Celtic Messages ~ Family Volatility

I did this drawing with the Celtic Messages deck on Sunday – just getting some time to post it today.  I tried three cards this time:

Please click on the above picture to view a larger version.

• Card 34: The Hearth-Fire ~ Family Support, Nourishment: This card refers to relations with the family that nourish the body and soul.  It is about being together with your family, sharing troubles and helping each other.  It is about working towards reconciliations if relations are strained.
• Card 33: The Dagger ~ Defense, Security: This card warns of potential danger from a nearby source – the other cards can help determine the source.  Ensure your actions are open and above reproach, treat others courteously and try to diffuse unpleasant situations before they reach a critical level.
• Card 43: The Horse ~ Nobility, Fidelity: This card urges you to stay faithful to friends, work and ideals.  Don’t be led astray, keep to the path.  Lend your abilities to others if they ask, but don’t let them take advantage of you.

As soon as I studied these cards I knew what they meant!  For the next several weeks there are many little family things happening with our “honorary” family – three birthdays, a housewarming and Thanksgiving.  Two sisters-in-law in the family have a very competitive and volatile relationship with each other – each tries to outdo the other and have more people come to their parties.  The cards are a clear warning not to get sucked into their competition and take sides with either of them – to take the high road and help both of them as much as I can but not to ever take the side of one over the other.

This evening we went to the dinner/ birthday party for the daughter of one of the sisters-in-law.  When the other sister-in-law walked into the house she immediately started handing out invitations to her housewarming coming next week.  This is exactly the type of thing they do to steal each others’ thunder.  The housewarming sister-in-law wanted to talk to me about what I could bring for her party but I diplomatically said I could call her tomorrow to talk to her about it when it wasn’t so noisy.  I had taken care of her children today so didn’t want the other sister-in-law to feel that I did more for one that the other. 

Even with dipolmacy it can sometimes be hard to avoid problems.  After the housewarming sister-in-law and her family had left; the birthday party sister-in-law asked us to come to their house for Thanksgiving – I had to tell her that the housewarming sister-in-law had already asked us to come to their house for Thanksgiving.  It upset her, I could tell.  I’m hoping that the housewarming sister-in-law is going to ask the birthday party sister-in-law and her family for Thanksgiving as well – she had said she was going to have everyone to their new house for Thanksgiving.  To make sure the birthday party sister-in-law feels she is special; I looked up some information on the internet for her as soon as we got home and printed it out and my husband brought it over to their house.

Family dynamics and diplomacy can be very tricky.  The cards are letting me know that for the next few weeks I’m going to have to be especially careful with family matters and try to be a soothing influence at family gatherings.