You’ve Got the 4-1-1—Now What?
I had to chuckle when I pulled today’s card, Yellow Learning (also known as “Information”). The card’s image is so me.
The woman on the card is surrounded by books. The books even make up her desk. When I lived in an apartment, I always said that three-quarters of my environment was made up of books. And when I bought a townhome a few years later, I still didn’t have enough room for all the books I have (of course that didn’t stop me from buying more)! There are literally books in every room of my home–really!
Maybe you’re a bookworm like me. Maybe you’re a book collector, again, like me. And maybe, you have enough books to open your own library—again, like me.
It turns out that all this book collecting is part of my make-up; that part is having a thirst for knowledge. One of my archetypes, according to work done by Caroline Myss, is the Intellectual. Like the woman on the Yellow Learning card, I take great comfort in having all my books around me. For me, there is so much power in the written word.
I’m a life-long learner, a student at heart. I have three university degrees, and numerous certifications. Like the woman on the card, I am always reading something and taking notes. The activity of taking notes is like etching the material on my brain; I can remember the material without ever looking at my notes again.
And while all this reading and note-taking is great, the challenge comes in what to do with the information? With Yellow Learning, the question becomes: Is the process of acquiring information just a learning process—an intellectual pursuit—or are you finding ways to apply the information you are taking in?
One of the cards I drew in my own daily draw today was the 7 of Swords. I particularly like the image from the deck I’m using at the moment, the Robin Wood Tarot. In this image, our figure has swords (representing ideas and information) in his hands, all of which are being covered by the cloak he is wearing. For me, this card can represent gathering ideas and conducting research, much like Yellow Learning. He leaves two swords behind, just like all the books stacked up on Yellow Learning; this represents picking and choosing the ideas and concepts that resonate with you, and leaving what does not.
What’s similar between the two cards is taking in knowledge for knowledge’s sake. The woman is sitting in the midst of all the information, the knowledge, she has accumulated; the man on the 7 of Swords has information and is straddling the fence with it.
The difference between the two cards is that while Yellow Learning sits in her book seclusion, the figure on the 7 of Swords is taking that all-important first step with the information he now has. He is taking all that information and running with it!
So, for today, I’m going to encourage you to take some time and reflect on all the information sources at your disposal. Consider the books you’ve read lately, or any classes and workshops you’ve attended and either took notes or were given handouts (maybe even previous blog posts you’ve read here).
- Did you actively work to apply what you’ve learned to your life?
- If not, why?
- And if that is the case, what one small step would you be willing to take today to put that learning to work for you?
After all, there’s more to life than study.
Your partner in applying what’s learned,
