12 June 2009

Three steps to Insight...9 of cups

The 9 of cups is a card of insight. That covers a wide range of experience and ideas. But today it speaks to trusting your own insight.
It seems to be a natural instinct of teenages to want to fit in. Even adults crave a sense of group 
identity. It is comforting and easy to be part of a group. Human are social animals.

It takes a particular courage to be alone and stand by your own understanding of truth. I wonder if that is the root behind some christian conservatives feeling as though they are being pushed out by society, when actually christian protestantism is a clear majority in this country. Perhaps the fear of philosophical alone-ness is so strong they begin to see opposition at every turn, whether it exists or not. People in the news like Bill O’Reilly and the recently fired Miss California and such spring to mind. 

So the idea of insight can daisy chain right together with many cards and lessons in a Tarot reading: truth, courage, integrity, compassion for oneself and for others.Insight is a key to so much learning. I can talk about truth and integrity all day long, but if someone doesn’t SEE it for themselves, it is all just a jumble of nothing. If you don’t see, hear, feel the truth in a direct and personal way, it is just noise and static. Insight is a critical part of our personal journey in this way.Like many things, there are several components to insight. 

First is the ability see inside a situation. Insight is the ability to read between the lines and see into the root cause and core heart of a matter, no matter what superficial dog-and-pony-show is going on at the surface. Insight is part gift, part life experience, but also in large part a simple willingness to be open to what is really going on. The first step in insight is to see inside. The next step is to trust what you see.If you don’t trust your own sense of truth, your own sense of integrity, then insight is of no value. Intuition is worthless unless you are willing to trust yourself and believe in that insight.

Insight is a cornerstone of learning, compassion, courage and integrity. 

Trust in yourself is a cornerstone of insight. If you don’t trust your insight, how can you use that understanding to act to better your own life and act compassionately to those around you?

If this card speaks to you today, think about those n0t-so-obvious things around you. Are you able to read between the lines, look past the tempest-in-a-teapot and see what it really going on? What does your insight tell you? Just as importantly … do you trust your own experience of this insight? If not, what is holding you back? Why aren’t you allowing yourself to believe in your own truth? Many times the thing holding us back from trusting out own insights is fear of failure or a fear of being wrong.  Mistakes are ok…how else can we learn? 

There is a HUGE difference between “insight” and “impulse”. If you have an insight, once you experience and see your own truth…it is ok to verify it, be thoughtful about it. You don’t have to act on IMPULSE just because you have had an INSIGHT. Ask questions…verify what you have seen. It is ok to be introspective about your insights before you act on them.

Step one: learn to see into the real heart of things…look below the surface and see what you know to be the truth of it.

Step two: learn to trust your own truth…and trust yourself

Step three: Act on that insight only in a compassionate way. If things don’t go well, learn from the mistakes so they don’t have to happen again.

May you see well, and experience your truth in a happy, healthy way.

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