Daily Card - Nine of Swords

This week I’ll be using the Whimsical Tarot, which is a deck based on children’s fairy tales. This morning I drew the Nine of Swords, featuring Rapunzel.

Last night I had a nightmare, and this morning I received some unwanted news. Then I pulled the Nine of Swords and nodded my head, yep, this is my day.

Rapunzel is upset because her hair has been cut off, thus cutting off her communication with her beloved prince. She is striking a “woe is me” pose. In the card, her hair hangs down from the wall like a rope, making it a clear exit out of the tower. Consumed with despair, she doesn't notice that she can easily leave her problems behind her and escape to a better future.

However, in the real story, her options are less promising. (I took out my Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales after drawing this card and re-read the story.) The witch who raised Rapunzel cuts her hair, and then banishes her to a barren desert to prevent her from being with her true love. All the time Rapunzel was trapped in the tower, she could have cut her own hair off and fashioned it into a rope to climb to her freedom, but she was too busy wallowing in negativity to think creatively.

The story does have a happy ending, however. The King’s son who loved Rapunzel ended up wandering into the same desert, and they were reunited and lived happily ever after.

I can take this day and dwell on the negative, thereby creating more of the same with a snowball effect. Or I can think of creative ways to make my day better and turn my luck around by seeking happier options which I may have been overlooking. It's time to step back and look at the big picture, reclaiming control of the direction my life will take today.

Deck: Whimsical Tarot