The Hanged Man - What's the Slow Sacrifice? Hurry Up and Wait!

Hurry up and wait, is the common saying you'll hear, usually when we're in a hurry, trying to meet a deadline,but have to wait in a line-up some where. This saying describes the frustration and impatience we can feel when we're caught up in some kind of bureaucratic red tape, or stuck in a traffic jam. We do everything needed to meet our end, but other circumstances dictate the outcome and there isn't much we can do about it..

Hurry up and wait is a contradiction of terms for sure, and The Hanged Man can also seem the same, if we don't see the deeper relevance in our lives. On one hand, it looks to be a card of shear agonizing suffering, though the look on Prometheus' face is serene and peaceful. He is not fighting his situation and has surrendered to the circumstance he's in. He's hanging upside down in the blistering sun, not to mention an eagle is about to eat his liver! Ack!

Prometheus, according to Greek myth, made all the earth out of his own tears, having a deep sympathy for all humankind and has to accept that he must wait in darkness. His sacrifice is for the greater good, trusting in the unseen mystery, in hope of a new and better life for everyone.

At some point in we all make sacrifices, whether we want to or not. Some are self-imposed, others voluntary, and some are born out of circumstances beyond our control. We are often abruptly stopped in our tracks, are forced to slow down, and are perhaps we're not aware until later, that we have been given the gift and opportunity to take stock of our lives and to take inventory of ourselves.  

We now have an opportunity to slow down and really smell the roses, notice little things we never took notice or have taken for granted. We can now see the beauty or even accept the ugly things we can't change.

King of Cups - Surrender, Don't Give Up!

The King of Cups is a card I think many of us can relate to, especially creative types. We often use creativity as a way to express our deepest, and sometimes most painful feelings. I know I certainly relate to the wounded healer as the King of Cups, as this card is often referred to as being. This individual helps others with great compassion and empathy, and sensitivity, but can't seen to help or heal himself.

He lacks trust in the unfolding of life, and can not surrender himself to the world of the unconscious. I found myself this way many years back, when I was much younger, working in the human service field with adults and youth. I became moody, and rather unpredictable in my behaviour.

The King of Cups is described as being the greatest musician and poet alive.  He is also a spiritual man, but he is at discord with his emotional life which is held in check. The King of Cups thinks that he must keep his own emotion arms length, when it comes to processing his own feelings in a healthy way, and his difficulty letting things go,though he longs to be in touch with the feeling world, to express his deep emotion, he lives rather vicariously through others, by helping them. But we cannot solve nor should we try to work out our own issues by projecting them on to, or through others, and often we can be unaware we are even doing this.

The King of Cups has real difficulty opening himself up to intimate relationships, for fear of getting hurt. He keeps himself busy with people, places, and things, as a diversion from his feelings.

I read something today that embodies a description of what it means to surrender. 
Surrender is not about giving up... it's about letting go.


I know if I do not acknowledge and surrender to my feelings, especially around sadness, I  carry around an ongoing underlying depression, that I know takes a tole on my health, if not directly, indirectly.

Christmas time is particularly difficult for many, and if we can find a way to openly talk about this, to unburden ourselves, with someone we trust, we can feel better by naming our feelings, and letting them go. Embracing and acknowledging feelings makes it easier to let them go.