Grabbing Back Hope
All Is Not Lost
“I got through two recessions, Covid. This time I don’t I don’t even know if I want to get through.”
In intuitive coaching/tarot-readings sessions that’s become a standard mindset, if not the exact words. Human beings are running low on hope. Anyone who’s been roughed up in life - and who hasn’t been - knows that hope is just about everything.
The good news is that religion, spirituality, positive psychology, observing how others are coping, our own experience (if we can retrieve it) and, of course, the mystical tarot give us snippets to grab onto. Here are the ones with the most impact:
Realizing you have what you need, at least for today. If not, you can reach out. We’re not really an economy of scarcity.
There’s enough to go around. Even in housing. The budget-challenged, for instance, are co-living. Or retrofitting vans. Patron Saint of the Down and Out Bob Wells teaches even those with a $700 Social Security check that they can put together a good life. Yes, they gain access to what they need.
Meet Wells as a real-life character in the film “Nomadland.” It’s the saga of middle-aged woman Fern who lost her husband and job. She sets off in a van. Along the way she discovers the secret of abundance.
Letting go of what used to be. That ranges from the big salary to married life to a skill that’s still marketable to branding to the ability to dance the night away.
That’s exactly the massive shift many large law firms such as Paul Weiss and Skadden have to navigate during the Trump administration. As long as they delivered outstanding legal service to clients they called the shots. What a wonderous state of being. Currently because of deals they assessed they had to make with the administration their autonomy, power, influence and branding aren’t what they used to be.
The kiss of emotional death is to reflect on what was.
Getting out of self. There’s the gallows humor that if you’re locked in yourself you’re traveling around in a very bad neighborhood. The most efficient path out of self is to do something for someone else. That could be as simple as listening. Soon enough you get it that you’re not the only one with troubles.
The 12-step program Alcoholics Anonymous is built on the platform of service. From the get-go those with substance abuse problems who join are given a task. That could be setting up the room for meetings or giving rides to those without transportation.
Living an attitude of gratitude. As soon as you don’t see that mindset as corny, pain lessens. No job? You’re grateful unemployment compensation exists. Turned down for the job after three interviews? You’re grateful you had that interview experience and can analyze it for what seemed to move the process forward and what didn’t. No longer are you at square one.
So here you are. Want more snippets that bring hope? Much of that kind of insight comes through in a tarot reading. You can learn to do your own readings. Stop your day and pull a few cards. Here are the DIY steps. I have a hunch that you’ll be pulling the magician card.
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