Balance is important in all things in life. Often, from the center of the chaos, we have to stop and remember why we are in the situations we are in to begin with. Are you there to prove something to others or just to prove something to yourself.

If conflict arrives, you are asked to consider the intensity of your reaction to the events around you. Consider the problem and ask yourself if you need to react to it at all. If you feel you need to respond, gauge your reaction to it and make sure your reaction is in balance with the situation. Do you need to defend your position by standing up for what you believe in? Are you speaking your personal truth or are you trying to only say what you think will settle the situation for the moment?

Emotions have been running high a lot lately and people are all over the place emotionally. People seem to be making decisions more based on their emotional responses instead of rationally thinking things through. We might feel a strong need to defend ourselves in situations that we would not ordinarily react to.

Be on the watch for people that are duplicitous. These people tend to be one way with some people and a different way with another. They are not necessarily doing this to hurt anyone involved. It is a normal defense mechanism that people go to when they really do not know which side to take, so they go back and forth on how they respond to each side of a situation. Try not to put people on defense. Allow them to feel what they need to feel even if it works against you. We also need to honor ourselves and being put on the spot can lead us to say things we would not ordinarily say.

In the reverse, this card could indicate that we are being overly defensive and standing our ground to a degree that does not warrant a reaction with so much intensity. Look at the emotional situations playing out around you and decide if you should take a strong stance in defending yourself or if you need to consider lightening up. No one likes being constantly on defense. When we are always on guard, we tend to end up with health issues like high blood pressure, headaches, heart problems, and stomach problems just to name a few.

If you find that you are constantly being put in situations in which you need to defend yourself, consider why you always feel you need to react to everything going on around you. Consider just walking away and allowing situations to resolve naturally. If you feel you need to react, try to make sure you gauge your reactions to match situation.

Mary El Tarot – Landscapes Of The Abyss, Marie White