The Power of the Intellect

The Power of the Intellect
Today’s card: The Ace of Swords.

 In the last year, I’ve only pulled this card two other times. For me, it’s a good example of how a card comes just in time and is relevant in so many spheres of life. 

Are you letting your intellect have its say in your life? If there’s a problem, how might the intellect help you deal with it? The intellect is great at helping us out of emotional ruts, those times when we put our brains on autopilot by letting our emotions just have their way over and over and over. 

Instead of reacting to the world out of pure feeling, perhaps it’s possible to stand back and take a critical look at the situation. Question. Look at both sides (as the sword’s blade has two sides). Do you really need him/her in your life? Should you really spend so much money on that awesome car? Is it time to go to the boss and enter a formal complaint against that crazy coworker? Such situations are heavy with emotion. The Ace of Swords reminds us our thoughts on such things need to be tempered with some good old objective critical thinking. 

For me, this card is a wake up call on various levels. Summer is over for those of us in academia. It’s time to get back to regularly scheduled work. How will I challenge myself this semester? And how will I challenge my students? This is not the time to fall into the emotion-laden bitch sessions that some colleagues are involved in as we learn of new responsibilities, regulations, and requirements. There are new lesson plans waiting to be developed, and the new textbooks will require new classroom activities and online exercises. There is the potential (ace) for things to be better than before. And there is the joy of mental activity involved in developing them.

Closer to home, the card reminds me to get organized. I MUST get back into my daily planner and write down my plans for each day. The sword is the logos, the WORD, which when written down becomes the thought outside of oneself, made visible on quality paper and a beautiful ink! Whether its a shopping list of healthier food or a reminder to pay bills and do the laundry, the written list can be a great weapon against the burden of overwhelm.

So today will be a day of planning, writing, organizing and “arming” myself with a plan for the upcoming week. 
How will you be using your intellectual sword today?

Sent from my iPhone