This weekend I had an interesting discussion while I was reading tarot. The 9 of cups came up in the reading, and we talked about enjoying the pleasures of life, while being careful of overindulgence.

The other person commented about over-consumption, and I responded that it’s not just that. For whatever reason, that card hit me personally, Overindulgence is not just over-consumption. It can also be escapism.

I am a Pisces, and there are times when I really have to focus to stay in the “real” world. I have a tendency to want to escape (and I really hope you read that in Dory’s voice from Finding Nemo… es-CAH-pay!).

Pisces have a tendency toward addictions as a way to escape the world. Drugs and alcohol are obvious choices there. And yet there are many things one can become addicted to – caffeine, sugar, people, lifestyle, etc. I’ve managed to avoid addiction to drugs and alcohol, and I’ve experienced addictions to caffeine and sugar and people and experiences.

Addiction isn’t the only way to escape, though. I escape into books or movies. I escape into creative projects. I escape into games on my phone. I’ve been escaping into books mostly. (To be fair, it’s a REALLY good series, and I’m almost done.)

Reading is a lovely indulgence. It gets me away from the glowing screen, and activates my imagination. It’s also a means of escape. I’m frantically writing this blog post before I go to work this morning because I chose to read yesterday morning, and go to a movie yesterday afternoon.

Was it self-care? Heck yeah! November was a crazy busy month, and December doesn’t seem much less busy, with more requests of my time the more I try to hibernate. With all of the demands on my time, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to give myself the downtime of reading.

As long as I keep it balanced and get my work done, too.

How do you find your balance between indulgence and escape?

Blessings,

Mary

Mary Malinski is a 2nd Degree Priestess in the ATC Tradition, the High Priestess of the Circle of the Sacred Muse, and the Maiden of ATC Canada. She is also a Life Coach, and professor at the Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary.

This article was originally posted on Mary's website, Walks Within.