Daily Tarot: Queen of Swords

Back for her 2nd day in a row, and hanging out on my favorite mullein plant.
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Today the Queen reminds us that communication is a 2-way street and we are asked to be just as mindful of the way we receive as the way we share.
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Listening clearly is a higher level skill than speaking clearly. We spend our whole lives with our own mind, and most of the time we can say what we think. But hearing another person brings an unknown factor in, and that can set off our defenses.
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More Mercury Retrograde practice here. When someone says something to you, especially if you don't want to hear it, listen. Just hear their words, receive the message they're giving you. Don't try to interpret what they say or start coming up with a response before they're finished. Then when you respond, thank them for telling you. Consider what they've said, and where they're coming from, and see what part of what they told you is your responsibility to handle.
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While it's so valuable to trust your own intuition and perception, you can't know everything. We're here with other people so we can be mirrors for each other, and learn from each other. We have to balance intuition and logic, giving and receiving.
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This is coming up now because we have the chance to be better allies by taking criticism well. Especially us white people. Especially those of us who feel like we're pretty woke. We can always do better. If someone points out a blind spot for you, that is a gift. Receive it with grace.