A Look at Changes - Part 1

Loss can be painful. No matter how you dress it up. The loss of your home, your job, your health, an opportunity you really thought you’d get, a pet, that ice cream cone that fell on the ground and that was your last $5...and the list goes on.

Sometimes these losses happen at the same time. Some losses can bring you to a level of grief that can feel like despair and disguise itself as “no way out.”

The closer you are to something, the harder it is to see.

But what if that loss is what is bringing you closer to that expected end? The life that you said you wanted? What if that loss is not only the last step toward the life you’ve always wanted, but also the catalyst for your soul’s expansion?

The Five of Cups is known to be the card of loss and sorrow, but what if it’s telling us a different narrative? If we look closely, it might be showing us new opportunities, giving us information about how to move next. Perhaps this is your “final” expansion of your current chapter.

Here are eight possible outcomes:

1. The three cups that fell on the ground show that perhaps wine and water have gone to waste; however, the cups are still intact, and you can pick them up. Maybe they are made out of gold, and you can sell them for a profit. Maybe you can refill them at some point. Maybe you can save them and keep them so that they can appreciate over time. They are still yours. So, do an inventory of whatever is left in your life and start there.
2. The two cups that are still standing. The cups that fell are giving you information. They are telling you that perhaps the ones that are still standing have water and wine. What is your loss revealing about your situation? I always say that everything in life is information. And that is one of the most valuable things to have before you move forward. And what if both cups standing are only holding water? Well, you are “magical”; you can turn water into wine. In other words, you might have lost a few things in life, but what you have not lost is the knowledge you have acquired over time. You are not starting over; you’re expanding into your next stage of life. It might be slow, and, to be honest, it should be. Slow gives us the ability to be present and build solid and clear foundations.
3. They are standing on yellow ground. The weight of the loss, the black cloak, might be heavy, but you are standing on the source of all creation. The yellow on the card represents solar vitality, aka creation itself. One of the reasons that most of the time we can’t see that is because when things happen, we experience the illusion that we are separate from Source/creation. You might have lost a few things, perhaps a lot of things, but what remains steady is your connection to that Creative Force.
4. The river is flowing, which can mean a few things: there might be a boat that will pass by. Perhaps it will help you get to the other side. Perhaps it is the boat that will take you to a new destination. Perhaps it will come and drop off some food until you are ready to move. (Sometimes we might need nourishment before it is time to go.) Water moving is a sign that eventually we must go. The longer we stay still, the heavier the weight of that cloak will feel. So, make sure that you stay open to certain opportunities that might come your way. It might not be what you want, but it might be necessary for your restoration.
5. Green pastures and lush land are an indication that you are around resources, and resources don’t always mean just money. It can mean opportunities, gifts, learning a new skill, things that will help you rebuild, and get you ready for the next chapter of your life. So, look and see what resources are readily available to you and how you can use them to help you move forward.
6. The house across the river on the hill could be a temporary stay until you get back on your feet. Perhaps it is a place of rest. Perhaps it is the place and the home you have always dreamed of. Perhaps it is a return to claim what has always been yours. Regardless of what it might be for you, know that it is a part of that expected end that you have created for yourself. Trust that what’s inside is healing and clarity because it shares the same yellow color as the ground. It is the place where you will get to create the life you have always wanted.
7. The bridge is a symbol that, along the way, situations and people are going to serve as bridges for you to get to the other side. These are not meant to stay in your life forever. They are just there to get you to where you need to be. It is important that we understand this distinction so that we are not taking them with us or thinking that we must stay where they are.
8. The black cloak can also symbolize protection as you grieve, especially when we find ourselves going through the night of the soul. But know this: the darkness is where we get to go back to a place of nothingness and where new seeds are planted, aka information from the other side. And when you are unearthed, the amount of growth and expansion you get to experience will be unrecognizable.

Questions to Go Into an Inquiry:

1. What information is this loss providing me?
2. What do I still have left?
3. What resources are readily available to me?
4. What do I know how to do that will enable me to generate something new?
5. Who can I ask for help?
6. What did I ask for that I have now forgotten?
7. Who and what is creating stagnation in my life?
8. Do I trust myself and the Creator that has placed me here?

These are not meant to force an outcome but rather to create enough curiosity so that you can navigate through your own experience of loss.

We all can find a way out of what seems like a “no way.”