Being Authentic – Finding My Path In 2 Cards
Hi Musers, I hope you’re all doing well wherever you are. The point of my blog, body liberation, my mental health struggles, my soul searching, and my exploration of cartomancy (particularly tarot and oracle), is that I’m trying to heal and also to figure out who I really am. That might sound straightforward, but I assure you it isn’t! There are SO many blogs and social media posts shouting about how important being authentic is. However, when you read them, or swipe through the slides, they are often very light on how to achieve this.
I know that some would say being authentic will look different to everyone because everyone is different. Fair point, but I still feel like if you’re going to put this advice out there then the least you can do is offer a little direction. In the words of Dr. Evil, “throw me a friggin’ bone here!” I’ve done a little exploration on this topic already but there is more work to be done.,
Being Authentic – A Quote
Put simply, authenticity means you’re true to your own personality, values, and spirit, regardless of the pressure that you’re under to act otherwise. You’re honest with yourself and with others, and you take responsibility for your mistakes. Your values, ideals, and actions align. As a result, you come across as genuine, and you’re willing to accept the consequences of being true to what you consider to be right.
Mind Tools
Most of that sounds great but this is the part that trips me up, “Your values, ideals, and actions align”. Hmmmm. Honestly, I’m not 100% certain what my ideals and values are. Obviously I have an idea, but not a full formed manifesto as it were.
Let’s Find A Signpost
There is no doubt that I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to explore what I believe and what I truly cherish in life. My absolute lines in the sand, and areas where there’s more give. I need to know what principles I would not sacrifice no matter the cost. While mulling all this over I was flicking through the spreads from The Tarot Diagnosis. When I saw the next spread in the book it felt like fate. The first step on the journey to my authentic self.
My Path
If I’m going to figure out who I am, and start being authentic then a key component is identifying my true path. Where am I headed and how will I keep myself on track? So, what’s spread? Check it out.
Absolutely perfect, no? With this spread I can learn more about my direction in life and at least a little about my boundaries.
My Cards
I thought long and hard about which of my decks to use for this spread. I have more than twenty tarot decks and many of them are flexible but I tend to use them in certain circumstances. In this case, looking for a path, I wanted the message to be as open as possible so I chose Charlie Claire Burgess’ Fifth Spirit Tarot. Its tagline is a queer and inclusive deck for a world beyond binaries. It’s a fabulous and diverse deck and it just felt right to use it for this.
My Current Path – The World. Interesting! The World card always shows a naked woman and I love that she has a larger body which she displays with no shame whatsoever. The World is the end of one cycle and the start of a new one. In this case I am focusing on reaching a point where I am who I am meant to be. Happy and a peace, with a deep connection to my soul and the universe. Where I am comfortable in my spirituality. I still don’t know what the end of this journey will look like but I now feel confident I am currently doing the right things.
Does Not Deviate From – Seven of Wands. This card is the card of challenge, standing firm and being prepared to defend yourself and your ideas. On this journey other people will challenge me and I’ll challenge myself. It is a time to question all that I believe and strip away the parts that I am not willing to fight for. It will be a long and difficult journey and at times I might feel very alone. The beauty though is that at the end I’ll know what I truly believe and what I feel is worth fighting for.
Just Keep Swimming
I have felt confused and more than a little lost for a long time so I’m very encouraged by this spread. It’s reassuring to know that I’m on the right track even if there will be challenges along the way. I never thought it would be otherwise but having it spelled out for me helps me feel more prepared. I hope that by then end of this year a large portion of my journey will be complete and I’ll understand what being authentic is and know that I am embodying it in my life.
Are You Being Authentic?
That’s all for today but I’d love to hear your take on what being authentic is and if you feel that you are doing it. Please pop comments on this, the spread, the deck or anything else down below. I hoe the rest of your week is a good one xx
