Fir Roots, Steady Hooves, Sharp Boundaries

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Good morning, and welcome back to Standing on the Ledge, Rebuilding from the Rubble. All of you people who are standing on the ledge, who are rising from the rubble—possibly stepping out onto that plateau and taking your next steps.

I try not to get into politics and stuff here, but being Canadian, I have to say a few things.

One: Canada needs to stand strong, needs to stand proud, and say no when “yes” costs us sovereignty. Say no to the F-35. I’m saying it plainly: we need a 100% Canadian-made, 100% Canadian-supported fighter jet.¹³

No more reliance on the United States for anything critical. The last year has made it painfully clear that “ally” and “aligned interests” are not the same thing.

And America—I’m sorry—but you need to tighten up some rules. Not at any time ever, ever, and I’m surprised this isn’t baked into your electoral process: no one convicted of a felony offense should be allowed to run for president.¹¹

And my dear Canadians, I’m sorry, but allowing a foreign leader who has been convicted of a felony offense into our country under any circumstance is just wrong.¹²

Canadians: 100% strong and free. Repeat—free. Free to move within our borders. Free (as much as we can be) from intimidation and pressure that tries to shove us around.

That’s all said and done on that. Let’s get on to the rest of the stuff, because this is a private post.

Today’s horoscope (Cancer)

You may be afraid of insulting someone by offering them advice that you somehow know will help them. However, Cancer, if you express what you know and your reasons for it in a clearly inspiring and encouraging manner, they will likely be grateful for your words, wisdom. You’re an intuitive individual, so if you are sensing that someone is in need of your help, you are probably right about that, and you should find that your guidance will be quite valuable to them. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

And as I’m going through this, I just have to note: I go to the heart institute tomorrow for more tests—so for the next 24 hours, I’m caffeine-free. That’s going to be tough.

Tarot (Rider–Waite–Smith): four-card spread

We’re using the Rider–Waite–Smith deck and its symbolism as the baseline lens here.¹

• Past — Eight of Cups (reversed): This is the “do I stay or do I go?” moment—indecision, fear of change, or circling back to something you already walked away from.³ What hits me, personally, is that it doesn’t read like laziness—it reads like unfinished emotional math. Part of you left. Part of you never fully unpacked what you were leaving for.
  Side note: In Waite’s older reversal keywords, this card can even flip into “joy / happiness / feasting.”² Which is almost funny today, because I’m sitting here going caffeine-free like I’m at a party where the beer got taken away. And yet—there’s still a message in it: sometimes discipline looks like deprivation until you realize it’s actually protection.
• Present — Knight of Pentacles: This is the workhorse energy. Slow. Patient. Reliable. The kind of progress you can measure with receipts, not vibes.⁴⁵ Today’s not a “grand speech” day. It’s a “do the next right thing” day. If the world is loud, you answer it by being steady.
• Future — Five of Swords: This is conflict—yes—but more importantly it’s the warning label: “Winning can still cost you.”⁶⁷ If I don’t watch myself, I can turn every disagreement into a battlefield, and then I’m standing there alone with a pile of “victories” that feel like ash. This card is telling me: pick the battle that protects your life, your health, your future—then walk away from the ones that only feed your anger.
• Me (Querent) — Ace of Wands (reversed): The spark is there, but it’s blocked, delayed, or misfiring. The “go!” energy is trying to start while the body is saying, “Not yet.”⁸⁹ And honestly? That tracks. Tests tomorrow. No caffeine. A nervous system doing that low-grade hum of anticipation. This card doesn’t shame me. It tells me to respect timing: don’t force ignition when the engine is still being inspected.

Fir Tree lens (Celtic/Druidic)

The Fir doesn’t survive by being flashy. It survives by being rooted, consistent, and winter-proof.

