We are all orphans
And we are all sad about it
Earlier today I had a meeting with my officemates (for those new here I have such a beautiful office and I share it with some amazing clinicians) and at the end of it, we chose an Archetype card.
The card I chose was the Orphan.
I was asking for guidance on how to expand into more abundance, and this was the card that was chosen.
It led to a very, very painful experience when I had time to reflect later that then turned into a healing experience. (I gave my inner child the chance to express some things about their orphanage, and this led to some stuff that was too gritty to share here in its current form, but did give me some really interesting insight on healing which I might distill into a future post.)
Anyway, for anyone into this kind of thing, I would love to know what you make. of this card pull. What did it mean in answer to my question about next steps into expanding into more abundance? What do you think it means in general?
I think deep diving into this is an important next step for me because, guess what happened the last time we all pulled cards as a group?
I “happened” to pull this card as well.
Okay intuitives, empaths, astrology lovers, and anyone who loves analyzing such things. Does anyone have any thoughts on this card?
What might the Universe be trying to tell me?
PS—Here is Mary Oliver’s “The Kitten” which it mentions under “go deeper” at the bottom of the card.
The Kitten, by Mary Oliver
More amazed than anything
I took the perfectly black
stillborn kitten
with the one large eye
in the center of its small forehead
from the house cat's bed
and buried it in a field
behind the house.
I suppose I could have given it
to a museum,
I could have called the local
newspaper.
But instead I took it out into the field
and opened the earth
and put it back
saying, it was real,
saying, life is infinitely inventive,
saying, what other amazements
lie in the dark seed of the earth, yes,
I think I did right to go out alone
and give it back peacefully, and cover the place
with the reckless blossoms of weeds.
Very, very open to anybody’s thoughts. *silence ensues forever and ever making me feel even more like an orphan LOL*
I remember when I pulled The Eight of Swords. I still think about that card and how it applies to my life then and now.
How strangely beautiful that a manifestation for abundance is answered with The Orphan. Besides a rather obvious reminder to address unfinished business from child/orphan you, perhaps there is a poignant lesson in approaching abundance from the perspective of an orphan. Three of my children were adopted as literal orphans, residing in literal orphanages until I brought them home. Adoption brought abundance beyond their toddler/preschooler comprehension--abundant medical care, abundant food, abundant warmth, clean water, education, and so very much abundant love. But initially it felt like a strange woman who spoke another language and smelled different and looked different showed up and kidnapped them. It looked and felt like trauma upon compounded trauma. I would have given just about anything if I could have made them see how much love and goodness was coming into their lives; given anything to relieve the fear and pain and grief of that transition time. Of course, even if I could have given them a glimpse of how their lives were changing for the better (all three were part of a culture that had extremely limited opportunities for orphans, even aside from the limited healthcare, malnutrition, and abuse/neglect they suffered), it would have been beyond the capacity of a 2-3 year old to understand.
Which is all to say that sometimes when I'm in a period of intense transition and it feels like the rug has been pulled out from me and my whole world is shifting, I wonder if God/The Universe/whatever Higher Power is up there going, "ah, but if you only understood the opportunities and gifts that are right around the corner. What feels like pain and loss and grief right now is going to be overshadowed by love and joy and goodness. Just hang on; just give it a chance."
Orphans are a popular character in children's literature--a topic for another day. But the fact that they are orphans is just the beginning of the story. The adventure, and the happy ending, is everything that comes after. It sounds like you are on the cusp of an extraordinary story.