Every so often, we get a fresh start in some area of life, like when we begin a new job or move into a new place. When we were in school, it came every year or semester. Now that we’re a bit older, fresh starts are harder to come by. They don’t happen automatically. Instead, we create them by choice and sometimes with effort.
Do you remember those days in school? Do you remember how fun it was to crack open new textbooks, notebooks, and school supplies? Maybe geometry didn’t go so well, but now we’re in algebra and our grade starts all over again!
As an adult, we often rush through our transitions. We just want to get there and get settled. Transitions take us out of our comfort zones and all we want is back into them. So we start a new jobs just days after the old one, and pack up all of our old belongings without taking the opportunity to really purge.
The Aces are all about new beginnings: fresh ideas, renewed energy, an emotional openness and expectancy, and new jobs & homes – Swords, Wands, Cups, & Pentacles.
Right now, I am smack dab in the middle of an Ace of Pentacles. Yesterday, I signed a new lease and by this time next week, I’ll be sleeping under a new roof. Each day, life gets less comfortable in the old place as boxes pile up and closets get pulled apart. Echoes are evident of the change.
Last week was primarily about preparing the new, but as the new pad nears a level of readiness, clearing the old becomes the order of business. The prior entailed a lot of hard work, the latter the moving old energy.
Writing this blog entry is my way of stopping for a moment to mark the transition. In a way, I’m giving my body a quick little rest – something I didn’t do enough last week. At the same time, I am savoring the experience of this place I’ve lived in for nearly 5 years. This was, after all, my home. It was my first place in Texas and one of only two places I lived in during the past decade.
A new lease on life can sometimes show up as an actual lease. If we pay attention, we realize that we area all renters. We only rent these bodies – they are not who we really are. No matter what the law says, ownerships will end. There are no permanent addresses. Possession may be 9/10 of the law according to government, but it is not the workings of the universe.
So today, I sit in appreciation. This place has served me well and will soon serve someone else. Another house is soon to become a home, bit by bit. And although life never stops changing, with the more obvious changes ahead of me, it’ll all be more noticeable. And that’s one of the biggest reasons for this move to begin with.
Whether an Ace of Pentacles is ahead of you, or behind you, it’s never a bad time to sit and take notice for a moment. More subtle versions are present in your life if you look for them.
Best wishes on the enfolding of your new year!
A Fool's Inclination 