Your Week Ahead: February 11 to 17, 2024 – Out Of the Mist

What we do not know feels lost to us, enveloped in a mist and ungraspable. We are yearning for a deeper meaning, a deeper connection, looking between the realms of the material and the spiritual. “Where do I fit in in all of this? I want to take action toward something yet I don’t know what that is and what I should do.” This is the parable we are pondering in this week’s reading and the reappearance of the 8 of Cups suggests we are still working on some of last week’s themes of retreat and trying to understand something in our lives beneath the life we have built up in our physical environment.

In the calm seas of the 2 of Swords, we float in the waters of the High Priestess. Introspective, pensive maybe, and a little withdrawn. Our intellect could have felt slightly overwhelmed or fatigued by trying to come to conclusions that are important to us. Yet, something is still elusive. We want more time to meditate, to reflect, and to feel replenished.

This card describes a time where action is not recommended. Its placement at the start of the reading tells us to be gentle about reaching any conclusions about something. Perhaps the most important thing we could do is simply to be present with the ambiguity. Life doesn’t always feel perfect and clear. However, our approach to it can bring clarity, or at least stillness within that perception of chaos.

The last card of last week’s reading was the 8 of Cups, and here it is again coming after the watery dreamlike 2 of Swords. It might be that we missed something or that we can continue our time to reflect on what is more meaningful to us. By “meaningful”, I would offer that it is anything that nourishes our spirit, our light, and our ability to utilize our material surroundings or possessions as a means for spiritual insight.

If we have a space for meditation, where we can light a candle, make a cup of warm tea, and appreciate our physical environment as a means to connect to Source, that would be an example. It is like a doorway that we walk through that allows us the opportunity to evaluate who we are beyond the physical. When we are too caught up in our external lives, we need a mechanism to bring back a spiritual perspective. We would benefit from anything that shows us that we are not what we have. To break through that illusion gives us the power to discern where we fit in this world and where our centre of gravity dwells.

We can better see through things and understand how to better respond. We can see through the illusions and traps of life because our emphasis is based on more truth and clarity. A small example of this would be the news of Montreal using AI in a pilot project to prevent suicides on the subway. If we are so involved in the importance of our job, commuting to work or around town, and safety on the transit system, then we might very well jump up and down and say how amazing this is. But a few things jumped out at me when I heard this. First, that we are more interested in using a computer to help people rather than something that actually connects with people in distress and provides real safety mechanisms that address the reasons they would even consider taking their life in the first place. That we are legitimizing something inhuman to help with a very human problem without understanding what we are doing and what we are pulling into our societal relationships. And perhaps the most important, that we are using AI to draw conclusions about our behaviour using surveillance and to make decisions about what to do about it. It’s always the innocent, well-meaning precedent that starts a dangerous ball rolling and gets our emotional reaction and commitment fixated. Think about: “it’s only two weeks to flatten the curve” to “you have to take this vaccine to save grandma.” Then think about how many people who were trying to raise red flags had AI flag and shadow ban their websites.

I will be the first to admit that I’m so involved in my outward life, that I’m pretty tired after working hard all day and that I barely have enough energy to shower than to light a candle. So, trust me, whenever I write about sitting to meditate, I’m talking to myself! All joking aside though, the onus is on us to do something that shifts our awareness and that allows us to see properly what world we are working in. To be decisive is great; to add mental clarity based on spiritual integrity is what we are aiming for, and gets the kind of result that bring the good stuff to us.

And look, the Ace of Swords is next. Amen, hallelujah! I mean, literally, this is an “A-HA!” moment. The description for this card says, “A winged monster approaches. A group of old warriors, knives in hand, are ready to defeat it. Despite the fog, their gazes are full of conviction and certainty.”

Whatever we were unsure about or that felt out of reach, becomes quite clear to us later in the week. Whatever we might have went back for, we seem to have found. This isn’t about defeating the monster, or about any demon that comes to us that we need to defeat or respond to. It is about the ability to know HOW to respond and WHY we are responding in the manner we are. The monster simply represents the illusion. It is about slicing through that mental dullness. In a deeper way, we begin a new paradigm for interacting with life based on the realizations that come about.

Depending on how things unfold for you, there could be larger or smaller realizations. That is not important. Some of the small a-ha moments lead to larger ones. What is striking is that the Ace of Swords comes after a period of reflection. You have indeed touched the pool of truth about something and that is bound to have a very pronounced and positive effect on you. Let yourself be guided by the realizations that come this week. No doubt, you will feel more in touch with yourself and have a better sense of what is important. When you prioritize things based on that, you will feel like you know where you are going. That will feel refreshing and a welcome change.

Affirmation: I welcome the peace and calm of knowing that right now, I can wait with any important conclusions. It’s a good place to be. I can rest here and take the time I need to nourish my spiritual life. I know that out of this time of reflection and connection to Source, the realizations I need will come to me. I look forward to feeling more present and aware, and feeling the joy at the clarity that emerges easily for me.

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

Daniel Palmo

Ps. I would love to hear what you think. If you find my writing helpful or would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to comment below.

If you missed last weeks reading, you can find it here.

If you are interested in having a personal reading, please click here for more information.

If you would like to receive my weekly readings emailed directly to you, please subscribe below.