January 1, 2017: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Okay the time has come to get used to typing a new year, 2017 instead of 2016.

My New Year’s Day Minor Arcana card is the Nine of Water.  Oh, this one is perfect for a new day, a new month and a new year.  The image on this card shows a woman surrounded by darkness, looking upward toward the beams of silvery light that are shining on her from above.  Such powerful symbolism: moving out of the darkness that is the past, emotional stress, or even physical-world challenge, and into some new way of being.  We don’t know just yet what that new way of being is, but it is bright and attractive.  The keywords for this card are illumination, acceptance, openness, emotional enlightenment, strength, courage, fear, and ignorance.  This card talks about light being borne into the Void, and the ways that emotional light can open our hearts and break the cycle of heavy emotions.  The Nine of Waters also reminds us that we need to shine that light into the darkest of corners, for denying pain is not healthy.  Better that we examine our memories, accept them all, and then (once we know them intimately) release those that no longer serve us. 

I love the image on this card, and its meaning is particularly relevant to me today.  The holiday season will be over by the end of the day, and now my focus is on getting ready to move.  These moving preparations are varied, from purging things I no longer use, to donating things that are still usable, to finishing my RYT-500 training, and of course, to finishing the Great Work.

To me, this pause during the holiday season gives me a chance to solidify what I’ve already discovered about myself, and it gives me a chance to put into practice new habits.  See?  Perfect timing!

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