Something I love about doing tarot readings is that every time I commune with the Oracle, she transmits information that is not only useful to my client but that helps me see things in a new way, too. Case in point: I recently did a reading for someone who was having trouble discerning the quality of a romantic relationship, something most of us can relate to, I’m sure. Is this person good for me or do I need to move on?
As is sometimes the case, the Oracle flat out refused to give a direct answer to the question being asked; however, she did give crystal clear advice on how the person could obtain that information for herself, the lesson being that, in finding the answer she sought for herself, this person would experience more growth and transformation than if the answer was simply handed to her by a tarot reader.
In the reading, the Oracle explained the situation like this: Imagine two people standing a few feet apart, facing each other. Let’s call them Harry and Voldemort. So, Harry is sending out energy towards Voldemort, and Voldemort is sending out energy towards Harry. However, neither person is being receptive, so as each of their energies move toward the other person, they meet in the center and there’s a sort of standoff.
Here’s an image that perfectly captures this idea:
Now, when you’re in a relationship (as opposed to a wand duel with the Dark Lord), it’s not necessarily a bad thing to drop your guard and let the other person in, right? In fact, it’s impossible to have an intimate relationship without doing that to some degree.
In order to let someone in, though, you have to be in a state of receptivity at least some of the time, and receptivity is often accompanied by feelings of vulnerability. While vulnerability is far from being a “bad” thing, in our current culture it’s often experienced as being a bad thing, and so we engage in a variety of shenanigans to avoid putting ourselves in a vulnerable position.
Here are just a few examples:
- We talk about ourselves all the time. This might seem like the opposite of vulnerable, but have you ever been around someone who uses self-focus as armor? It’s as if softening and truly opening up enough to see and be in full presence with another person is too scary, so they just fill the space by talking…and talking…and talking.
- We give and give and give, but it’s hard for us to receive–a compliment, assistance of any kind, etc.
- We’re afraid to ask for what we need, because this puts us in the vulnerable position of, well, needing something and of someone else potentially rejecting us, so instead, we do all kinds of strange shit to get our needs met.
And the list goes on.
The Oracle offered me clarity on why this inability to receive can cause so many problems and a heckuva lot of confusion in our lives. For starters, let’s go back to the image of the wand duel. Another way to look at the energy shooting out of the wands is, as energy worker Cyndi Dale says, “information that vibrates.” So the energy is simply a form of information.
Let’s say that, instead of battling for their lives, Harry and Voldemort are on a blind date and they’re trying to figure out if there’s enough of a connection to warrant a round two. If energy is information, and each of them is transmitting information from their wands (hmm…this metaphor is getting a little fanfic kinky), unless the other person lets their guard down enough to receive that energy, they’ll never get the information they’re seeking.
Said another way, Voldemort is sending out information that indicates what kind of person he is, and if Harry is trying to figure out whether Voldemort is worth seeing again, one way to do this is to receive the information Voldemort is sending out. So often, two people are in a new relationship, neither one is really letting down their guard, and then they’re stuck in this holding pattern of “I’m not sure if this person is good for me” because they’re not letting the information in. Make sense?
There’s an interesting parallel here with horary astrology, which is the practice of creating a horoscope for the moment a seeker asks their question, because it is believed that every moment contains the answer to the question that is asked in that moment. So, if someone comes in at 4:56 p.m. and asks if they should apply for a teaching position at Hogwarts, you would create a horoscope for that moment in time to answer their question.
In our energy example, the energy of every present moment contains all of the information you are seeking in that moment…but you have to receive that energy in order to access the information.
The Oracle outlined a second way that this ability to receive can transform our lives, and that will be the subject of my next blog post. Stay tuned!