Your Week Ahead: February 5 to 11, 2023 – Release From Shadows

What we think we know about a situation or person will always be based on our own perspectives and beliefs. Sometimes those insights work well for us and sometimes we need help. How do we know the difference between intuition and fear? I’m not sure anyone can truthfully answer that, nor would I suggest relying on anyone entirely to provide us with answers. We must discern what is healthy and what is not by asking ourselves good questions about how we feel and by observing patterns. This is how intuition and wisdom are developed and how we navigate the realm of shadows.

When we become involved in a relationship, be it work, family or intimate, we are engaged with our projections. These positive and negative traits that we admire or dislike are then interpreted based on our past interaction with them and what they stir within us based on our beliefs. One can read endlessly on the subject of relationships because the work we do within them opens up so many layers within our psyche that we need to understand where our reactions come from.

Why do we need certain people, what attracts them to us, why do we find them attractive, what do I need from them, or how do I feel about myself when I’m around them? Do I become more controlling or more passive around certain people? How does my character change and why? All of these questions and more arise because we are no longer distanced from a very powerful aspect of our lives: Desire.

Desire is not only about sexuality, although much of our connection to desire is rooted in primal impulses for survival and a need for bonding. On a deeper level, it is about what we want. The moment we embrace our desire, we have stepped outside of a controlled space and into chaos. Suddenly, we are working directly with dualism and the push/pull of its energy.

Without getting too involved in the dichotomy of attraction and repulsion (I want vs. I don’t want), it is important to observe the nuances of any relationship very carefully. This means we ask ourselves why we are feeling a certain way based on behaviours we witness externally. Then we watch our own behaviours and reactions and look for possibly reoccurring patterns. Am I continuing to attract the same kind of people? Am I reacting the same way as I did with such and such person? A good rule of thumb is, one should continue to feel connected to one’s centre while feeling good about the growth and expansion anyone brings. There will be moments of uncertainty as we move past barriers and comfort zones. However, nothing that is unhealthy for us will contradict our desire.

We can also benefit by observing people’s code of conduct. Are they trustworthy? Do they keep their word? Do they always exaggerate? What stories do they repeat about themselves? How do I feel around them? Do I run on autopilot around them or can I contribute something personal and special about myself? How am I treated when I express my vulnerability? Do I feel healthy or needy around them?

I could go on with examples of questions but these are some that come to mind. These are the layers that get peeled back when we are in all kinds of relationships. We must engage honestly with our responses and with others, and watch for good aspects and red flags both internally and externally. Desire is powerful and if we are not careful, we could find ourselves far away from our centre of well-being and our heart-path.

This is the realm associated with The Devil. It is the sensation of being caught or oppressed within a dualistic situation. Sometimes it can represent a domineering person or a confining set of dictates where we can’t see a solution clearly. We have become distanced from our feelings, having been overwhelmed by deceit or emotional manipulation.

We have been taken away from our core truth because something or someone else has deemed it more important to use a focal point that is not about our vibrational harmony with ourselves. We are serving a demand for obedience while being given information that uses our desire against us.

We are told we are selfish and arrogant, and that we are hurting others because of our autonomy. Guilt is used to control us and to instil a fear of retribution should we break away from duties imposed on us. The Devil is about the illusion of control and being caught in the sensation that we have no choice. It is the antithesis of desire: I can’t have what I want; what I want is bad; don’t ask questions, just follow.

“The notion that we are without choice is the biggest fallacy and the largest threat to The Devil.”

If we are being taken away from our desire, which is fundamentally a need for holistic well-being, we will know it by the way we feel. No healthy relationship will supress us or silence us. The notion that we are without choice is the biggest fallacy and the largest threat to The Devil. Choice is about the ability to ask questions. With very little effort, we can easily take off these chains of oppression because the ties that bind us to lies are very weak in their vibrational nature.

Perhaps The Devil is a test. How do you really feel? Do you even know? Is someone else in control when it should be you? What are you going to do about it? I offer that it is a test because this landscape has been born out of the chaos of released desire. Having it in front of us as a tangible object means to work with its shadows. Will we get lost in the unharnessed nether regions of our base psyche or will we hold to our light and to truth to pull ourselves up and out of it?

As the message of the 8 of Cups surfaces, so does our purpose and resurrection. This is a card about the need to cleanse ourselves of emotional debris and confusion. If we lose ourselves in the realm of shadows, we will experience a separation in consciousness. This is something we can avoid with a little care and attention. The 8 of Cups shows how we surface from darker emotional entanglements with a renewed perspective. This process has made us powerful because of our ability to make contact with our intuition and wisdom. No amount of books will ever give you wisdom if your intuition is not made manifest by deliberate contact.

This is not to suggest that relationships are to be feared. On the contrary, we should embrace them for they give us the joys of expansion and by becoming more than we could just on our own. We grow, learn, and frolic in the magic of energy flowing through our beloved relationships. We simply must discern what is healthy, and most importantly, why they are healthy.

In knowing some of these answers, we come to the King of Swords. Well, he can’t be fooled. His radiance is the expression of his wisdom. He knows himself inside and out. That is why he is beyond the grasp of deceit. He sees a larger perspective on matters and effortlessly addresses the affairs of his life with mastery and calm.

There is a sensation here about coming to terms with something and knowing how to skilfully address it so that one’s purpose remains intact. We are only trapped if we think we don’t have an alternative. We can change the way we interact by evaluating the rules by which a relationship is founded. If we hold to our self-respect, then we can shift the direction we are headed. Knowing our environment is key and determining our poise or position will be easy.

The devil has been dissolved, not by confronting him but by allowing his hold to fall apart. We will know that we are free of The Devil when we appreciate the test that he represented. Appreciation is Peace. Peace is Love. Love is Light. The King of Swords represents action that is well thought out. By touching the murky shadows of his unconscious, he has pierced the veil of darkness. This week, be aware of “sticky” situations and feeling caught in absolutes, yours or someone else’s. Take some time out to focus on how you feel and what you really want, and don’t be afraid of the truth that shines forth from you. No one can tell you who you are. You must know not just who you are but WHY you are. The WHY is your desire and your purpose. Stand in it.

Affirmation: I allow myself to hear, see and feel the truth of where I am. I am a good observer and I can discern how I feel. I take some time to distance myself from any confusion that is around me and rest in a calm space. As I feel my truth surfacing, I feel empowered to embody how I feel and what I want. What is false falls away. What is healthy blooms in expansion. I stand as I AM, clear and refreshed.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a wonderful week!

Daniel Palmo

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