Hi everyone, it’s me, Lori Lytle, Inner Goddess Tarot.
My husband and I just moved to a new home. We had lived in Toronto in the same little East York home for about 12 years. And then, suddenly, we’d had enough.
We loved it there. It was a happy home. But, when we bought it, we didn’t intend to stay there forever. A few years, we thought, probably five max. It was a sweet home, but in need of updating and renovation, and it was on a street that was fairly busy when we bought it, and the need for renovation and the noise on the street increased exponentially from year to year.
Over the years we intended to make changes to the house, and considered moving somewhere else in the city. Life happened. Family stuff happened. Covid happened. We stayed put.
And then, the house across the street from us blew up. Literally.
This, I took as a wake up call.
To be honest, when that house blew up, we weren’t thinking of moving. We had actually just painted our porch to spruce it up, and my husband did some work on the exterior of the house with so much love and sweat and patience that my heart swells to think of it.
But, when that house blew up, I think it set things in motion. After the fact, I took it as a sign from the universe that the time to make some changes and get the heck out of there had come.
That’s often the way of things, isn’t it? We get stuck in patterns and behaviors and create stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves everyday, we become blind to them. The universe sends us small nudges, but if we disregard them, they turn up the intensity until we get it, or our world blows up around us just to get our attention.
In my case, I wasn’t fully aware of how our life in the city was wearing me down. I’ve always been a city person, that was the story I told myself. I couldn’t see myself in place that was surrounded by nature. I couldn’t imagine being somewhere quiet. I couldn’t imagine telling people I’m from anywhere but Toronto. And yet, I was tired, anxious and feeling oh so stuck.
When we started to consider moving, I couldn’t even imagine how that would work or what that would look like. So, I asked my cards. I got consistent messages that the process of moving would be difficult, stressful and emotional, but that we could do it and we’d be so glad we did at the end of it all.
The cards also showed me MYSELF, and how I wasn’t doing myself any favors walking around with so much stress and worry rather than making some difficult but wonderful changes to how I live my life.
So, you see, the Tarot can be the equivalent of that house blowing up, without the property damage, danger and disruption.
If you’re open to it, and can take a breath and be patient and kind with yourself, the cards will give you perspective about yourself. You will see where you are thriving in your life, and where you may be limiting or undercutting or even hurting yourself.
The cards show you YOURSELF, they show you what you’re dealing with internally and externally, and remind you of how much you are actually capable of. They show you that your current story doesn’t have to be the final one, if you don’t want it to be.
One of my favorite things to ask the cards, for myself and for my clients, is a check-in along the lines of, “What do I need to see or know about myself right now?”.
And, “What is impacting my behavior and decisions right now?”.
The idea is that you are mindfully and compassionately looking at where you’re at. In a reading, you are using the cards as a lens to see yourself clearly, without those stories and patterns getting in the way. The cards don’t judge, they show you how it is.
And then, armed with that clarity, you can smile, and ask the cards, “OK, where do I go from here?”.
(Some scenes from my new home, my new town.)