2026-W14
The funniest part about this week's divination isn't even the card pull itself. It's that I've been using this deck for months and I finally decided to meta-divine among my many other decks to see if a different one would better serve me through the coming week, also in part thinking maybe to give my SKT a break. And nope, nope, my bot call dice roll directly pointed back to using this deck. I do appreciate when my results are unambiguous.
LBC came up a long time ago with the idea of using an Eisenhower matrix (affectionally referred to as an Ike box) like a tarot spread. Eisenhower matrices were totally new to me at the time, so here's an idea of the format:
You can essentially apply it to any situation you want to gain a sense of priority over. I like using this as a way of taking stock of the upcoming week. I've been practicing with the SKT a lot because, in addition to it being a tarot deck that works really well for me, it also incorporates i-ching trigram correspondences to each card, so you can essentially do double readings under the right circumstances. I've been working my way slowly through my copy of I-Ching, the Oracle, and despite having a consecrated coin that I only use for i-ching readings, cards really are easier to work with. You do need to set it up as a tandem reading from the beginning though, otherwise it is impressive how powerfully it doesn't work - but I think that is a built-in feature of the i-ching and not the SKT's fault.
When I do an Ike box for the week ahead, I relate the tarot card results to me and my life, and the i-ching hexagrams generated by the drawing as broader currents of change outside of my sphere. I think that relating a divinatory message to myself is more useful in wider context. No one exists in a vacuum, as much as we might try sometimes. Having that kind of broader-spectrum idea of where the currents are and what they're doing helps me navigate more mindfully through them.
This week I'm going to set out some goals for myself, prioritize mapping out my ambitions and making some plans - things I usually hate doing, but are becoming more necessary the more chaotic things become. I know that I have to venture far from my precious, precious comfort zone if I actually want to achieve something great, and I know I can do it. It's just the starting that's the hard part. Maybe it's also getting over my deeply-engrained school-trauma that makes me balk every time I think about reapplying to grad school. I also intend to deliberately carve out some time for things that restore me, fill my heart, and aren't chaining me to the grind I try so desperately not to identify with. Schedule blocking works well for me when I actually set out to do it, but I have always enjoyed more wandering through my time noncommittally. If I can sufficiently ensure my own cup remains full, then I can do my part in helping fill others' cups, too. The Wish Granted being less about granting my own wishes in the wider context and more about positioning myself to be the Granter of Wishes. Remembering that, again, I don't exist in a vacuum, and connections and mutual aid are more important now than they may have ever been before in my lifetime. And finally, yeeting the impulse to conquer sheerly through domination and brute force. The problem with holding power is that it itches to be used. I wrote in my journal that 'the warrior-spirit will be of little use this week' and I think that's an apt interpretation for why this might be here, as neither important nor urgent.
The i-ching this week shows hexagram 40, 解, the 'release of tension', changing into hexagram 58, 兌, the 'joyous exchange'. Something happens towards the beginning of the week that we have absolutely no control over, but have to deal with the consequences. It's not our fault, but it's still in front of us. We stand to gain something important and even profound from helping when we feel called to, even if who we're called to help might not be someone we like. Maybe help your neighbor out, even if they didn't vote for the same candidate you did. The assistance we provide ultimately betters the greater good, and we take something important, a lesson, maybe, away from the situation. This has the potential to lead to a dialogue, some kind of earnest, excited exchange of knowledge, of advice - but take care who you share your knowledge with, and how much you give away. Towards the end of the week we find ourselves sitting with the unpleasant realization that someone may have taken advantage of our well-intentioned offerings with ill intentions of their own. Remember that you can be friendly without being a friend.