Not enough time in the day......

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pook	10 Jun 2004
Lately I have had a lot of strange things going on in my life...some good, some bad, and some just plain weird. The thing is, all this stuff going on is bringing up a lot of new questions... but also it is taking up a lot of my time and not leaving me with enough left over at the end of the day to figure it all out. No time for thinking, and no time for tarot. Right now, I should be using my bank's website to pay bills, but I'm stealing a few moments to ask all ya'll what you do in this kind of situation. I stare longingly at my tarot box from the kitchen as I cook or wash dishes thinking of how I would love to have time to just shuffle a deck....but then I realize the phone is ringing and the dog is barking at people on the street and I still have to run to the store..... I have been trying to watch my commitments and stay as open as possible...honestly I just miss my tarot cards! How do you make time for them? Should I make time for them or should I wait until I actually have time? Any insight?

contrascarpe	10 Jun 2004
MoonDreameR - Great question, and something near and dear to me. Time management in the 21st Century is one of the hardest things to cope with. I am afraid I do not have any answers for you. For me, this board has changed my life in many ways. I am so happy with the path I am heading in, and AT and tarot in general have given me confidence and insight into my soul. I make time to be here, and to read cards. I still have other priorities, but I could not imagine my life without either this board or the cards. At some point, the answer will be clear to you - in the meantime, hang in there. Dan

Flavio	10 Jun 2004
Under same circumstances I steal 30-45 minutes sleeping time, so before going to bed I do a reading, study books or decks. Also I have copied websites (for example AT forum threads) to my PDA so I can read at the first chance (public transportation, taxi, waiting for something or someone) I hope the previous ideas can help you. Regards Flavio

Jewel-ry	10 Jun 2004
Make time for them! Its really important that you find some time for you, even if its just half an hour before bed. Also be prepared for those occasions when you suddenly find yourself with nothing to do. Carry a deck with you for those times when your sat in the car waiting for the kids or when you arrive at an appointment early. I can often be found in the car just shuffling and thinking, it can be very therapeutic! :)

WolfSpirit	10 Jun 2004
I am waaaaaaaaay too busy at the moment, but to me tarot has a lways brought relaxation as well so I do use the cards anyway. I also learn when I don't use them for "serious study" but just go over the cards, play with them or do a simple daily reading. Just have fun with them and you will learn without realising. And it will relax you as well. And you can also ask the cards how you can manage your time better ;)

OakDragon	10 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel-ry Make time for them! Its really important that you find some time for you, even if its just half an hour before bed. Also be prepared for those occasions when you suddenly find yourself with nothing to do. Carry a deck with you for those times when your sat in the car waiting for the kids or when you arrive at an appointment early. I can often be found in the car just shuffling and thinking, it can be very therapeutic! :) I agree with Jewel-ry. You CAN make time for them, even if you only have time for one one-card reading per day. I think that even doing a little like that is beneficial. It will help you reevaluate where you are and where you are going in your life.

ros	10 Jun 2004
I make time either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. The odd day I miss. Sometimes I will think of a card and grab a book and read it's meaning if I don't have time for the cards. This way I have something to think about or to help calm the waters of the day. Make time for tarot. It is your own time & we all need it, sometimes. Time is means nothing if you have no one to share it with. Sometimes we only have the tarot to share with ourselves for our own self sanity! Take Care!

Satori	10 Jun 2004
I am a tarot on the fly woman. If I can't throw on a cloth or light the candle....well I'm multitasking and grabbing that deck while dialing and doing a quick cut as the silverware is getting put away.... Irreverent? Divinity knows I can't always be reverent. So, maybe do your throws in a whole new way. don't worry about the smudges or the quickie pull. Just do it! or Just pull it!

CreativeFire	10 Jun 2004
Make time for them, MoonDreameR - as making time for Tarot is making time for YOU! We all go through busier periods during our live now and again, but try not to let it fall into a habit where everything else comes before your time. I went through a few years like that where home, family, work, study etc, etc all came before some "my" time - and suddenly it was like I woke up and thought hang on 3 years of my life has gone by and I have achieved none of my personal goals but have given everything to my child, husband, parents, work, career, study. Now I try and take at least 1/2 to an hour everyday! OK I sometimes miss a day here and there but I actually time some "my time" into my daily schedule, whether I get up that little bit earlier (reading tarot in the early hours when the house is quiet is great too!). Anyway, enough rambling from me, just wanted to say that when it comes down to it - it is your life so YOU have to make time to live it so you get some enjoyment out of it - not just feel like it is a chore. :D Hope it works out for you and you can squeeze in some thinking and tarot time soon. CreativeFire PS. My signature sort of says it all - but I apply this to life / tarot / creativity as well. :)

