"An Exercise:
How to Determine What Bad Ideas a Person Is Feeding Themselves & How to Leave It Behind"

First, we need to ask, "What is the question?” Pulled-The 9 of Wands, a card of defensiveness, asks the next question, "What are you guarding yourself against?" This brings us to The Chariot Reversed, a discouraging lack of control bringing failure. This paints a picture of a person on high alert with a fear of being defeated, preventing them from overcoming obstacles and adversity successfully. They've invested a lot of energy in keeping this failure away from them, and they are tired and losing confidence that they can keep this up. Let's see why they think this way. "What bad ideas are you feeding yourself?" The Tower, a card of disaster, loss, and upheaval, indicates this person is making the assessment that they will not be strong enough to "survive the fall" when danger or the unexpected hits. The Tower usually strikes out of nowhere, creating panic, confusion, and upset. Nobody enjoys that, so I can see why they are protecting themselves against potentially having their world flipped and not being able to do a thing about it. But these are the "what ifs," and they can play all day long in every kind of scenario and never ever happen the way you feared it would. "So how can you help yourself leave behind the fear of losing control if disaster hits?" 4 of Swords and 8 of Coins give the advice of rest & practicality. The chaotic events of The Tower will always be outside your control. But even if it does occur, reconstruction is always possible with self-sacrifice, resiliency & fortitude. 4 of Swords asks them to slow down, get rest and focus on stabilizing their breath to calm their thoughts. This will help them gather strength to face any upcoming challenge. This habitual, energetic state of hypervigilance is doing nothing for their state of mind. The 4oS suggests they take a break or remove themselves altogether from overstimulation, that feeds panic, helplessness or doom. The 8 of Coins asks them to also focus on the everyday stuff they can control or effect in a practical & impactful way. This highlights their competency, to proudly focus instead on the resources they have built for themselves in a constant way through their talents. Rather than looking to the "what ifs," focus on the situations at hand, accomplishing them one at a time - this will aid with overwhelm.