8 of Spades - What does it tell us?

#8ofSpades – Temptation.  Misfortune.  Danger.  Upsets.    Yikes...this doesn’t sound very positive does it?  As the reader it isn’t my job to choose the card...the Universe does this for us.  However, as the reader I study the card, I contemplate the card, and I deliver the message that I feel the Universe is giving me for whoever it is that is receiving the message.   (Also, as it is getting late...I will possibly speak about Danger and Upsets another time.  After reading this post, I think you will be able to discern that Danger & Upsets really could be approached in a similar fashion as Temptation and Misfortune...it isn’t that much of a stretch).

Well, this is a heavy card.  At first glance it seems dark and foreboding but there is a significant message here for all of us that is much more contemplative and encouraging than may seem at first glance.

What is Temptation?  Temptation is the desire or force that urges us toward something that we want and desire but feel we should not have or partake of according to some code of conduct.  If there is no should not attached to the “thing” then there simply is no temptation.  The should not component implies guilt or some type of condemnation.  For example - if I see a chocolate bar on the table I simply eat it.  There is no question of whether or not I should or shouldn’t...I simply eat it.  Hence, there is no temptation.  However, someone else may see the same chocolate bar and experience the desire to eat it but at the same time feel like s/he should not.  Unlike me, they feel temptation.  Why?  Because they are placing a judgment on their actions before they even comply.  This judgment is based on a code of conduct of some kind... be it a health code, a religious code or a simple contest. 

Codes of conduct allow for organization in society and this is very helpful.  Without it, day to day living would get pretty ridiculous.  Imagine driving through any city center without traffic codes of conduct.  However, how often do we as individuals sit down and really think about the codes of conduct that we hold over ourselves every day?  All day, every day, we go through the motions of interacting with others and ourselves according to a code that we rarely think about.  Many of us act according to codes that we learned as children, teens, young adults and even as older adults.  We’ve learned certain codes through interactions with peers, parents, employers, teachers, books, movies, and any other number of influential sources.  But, who says that these codes are proper?  Who says that these codes are healthy?  A simple example is body shape.  Who determines what type of body shape is beautiful or even healthy?  Beautiful is in the eye of the beholder and, in terms of physical health, body-mass-index is simply a guide (albeit a good one...but still just a guide).  The fact is, if you are feeling conflicted about eating a readily available chocolate bar, you are being guided by a code of conduct.

We can extend this example to human interaction as well.  I think there are numerous times when people do not say what they believe to be true for them whilst in the presence of others because they feel it might offend someone.  So what?  Offense comes from the perspective of the one being offended.  It isn’t our job in life to go around constantly wondering if what we are saying or doing is offending someone.  Anything could be offensive to anyone else.  If an individual is offended with another’s actions they have the right to say something about it.  Then the two parties can actually have a discussion about it and perhaps find some compromise that is acceptable to both.  Maybe that is a complete change of behaviour on the part of the “offender” or the “offended.”  But, if no one says anything, how is anyone to know what offensive behaviour is in the first place?

So, to regroup...temptation exists only because we have assumptions that we live by...assumptions set by a code of conduct that we have learned somewhere in our lifetime.  Gaining awareness about these codes can give us insight into our behaviour which, at times, may seem confusing and limiting but in reality follow a certain logic.  The question is however, is this logic always in our best interest?

Let’s turn our attention to misfortune.  What is it?  A turn for the worse?  A series of unpleasant occurrences?  Perhaps...but, whatever it is or no matter how one defines it, none of us want it.  However, let’s consider how we view misfortune.  I believe that the Universe wants you and I to understand misfortune as a matter of perspective.  For the sake of time and space I want to relay a story that I read in a book about Happiness to illustrate this point (citation available upon request).  As the story goes (true story), a father and son were out and about looking for decorative rocks for their garden.  The father found a rather large boulder in a precarious location on the side of a hill.  While trying to move it he fell and the boulder tumbled after him and hit him on top of his head rendering him temporarily paralyzed face down in the mud.  This is an example of misfortune.  However, while he lay in the hospital bed recovering from this accident he was pondering a difficult passage in an ancient “religious text”.  This was a passage he had pondered many times before for meaning and understanding but he always found the meaning elusive and unclear.  However, this time, while lying in the hospital bed, he found that suddenly he was able to clearly interpret the meaning and the text was finally clear.  Now, from this perspective, would you say that the accident that rendered this man in the hospital to be an incident of misfortune or instead, fortune?  (Just for the record he made a full recovery).  The point is this: misfortune is viewing an event in isolation.  Often, when we put these moments in time up against the larger picture we see that fortunate things come in the wake of uncomfortable, stressful, or very upsetting and troubling situations. 

So, now our 8 of Spades isn’t so scary is it?  It gives us lots to think about and in many ways is full of encouragement. 

Blessings for the day