IWhen you hear the word ‘Harmony’, what do you think, or feel?
What exactly does harmony mean to you? What does it look like?
Is it an arrangement of musical notes to evoke an emotional reaction? An agreement of ideas and peaceful resolutions? Or a combination or different aspects connected in a way which just works?
However you interpret the word, its absence is soon felt. Generally, life moves along peacefully with nothing dramatic causing upset or difficulty. However, a little disharmony will soon cause one to really feel disconnected. If left unchecked, it can spiral into some major issues which could take years to balance out.
What are the most common causes of disharmony in your life?
Work? Love? Friendships? Family? The future? Each a delicate balance of multiple assets form as such to allow its connection to everything else. Are you working too many hours? Do you let that one friend continue to take advantage of you time and time again? Are you so disconnected to you own loving relationships they never seem to work how you want?
There have been several questions asked so far but narrow it down to just one.
How are YOU feeling?
Your answer can prompt several more as you explore the depths of your own life and your feelings. Each answer may mean change is needed to bring yourself back into balance and find harmony.
There are many Tarot cards that remind us to check the harmony in different aspects of life and guide us to make the right choices.
2 of PENTACLES
reminds us to maintain a positive life/work balance.
6 of CUPS
asks us to work within our own limits with those around us in the MINOR ARCANA.
The 14th card in the MAJOR ARCANA is Temperance – the most direct relevance to complete harmony in life.
Initially, we see an angelic figure in a busy environment transferring fluid from one cup to another with such grace that not a drop is spilled. Delve a little deeper and think ahead from the scene and you soon realize that everything is reliant on everything else, EXACTLY as it is.
The setting sun, the calm breeze, the position of the figure’s feet with one on the ground and one in water, the relaxed posture of their wings suggesting they are not going to change anytime soon. The are comfortable with things exactly as they.
One small change and the figure would soon find it difficult to maintain balance.
The light leaving with the sun making it hard to see, the rising wind causing the water to crash and make it hard to balance or extend and use their wings. The figure needs to always be mindful of the aspects beyond their control, but which affect them regardless, and the steady changes which could cause them to change their own actions. They are reminded to be proactive in maintaining balance within all these aspects beyond their influence.
Taking this even further, so often we are so focused on our environment and reacting to that, that physical harmony may be present, but our intrinsic harmony may be teetering on the edge. So often we forget the. only thing we can truly control is ourselves. The balance of our thoughts, emotions, actions and basic energies are so often dictated by things and people outside of our control, it’s no wonder so many are struggling to find harmony in their life.
So, if you are going from one extreme to the next, doomed to a seemingly endless cycle of ups and downs. I ask again, “How are YOU feeling?”
Temperence reminds us to pause, reflect and observe – not just where we are and what we are doing, but why we are doing it and how we are feeling at every level.
For years, I have neglected to ask myself that question, my actions have been purely reactive to maintain a balance so far out of my own harmony that it felt like balance would be impossible to recover. The Tarot will always help you find a position, both inside and out where everything just ‘clicks’ together and life becomes easier. By being present and mindful, we can maintain harmony our whole life because we are in control and have the power to achieve it.
I am reminded of the 4 of Swords in the MINOR ARCANA which brings a message of peace. It’s giving you the time to pause and remove yourself from a cluttered busy mind and for a short time at least, help you ‘tune in’ to yourself. It will slow your breathing, calm your mind and bring clarity to your thought processes.
May I make a personal request to you all? Give yourself that ‘you time’. Have a bath, go for a walk, break some plates, do what you need to identify the areas of disharmony in your life and discover what you need to bring harmony back into your life. It would be lovely, if you want to share, to let me know how you feel…
Take care my friends.
Article by More to Life Elder – Andrew Greig
Article published in More to Life – Edition 68
