Put the Shit Down. Play with Shells Instead.

Written by Lips on Thursday 30 October at 11:11am

Let It Land

Let it land and hold it close.

I’ve been thinking about how momentum isn’t always movement. Sometimes eight wands fall from the sky, and we’re meant to be present and balanced enough to catch them rather than chase them. That’s hard in this day and age. We barely have time to tie our shoes, let alone make our own from scratch.

The Eight of Wands Reversed — from the Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot Deck. This card reminds me that sometimes momentum means letting things fall where they may. When the wands scatter, you're being asked to pause and integrate before the next leap forward.

Lack mindset is the greatest setback of all — wishing for more or overthinking what we’ve already cultivated; our past harvests.

Even the belief that yesterday must be anything like today is a let-down for me — that I must carry something as simple as my identity from yesterday into the present, let alone every other memory and disappointment.

Bad memories can either motivate us or discourage us from taking a risk similar to the past again. That's why I usually try to reframe them into something good every time.

Choose Again (And Again, And Again)

The truth I’m learning is that we can choose again and again and again — not out of greed or fear, but with discernment. With what makes us feel light, excited, unburdened among all the burdens we already carry.

The Ten of Wands Upright — from the Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot Deck. This card reminds me that carrying everything at once isn't a badge of honour. Delegate. Simplify. Trust that ease is not laziness.

Childlike wonder and optimism are my strongest forms of resistance in this dense world. And anyone who calls me naïve for choosing the good over something more mature and realistic can enjoy that, if it’s what they like. I don’t want it. I’d rather be a dreamer until it inevitably leads me to something inspiring — just like all the other times I’ve tuned in or out to the noise; the advice and feedback from people sharing a perspective from their own lens. I love hearing the lessons others have learnt from their own lives.

I feed off their knowledge not because it's scripture to me, but because I trust it has been sent to me for a purpose. I welcome in the guidance, but I pick and choose what I like from it when I feel it fits. That's discernment and intuition; listening, deciphering what feels real. Choosing what resonates. Just like a piece of artwork on a tarot card.

Joy as a Form of Wisdom

We need both the dark and the light.

We can’t hold optimism without understanding its risks, without taking careful steps. Not everyone is rooting for your success; some will try to pull it apart. See what they can get out of it. But plenty of people love lifting you up — that’s where I aim my focus. Even after let-downs. Shrinking because I’ve been hurt only blocks my future expansion and attracts more stagnation.

The Fool — from the Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot Deck. This card reminds me to leap into the unknown and begin again. The Fool always trusts that the ground will appear beneath them as they fall — not because they see it, but because they feel the fear and move anyway.

It’s about holding both — owning our part in the mess, taking accountability for the lesson, and choosing joy anyway.

Joy brings energy. It shows us detours and paths others won’t take, too afraid they’ll just hit more dead ends. Even a dead end can be spruced into a fresh path. I'm always down to lay a few new bricks and see what happens. It's eventually got to lead me somewhere and it'll inevitably work out. It's The Fool's journey... and God, do I love being a fool. ;)

Stop Playing With Shit!

Life’s supposed to be what you make of it — it's not a house someone else has built that you must live inside forever.

We make do. We make it happen.

We all go through shit and carry shit with us. So comparing our shit to someone else’s, or blaming someone's success on the levels of shit they have, still means you’re spending your honest time examining and playing with shit.

Put the shit down as often as you can.

Play with shells instead.