Asking about Life

This month, I thought to ask about WHY he come up against difficult experiences in life. What is their purpose? We all have them, many of the ones we face are similar. I am a strong believer that nothing happens by accident and there are reasons for and behind anything that happens to us in life. So it felt like time to ask what purpose these kinds of experiences serve in our lives.

I felt called to use the Tarot of Transformation, by J L Cori and Willow Arlenea for this reading. I haven't used this deck for a  couple of years, but it is of course one I have always loved. And it is a good deck to use when looking at changes in our lives and life's harder experiences do tend to lead to change. So it felt right here.

 

I asked for you:

 

What is the purpose of struggle in our lives?

 

And here is what the cards had to say:

 

 

Card 1-Teacher of Wands (Spirit in Matter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a card from the suit of Wands. So this says, to start off, that there is a correlation between what we can create in our lives and these kinds of experiences.  And also between the passion that drives us to put our all into creating what we want ourselves and our lives to be and these kinds of experiences. Wands are related to both these things.

 

This being the Teacher of Wands, says that these kinds of experiences teach us something valuable that lets us create and encourages us to create what we most want in the best ways. If life were always easy, what motivation would we have to try to create change in our lives? Or to learn, or grow?

 

This card is saying on part (maybe at times in large part) our motivation to strive to be and do more is causes by a dissatisfaction with where we are now. And that facing difficulties can be the catalysts for good and positive change.

 

The Teachers of the deck for me are about empathy and imagining yourself in the shoes of another. This cards is saying that these types of experiences lead to that in our lives and can teach us very important life lessons. When something is not working as we want it to in our lives, we can talk to others and see what they are doing differently. We can look and see what is working well for them and try it out. This leads us to adapt and learn and grow. And to raise ourselves to higher and higher levels in our lives. All some of life's best and most positive things.

 

And, last but not least, the keywords on this card are: "Spirit in Matter", and this hints that this is one of life's ways of teaching us spiritual lessons through the material aspects of our day to day lives.

 

 

Card 2--10 of Cups, reversed (Joyous Flow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a Cups card, about or feelings. As a reversed 10, it is about stopping and taking a time out to think about our feelings. Taking a time out to think about which feelings that we are embracing inside ourselves and benefiting us and which are holding us back. And what to do about it.

 

Sometimes our feelings can actually create the difficulties we face in our lives, as of course not all feeling are positive ones. And our feelings affect our actions and there are consequences to those. Sometimes the feelings that we have as we face a difficult situation, hold us back from acting in the ways that would help us most.  Either way, having to deal with these kinds of situations forces us to have look at our feelings surrounding them. And think of who we want to be  and what we might like to change. And seeing this can be very beneficial.

 

The keywords for this card are: "Joyous Flow" and that is where we want to be I'd say. We want to be joyous and happy and well....going with the flow and trusting that it is taking us somewhere good. In that sense we can view these experiences as signs that something in our feelings is out of sync with this, and is leading us away from these feelings. Once we see what and can stop and see what it is, then we can begin to heal it.

 

The Image to me is about having that joyous and playful attitude towards life, and seeing things clearly I see these two in the dolphin,  The "school" of fish swimming below the surface of things say that there are important life lessons that we can learn by facing difficulties and they bring to the surface certain feelings that we may be harbouring that our not in our best interests. So that we can do what Is needed with them. And the floating woman, says that at the best of times when our feelings just are not working for us and we can see it, these experiences help us to just let go and trust in life to guide us to the right and best place for us.

 

 

Card 3--6 of Cups (Sharing Support)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Here is a nice positive part of the answer! It's about loving and love-based feelings, Cups being about our feelings and the 6s being about love.

 

And that is, of course true. going through periods of difficulty in our lives can often be a bonding experience. It draws us closer to those who are there for us as we share it, creates a sense of true empathy in those who have already been where we are now, and in many ways brings out the best in us, and the desire to help others,. even those we don't know.

 

Giving and sharing our support with others is a good, positive, necessary things in the lives of both the giver and receiver. People need to be needed as much as they need help in harder times, It can be beneficial to all concerned.

 

Having someone that you know you can lean on, helps you rise up to a better place and knowing that you can trust those people to be there for you, that knowledge lasts much longer than does any problem.

 

 

Card 4--flipped 7 of Cups (Drama Queen)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The 7 of Cups is about difficult feelings. Cups is once again about your feelings,. and there are a lot of Cups in this reading. So to a large extent facing struggles and difficulties in our lives has a lot to do with our feelings. They teach us lessons about our feelings that are important to know. The 7s in the deck for me about about facing something difficult. but not impossible. And they say that if you face it and don't give up you can and will win out over it.

 

In essence this card says that some struggles in life are there to make us look at difficult feelings in our lives and to heal them so that we can move forward in a better and maybe healthier direction. Sometimes the feelings we have actually create the issue or draw it to us. Other times it comes because we need to work on our reactions to the situation. But either way this card says that there is something very useful we can learn about our feelings by facing difficulties on our lives.

 

And yes, the keywords of this cards are "Drama Queen" so this card is also saying that if we feel or act as a drama queen, our lives will sense us some form of struggle that will force us to take a good look in the mirror., to see what we are doing in drawing this to us, and to think on how to change.

 

 

Bonus Card--8 of Swords (Equanimity)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last cards, says that one purpose of facing struggle in our lives is to develop some strong thought about the issue behind it, to develop a stronger,. more unshakable way of thinking about it. One that truly reflects the real you clearly. Swords are about our thoughts and way of thinking, 8s are about strength for me.

 

A lot of times we go through life a bit mechanically, reacting to things as we always have or as we were taught to without stopping to think if that really is the best way for us. If the way we are thinking is really not true to who we really are inside or is something we really need to stop and look at, life will put something in our way that will force us to stop. To stop and think. And that is the message of this card.

 

The keyword for this card is: "Equanimity" which is really all about peace of mind and inner balance. And this again says the say thing really...that if we are thinking in a way that does not bring us these feelings, that makes us feel ill at ease, life will send us some problem to work on that will force us to view the way we are thinking about things for what it is. And to rethink if we really are on the best path for us, by following that way of thinking.

 

Its about following a way of thinking that makes you feel at home and at ease with yourself, that feel wise to you and that fits in the with patterns of your life and of who you really are inside.