October 7th: The Page Arrives

I had thought I’d draw one of the fours today, expecting a day of stability or pause, but the cards had other ideas. Instead, I drew the Page of Swords.

The figure stands right on the edge of a cliff, a sword held firmly in two hands—a picture of readiness. I notice the laurel leaves on his tunic sleeve; what do they represent? Steadfastness and loyalty, perhaps? A strong wind whips his hair, blowing out to sea. He’s looking outward, poised for action, yet keenly aware of potential danger approaching from the water. He appears grounded, standing next to the base of an old, sturdy tree. Above, big grey clouds hang, but there’s a hopeful hint of the sun breaking through a just-pink sky.

It’s a dynamic image, suggesting new ideas, alertness, and confronting challenges head-on.

The Reality of Today: Tiredness and the Pull of the PJ Day

How do I feel today? Oh, tired. Very tired. I’m not sure I can get anything done, which is perhaps not surprising given yesterday’s momentum. Yesterday, I was a woman of action. While I might not have checked off a monumental list, what I did attempt went well.

I could easily have stayed in my pyjamas all day, but I pushed through and had a surprisingly productive morning. This included attending a free webinar on managing a mailing list, which was genuinely helpful. My previous experience with mail lists was archaic—a physical book, writing out names and addresses, which later evolved into using something called “mail merge.” That felt like magic then, and now? The sheer volume of tools available is overwhelming. I know I have to put the learning into practice, but sometimes I do wonder if the old, simple ways weren’t just as effective. (Update 16/10 – I’ve removed the mail list plug-in as it caused no end of issues, back to the drawing board to solve that another day).

Diving into Accessibility: The Pattern PDF Challenge

After the webinar, I dedicated an hour to working on the pattern PDF. I’ve set myself quite the challenge. I want to try out all the various ways to make the Wonky Bag pattern accessible. It seems there are far more things to consider than I had initially anticipated, which, in the grand scheme of aiming for accessibility and inclusivity, is absolutely a good thing.

The Bliss of Clay: My Pottery Practice

Then came Pottery.

Every week, the same internal battle plays out: the tug-of-war between leaving the house and staying home, staying cosy. I try to justify reserving energy against the absolute knowledge that once I get to Pottery, it’s the most blissful two hours of my week. I genuinely get the “mindfulness tingles” when I’m working with clay.

Yesterday was a glazing day. This is my second season, and my first attempts at glazing were… okay. They were more a series of happy accidents than any thoughtful application of skill. My pottery teacher, Su-C of Su-C Moon’s Studios (check her out: https://www.instagram.com/sucsmoonstudio/), is just fantastic. She seems to have a sixth sense for when I’m going wrong and swoops in to rescue me!

Finding the Zone (and Losing the Plot)

I learn about myself while trying new things, in a way I don’t think I used to, because I am more mindful now. I’m in the moment, at one with what I’m doing. I truly hit the zone yesterday glazing my yarn bowl. Yes, I’m going to have my very own yarn bowl!

I could feel the glaze transferring from brush to pot, enjoying the glide against the air-dried clay, feeling the little bumps. I was totally tuned in and seemed to know when I’d applied just the right amount. I took my time on the outside, probably an hour, enjoying every stroke, every turn of the stand, enjoying that mindful tingle.

But then I lost focus. I lost the plot! I have absolutely no idea how the inside of the yarn bowl is going to look because I well and truly stepped outside of that careful, focused mindful bubble. My approach was chaos, slap-dash, and completely fun. Not what I’d intended, but it will be truly interesting to see the result.

In just that one activity, I caught a glimpse of the different sides of my personality—the patient artist and the chaotic experimenter. I feel completely able to be myself in that lovely afternoon class, unmasked and accepted. My clumsiness and forgetfulness are met with gentle humour. Any potential danger to my piece is averted by the attentive skills of the wonderful teacher.

Clay is such a wonderful medium, especially when you don’t have full strength in your hands anymore. It starts off so soft and yields to the gentlest of pushes and pinches. And then in the kiln—or the “womb,” as I called it one day when I was struggling for the right word—it becomes hard, solid, and unyielding. I think I’m reaching for a metaphor here, but not quite getting there.

Anyway, a successful day was had, topped off by the joy of a bus waiting to take me home at just the right time.

Back to the Page of Swords: The Challenge of the Present

So, back to today. At this rate, writing my journal may be all I get done. Yes, hello washing up. I know you’re there. I’ll do my best.

Let’s see what the tarot books have to say about the Page of Swords:

Source	Interpretation
Liz Dean	Stay sharp, signing documents.
Sarah Bartlett	Ready for the challenges to come.
Tina Gong	Be honest and direct, and share your excitement. Debate. Don’t argue.

“Ready for the challenges to come.” I think not today.

And then my shopping arrived. And I forgot to order any coffee. That is not going to help.

The coffee crisis has kind of thrown me. I’ll need to take a moment and regroup. It would be silly to let a little thing like that unsettle me. I’ll offset it with a little mindful, five-minute breathing exercise.

I’ll let you into a little secret. I was hoping for, even planning, a PJ-at-home-all-day day. Now I’m faced with a dilemma: forgo coffee, which on a low-to-no-energy day seems unthinkable, or get dressed and go to my local shop, which is only eight doors down. The thought of raising my right arm now to get into and out of clothing is very unappealing, but the pull of the coffee is winning. With a caffeine boost, I might even be able to achieve something today.

Getting dressed wins. The Page of Swords demands action, even if it’s just the eight-door dash for caffeine supplies.