 Life goes a little sideways during Mercury retrograde, but as we saw last week, some care and planning can take the sting out of it. Wise teachers often say that one of the best ways to turn challenges into opportunities is to focus on gratitude. That’s not the easiest thing to do when times are hard, but inspired tools can help. This week, we reach for the Gratitude Oracle by Angela Hartfield and Josephine Wall. Intricate fantasy-themed art provides a beautiful backdrop to 55 concepts linked to thankfulness for life’s gifts. Included alongside the large deck is an attractive guidebook that thoroughly explains each card. Divination and oracles can help us connect to our intuition and find the best way through our days. You can see the Gratitude Oracle, along with other oracle and Tarot decks, in-store at Indigo Moons - there is something for almost everyone. What does this oracle deck have to say about this week? Card 19: Understanding A fairy with large, wing-like ears, butterfly wings, and antennae sits among green leaves. Each part of the artwork in the Gratitude Oracle is symbolic, and in this case points to the importance of careful listening, alongside the possibility of good news, hope, and new opportunities. This card invites us to look past surface appearance and our own assumptions to truly hear how others feel. We often “listen autobiographically” - heavily filtering what we hear through our own experiences, and judging accordingly. Instead, we should pay careful attention in conversations, and more closely examine plain facts as well as the perspectives of others before drawing conclusions. This advice is particularly relevant during Mercury retrograde, when communication presents more of a challenge. Understanding leads to wisdom, the authors remind us, from which we can “make better decisions and assist others from a solid foundation.” In a time when understanding is in short supply, anything we can do to find common ground is worth the effort. Card 28: Commitment In a shining dewdrop, an ethereal couple moves together in a magical dance. Indigo-hued morning glories and lush wildflowers form a path to violet mountains, where mystical faces are disguised as peaks. These colors speak of the upper chakras, aligned with connection, communication, inner wisdom, and spiritual connection. The Commitment card reminds us that even the most positive relationships - romantic, family, even business - require work. Challenges are inevitable, so how we approach the difficult times can mean the difference between harmony and discord. Here, we find a connection between the two cards we’ve drawn. Are we only focused on our own thoughts and perspective, or have we made the effort to listen to and understand the other person’s point of view? This can make the difference between surface connections and long-standing relationships committed to harmony. Every relationship has a purpose in our life, and it is up to us to approach them with openness and honesty. Over time, this may mean we see more shortcomings - not just in the other person, but in ourselves. Commitment means staying dedicated to finding the best in each other, even when times are hard. Susan (aka the Dragonfly Charmer) is an Indigo Moons staff member and an intuitive reader with over 25 years of experience. She also teaches Tarot classes at the shop. Visit her Linktree for all the other places you can find her.
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