Star Spirit	10 Jun 2004
I know exactly how you feel MoonDreameR. I'm in the same situation. Sometimes all we can do is drop what we're doing and say, "I owe this time to myself". When you're that busy, it's all about priorities. You only have so much time and every day you have the same old things to do, so if you make tarot low on your priority list, it's just never going to happen. You just need to tell yourself that the laundry can wait another day, a few unwashed dishes aren't the end of the world, and dinner can either take 2 hours or 10 minutes. If you want your tarot cards that much, you need to put them higher on your list. Maybe think of them as your motivation for getting other things done. Ask the cards all these questions that keep popping up and see what they say, and you just might save yourself some time and worry! And maybe if you just set aside some time to enjoy them, you'll feel much better about doing everything else :)

Satori	10 Jun 2004
I just reread my post and I want to amend one thing: when I say irreverent that is maybe not the right wording. I am back to tarot after years away as well and I can tell you that my life has already changed after just weeks of regular tarot practice again. I'm more positive; I feel more connected to the people around me; and my connection to the Universe is much more profound. I don't always get my half hour in, but I do things that keep me connected to the practice, like always have a deck and notebook with me; play 'tarot games' like think of people as the majors....in the grocery checkout I look around to see who is displaying what energy, and of course it's usually the queen energy at the market...stuff like that. And if I'm able to sit and shuffle a deck or pull a quick card I do.

Flavio	11 Jun 2004
Elf: I think we all understood that the irreverent word, wasn't meant for a lack of respect regarding your relationship with your deck(s) and Tarot, thanks for extending your comment.

Pook	11 Jun 2004
"If work was easy, they wouldn't call it work...Thay'd call it happy, crazy, fun time!" I heard that on some tv show the other day...it hit home pretty hard. I have been working so hard and trying to get everything in order (hopefully to move...*keeping my fingers crossed*) that I have not been having fun with anything. I took today as a whole day to shrug responsibility(well, mostly, I still have a 5 month old) and take care of myself...I'm going to the bookstore, letting the dishes sit in the sink(except the bottles..gotta have those) and instead of going to the bank, the post office and the dry cleaners, I'm gonna sit on the couch with my new shapeshifter deck. (It helps that all the government offices are closed today for Former Pres. Reagan's funeral observance.)

purplelady	11 Jun 2004
I have the same problum, no time to actually do a tarot reading :( . This has been going on ever since I've had my current job. I Know that I Used to do them before this job. I'm not exactly sure why, except, the job takes a lot out of me. I am physically tired. I too gaze longingly at my tarot decks! I guess I don't FEEL in the right frame of mind to do a reading. I feel burnt out. And on my days off I have long lists of things I want to do, need to do, should do, and have to do. ( I've actually considered splitting the "to do" list into these catagories!) THen I ask myself "hmmm, what do I REALLY want to do?" Usually this consists of 2 things, One being shopping( :P ) something on the Have to do list Anyhow! The other is sit at my computer! Sometimes I try to plan a tarot reading in there but it doesn't happen because, I'm way too tired , Or..............my family is there. Also, I used to take a long time with these readings, like Hours of analyzing. Perhaps if I can somehow cut down the time. Even that I've tried , and I still don't feel like it's the "right" time to do a reading....................? One problum may be that mornings are absolutely out , and evenings I'm too tired! p.s. I did crack open and look at the tarot of cerremonial magic just the other day , so maybe there is hope? ;) ?

tao51	14 Jun 2004
Tarot can be a form of meditation. It can help to explain your day. It may help prepare you for a future situation. Sometimes they help to sharpen my abilities. Time management is difficulty but there is always time to do something important.--Tao

purplelady	16 Jun 2004
I DID find time the other day . I called in sick! But it was worth it!!! :) .

Satori	16 Jun 2004
right on purple lady! *clapping, cheering*

Catpaw	19 Jun 2004
Purplelady -- I am happy that you found time recently to read and contemplate your Tarot. I carry a small deck with me every day and over my brief (I am lucky to get 15-20 minutes), I do a reading for myself to learn how I need to focus my energy for the remainder of the workday and how to affirm my strengths so I have a more positive outcome. It only takes a few minutes and the more you use the Taort, the more positive your life becomes. (Something Rachel Pollack taught at a class I took.) Stick with it. Catpaw

lisaria	19 Jun 2004
Hi everybody, I found the tarot a few months ago and I've become obsessed. But like MoonDreameR and others I can't seem to find the time to do really good readings, you know? The ones where the cards just speak up loud and clear. I have a hard time keeping my mind still enough to concentrate, so I've started a ritual but that takes a while, especially the meditating part. My mind goes a mile a minute and it's hard for me to get it to slow down so I can listen to my intuition enough to do a reading. I just wish there were more hours in the day.

