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Tarot:
Begin Again
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by Gigi Miner |
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In the United States, July brings Independence Day. In the guise of celebrating the beginning of our nation, we burn steaks on the grill, down some beer or wine, make a ridiculous amount of noise, and spend the next day declaring, “I’ll never do that again.” Of course, come the next Fourth of July, Americans are right back out there “doing it all again.”
For this country, Independence Day was a new beginning. It was a chance for our forefathers to begin again; to start anew. While there are a myriad of stories not told in our history books, the one thing that does ring true is the nature that human beings have for starting over. This flexibility of the species has made it possible for us to survive many things. In this, I am not just speaking of Americans, but, shall we say, “earthlings,” taking a word from the science fiction world. A movie was made pitting earthlings against alien invaders, set on the destruction of our kind. In that movie, the world banned together and, once again, won the day. That is one of the great things about Hollywood; we always win and we always manage to work together to do so.
In real life, often we do not have others to which we may turn for help. In real life, we may find that, instead of being able to choose our own path, instead of being independent, we follow the path of least resistance and move in the direction that the tide of humanity takes us. In this are many well-meaning beliefs that when we make a commitment, we should stick to it. This is an admirable quality, especially since we see so little of it in our day-to-day lives. But, as is the way of all things, there needs to be some kind of balance involved. When I was young, oh so many years ago, I felt that if I made a choice, I had to stick to that choice and follow through. My high ideals pushed me forward regardless of how good or bad that choice might have been. For some reason, no one bothered to tell me that it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. So, along I went, oblivious to the fact that I could, and in many cases should, change my mind.
Ethyrial Tarot Copyright © 2005 Gigi Miner
Used with Permission
This month’s card is the Fool from the Ethyrial Tarot ©. On this card, we see a path going off into the distance. We cannot see where it goes or if it even continues past the point of our vision. All we know is that it does look rather inviting from this end. A butterfly seems to be beginning its journey on that path. One of the chief lessons of the butterfly is that even though he began his life as a caterpillar, he was able to begin again as a butterfly. Why do we, as human beings, think that we do not have this choice as well? Life can often seem more like a prison then like this inviting path on the Fool card. There are times when we wish we could erase everything and start with a blank page in our lives. While there are obligations that we should not neglect, much of what we force ourselves to walk through each day can be changed if we would only remind ourselves that we can begin again.
In my “ordinary” life, I teach adult education. One method I use to help my students remember the lessons is to repeat things to the point of becoming an annoyance. I warn them on the first night of a new class that I will do this until they want to stone me. As the class progresses and they realize that I am not nearly as serious as their childhood teachers, this repetition becomes a running joke. I will ask the same question for the twentieth time and the class will echo, in unison, the answer, along with many giggles and a few sighs of “oh no, not again.” I manage to entertain myself with this subtle form of torture and my students go home realizing that they have learned something. I joke with them that I am simply performing some mild brainwashing. In fact, that is not so far from the truth. What we hear and entertain in our thoughts, becomes reality to us. As I write this article, I have much the same goal in mind, to implant a simple thought into your head that can find a place to take root and grow. Then, one day, this may enter into your conscious mind and the words might just give you that motivation to change your life into something more to your liking. In other words, you can begin again. Was that too subtle? Then please allow me to be a little more direct. If we are unhappy about something in our lives, we can begin again. We can be like the butterfly on our Fool card, we can stop being the caterpillar, and we can start being the butterfly. We can and should make changes as we find them necessary. I spoke of my youthful zeal to stick by my word and obligations. This was a very noble desire. The problem would arise when I stayed with something even if it were not good for me or for others that were involved. Now, add to this cauldron of life the many things that were not my choice. We all have them. There are circumstances that we do not choose that come into our lives and wreak havoc. There are times when we feel that we need the safety of the herd. Many reasons come into play when we face the possibility of our lives losing their feeling of safety.
One of the reasons human beings live in cities is that we feel most safe around others of our kind. There is “safety in numbers.” We need to think back to the days when society was not as overcrowded as it is today. This country was mostly wilderness when its birthday arrived. Now some of us treasure and thrive in our short visits into the remaining wilderness. In days gone by, that wilderness was all around us and was very frightening. In order to be safe, humans banned together and created communities. This was necessary to their survival in most cases. Today, humanity is all around us. The wilderness is reserved for a few, select areas that mostly are viewed through the car window. Instead of banning together for safety, we seek out some solitude away from others of our kind. Yet, that inner need to belong still holds strong to our psyches. If we think of our teenage years, there is an exaggerated need to belong. Many of us can remember our high school years and not all with fond memories. In order to survive, you were expected to “go along” and be one of the crowd. For those who needed to be independent, high school life was neigh unto hell. Fortunately, high school ended and we were able to begin again.
