The Three of Swords

Every morning I journal, and I meditate before going on a walk. And lately I’ve started pulling a card to help guide my journalling and my meditation.

This morning I pulled the 3 of Swords.

And I almost put it back.

The 3 of Swords is a hard card.

It’s about heartbreak, grief and disappointment, and unlike other dark cards, it doesn’t really have a silver lining.

It’s a stark look in the mirror. And what is reflected back isn’t always pleasant.

But the truth is, it’s and honest card. And one I needed to see.

You see, this week marks the 5th anniversary of my father’s death.

Grief.

My younger brother who struggles with addiction spent the weekend in jail.

Heartbreak.

My kids are grown and off to college and I’m adjusting to a new way of mothering and a new chapter in life.

And this one is hard, because I’m happy and proud, but there is also a little heartbreak and grief in the transition.

The 3 of Swords just acknowledges all of this. It’s a reminder that sometimes we need to sit in our sadness and process it before we can move on.

I don’t want to look at it.

I want to pretend everything is great.

I want to force a smile and go about my day.

But the truth is ignoring our pain isn’t a healthy thing to do.

Sometimes sitting in the sadness the right first step to take. And that is the underlying lesson of this card

It shows up to remind us that sometimes we need a good cry.

Sometime we need to feel the hurt and process it before we move on.

It’s validation.

And in the end, it’s exactly what I needed today.