Today I pulled the 8 of discs. It pictures an industrious young man, his head wreathed in flowers, astride a workbench and carefully creating pentacale after pentacale. A snug village is seen in the background and the cloudless sky is blue.
In many traditions, the number eight represents infinity, perfection, and the manifestation of the material. The discs represent the material world and/or the energy of earth.
The card itself is associated with apprenticeship, where one must practice one's craft over and over again to achieve mastery. The red tights the young man wears indicate the passionate and steadfast forward motion a person has when they're doing what they love best. The blue tunic indicates the clarity and idealism with which one sets out to achieve mastery. The black apron hints that anything can happen when one pursues a course of action, and not necessarily what one imagines. Yet, When we apply ourselves to any task as assiduously as our young apprentice, we will achieve the mastery we seek and reap the fruits of our labor.
It's like writing a blog. They tell you that posting once a week is just not enough; that you must post day after day in order for the web crawlers, and your audience, to find you. That seems arduous at first, but once you get in the habit, it gets easier and more fun.
In any line of work or play, the more you do a thing, the better you get at it.
Finding your true self is no exception. It involves dedication and focus to wade through all the sticky habits of thought and egoic attitudes and apptitudes that we think define us. We are so much more than who we think we are.
I recieved a letter from my astounding Network Chiropractor, Lisa Hartnett (yea, Lisa) who talked about this very topic in reference to mindfulness. She said that one must practice focusing the mind so that the voices that reflect our habitual beliefs and persona will quiet, thus allowing our real natures to emerge.
When we learn who we truly are, the ability to create the life that we really want, full of joy and satisfaction, will get easier and easier.
The young man in the card is working outside the lovely walled city of his dreams; but as he focuses, keeps his eye on the prize, and gains skill in creating what he wants, the gates will open and he will live his heaven on earth.
So will we all.
Love,
Kristine
Finding Method in the Madness:
