Nuance

In the eight days between Saturday 9/7/13 and Sunday 9/15/13, I did more than two dozen readings. As you can imagine, some good stuff came through.

One reading was all about nuance. There are times in life when we are evolving in subtle ways. It is not about quantum leaps, but gentle nudging corrections. If you think about shooting an arrow toward a distant target, these minor adjustments make big differences on the other end. They are important—more than we tend to assume.

In another reading, the querent and I discussed the significance we often attribute to intuitive data. Say for example some idea, place, or thing keeps grabbing your attention and pulling at you. We all agree that when there is a pull, there is a message, but what is the message? It is not necessarily telling us to go there. It could simply be telling us that the idea, place, or thing has information for us that we have not yet attained, discerned, or made use of.

In another reading, the querent and I discussed a situation where something came quickly and easily, but turned out to be a complete miss. In other words, there was a desired outcome, and in the end, what showed up was clearly not it.

Let me give another example of this last experience—namely one of my own. I’ve had times in my life when a relationship came quickly and easily. At first, it appeared to match everything I desired. No work was involved in making it happen. It all flowed beautifully and without a hitch…until it disappeared overnight.

Yes, I had to deal with the loss, but what tripped me up even more was the lack of understanding. Why would the Universe give me something so easily if it weren’t meant for me? I reeled with confusion and got stuck in an eddy. The Eight of Swords, is one example of the mental state.

If you think about the motion of an eddy or whirlpool—sometimes a gentle nudge is all it takes to get us out of it. A tap at the right time in the right direction can fling us from the swirling and propel us straight out from the center accelerated by the centrifugal force. Readings are one type of nudge that can do this!

Quantum leaps, epiphanies, and ah-ha moments are wonderful. They are experiences I would attribute to the number eight. In the Tarot, the Eight of Wands exemplifies this. It is when results come quickly.

But what numerology teaches us is that the eight only exists as a result of the seven. Seven is where the work is. Seven is the subtle, often unseen guidance. It is a series of nudges that corrects and directs.

Getting back to nuance, there was one reading that re-framed a familiar friend ever so subtly…and I have been buzzing with the new information ever since.

The Magician is the first (spiritual) teacher we encounter in the Tarot. In a sense, any goal can be achieved by starting with him. He represents knowledge and know-how. He breaks the journey down into a number of steps so that we can take the first and then the next. Without him, we can get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, and/or simply throw our hands up not knowing what to do.

I often say the Magician’s favorite subject is manifestation: the bringing of thoughts and ideas into physical experience.

Yet last week, spirit reminded me that the Magician is an alchemist and works with all four elements. He doesn’t just turn thoughts and ideas into physical things and experiences; he also transforms one physical thing or experience into another. He works with whatever is available. In other words:

The Magician works with whatever shows up—not just the good and the obviously useful, but all of it!

So often, we have a mantra that is something like this: I wish this thing would go away so I can get what I want. I wish this pain would go away. I wish this person would leave me alone. I wish it didn’t cost so much to do what I want to do. I wish I had more money, time, or energy to do what I want to do.

The Magician is a magician because he works his magic on what is. He doesn’t wish for things to be different, he works with whatever is available and makes it different.

And working with what showed up doesn’t mean using all of it. When we cook, we often discard peels, shells, stems, and seeds. Part of the magic is knowing what to keep and what to put aside.

The Three of Swords, which is often viewed as a painful card, reminds us that to create (three), we must remove what is not needed. Discernment is our sword (or knife).

Before you attribute too much meaning to what has shown up in your life, ask yourself what is useful and what is not—what is a match to what you want and what is not.

In the end, what shows up helps us move toward greater and greater clarity. It might mean nothing more than that.