TAROT WITH ANN

5 OF WANDS: Minor Arcana/Saturn in Leo

Challenge, Patience, Destruction, Growth, Tikkun Olam;
Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Diamond;
Basil, Rosemary, Sage; Rainbows, Nature;
‘Lighthouse’ (The Waifs), ‘High Hopes’ (Frank Sinatra), ‘Landslide’ (Fleetwood Mac), ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’ (Bob Dylan).

Hi all,

I sincerely hope that everyone out there is doing okay. I hope that you’re all getting all of the Love you need to make it through whatever life is challenging you with at this time. There is much chaos unfolding in the world these days—as usual the news is first at 5 to report it. I’ve often written about this emphasis on dark events in the world eclipsing the abundance of good that co-exists with the violent death and destruction that makes headlines. I write about it because I feel strongly that the world we live in is desperately out of balance and needs a huge injection of Light. This is not to say that these negative events should be denied—on the contrary, good and bad are just an example of the paradox of life. But one will get further navigating life’s inevitable dark hallways if one can ‘light a candle rather than cursing the dark’ (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Which brings me to the 5

of Wands, one of those cards that you can either freak out about or be grateful for. It signifies a time of great change and, as the saying goes, resistance is useless. Bear in mind that the steps to enlightenment occasionally involve extremely stressful events in our lives but that, even though it may be very difficult to fathom whilst the poo is hitting the fan, there is always a Divine Purpose at work. We can’t always see when change is necessary, when how we’ve been living has actually halted our growth. The 5 of Wands has come to help us with this. This card is serious about removing from our lives all that blocks our progress forward. All that stands in our way of a Higher level of Knowing.

When we’re going through a painful growth period we are given an opportunity to learn about how we deal with change, a defining factor in how we experience life. We may sail through, meeting this challenge with Grace or, alternatively, we may discover aspects of ourselves that react not so graciously to change.

There is no right or wrong in such situations—we can only be who we are.

For me, I have found it extremely helpful to look to the examples that others have set, in rising above their personal adversity. Some people have certainly unknowingly offered me their Grace when I have been struggling to find my own. People like Mattie Stepanek. Mattie appeared often on Oprah Winfrey’s show. This child, according to Oprah, was a real live Angel, and I have to agree. He was born with a rare type of muscular dystrophy and throughout his short time here, he shared an unpretentious, profound wisdom about this journey called Life, delivering messages such as ‘I want people to know mylife philosophy—to remember to play after every storm’. Sophie Delezio is another child who is surely an Earth Angel, enduring what most of us would consider unendurable for reasons that her family believe are for a Higher Purpose. Humbling. Very.

Human beings get very attached to how their lives should be unfolding, which is why we are often so shocked when something occurs to disrupt our plans. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day; life isn’t a race and if you need time to work through the conflicts that change can bring, then take it. It’s your life after all.

Take care everyone!

‘To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable…’ Helen Keller

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