Be Not Afraid
cards for courage
There is much to fear.
But when we are stuck in a fear response, we do not have access to the very traits that can help us navigate situations wisely: curiosity, empathy, compassion, discernment. These cards offer practices to help us face fear, so we can call upon these traits in challenging times.
How to Print
- Print card pages double-sided (ideally on cardstock or heavy paper; alternatively, print single-sided on regular paper and paste the front and back pages together using a glue stick)
- Print the last two pages if you want more blank cards to fill in with your own quotes and practices
- Cut the cards apart
How to Use These Cards
- Take a deep breath while shuffling the deck.
- Pick a card at random. Trust that this card showed up to provide needed medicine (but remember that sometimes medicine can be bitter).
- Do the practice, or contemplate the wisdom, written on the card. All practices are designed to take 5 minutes or less. Some may feel a bit silly—you might want to move to a private place where you won’t be observed. Try to embrace the silliness!
- Repeat often—by practicing regularly, you form new habits and will be able to reach for these tools automatically when they are most needed.
- If any particular practice or quote doesn’t do it for you, adapt it or use the blank cards to add your own favorites to the deck.
- These practices come from a range of sources, teachers, and traditions. They are offered with immense gratitude for the lineages from which they came.
About These Cards
This deck contains four suits, each with a different theme.
These practices are grounding activities to soothe your nervous system and bring forth your inner reserves of strength.
If you find yourself especially frazzled and in need of some support, flip through your cards and look for the oak leaf to pinpoint a calming practice.
Letting go can be hard! These techniques help to move difficult emotions through your body so they don’t get stuck.
Release cards can be especially potent when you are feeling agitated, or are stuck in rumination and/or worries about the future.
All Transform cards offer an opportunity to practice your alchemical powers: you begin in one state and transmute it to another. Sometimes this change gan be quite subtle, so these cards ask us to pay close attention. After all, even the smallest of changes can completely shift the course of your day.
Each Inspire card features a quote for contemplation. Some may be affirming, others challenging. Read it to yourself and let it sink in. Speak it aloud if you’d like. Journal or voice-memo about what it brings up for you. Keep it in the back of your mind and see if it swoops in to offer some perspective when you need it. If these quotes don’t resonate, print the blank cards and substitute your own!
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