Tarot of Stagnation
Iris Seaton | November 3, 2022
This week’s queries: How can I move forward when things begin to feel stagnant? What can I do to value my time and respect myself more? How can I beat boredom and apathy in productive ways?
Consider these prompts, then choose a number 1-3 that you feel most drawn to. Scroll down to find the card associated with your number and hover your mouse over the card to read.
1
The Devil
If you chose this card, consider the following:
Have you been choosing vices and unhealthy instant gratification? Have you been avoiding activities you know will be better for you because the idea of addressing your negative emotions is overwhelming? Or because alternatives to those vices are so difficult to pick up it’s hard to imagine trying?
What resources do you have available to you? What has worked in the past when you’ve broken an unhealthy pattern of behavior? Perhaps you found someone to help hold you accountable, kept a journal or habit tracker, or gave yourself personal rewards upon meeting goals set in advance. Different things work for different people, but everyone has these methods available to them. Try different strategies: things that have worked in the past, things that you’ve been interested in trying, things that have worked for the people around you! You are not hopeless or a worse person because you’ve fallen into bad habits to combat negative emotions and boredom.
Alternatively, sometimes throwing yourself into something you love can be just what you need in order to regain that sense of wonder that can be so easy to lose! Try out an old hobby that always made you happy, really try to invest yourself in something. Don’t be afraid to commit to an activity that takes longer than you’re used to. Doom scrolling, watching Netflix, etc. may feel less high-stakes than giving your time to something immersive and consistent, but if you can cultivate personal investment in a habit or interest, eventually you’ll find you can get more meaningful gratification that way.
2
Six of Cups
If you chose this card, consider the following:
How’s your inner child doing? Are you being kind to them? Do the sorts of things you tell yourself align with what you would like to say to that child? Adulthood can feel like a fundamentally different beast, but it’s important not to neglect the child that lives inside all of us. If you’re feeling constantly bored, beaten down, apathetic, consider what that inner child might like? A sense of comfort and wonder can come from something as simple as drawing, looking for bugs under rocks, reading a beloved book, or visiting a museum. You don’t have to find happiness and engagement in solely things seen as ‘mature.’
Look to your past in a broader sense. Almost everyone has had a period of time in their life in which they were truly invested in something. This could be something traditional like playing a sport, or something more personally interesting, like a book series. Can you look to that ‘something’ to decide what steps you might be able to take towards feeling a similar sense of engagement again? Whether it’s picking that particular thing up again, or considering what is currently available to you that might mirror what you found so enjoyable about your past endeavors, this can be a valuable exercise in learning about your needs.
Alternatively, maybe you’ve been dwelling on the past a little too much. It can be dangerously easy to believe that the elements that created happiness in the past are the only way you can ever be happy. Remember that you are a complex being, always changing, and capable of finding meaning in many different things. Try your best to let your happy memories of the past be just that: memories. Drawing on the knowledge that you’re capable of fulfillment is only valuable if you’re using it to move forward, rather than to dwell on times gone by.
3
The Tower
If you chose this card, consider the following:
Are you avoiding change in your life because you know the only way forward is to do something BIG? Have you been doing your best to swap fear and anxiety of that change for apathy and stagnancy? Remember that, whatever that frightening change is, you don’t have to tackle it all at once, or completely alone. Consider what steps you could be taking, rather than allowing your imagination to make you believe that the only option is catastrophe. You are strong and capable even when it doesn’t feel that way, and sometimes the only way to feel alright is to accept that certain things need doing, no matter how unpleasant.
Alternatively, maybe you WANT something big to happen. You might feel as though the only thing that would help you feel invested in your life again is a monumental change. And maybe that’s correct, but waiting for that change to fall in your lap could take a very long time. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but have never done? What’s something you tell yourself you can’t do, no matter how much you want to? Sometimes you need to take things into your own hands in order to gain the momentum you’re looking for.
Finally, maybe that change has already happened, or you’re dealing with some combination of all three of these, as many of us are. When something drastic has happened in your life, regardless of whether it was a welcome change or something you had hoped to avoid, it can be natural to go into survival mode. Shutting down, relying on easy sources of dopamine, extra rest and comforting habits is a very human thing. There’s nothing wrong with allowing yourself some time to rest and conserve your energy when you feel like you have no more to give. But when you’re taking that rest, remember to continuously evaluate your actions. Is this period of rest still serving your best interests, or is it becoming a way to escape healthier habits that could help you move forward?