8 of Wands: Delivering the Message
(c) Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2004-7
"Whatever belonging to the region of thought and feeling is uttered in words, is of necessity uttered imperfectly. For thought and feeling are infinite, and human speech...can embody them... but approximately and suggestively."
George MacDonald
We are all familiar with the tradition imagery associated with the 8 of Wands in the Tarot. Eight wands are seen being propelled into the air, they are either ascending or descending. We don't know where they have been launched from, nor do we know where and when they are going to arrive at their destination. Some of the wands may land short of their mark, some may land right on target, some may be delayed or thrown off course by time and circumstances, some may have not been launched as well as others, some may have a technical flaw or error which will impede it's arrival at the intended destination. You might note that all of these conditions can easily relate to various forms of communication be it verbal, written or electronic in its nature.
One thing that we can certainly all agree on is that the purpose of communcation is for a message to arrive somewhere, sometime and in the hands of the person for whom it was written or shared with. It is supposed to have a destination. It is also important that the communication can be understood by the person it is intended for. We use communication in order to share information, points of view, current news and events, sympathy and support, to keep in touch with friends and to promote business plans, projects and policies. The purpose of communication can vary but usually we are communicating in order to activate or notify of a change and hopefully to generate a response and make things happen.
The most essential part of communication, after composition, is the arrival of the communication. The responsibility of communication being properly received and understood lies with the sender. We must communicate in an effective manner. Receipt of the communication is impacted by delivery mode and the availability and accessibility of the person for whom the communication is intended. The sender has to make sure that they have sent the message with the right intensity, emphasis and to the intended party. You have to want the message to arrive without too much force or emphasis because you don't want to bombard or overwhelm your receipient. If messages are too forceful or impacting, the intended recipient may very well receive the message you are sending, but not be able to handle the information. Sometimes we need to picture our communication as if we were throwing an object at someone right across from us. How big is the object? Is it picking up speed as it travels? Is it too big for the other person to handle? Is it the right object being thrown at the right person at the right time? The person can miss the message for many reasons.
Communication should be delivered with clarity and brevity. We should always try for grace and dignity in our communication and respect for other people's feeling. If you have something negative to say, try and find a constructive way to say and choose the right form of communication. Some information is better exchanged face to face. Your tone of voice and the accuracy of your information become the most important tools in effective personal communication. People also have to be ready to receive information. Perhaps you are trying to get a message across to someone who is bored or uninvolved, they don't respond to life with great passion or interest at the present time. Perhaps you are the one who is bored or uninvolved and this is coming through in your communication, making it ineffective and frustrating.
Communication needs to be a natural and evolving process, you should form your questions or communications based on the quality of information you are trying to elicit or share with others. The truth of the matter is, all communication ultimately originates within yourself. Be aware of what you are saying, why you are saying it and if your message is really one that the intended recipient is open to or able to deal with.
Content, motivation, access, consideration, potential embarrassment, overload, emphasis and proper timing are all things which need to be considered before we fire those missives off.