I have had the pleasure of listening to a myriad of speakers from many areas and disciplines. I know when someone is a good public speaker and I know when someone is trying to bullshit me. I apologize for the profanity, but there are times when only such words can fully express the strength of emotion needed. This is such a moment.
My experience has not been without its moments of confusion. I have always been a rather trusting soul. I do not know why. It makes no sense to me, given my upbringing, but, alas, that I am. So, this lesson is a hard-earned one, indeed. I still tend to try to see the good in people. I want to find that spark of kindness or the secret gift that they carry within them. Sadly, all too often, I find out in the long run that that spark has died or that the gift was sold in order to survive. It is rare that successful “public speakers” have not been swayed by the money and fame associated with their craft. When you are in the spotlight, you find that it becomes necessary to adjust your “public face” in order to survive. The problems come when one decides to become that public image or to “believe their own publicity”.
Ethyrial Tarot Copyright © 2005-7 Gigi Miner
Used with Permission
I am all for belief in one’s self. Self-confidence is attractive and necessary in order to grow as a person. Still, it is only human to find that our inner motivations may not be as we thought them to be, especially when we have to live amongst the world. Our card for this month is the Seven of Wands. We see a scene in nature with wands surrounding a stream. In the middle is one wand that is wearing camouflage. When someone wears camouflage, generally they are trying to hide themselves from others. A warrior camouflages him or herself in order to complete the mission without someone stopping them. A hunter wears it to give them an edge while hunting their prey. However, the prey has its own camouflage that is in place in order to help them survive. That is the kind that we see in this card.
I am a strong believer in energy; energy of prayer, meditation or intention. I have seen how it works. That is exactly the problem. I have watched people gather to pray for someone and then change the energy to suit their own purposes. Most that do this have no clue that they are even violating the will of the person for whom they pray. Intention is paramount in this spiritual life. If you cannot offer clear energy to someone without your own baggage attached then you should not be praying for him or her in the first place.
If we look at our card, the front wand seems to be trapped. The other wands have it surrounded. We have seen such escape scenes in various movies over the years. The one running away finds water in order to throw their pursuers off the trail. Water has many connotations in symbolism. One is that of emotion. Emotions are high in the realm of prayer or mediation. It is only human to become emotionally attached to the moment and the energy. If you have been abused, you might feel for the abused person for whom you pray and thus, alter your prayers to further help this person. However, your life is not his or her life; thus, by arbitrarily deciding what is best for them in your sending of energy, you have violated them spiritually. That is a strong statement. Let me make it again in an even stronger fashion. To place your own personal intent in the offering of energy to another person is like unto spiritual rape.
Many well-intentioned people, with the desire to help someone, violate this boundary more often than they realize. If you have a belief system that guides your prayers, that belief system may not be good for the person who needs the prayers. In your personal life, yes, it fills the needs that you have. That is a wonderful thing, but to assume that yours is the only way and to force it upon another is rape, pure and simple. You have violated that person’s spiritual self by forcing yours upon them. In the physical, that is the definition of rape, thus, this is spiritual rape.
If I have made you afraid to pray for people, all the better. We have no clue just how much power we possess. It is cast about like feed to chickens when, in fact, it should be handled very carefully, like one might dole out nitroglycerin for an explosion. It is powerful stuff and should be handled with care lest it destroy all that it was meant to save. Again, intention is very important in the arena of the spirit. If you are judging the person for whom you send energy, then you have already tainted that energy. If you have decided what is the best solution to their problem, again, you have already contaminated that energy. Our wand is trying to preserve itself. Wands equate with the spirit and spiritual energy in the tarot. This wand has been receiving “help” from its pursuers for quite a while it seems. Thus, it has found it necessary to disguise itself in order to survive the “good intentions” of its attackers.
When you are in crisis, it is natural to ask everyone and anyone to send good energies. We know that there is power in it. I see in forums, which are public chat spaces, where people ask for such help. If you know every, single person on that forum and you know their belief systems, then perhaps that is helpful. However, it has been my experience that more often than not, there will be someone on that list or forum that will have his or her own ideas about what is best for you. This means that there will be contrary energies flying about on your behalf. People do not seem to take into account the issue of trust. Do you trust these people to offer you clear energies for your assistance? In other words, is what they send you free and clear of their own values, intentions, and beliefs, or is it imbued with ulterior motives? Even the most well-intentioned people can have their prayers laced with ulterior motivations. It is human nature. Thus, it becomes even more important to consider from where you seek help.
Our Seven of Wands reminds us that not all the energy floating about the universe is good for us. Even that disguised as gentle and loving can have its own agenda. When you ask for help, be aware of the source. Does this person hold tight to some values or mores that will color his or her assistance? This is fine if they share the same ones as you. It is not good if they are contrary to you and your needs. The world is full of prayer. I hear prayers all the time for the destruction of this people or for the victim of said prayers to learn “the” truth. I do not know about you, but I do not need such energies in my life. I find that I tend to mimic that lone wand. I hide myself from the good intentions of people in order to survive. But, it has taught me some very good lessons.
I have learned that all prayer and meditation is not necessarily good for me. And, I have learned that when I offer up such things to others that I must be extremely careful with what I send. If I have any ill feelings toward the recipient, I must first cleanse them from me. If I hold any ideas of what is best for that person, I need to rid myself of those preconceived notions. The only energies that I can offer must be free and clear of ME. When I can do that, then I provide the moments of meditation for the individual. Yes, this means that every moment of prayer must be preceded by a personal, spiritual cleansing of sorts. Anyone with a catholic heritage might recall that taking communion without first visiting the confessional is considered a sin. There is wisdom in that practice in that you must first remove what taints you before you can participate in what is considered a holy experience. If you are a surgeon, you must first remove all germs and possible contaminants before you can save the person from their physical ailments. So why do “spiritual surgeons” jump into their fray without preparation?
When you need help, take into consideration the source of the help. If you are offering help, remember that you cannot color your gift with yourself. And, if you wish to offer help, then ask to do so. Praying for someone without his or her permission is a violation of that person. We understand the physical world when it comes to such things. However, many of us do not seem to regard the spiritual world with as much responsibility. In fact, the spirit is the thing of which this physical world is built. If you would change the world, then change yourself and your spirit. As above, so below, or so they say. If the world is full of anger and ugliness, then perhaps it is because the spiritual realm has been flooded with such energies; most of which is simply because people do not understand what it is that they do.
For the month of May, consider what you do with your spiritual energies. Place as much value on the spirit of a person as the body. Respect their spirit as you would their body. Take care with the energies that you send out and to whom. And, be very careful which energies you allow into your life, ‘cause, they ain’t all good.
