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.
I read this comment last night and it hit me hard, and now reading it again, it is hitting me harder. I'm not sure, still, all that this pulled card means. I do know that, as I think about it, my orphanage does feel, in some ways, as you describe--a complete and total upending of all I once knew on nearly every level, and in a way that--in the now--makes me feel quite alone, bereft, and almost family-less. Your comment is allowing me to believe in the possibility that there may be an entire rebuilding that I could not foresee--that that which has felt like sudden loss of everything I once knew--or even a loss there of in bursts over time--is actually a complete restructuring of my world, somehow. That there might be an entire chapter here in mid-life that almost doesn't even resemble that which came before--a new world with new people in it, and new resources at my disposal that I never dreamed possible before, that I never even knew could exist. I'm not sure what this even means? It's more energetic than anything perhaps? But I will say that this comment has me thinking in an entirely new way, and I want to thank you for taking the time to express your perspective (very eloquently, I might add). It has allowed me to see hope in things I very much thought were hopeless, and to view components of my life which my mind decrees as "bad" as perhaps gateways to more bounty, abundance (of all types) and richness than my mind could ever have conceived of. Thank you so much! I will be thinking about this one for a while still, I believe. (Might make your comment and my response here today's post even--that's how impactful it feels.
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.
Powerful. Don't know much about The Eight of Swords, but enough to understand why that was such a significant pull.
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.
I read this comment last night and it hit me hard, and now reading it again, it is hitting me harder. I'm not sure, still, all that this pulled card means. I do know that, as I think about it, my orphanage does feel, in some ways, as you describe--a complete and total upending of all I once knew on nearly every level, and in a way that--in the now--makes me feel quite alone, bereft, and almost family-less. Your comment is allowing me to believe in the possibility that there may be an entire rebuilding that I could not foresee--that that which has felt like sudden loss of everything I once knew--or even a loss there of in bursts over time--is actually a complete restructuring of my world, somehow. That there might be an entire chapter here in mid-life that almost doesn't even resemble that which came before--a new world with new people in it, and new resources at my disposal that I never dreamed possible before, that I never even knew could exist. I'm not sure what this even means? It's more energetic than anything perhaps? But I will say that this comment has me thinking in an entirely new way, and I want to thank you for taking the time to express your perspective (very eloquently, I might add). It has allowed me to see hope in things I very much thought were hopeless, and to view components of my life which my mind decrees as "bad" as perhaps gateways to more bounty, abundance (of all types) and richness than my mind could ever have conceived of. Thank you so much! I will be thinking about this one for a while still, I believe. (Might make your comment and my response here today's post even--that's how impactful it feels.