As we bid goodbye to 2016, we leave behind a year of completion, ending cyclical patterns, and finishing up of life lessons. We have been confronted and tested repeatedly in so many aspects of our lives, often provoked by revisiting memories we thought were long put to rest. We faced instability not only as individuals but as a collective. Whether embraced or avoided, 2016, a nine year in numerology, was about transformation.
The Hermit is the ninth major arcana card in the Tarot. It is a card of going within and seeking our own inner knowing. It also heralds completion of a cycle, mastery, and a time of reflective solitude. In many decks, the Hermit is carrying a lantern indicative of lighting one’s own way or seeking one’s own inner light. This past year and this card both remind us of the need to let go of old negative attachments so we can move forward. These challenges may have manifested in our relationships or as a stringent desire to change our careers or work situations to become more aligned with a calling, a desire, a need to do more with our lives.
And now we enter a one year: 2017. One years bring the gift of a new beginning, a fresh start, change. The Magician in the Tarot lets us know the next life lesson has begun and that we have all the tools we need to move forward. By realizing your potential and making what’s possible your actual reality, you honor the action of using your talents to carry out plans, commit and focus on a goal. Empowerment and choice are exemplified as is a well deserved respite after the past year of upheaval, release, and being bombarded with a fear based mentality.
This is the beginning of a new nine year cycle of growth and change. It is time to be brave and step into a long awaited phase of self-awareness by tapping into the inner strength we cultivated during 2016. Independence is a key word as you consider what is best for you and start in that direction. Many of us have been programmed, encouraged, taught and rewarded to not think in terms of our own goals and desires out of fear of being seen as egotistical or selfish. This can lead to judging ourselves and denying the universal gift of free will to manifest and experience the reality we choose to nurture. Moving in a new direction that more closely aligns with who you really are and what you came here to do becomes a natural aphrodisiac for self-confidence, self-worth, and fulfillment.
The last nine year cycle started in 2008. Obama defeated McCain to the chants of “Yes We Can” and the slogan of “Change We Need” . China hosted the Summer Olympics with Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals for the US and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt setting world records previously considered impossible. We entered into the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression wreaking havoc on the global economy. Miley Cyrus bared her back for Vanity Fair in what some deemed a much too provocative pose for a 15 year old superstar role model.
The preceding nine year cycle started in 1999. The Euro was born as the single unit currency of the European Union. China and the US entered a bilateral agreement on China’s entry into the World Trade Organization. The Columbine Tragedy shocked the nation and forever changed the educational system. Regis Philbin repeatedly asked if it was our final answer while Ricky Martin enticed us to Live la Vida Loca while we hunkered down to ride out Y2K.
Upon reflection, both of these years marked pivotal turning points initiating significant change, transformation and growth in myself and my life. Independence and change can sometimes be accompanied by feelings of isolation and loneliness. Growing pains may cease to cause physical discomfort but continue to be revisited in different forms throughout our time here on the planet.
We make choices to co-create the realities that align with our intentions and actions. If you are conflicted or unsure about a choice or decision you’re trying to make, ask the Universe to send you a definitive sign that you are on the right track. Be open. Let go of how this validation will manifest but stay aware of your surroundings. Asking to be shown a balloon gives the Universe a lot more leeway than asking to see a red balloon at 4:15 when taking a left turn on the way home. Your validation may show up as an actual balloon, a picture in an ad, or any other way the Universe may choose to surprise you. Signs showing up at least three times in a relatively short time span are a good indicator you are being answered. If you ask about taking a trip to Florida and you get a random pop-up about Florida tourism, run into a friend talking about relatives visiting from Florida, and go to the grocery store only to be greeted by a big display in the produce department announcing a new shipment of Florida grapefruit, changes are pretty good you’re getting your sign.
As with anything, trying to force it doesn’t work. Trying to find signs were there aren’t any because it’s what your ego wants doesn’t work out well either. Be open. Be patient. Be grateful when the Universe responds. The more you work to build this relationship with the Universe, the quicker your answers will begin to show up in your life. If you have to ask yourself if it’s a sign, it probably isn’t. If you have a physical reaction, a clear sense of knowing, or a sense of awe that the Universe actually gave you the sign you asked for, damn straight there’s your answer!
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