Week 5 - What does one do when the path ahead is not clear, or does not reveal where it is going?

The World Rx, Knight of Swords Rx, The Devil Rx

I get two images as I reflect on these cards. One, where a person is walking through a dark tunnel. They cannot see the path, but when they put their hand out in front of them, they can make out its shape. The other image is of a car going through a dark road, the headlights only managing to light up a small patch in front. In both instances, the person in question is stepping into unknown territory. From what the cards suggest, it is something they weren’t expecting. Life wasn’t supposed to go this way. Something about it feels off. The querent/ the traveler cannot trust this path. This chapter of your life feels like a digression. And before we get to what one must do, let us delve deeper into how one is feeling at this point.

Photo by Oussama Bouchebak on Unsplash

In the darkness, memories of what should have been, what seemed possible, and maybe what was desired become even more stark. You are convinced this is worse and what isn’t would have been much better. There is a sense of helplessness and a lack of control over one’s circumstances which results in panic and anxiety-driven decisions. Anything to ensure you come back on track…or… have some control. You must get what you want, even if you have steered off the way. You must go where you were going even if there is this detour now. We do not see where we are going because we are so busy looking at what we have moved away from. Even if it was something you didn’t want, it was the only thing you thought of. And so, without it, there is no other possibility in your mind. And that is a terrifying place to be in.

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

The advice is to drop everything that has supported you in this panic phase. Remove the need for panic. Remove the need for those supporting devices. Prayer. Therapy. Friends. Addictions. And ask yourself, who would I be without this worry? If your mind draws a blank, sit in that blankness. It will not kill you. It will make you restless, maybe. Or feel oddly relaxed. Allow yourself to find out. And then get up and do life. Have a glass of water. Go out for a walk. Answer the rumble in your stomach. Clean out your closet. Give away some old things. Call an old friend. Talk to your neighbor. Learn to cook a new dish. Bring home a new plant. I don’t need to give you more suggestions. Take some from here and then follow the cue, the next cue.

Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash

Your desire for certainty is what is chaining you down. Life is much more than answers to your favorite questions. Leave the questions and you will find answers you never knew existed. Leave the anxiety to know where the path is going and you’ll soon realize you knew exactly where you had to go, all along.