From time to time,
The wheels come off our bus.
The man who is late for work for the first time in 25 years is a good example of this.
An external event which is outside our control,
Like a bereavement or a family illness,
Can have a huge impact on our world and our time.
It might be something less world shattering,
Like our favourite soccer or baseball team losing a series of matches for a number of weeks.
We might be internally thrown out of a kilter with worry,
Sadness or grief.
Or our time,
Attention and support might be required.
Either way,
Our creativity and productivity is dampened and our to-do list just doesn't get done.
Sometimes too,
We might have a run of bad luck and we can begin to question ourselves.
We ask what have we done wrong?
Is the world out to get us?
And what have we done to deserve this?
The hangman in the tarot is an intriguing archetype.
He is suspended from a tree by a rope around one leg.
In many tarot decks he is drawn with a serene,
Wise and youthful face.
He sees the world upside down and sees opportunity in adversity.
For example,
A coach,
Healer or therapist might devise a way to help people who are suffering or in trouble by creating a product or a service.
From a personal perspective,
Working through adversity gives us the opportunity to grow,
Evolve and even to shine and show our true self.
So breathe in and breathe out.
The next time adversity comes to visit,
No matter how troublesome it might be,
Thank it for coming along.
If you experience a double or triple occurrence of a similar issue,
Thank the pattern for repeating even more and for bringing something to your attention.
Let go of all thoughts and notions that the world is conspiring against you.
By taking some time out to reflect on the learnings to be had by embracing adversity,
Something magical happens.
Either that particular adversity never darkens your door again or if it does,
It doesn't affect you in such a traumatic way and therefore doesn't consume as much of your attention and your time.