Now, here we are, in our adult lives. Still, many of us feel the need to follow the crowd. Our security rests in the approval of friends and family. It is human nature. What in some ways helps and protects us in other ways smothers and hinders us. Our butterfly celebrates his independence day when he frees himself from the cocoon. We can find our own independence if we are willing to begin again. Real life brings with it some challenges not often portrayed in prime time. Many times in our lives, we are faced with struggles and brick walls. We move forward, we try to follow the road signs, yet we are hindered in nearly every turn that we take. Some of what blocks us is the advice of our tribe. Some of what hinders us is ourselves and our fears of the unknown. We are afraid to begin again. Yet, that is exactly what many of us need in order to find our true path.
When life seems to fight you at every turn, it is not necessarily, “bad luck,” or that everything is out to get us. Rather, it could be simply that the universe is trying to help you turn onto the road that is best for you. Face it; some of us are not as easily turned as others. Others are turned at every whisper. What all of us need is to understand ourselves and allow that we have our strengths and our weaknesses. If you are someone who needs friends to back you up, perhaps the answers lie in that solitary path. If you are a rebel and go in the opposite direction simply to assert your independence, then perhaps your path needs to wander through the crowds to reap some of their wisdom.
No matter what your life entails, there is always a part of it that you can change. If one thing is not working, change it; begin again. Our Fool card is a great reminder. In the major arcana of the average tarot deck, the majors often are seen as coming full circle. The beginning is the Fool and he wanders down the major arcana until he ends at the World. However, since the Fool is generally numbered Zero, not only is he the beginning, but he is the end as well. Life runs in circles. This major arcana theme is very much a circle as well. While we may choose one path and follow it to its conclusion, another path might not lead us all the way around. So, what do we do? We begin again.
The essence of the Fool card is that we are never stuck and do not have to continue in a direction that is wrong for us. Some people might say that your choices are selfish. Some might say that they are wrong for you. How can anyone else know exactly what is right for you? Only you can know for sure if the path you are walking is the right one. If it is the correct path, it has been my experience that it will be somewhat easier to walk. It is not perfect and there will always be roots sticking up out of the ground to test your attention, but as you near the direction that is right for you, the obstacles tend to diminish. When you are on the wrong path, guidance can come in the form of roadblocks and stumbling blocks. At the moment of tripping, we curse our luck and we cry at the constant hardships our life endures. Perhaps if we take a different perspective they will not seem so malignant. When we stumble and fall, it provides us with a moment to look more closely at the circumstances. Is this thing that tripped me trying to call my attention to something bigger in my life? Is it trying to let me know that I need to turn at the next fork? With so many voices in our lives, it can be very difficult to hear that one, quiet voice that dwells in our souls. It is that voice that speaks to our hearts and tries to help us move in a direction that is best for us. That direction may not be something that our friends or that our family understands, but it could be the one thing that makes our lives something wonderful to live.
As the United States celebrates its Independence Day, why not take a few minutes to ask yourself if you need to be liberated. Are there areas of your life that need to be set free from someone or something else? Then, when you find something that needs to change, think of our butterfly. Use a new inner language to help you move forward. “I can begin again.” No matter how far down the wrong path we might walk, there will always be a fork in the road at which we might begin again. We have that ability as humans. We have choice and we have self-motivation. While some things require our commitment, other things can be changed and should be changed. It is never too soon or never too late to begin again.
I wish you well on your independence day as you Begin Again.
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Gigi Miner,
Tarot Consultant,
Author & Teacher
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Gigi Miner is a minister, ordained by the Universal Life Church, and has a Doctorate of Motivation from the same.
“One of the greatest benefits of Tarot is being able to take control of your life rather then be a victim of it,” is the motto of this professional Tarot consultant, author, and teacher, from upstate New York.
Moonlighting as an adult education instructor, Gigi brings that experience into her Tarot and writing work, helping clients and readers to find their own inner wisdom. Gigi has taught classes on tarot in regular and e-formats.
Believing that "laughter is the best medicine,” there is often a lighter tone to her teachings. When conducting an adult-education class, one of the main questions she asks is, "Are you having fun?” If the answer is "yes" then she knows that her students are learning more then if she were teaching in a more traditional mode.
Gigi has written articles for various newsletters, including Tarot Celebrations, World Tarot Network, and Gateway to Tarot. She has released a book entitled, “Light-of-Day Tarot & Dream Work,” which is available at www.lulu.com/ladyfogg.
Her Novel, “Card Shark” is due to be released this fall via the same website.
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Contact Info:
www.geocities.com/
ladyfogg
Email : gigiminer@gmail.com
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