Gypsy Mama	19 Jun 2004
I have recently just come back to my decks and seem to be having the same problem! I am working full time shift work and have a toddler and one on the way and expecting to move again soon. But I took the same outlook to make some time as I did when my first baby came... I set one small goal and the rest is a bonus! I study one major arcana a month and look for lessons of that card all month. Then I decided I could fit in weekly readings. Then I managed to find a bit more time here and there now at least a few times a week... and the best part is... it makes me feel good because I am going beyond my expectations!! But if I don't get to it and have to revert back to my old plan I haven't completely failed. I just thought it's like a Tarot Diet! haha. See it's all a bonus!Hope this helps! Take care.

Satori	19 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Catpaw It only takes a few minutes and the more you use the Tarot, the more positive your life becomes. (Something Rachel Pollack taught at a class I took.) Stick with it. Catpaw Catpaw, this is very true. My return to my regular Tarot practice has just about rearranged my attitude right down to the cellular level! (And the Seekers practice is a big part of that as well.) In the Whimsical Tarot Dorothy Morrison talks a lot about a spiritual and mental housecleaning. I know that I've just experienced a time of breakthrough, of feeling a little negative and pushing through to the positive. It happens to the best of us. The Tarot helped me get there quicker, and I wasn't always reading spreads. My feeling is that if I can't do a spread then I'm reading about Tarot. I'm reading the books that go with my decks or I'm reading about archetypes or just going through my decks looking at the pictures and thinking about the images. I look for stuff I didn't notice before, or at the way the body language looks.... So even if I don't have time for my reading practice, I'm still immersed in the Tarot on some level. To me it isn't just reading the cards. My mom went to a specialist at a Boston Hospital this past Friday. Well, the guy was an older gentleman and he was a little doddery. Every time we asked him a question he would start doodling on my this piece of paper he was using to chart notes about her case. I got a look at the doodles and they were little symbols and boxes around keywords that he was using during his speeches. The information he was giving us was really good, spot on info, he was just making these seemingly senseless doodles as he talked. Well it hit me, this is a guy who teaches quite a bit now. He was used to lecturing at a blackboard and drawing notes and graphics to illustrate his points. Only we weren't his med students and to us he looked a little senile, because we couldn't see that he was illustrating his lecture! And I figured this out I think because of my reading experience. This Dr. was sitting there doing these confusing things, but once I really focused in on him, and got into my reading zone, I just figured it out. And I had that clarity of knowing that you get when you know you are really READING. Does this make sense or am I rambling? This post may get relocated....LOL...*smile*

Pook	19 Jun 2004
I'm glad that others you guys (and girls) have found time in your busy schedule to play with your cards! Just this past week, we (my fiance` and myself) have begun a new bedtime routine for the baby....with the ultimate goal being her bedtime an hour to an hour and a half earlier....so when we finally get to the point where we have some more free time at the end of the night, I'll be more able to read my tarot again. And spend some time with the man who appears so often in my readings as the Knight of Cups!! *Edited to change his card.....lately he's the knight of cups instead of the King...hmmm, interesting development, or maybe regression....

VGimlet	20 Jun 2004
Yep, time management is always a problem for me, too. I work full time, and like all of us, have lists of things to be done, and also need to spend some time with the SO, work out, write at least a page a day, blah blah. (I can't even imagine adding kids to the mix, ack!) Still, I manage to squeeze in a little tarot time, it might only be ten minutes here or there on some days. It might just be a one card draw. I try and spend at least a few minutes before I go to bed, for me that's the best time. I usually focus on one card at a time when I'm learning a new deck (like now).

lionette	20 Jun 2004
Here's my vote making time for tarot practice and the importance of personal time to reflect and introspect. The past few weeks I've been taking a break from tarot due to moving from Buffalo, NY after finishing graduate school to this rural place in MO to develop my current relationship. Not having the same level of personal time and space when in my own apartment has caused me to stop taking time for tarot and I also stopped coming to AT. Even tho it's just been a short time here (6 or 7 weeks), I've already noticed a difference in myself, my outlook and my overall energy level and mood, all feeling alot less positive, less optimistic, feeling disjointed by not processing experiences. There has been some disappointing external factors but I'm certain these changes point more toward the fact that I'm not taking time for what gives me an internal uplift. By taking time to tarot, which is what rejuvenates me, I can put more energy into solving the disappointments and move forward. So I'm putting tarot back into my schedule! So, MoonDreameR, I encourage you to make time for your personal tarot time. I think you'll find more energy to put into the day, even with 30 minutes less sleep some days! Elf, I like your advice -- to apply tarot practices to our external life and people. Most often I think of tarot as being a more personal internal thing, but this will help me add a new dimension to the cards.

The Not enough time in the day...... thread was originally posted on 10 Jun 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.