The Chariot Spread for Teachers

When I think of the Chariot card, two questions come to mind. And those are the two questions we are going to explore in this spread.

Where do I want to go? 5 of Cups
How do I get there? The Empress

I like this spread for any issue in life, not just for teaching. Sometimes we get stuck along the way and we just need a moment to stop and ask for directions. :)

It's funny because I can totally see how these cards relate to my life outside of teaching. I will still be analyzing these cards as they relate to my teaching career, but I will also apply these lessons to other areas in my life. Sometimes that will happen when you do a reading for yourself. You will ask the cards a question, but the answers you get will be for a burning question that you should be focusing on instead of the question you actually asked. So be open to the cards trying to open your eyes to other important issues going on in your life that you may be avoiding or may be unaware of.

So of course, looking at the 5 of cups a person might ask, "why the hell would anyone want to go there?" Understandable as you have this morose figure crying into his long dark cape over 3 tipped over chalices while ignoring the two standing chalices. And although this card does represent loss and disappointment, there are still lessons to be learned in this card. Lessons that I desperately need to learn at this point on my journey. 

I will be brutally honest right now. I have been having a hard time keeping up with this blog recently. Not because I don't enjoy doing it or because I am too busy or losing interest, but because things have not going as I would have liked them to at work lately. I am trying a new unit and I thought I was making things as exciting and straight forward as I possibly could. But for the life of me, I cannot get these 8th graders to read To Kill a Mockingbird. On top of that, we have been doing fishbowl discussions, which is an activity that has been very successful in previous years. It is not working well at all at the moment. The conversations they are having are shallow and boring. They are relying too much on my suggested prompts and not finding evidence in the text to support their points. They are being rude to each other as well as mocking the whole process. So it has been VERY hard for me to dig deep and find the love. This disillusioned feeling is carrying over into other areas of my life and I am starting to feel like, "Who really cares? Why does any of this matter anyway? Why bother?" So it was hard for me to write the Lovers post when I am not really feeling the love these days.

So this really connects me with the energy of the 5 of cups. I feel disillusioned and I am in a place of total self-pity. It's not a good place to be. So why would this card represent where I want to go, since that was really the question and not "Where am I now?" Look closely at the background. See that castle in the distance on the left that has a river flowing in front of it? Now see that bridge on the right? That's where I need to go!

This card is all about finding perspective. Do I want to stand there crying over things beyond my control (the 3 spilled cups)? Or do I want to acknowledge that there are still things to be grateful for and that nothing is really as bad as it may seem (the two standing cups)? Ultimately it is asking me what kind of person do I want to be? The kind of person who sees the cup as half full or as half empty?

So where do I want to be? In an emotional space full of gratitude and of understanding that even when things seem really crappy, there is always another way around it (the bridge). Things can't stay bad forever, it's just not how life works.

So how do I get to this better emotional space? Through the energy of the Empress, of course. I will have to reread my post on the Empress after this for some moral support and guidance. But basically, I need to tap into my creativity (even if it's hard right now) and I need to be nurturing to myself! I'm on vacation right now. It is time to do a little self-care and put myself back on the right path by nurturing and loving myself. I need to forgive myself for past failures and mother myself with encouragement. So this week I will focus on my own needs - I already scheduled a reiki/massage session for this weekend over a month ago, and a mani/pedi sure sounds good too! When I am in a better emotional space personally, it will help me tap into my creativity and help me readjust my unit so that it will help put my students back on the right path.

The major life lesson here? Things may not go according to plan. In fact, they may really turn out crappy. But creative solutions will help turn things right around as long as you maintain self-care and a positive perspective!

I hope this spread really helps you figure out where you want to go and how you can get there. As always, feel free to share if you are moved to do so.

All my best,

Amy