Besides the questions typed into the Google search engine probably were a little too generic and probably didn’t cover all possible reasons for feet swelling – or I didn’t wade past the first screen’s worth. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow, when i see the Doc.
Let’s see what the cards say!
Today's Cards
The Cards - Analysis
If you’ve been following the last couple of days, you will be across The Outsider card’s trajectory. Going with the Flow has been underpinning or lurking around the Feelings spot. Both these cards are back today. The Outsider makes its appearance in the Others’ Views position and is therefore not connected to the previous trajectory in the same capacity as it had been. The Going with the Flow card is back in the Feelings position and being the easy-going card that it is lends its support to whatever mood is on offer.
Firstly, Suppression in the Now is about me ignoring the symptoms which were beginning to show on the left (non-broken) ankle. The Understanding card in the Influence position is about me understanding what I am suppressing. There was too much I wanted to get done and Suppression of me and my health seemed to take a back seat in doing so. It didn’t seem like I was sacrificing much except maybe a few hours of sleep, over a couple of nights. Typically, I don’t get cranky if I’m sleep-deprived if I was conscious of inflicting on myself by choice – completely different story if it’s unchosen.
Traveling in the Goal position indicates my desire to get to the doctor. Note, had I read these cards at the beginning of the day, I may not have picked up that was what Traveling was about. On the other hand, I may have because it’s the only getting out of the house that’s happening at the moment 🙂.
The reason for the late nights is possibly the result of the broken ankle which happened in the Distant Past. So totally misjudged the amount of effort required post cast removal resulting in a continuation of The Burden and more recently (Recent Past) Stress brought on by the broken ankle. The stress is from the swelling, while I knew of the swelling – I was not prepared for it.
Following on from the Stress of the swollen feet and not pursuing aid immediately; firstly, it’s normal for swelling to occur, secondly it wouldn’t be uncommon for other parts of the body to “go out in sympathy” or compensate for an injury. It required a degree of Trust in my assessment an in my ability to manage the swelling. Look! There’s the card of Trust in the Future Energy position for the day. (For your information, if the swelling had gotten worse, I would have sought help from somewhere).
As mentioned, Going with the Flow is in the Feelings or Immediate Future position indicating the course of action adopted to resolve the swelling. Make a few quick decisions, put the ankles up and “wait and see”. Wait and See could have been another name for Going with the Flow, although it doesn’t sound as Zen 🧘🏻.
Here’s The Outsider card in the Others’ Views position. The only place that I can think of where this might apply is in that interaction. It’s possible that he saw me as being outside of my situation and while able to identify with his own ankle injury recovery. He appreciated mine as being different and that meant I was, from his perspective that I was The Outsider his full understanding 🤔.
Hopes & Fears has the card of Totality. This is what I’m calling an “echo” card because it echoes another card already in play, in that they have similar but slightly different connotations. Today, Totality is echoing Trust. It’s the leap of faith in my ability (Totality) to manage the swelling until I am able to consult with a professional or get an opinion from my husband on whether I was balanced or if underplayed its seriousness. My Fear is that I underplayed it and that I’ve done myself greater harm, translating into a longer healing process. My Hope is that I got the balance right.
In the end is The Source in the Outcome position. The Source means getting back to basics, connecting with what needs to be done to ensure success and harmony follow.
References
Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
