inner peace
Holding On To What Never Changes
Nature always inspires deep thoughts in me. There’s something about pausing to watch the wind rustle through the trees or to see the sun gently filter through the clouds that invites stillness and reflection.
Today, I found myself contemplating the constantly changing seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, we are a month away from the summer solstice, and the days are becoming increasingly long and warm with golden light. The trees are lush and full, the air hums with the sound of insects, and gardens overflow with life.
Change is everywhere. It’s evident in the ripening of fruit, the intense afternoon heat, and the subtle shift in the season’s energy toward harvest.
It’s not just nature, either. Our lives are constantly evolving, too. Relationships shift, careers transition, health fluctuates, and dreams reshape themselves over time.
No matter where we turn, we hear messages such as “Change is inevitable,” and “Don’t be afraid of change.”
Yes, change is necessary. As spiritual beings, we are meant to continually grow and evolve. Change challenges us, stretches us, and teaches us.
But let’s be honest — sometimes it’s also deeply unsettling. This is especially true in times like these, when the world feels uncertain, divided, and fragile.
Embracing The Shadow Within
When I first began to intentionally and consciously walk a spiritual path, I remember doing so because it just felt so right. Every step I took toward ‘enlightenment’ in this lifetime seemed to bring more brightness into my life, and so many more blessings.
In those early days I was really rolling! I was expecting this to be an easy ride – all joy and light and love. It was wonderful.
What I hadn’t expected was the inevitable emergence of my shadow through as a result of all my spiritual work. And it was not something I was going to be comfortable with – admitting I had places of darkness within me, unloved aspects of myself, disowned pieces of my soul which had been abandoned and in such pain.
Through a series of, what seemed like, unfortunate events, I was given opportunities to face my shadow side. Challenges in relationships with friends and loved ones arose. I couldn’t understand it at first, and felt very alone and misunderstood. I was shifting the blame for this onto the people around me, instead of going inward.
Going inward, into the light, was totally okay, but going inward into the darkness was terrifying. My ego-self raised every defense to keep me from going there. Eventually, I could avoid it no longer.
My life at this point had endured tremendous change in the course of only a few years- so much so, that the entire landscape of my existence and the people in it were now different. While many of the changes were positive, the magnitude of the differences between my ‘old life’ and my ‘new life’ forced me into robust self-reflection.
The Sublime Joy Of Solitary Bliss
There’s something truly magical about solitude. I’m not talking about loneliness or feeling isolated. I’m talking about that golden, nourishing moments of ‘me-time’ when you can just be alone in peace with yourself — and only yourself.
For me, taking time out from the noise and chaos is not just a preference. It’s a sacred necessity. I mostly like to do things on my own, at my own pace, without interruption. Whether I’m meditating, walking in nature, or simply brewing a cup of tea, being alone allows my heart, mind and soul to breathe!
Some people thrive in the company of others. They feel alive in the presence of connection and togetherness. And I respect that. We all walk different paths, and what nourishes one soul may not nourish another in the same way.
But for those of us who find peace in solitude, the inner sanctuary is a silent temple — where we commune with the divine, reconnect with our essence, and return to the world feeling centered and whole.
Solitude is not just a lifestyle choice for me — it’s the grounding force that supports everything else in my life.
When I am peacefully alone, I can focus better, think more clearly, and become truly aligned. My energy is mine. My time is mine. My thoughts are mine. There’s no need to filter, explain, or adjust to anyone else’s expectations. It’s just me, myself and the universe — and in that space I feel centered and complete.
The Tarot Is A Mystical Bridge To Spiritual Insight
Mysterious, symbolic and highly energetic, the Tarot is a high vibrational tool that can help us explore the deeper meaning behind the events of our daily lives, and the influence of Spirit in our earthly existence.
The Tarot especially offers guidance in situations where may feel lost or confused, and it serves as a mystical bridge between our physical reality and the metaphysical realm.
The cards have their own energy, a high vibrational frequency, which Spirit uses to communicate messages of guidance, encouragement, insight and caution.
Every Tarot reader has their own set of spiritual gifts and psychic abilities, and therefore we tend to each develop our own reading style accordingly.
In my own readings, I find that Spirit most often seeks to illuminate areas in our lives where changes and healing may be needed, in order to bring about the most beneficial future outcomes. This can be anything from the need to shift one’s perspective, to the need to let go, or sometimes the need to simply accept things as they are.
