Two Weeks

Over the course of the past two weeks and through 25 to 30 readings, spirit has re-framed three tarot cards for me with additional insight.

Three weeks ago, I wrote On the Way, which was a discussion of the 5 of Cups. Two more times in the past two weeks, the 5 of Cups showed up and in both cases the message was the same. It was indicative of the loss of a family member, in the past and due to a premature death.

Clearly, the loss of a loved one comes with deeply felt sorrow, grieving, and emotional release. One client questioned whether she had more releasing to do around this distant loss, but when she voiced that, I heard a very clear, “No!” from spirit.

If you look at the 5 of Cups, three cups are indeed knocked over and spilling their contents – symbolic of loss and emotional release, but two cups are standing upright. I used to think these cups represented what remains, what was not lost. However, through these two readings, spirit offered a new interpretation. The message was this:

Whenever there is loss, there is also something gained.

It is human nature to see only loss whenever misfortune rears itself in a painful way. However, after the grieving is done, maybe then is a good time to look back to find and notice what was given.

The next card that was highlighted for me was the Three of Swords. Now this card does indicate a need to release something. Over the years, Spirit has used this card to identify when something present in our lives is ready to go, whether we’re ready for it to leave or not.

Last weekend, when staring at this pieced heart, I got another message – an exercise for releasing the old.

1 – Consider first all of the things in your life that you love – everything you want to stay in your life. Find and feel the appreciation you have for those people, things, and experiences that are commonplace in your life. Allow that appreciation to be the foundation for the rest of the exercise.
2 – Next, offer up that which you would like to shift, change, or remove. This step is not about focusing on those things, instead offering the intention, willingness, and readiness for them to shift or go.
3 – Last, identify people, things, and experiences you would like to enter your life – everything you desire that is absent from your day-to-day experience.

Notice that in doing this exercise in order, we first reach and establish a vibration of appreciation. This is very important because so often, when we jump to step two, rather than bringing appreciation to our intention for change, we merely bring frustration. It is hard to incite change from frustration (impossible actually).

Three steps for the 3 of Swords.

One analogy to the above exercise is spring-cleaning. Before we do anything, we first look around our home and decide what we love and want to keep. We next identify what can go, and then get rid of it. After we’ve made room, only then go shopping and buy new things.

Another word that comes to mind is cleansing.

The last card that spirit emphasized for me was the 8 of Pentacles. Typically this card indicates apprenticeship. It is when we are paired with another for the purpose of learning. However, last week when this card showed up, I heard this:

Working with yourself.

Now, for the moment, let’s compare and contrast that phrase to this one: working on yourself. Can you feel how different the two are? When you work on yourself, you see yourself as broken and needing to be fixed. When your car doesn’t work right, you bring it to a mechanic so he can work on it.

But when you work with something, you use it like a tool. You work with a hammer and saw. You work with a computer. You work with a mop and broom. All of these things are tools specifically designed to help you get the job done.

When you work with yourself, then you are working with yourself as a tool. There is nothing wrong with you. You don’t need to be fixed. You are merely working with your individual beliefs, thoughts, and experiences, your unique ego, body, and mind to accomplish your purpose, which is in part to fulfill your desires.

This is a huge lesson for healers (and self healers) of all kinds. The word healing, in a sense, is inappropriate. It implies that one needs to be fixed. Someday, we’ll use different words. In fact, it has already begun. Wellness is a common replacement.

Recently, in a reading, I was helping a client recognize the difference between needs and wants. Too often, we view wants as needs. This is in part to justify them. We’ve been taught that trying to get our needs met is ok, but pursuing wants and desires, well that’s often immoral. Some of us think that needs must come first, desires later. And unfortunately, many of us think that our desires can’t be met until everyone’s needs are met.

But all of these are errant beliefs.

Yes, we all need love and support, but we don’t need love from those that don’t give it, or support from those that aren’t capable of giving it. We may want love and support from them, but we do not serve ourselves by begging, demanding, or waiting for it.

Source is the true source of everything, and if asked, will fill all needs and fulfill all desires, it simply asks us to seek love from sources of love, and seek support from sources of support.

To most of you, I would say forget need. 99.44% of you don’t have unmet needs; you have wants. Don’t waste time justifying your wants. Stop trying to get people to understand you. Time spent convincing others of what they don’t or can’t see is time NOT spent on your purpose. You don’t need to be accepted by others to be happy. You don’t need to be understood. The quicker you recognize this, the quicker you can stop justifying your actions, and jump straight to fulfilling your desires.

When you fulfill yourself, others will see. They may not understand, but they will see. When you are happy, others will take notice. When you need nothing, and want little, that’s when you are truly rich and most capable of giving to others.

Our society is in an interesting phase. For years now, we’ve collectively been focused on filling our needs and filling our homes. Companies like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot have flourished supplying us with all sorts of goodies. Our closets overflow with stuff – stuff we once thought we needed, stuff we once wanted.

For many of us, this stuff has not satiated us. It fills our homes but does not fulfill our hearts. In fact, we might now feel empty surrounded by this stuff we no longer want.

For a few of us, storms have swept away some of our belongs – be they possessions, experiences, relationships, or loved ones. They were taken away before we were ready.

For others, it is clearly time to let stuff go and make room for new people, things, and experiences.

No matter where you are in these processes, know that you merely need to work with what is in front of you. It’s not broken, it’s not bad, it’s not wrong, it has merely served its purpose fully. It is now time for the new.

Don’t work on yourself; work with yourself. You are a finely crafted tool with unique skills for individual purpose.
Don’t look to be satisfied; look to be satiated. You can satisfy needs, but desires are meant to be satiated.
Don’t fill yourself; fulfill yourself. Spirit wants nothing less for you then the complete fulfillment of all of your desires!

Choose and appreciate what you wish to stay.
Let go of and release what you would like changed or removed.
Invite in the new.

That’s all it takes.