I have often found that people, when they most need to change, hesitate to make that change. As a result of this hesitancy, their life becomes a stagnant rutt that they struggle to get out of. The excuses abound (Not the right time. Not the right phase of life. Too difficult to do. What if it doesn’t work out?) and the person is unwilling to see the forest for the trees. Instead, they choose what is familiar, what has always been, what is comfortable, even if that comfort brings them sadness and pain.
What folks often do not understand is that, in doing this, they are throwing stones in their own path. They are not allowing themselves to grow and flourish. Shedding the old is not easy. Nobody has ever said that it is. But nothing worth doing is actually easy. There needs to be a willingness to step into the you that you are becoming, instead of holding onto the you that you have always been. Holding onto the old you is most often done to keep others comfortable and secure in their delusion of who you are and who you are becoming.
The courage to change does not, in any way, mean that you feel no fear. True courage has to do with feeling the fear and yet doing what is required anyway. If we could not do that, there would be no babies born, there would be no CPR to save someone’s life, there would be no surgeries to help one to heal and live a longer, healthier existence. Someone has always had to feel the fear of what was happening and forge forward anyway. And, most often, this has resulted in some excellent outcomes.
I remember when I was first aware of my calling to allow myself to be known as a Shaman. This brought up tremendous fear because of how people viewed my private practices around the small town where I grew up. That was justifiable fear because the people around us tried to burn our farm down because they viewed me as an “evil witch” (automatically equating any and all aspects of the Craft as “evil” instead of using the art of discernment). Yet Spirit kept telling me that I needed to allow this part of me be known. After a long and arduous struggle with that idea, I finally consented. Since then, yes there have been some challenges. Not everyone is receptive to this type of existence, to this type of work, to this type of awareness. Yes there are by far many more who are. And for these folks I am eternally grateful.
Not every person on the planet gets to actually do what they were meant to do. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in that I am one of those very few. But the only reason that I am one of those few is because I was willing to take the leap and become more of me than what the world thought of me as being. Exposing oneself in the truth of who you are is daunting at best. But it is so worth it in the end. Sure, some may recoil at the idea. But the truth will always win out. So they will either get on board, or they will fade away. Either way has to be alright on your end. Truly, who wants to be associated with anyone who is going to criticize, condemn you or complain about you when you are actually growing? If those types are in your life and you grow anyway, you will outgrow them and they will fade into the distant past.
As this happens, it is important to not, in any way, feel shame for having had them in your life. That shame is not yours to hold. It is theirs…for not being willing to open their minds and their hearts to who you have been becoming. If they could not handle it, then that is on THEM, not you.
The Heirophant
When I was about to write this blog post, I decided to consult the Tarot Cards. The deck I chose is The Guardian of the Night Tarot, by M.J. Cullinane. I must admit that, considering how horrible I feel every time I see a rat, when I picked this one I almost picked another one instead. But, then I read the meaning behind the card and the imagery.
The Hierophant energy is tied to our heritage, our culture, and what is expected of us for no other reason other than the box we have been put in as a result of our birth. For many, this energy creates acceptance as we connect with others of a familiar vein. It is the Hierophant that shows us the well-worn path that our ancestors have traveled.
The Hierophant’s energy carries with it the wisdom of the ages, and when the time comes, it will be the teacher you need.
Modern or adaptive the Hierophant is not; its energy is traditional and serves to show you how you fit in a box. For some, this is a very comforting place. For others, it can feel stifling. Use the energy of the Hierophant to understand your position, to gain wisdom and knowledge of the past, to find support in a group that feels right. Still, if you are looking for a change or a new perspective, the Hierophant may find your defiance challenging.
When my daughter was little, she loved the movie Raratouille; frankly, I still find that movie a bit difficult to watch. When illustrating this card, I thought about how the young rat wanted to be a chef, but his father expected him to raid kitchens, and the cooks expected him to be a dirty thief. The rat was placed in a box, put there for no other reason than because he was born a rat; it was all the outside world could see.
However, the little rat knew enough about himself to not allow the expectations of others to determine his fate. The rat brings an energy of adaptability and a focus on problem-solving. When you combine the Hierophant with the rat, you will not only know where you have been but also know where you are going.
Rat: Intelligence, tradition, success, tenacity.
The path that my ancestors have travelled is also the Shamanic Path, on both sides of my family. So, on the one hand my parents were very supportive of the fact that I was accepting of my role on this earth. On the other hand, however, because of what we, and many generations before us, suffered at the hands of the small-minded populice, they were also terrified that I would end up being harmed simply because I was stepping into the role of who I was always meant to be.
My family’s traditions can, indeed, be stifling in some ways. There is an expectation that, because of who I am and what I do, that I will do it only in the traditional ways that have been passed down through generations. I have always felt, however, that traditions need to adapt to changing times. Without the ability to shift and change with changing times, our traditions will become pointless. People in the modern world will not even begin to understand the original concepts or why they existed in the first place, mostly because history has either been lost or re-written by those who barbarically won whatever dispute was at hand way back then.
At the same time, because I understand the traditions behind the practices, I can facilitate the translation of them into the modern setting (something that the Hierophant would find to be challenging). But what is the use of having an ecclectic approach to teachings, traditions and life in general if we are going to simply have our hands tied behind our backs? Without adaptability, we would not have survived the Ice Age. So, we need to take what we have learned and apply it to the new information that is being presented. That is the only way to ensure that the teachings can actually survive, as opposed to being discarded as irrelevant in the modern world. I do not see them as irrelevant in any way. In fact, I see them as becoming even more relevant as time goes on. It is just that they need to be presented in a more contemporary manner. That way, the teachings and traditions can become more freeing than hindering.
And, let’s face it, the human soul really does prefer freedom over imprisonment.
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