Ultimately, I find Spirit uses the Tarot to get us ‘unstuck,’ so we get back in the flow. When we are in the flow, or in alignment, we are creating with the Universe, instead of creating resistance. Only then are we truly moving toward our highest good and the fulfillment of our greatest potential.
The Tarot is a conduit for communication with our guides and our higher self, through which we can gain a deeper understanding of the soul lessons and the magic happening in our lives.
Tarot Forecast May 2025: Four Of Swords
The Four of Swords forecasts a month of rest and recovery, reflection, and renewal. After the dynamics and challenges of the past few months, this card signals a turning point. It invites us to step back from the demands of the outside world and return to the sanctuary within.
This month is not a time for striving or pushing. Instead, we are invited to honor the vital need to recharge – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is a month to slow down without guilt and to pause, not out of fear or avoidance, but out of reverence for the recovery process.
There is a silent power to this card’s energy of inner work and self-reflection. The universe offers a moment of stillness, a quiet space this month where we can recalibrate, gather our strength, and reconnect with what truly matters.
In this sanctuary of slowness, we can sort through our thoughts, release lingering tension, and make room for new clarity to emerge. It reminds us that slowing down is not stagnation, but a form of sacred progress.
The Four of Swords traditionally depicts a knight or pilgrim in a state of deep rest or meditation, lying on a slab of stone in what appears to be a tomb. This image is derived from medieval effigies — sculptures of knights carved into their final resting places, hands clasped in prayer, as if caught in an eternal moment of devotion and repose.
This imagery is rich in symbolism. It suggests a necessary retreat after hardship, a period of peace and quiet before the next phase of action. The surrounding stillness, lack of movement, and prayerful posture of the resting figure suggest a sacred inner space where healing, recovery, and clarity can occur.
Finding Peace and Joy In The ‘No-thingness’
Like Neo in the movie The Matrix (1999) our minds occasionally slip into luminous moments of complete stillness and clarity — tiny mental pauses where all thinking stops just long enough for us to glimpse the truth of all existence.
In these fleeting spaces between our thoughts, it becomes clear that the comings and goings of life are just that… temporary ‘blips’ of experience that arise and pass through our awareness.
I have come to know these moments as realizations of ‘no-thingness.’
In these brief pauses, something quietly opens up within us. We notice the obvious — what has always been there — hidden behind the busy waking mind and its constant commentary. Our awareness shifts from being consumed by temporary events to seeing what’s always there: the background, the container, the eternal.
These silent mental breaks reveal something much deeper and greater than our own existence and awareness.
There’s a word for this in ancient Sanskrit: svabhāva. It means one’s true nature — the essence of who we are beneath the roles, stories, and conditioning. The term is used in many yogic and Vedantic texts to describe the innate reality or unconditioned self beyond our human ego and thoughts.
Our true authentic self is not something we become. It’s something we remember. When we glimpse the silence between thoughts, we’re not discovering something new — we’re reconnecting with our original divine self. Not the self that reacts and worries, but the self that simply is. Svabhāva is the part of us that doesn’t come and go. It’s the constant presence behind every changing moment. It is the essence of living a truly conscious life.
Finding True Purpose In The Unity Of Love
There is a profound truth about life that many people don’t fully grasp until they reach the end of their journey.
Our true purpose in this life not about success, status, or the material things we accumulate. It’s about something far greater and more beautiful: love.
At the core of our existence is the simple yet powerful truth that we are all connected. That is why we must love unconditionally, share our gifts with the world, and show up for others with kindness, compassion, and authenticity.
Yet so often we get caught up in the pursuit of validation, accomplishment, and material success, only to realize – sometimes too late – that love is the greatest accomplishment of all.
Consider a drop of water falling into the ocean. Alone, it may seem small and separate. But the moment it merges with the vast ocean, it’s no longer just a drop-it becomes part of something infinite, part of every wave, every current, and every ripple.
That’s us. We are never really separate; we are all woven into the fabric of existence, flowing together in this great cosmic dance.
And when we live from love – when we choose to be present, to forgive, to uplift others – we become more than ourselves. We become a part of something timeless.
In the end, what matters most is not what we own or what we’ve accomplished, but the love we’ve given, the lives we’ve touched, and the hearts we’ve left a little warmer. Love is the thread that binds us all together, the force that carries us beyond this fleeting moment into eternity.