So here’s the Fir translation of this spread:

• Eight of Cups (rev): stop drifting in the “almost leaving” zone. Either recommit with clear terms—or complete the departure cleanly.
• Knight of Pentacles: build your sovereignty the same way a tree builds strength: ring by ring. Slow habits. Repeatable systems. Boring on purpose.
• Five of Swords: don’t turn your roots into barbed wire. Boundaries protect. They don’t need to poison the ground.
• Ace of Wands (rev): when the spark won’t catch, it’s often because the body is demanding a safer season first. Rest is not surrender—it’s strategy.

Hávamál (Words of the Wise One)

Today’s stanza is about being willing to speak—and being wise about where you speak. Paraphrased: if you want to be known as wise, you must be ready to ask and answer—but share your inner thoughts carefully, because what’s told to many stops being yours.¹⁰

That lands hard beside the Five of Swords. Not every truth needs a megaphone. Not every battle needs your breath.

A social/psych lens (just enough to be useful)

When life feels unstable, we naturally reach for control—especially external control: “If they would just stop doing X, then I could breathe.” Psychologically, that’s the tug-of-war between external pressures and your internal locus of control—your felt sense of what you can influence through your own choices.¹⁴

The Knight of Pentacles is basically a prescription for that: take your power back in measurable ways. Sleep. Food. Routines. The next call. The next form. The next receipt. The next boundary sentence.

And the Five of Swords adds: do that without burning every bridge just to feel “right.”

What I’m taking from this today

• Be firm about sovereignty—national and personal—but be strategic. The goal isn’t rage. The goal is freedom.
• Offer advice like a lantern, not like a hammer. One clear reason. One encouraging line. One next step.
• Do the workhorse work. The boring steps that compound.
• Don’t chase “wins” that cost you peace. Choose the battles that protect life, health, and future.
• Respect the season. If the spark is delayed, it might be because tomorrow matters more than today.

Thank you and Godspeed.
— Kevin McLaughlin / Lugh Sulian

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Footnotes

1. Rider–Waite–Smith deck background: illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of A. E. Waite; first published in the early 20th century and commonly dated to 1909 in deck histories. ↩
2. A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): Eight of Cups divinatory meanings and reversal keywords. ↩
3. Contemporary Rider–Waite–Smith practice: Eight of Cups reversed commonly read as reluctance/fear of change, indecision, or returning to an unfulfilling situation. ↩
4. A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): Knight of Pentacles divinatory meanings and reversal keywords. ↩
5. Contemporary Rider–Waite–Smith practice: Knight of Pentacles commonly read as diligence, reliability, steady progress, and “implementation mode.” ↩
6. A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): Five of Swords divinatory meanings and reversal keywords. ↩
7. Contemporary Rider–Waite–Smith practice: Five of Swords commonly read as conflict, “win at all costs,” and the social cost of hollow victories. ↩
8. A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911): Ace of Wands divinatory meanings and reversal keywords. ↩
9. Contemporary Rider–Waite–Smith practice: Ace of Wands reversed commonly read as delays, blocked motivation, or a spark that hasn’t found traction yet. ↩
10. Hávamál, stanza 63 (public-domain English translations exist, including Bellows): on asking/answering as wisdom, and on discretion with what you share. ↩
11. U.S. presidential qualifications are set out in the U.S. Constitution (age, natural-born citizenship, residency); absence of a criminal record is not listed as a constitutional qualification, and adding qualifications is widely discussed as constitutionally constrained. ↩
12. Canadian immigration law contains inadmissibility provisions related to criminality/serious criminality, including foreign convictions assessed by equivalency; outcomes can vary based on specific circumstances and legal mechanisms. ↩
13. Government of Canada materials confirm Canada’s fighter replacement procurement path involving the F-35A; public reporting continues to debate scope, sustainment, and alternatives. ↩
14. “Locus of control” (APA Dictionary of Psychology): a construct describing perceptions of how much control one has over life conditions/outcomes—often framed as internal vs. external orientation. ↩