When I do cards for the week in a public space such as this, instead of for an individual, I always ask the question, “What do I and anyone who comes across this need to know, and focus on this week?”, in order to get an overall, universal energy theme. With that being said, let’s get into the reading.

While this card is pretty self explanatory in that boundaries are crucial this week, there may be more angles to this than meets the eye. Boundaries with others, as the card states is so important because we need to protect ourselves in all aspects; physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually. Sometimes in life, the other person involved may understand and respect a boundary when it is stated. Others however, may listen while you state it but clearly not honor it, as evidenced by their actions. This is when boundary enforcement becomes difficult, because it could mean standing your ground to attain your need, or as (what might seem) extreme as cutting people out of our lives when this is a theme in a relationship of any kind. There are other boundary scenarios which I’ll explore a few of below, briefly.

Creating a boundary can also be applied to situations. Those situations can be whatever they need to be. Saying no to attending a party which you either do not wish to attend or that you know that someone who you do not wish to encounter will be at. Saying no to visits, holiday gatherings, reunions, or any other event with toxic family or associates is another. Sometimes that boundary around a situation can be because you just want to stay home and curl up with a good book or movie! I realize that there are some situations which we cannot simply walk away from, such as unfixable employment situations, until a better environment can be found or created independently. Until that can happen, boundary creation will have to be just a tad bit more creative and can look how it needs to look in order to get through it until you can walk away. There are more examples, probably endless examples, but you get the drift.

Sometimes, we need to create boundaries with ourselves! I know that I sure do. This can look like reminding ourselves that it’s okay to say no. Ditch the guilt. Let go of responsibilities that aren’t ours. To not carry around burdens that do not belong to us. One of the most important ones is to remind ourselves to respect ourselves as much, if not more than we do others, even when this means that the other person might not react well.

Boundaries can be so difficult, depending on the people in our lives, as they can react with guilt trips, the cold shoulder, the silent treatment, or even anger at times. This is our cue that we are dealing with one of the most important people to create a boundary with! It can also be really hard for people who are empathetic, people pleasers, or those who have been “trained” to feel responsible or guilty for not going along with things which are not in their best interest.

While this might be a hard task to achieve, or even begin, we can and should do this in order to create a healthier, happier life. Not only that, but to travel the road toward self realization! My parting words for when this task might seem too daunting are that you’ve got this. Remember that you are stronger than you think, and deserve to have your needs met just as much as anyone else.