Whether you are a creative or some other sort of worker, one of the topmost important ways to take care of yourself right now is to rest. It is not enough to just sleep right now.
There is entirely too much going on in the world, too much changing and way too quickly. Our physical bodies, our brains have not evolved quickly enough to keep pace with the speed of our ongoing tech developments, the increasingly rapid-fire news cycle, and our social and economic shifts over the past few years.
Rest is a critical component of recovery and healing. Rest is also a critical component of the creative process.
In so many ways, rest is about trust. Trust that your world will get along fine without your active participation for a while. That whatever you're resting on will support you. That you will continue to be just fine without trying to figure anything out or make anything happen.
When you don't know what to do next? Try doing nothing. Try resting.
Turn your energy and dilemmas over to source, to your personal definition of a higher order of things. Notice your breath if you have to calm your mind, and just rest.
That's really what this IV of Swords is all about. The illustration is by Pamela Coleman Smith and is a part of the classic and highly influential Waite-Ryder deck. The abbreviated, original meaning indicates rest (possibly after suffering).
We see a figure at rest, his hands in prayer position, above what is commonly called the "Sword of Truth", with three additional swords hanging on the background wall. The integral, often overlooked part of this image is the stained glass window showing one figure imploring another for some sort of assistance. Considering that the scene is depicted in a church and that the window is illuminated, that scene is playing out in a spiritual domain.
Most things are beyond our control. The unfolding events of the world certainly are. Why not hang up your swords, lay yourself down, ask the universe, or God, for help (if you need it), and surrender to rest?
I will elaborate on rest in a future post and maybe add to this one later. But for now, and for so many reasons, I am going to rest.
There is entirely too much going on in the world, too much changing and way too quickly. Our physical bodies, our brains have not evolved quickly enough to keep pace with the speed of our ongoing tech developments, the increasingly rapid-fire news cycle, and our social and economic shifts over the past few years.
Rest is a critical component of recovery and healing. Rest is also a critical component of the creative process.
In so many ways, rest is about trust. Trust that your world will get along fine without your active participation for a while. That whatever you're resting on will support you. That you will continue to be just fine without trying to figure anything out or make anything happen.
When you don't know what to do next? Try doing nothing. Try resting.
Turn your energy and dilemmas over to source, to your personal definition of a higher order of things. Notice your breath if you have to calm your mind, and just rest.
That's really what this IV of Swords is all about. The illustration is by Pamela Coleman Smith and is a part of the classic and highly influential Waite-Ryder deck. The abbreviated, original meaning indicates rest (possibly after suffering).
We see a figure at rest, his hands in prayer position, above what is commonly called the "Sword of Truth", with three additional swords hanging on the background wall. The integral, often overlooked part of this image is the stained glass window showing one figure imploring another for some sort of assistance. Considering that the scene is depicted in a church and that the window is illuminated, that scene is playing out in a spiritual domain.
Most things are beyond our control. The unfolding events of the world certainly are. Why not hang up your swords, lay yourself down, ask the universe, or God, for help (if you need it), and surrender to rest?
I will elaborate on rest in a future post and maybe add to this one later. But for now, and for so many reasons, I am going to rest.
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