Chaos and Conflict

Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Barron-Reid

From the guide book:

The value of chaos before order.

The Oracle's message: Opposing forces come together to create a turbulent atmosphere. But consider the value of chaos that serves you well, as you become unmoored by it. Scattered to the winds, you leave behind the parts of yourself you no longer need and disperse seeds to reinvent yourself anew. Although the conflict appears to exist externally, its essence is also internal, projected outward and causing disarray. You may find yourself at cross-purposes with someone else, facing a storm you feel you can't control. Yet every storm passes, and chaos leads to a reordering of things. Conflict provides a way to see more than one side of a situation. Look upon this as just a moment in time when you may need to take shelter and step away from the fray. Don't be too eager to fight. This is a time to understand rather than to be understood.



Change seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, deepening into the Darkness of Fall and Winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, birthing into the Light of Spring and Summer. Both places of chaos and conflict. Fall and Spring bring strong, visible changes ~ mostly in the colors bursting forth. Times to face elemental chaos and conflict.

These elemental changes show up internally for each of us as well. The recent Full Moon blossoms with change ~ opportunities we can choose to either hunker down or battle. Either way, change, chaos and conflict will arrive. We feel the movement, the gusts and gales within us.

If change is to come, chaos necessarily precedes it. Consider the struggle of birthing. Or the controlled burn preparation of the ground for planting. Or the messiness of a kitchen when preparing a meal. Observing each of these, we see chaos ~ within which lies a plan we may or may not understand at the time. Yet out of those chaotic moments comes something wonderful.

This card, arriving as it has for me personally, is perfect. I am in a change place in my life. Time often feels chaotic as though I should be doing something which is not in my momentum to do. My life appears in slow motion disarray like waving a lantern in a storm, in and out of focus. I chuckle deep within ~ quietly recognizing the storm for what it is: the bringer of newness. I am grateful.

What is changing in your life? Is the change only external? How do you face the internal chaos when it shows up? What do you do with conflict? How does the storminess of life affect you?

Struggle

Who wants to find Struggle as a central card in a Tarot reading? I certainly prefer not. When I researched possible meanings, this is what I found:

You may be working through personal issues .... At the same time, you have others around you who have strong views about what you should do .... Just when you think you have a clear point of view, you are challenged on that view or you discover new information, and you change your standpoint again. This process is actually highly beneficial and will help you to come to a well-researched and well-thought out perspective. Know, too, that there is no ‘right’ answer, and whichever path you do choose, someone is not going to agree with it. So, you have to find the most comfortable option possible that sits best with you. It may not be 100% right for you but you need to choose whatever is closest.

I am finding this to be so very, very true. I waffle and waver back and forth, attempting to determine what is the best path, how do I best accomplish it, when do I move forward and in what manner. Each of these could take months to determine. Together, it could be years. Yet a decision needs to be made soon.

Even though I am the final decision-maker, I find myself asking others for advice, direction, resources and help. I want all the necessary data to make a fully informed decision. Sometimes that means I am overflowing with knowledge, yet slow with choice.

Reluctantly, I must admit, this is precisely where I stand. I have some major deciding to accomplish and often feel frozen in indecision. I am hopeful with the ending of the explanation of the card: "It may not be 100% right for you but you need to choose whatever is closest." The time is coming.

How do you handle struggle? What would you want to say to Struggle in your life? How would make your choice?