By Michelle Crandell
“The end of my Quest is near,” the Fool thinks. “There is still something I must address. What is it?” In answer, a fiery Angel slaying a red dragon appears before him. Slashing the dragon’s neck, the Angel says, “There. That’s done.” Pointing his sword, he continues, “Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn?” exclaims the Fool. “What do you mean? I don’t have any dragons to slay!” The Angel suggests, “How about those dragons from your past, following you wherever you go?” “Oh…those,” mumbles the Fool. “I plan on just ignoring THEM.”
“You cannot leave the past behind, nor can you abandon it,” the Angel acknowledges. “Your past shaped you. It’s part of who you are. What you CAN do is face your past, come to terms with it, make peace with it. How about right now?”
Somewhere, a trumpet blows. The ground opens up. From the fissures, the Fool’s past mistakes and thoughtless deeds rise like ghosts from graves. Guilt and remorse fill his soul. “There’s ‘me’ long ago…and ‘me’ not so long ago,” he laments.
Little by little, the Fool gains perspective, objectivity. He begins to feel compassion for himself and compassion for courageous others who have faced their Shadows. “Whoa…missed the lesson there. Whoops…made things worse that time. Boy… we ALL messed that up!” As he forgives himself and others for being such fools, his Shadow selves evaporate… drops of rain in sunlight, becoming tiny rainbows.
Michelle Crandell provides individual readings for a fee. Once a year, she teaches LEARN TO READ TAROT. For more information, email michelle.crandell@gmail.com or call 501-655-6242.
