“Don’t get confused between what people say you are and who you know you are.” – Oprah Winfrey

Let Your Inner Voice Be Heard

In life, it can be difficult to find a healthy balance between prioritizing one’s own interest and considering the opinions of others. Oftentimes, the voices of others can drown out our own thoughts and ideas, making it difficult to live by your own standards. You may find yourself in situations where, no matter what you do, you feel as though you will never be able to live up to the expectations of others. However, this thought that is causing so much grief is the exact solution to this bleak mindset: you will never be able to live up to the expectations of others. It is literally impossible to please everybody; that is an undeniable fact. If you focus too much on the opinions of others, you will never be able to find a state of being where you are content with who you are. Now is the time for you to tune out the voices of others and listen to your own personal thoughts and beliefs. In the end, the only opinion that truly matters is your own, and your biggest concern should be finding peace with your inner voice. It isn’t always easy to let go of your attachment to the viewpoints of others. However, a constant fixation on the external has distanced you from roots, and it has clouded your vision of a future characterized by contentment and self-fulfillment. By spending more time contemplating your own thoughts and beliefs, this will also give you a chance to better develop your core ideals and goals in life. It will not only give you a chance to act in a way that is true to your true self, but it will also allow you to further develop into a more accurate version of your true self.

When a person falls in love, they are falling in love with the person that they have gotten to know, not the person that they wish the person was. As time goes on and a relationship advances and the two of you become more acquainted with each other’s flaws, it can be easy to fantasize about a version of your partner that doesn’t have these flaws. However, we have to remember that this perfect version is not the person that you are actually in a relationship with, and to to give them more affection than your actual partner is to do them a great disservice. Instead of focusing on making your partner into what you want them to be, a good lover helps to support their partner in changing themselves into a better version of their true self. The two of you should mutually support each other into becoming better people by your own respective standards. Recently, you may have noticed that a romantic partner has been pushing their own unrealistic standards on the way that you behave, think, or look. They may be overly criticizing your personal appearance, insisting that you change yourself in order to be more visually appealing for them. Or perhaps they are asking you to drop your own personal relationships in favor of giving them more attention. The more that they push this image of a perfect version of “you“, the more that you have begun to realize that this isn’t actually “you“. It’s as if they are trying to be in a relationship with an entirely different person, and you have seen a severe lack in the amount of affection that they show your true self. In these situations, it is important that you remind your partner that you are not a project for them to complete. They are not with you because they fell in love with what you could be. Instead, they need to be comfortable with loving you as your true self, no matter how this manifests. Don’t drown out your inner voice for the sake of pleasing your partner; instead, learn to tell your partner how to be quiet when they talk over you in an attempt to redefine who you are.

SWORDS. FOUR.

The effigy of a knight in the attitude of prayer, at full length upon his tomb.

Divinatory Meanings: Vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit’s repose, exile, tomb and coffin. It is these last that have suggested the design.

Reversed: Wise administration, circumspection, economy, avarice, precaution, testament.

In most careers, you will be working with a team in order to meet group goals. In order for a team to operate smoothly, it is important that each member is given an opportunity to voice their own thoughts and concerns about the issues at hand. Many times, others will use this as an opportunity to express their disapproval for the actions of others, and well as suggesting a new plan of action. Unfortunately, this attitude may oftentimes breed hostility in the workplace, as some will operate on the mentality that they know how to do their job better than everybody else in the same position. Instead of hearing everybody out, these people will listen to what you have to say for the sake of responding, and refuse to budge from their own personal vision of what a perfect employee looks like. More often than not, you may find that this perfect employee is none other than themselves. You may be struggling with a perfectionist in the workplace that constantly tells you how you should be doing your job. Despite the fact that they are usually either wrong or pushing you to work by their own personal standard instead of the requirements of your position, it feels as though this person doesn’t know how to keep their nose out of business that isn’t theirs. You may have been too nervous up until this point to call them out on their behavior, but now is the time for you to put your foot down. If you are doing your job well and meeting the expectations of your superiors, then that is what is important. Take some time to speak with your superiors in order to confirm that you are doing your job correctly, as you can use this as ammunition to refute this person’s claims. Don’t let them terrorize you any longer; if they don’t have the authority to tell you how to do your job, then they have no right to criticize your work style.

While it is important to listen to your inner voice, this does not mean that you should live your life in complete isolation from the input of others. When The 4 of Swords appears in the reversed position, it may be a sign that it is time for you to reach out to others for their input. There are certain things that we simply aren’t able to handle on our own, such as severe emotional turmoil and an inability to cope with external circumstances. This can manifest in a variety of ways: mental illness, tragedy, unavoidable disasters, or a sudden and extreme change in your living situation may each create a situation where you need to reach out to your support system for assistance. Take some time to talk to friends, family members, or professionals about your problems; you will find that letting your stress out is the first step to finding a healthier state of mind. While this does not mean that you should listen to everybody and follow every piece of advice without question, you will begin to feel much better after you’ve let these things off of your chest.