April Theme - Face Your Fears

Rider-Waite Tarot

As we leap into April, you may find yourself coming to a standstill after your March successes. Isn't it crazy how we second-guess ourselves the closer we get to triumph, the closer we get to being happy?

Notice, the woman is not bound at the legs and the swords do not cage her in. She can leave this situation any time she wants. The problem is she can't use her eyes to see, or her arms to help guide her out. But, if she really wanted to leave, she would find a way - tiny steps forward, or even a shout for help.


"The clue to this card is the blindfold - symbolizing confusion, oppressive ideas, isolation from other people in similar situations; what political liberations call mystification' - keeping people down not by direct force, but by training them to believe in their own helplessness." ~ Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack

The bondage in this card is self-imposed. Your own thoughts are confusing and trapping you in a situation, in which you see no apparent way out. In order to move from this situation, you must face your fear, see things clearly, and make decisions based on an understanding of what's really going on.

"Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it." --Judy Blume

Some of us spend so much time looking into the past, readjusting it to what should have been that we fail to see today. A paralyzing fear takes hold when we try to adjust what we do today, and what that action will bring tomorrow. The fear of the unknown brings us to a standstill, so instead of moving forward and being present, we feel stuck in one place, in one routine.

In March, we focused on starting something, striving toward success. We found success, along with failure, but we kept going. You may have hit a wall, realized what success might bring, uncovered a fear you wasn't even aware of. Don't stop, push past the fear and keep achieving and failing.

April brings us the energy of fear, but it doesn't have to stop you in your tracks. Identify the fear, give it a name, and face it head on. Always remember, fear is usually of something of which does not exist at that moment. Our imagination creates the worse possible scenario in order to keep us safe. This is an automatic action of the brain, but you can adjust it, reinvent its reaction, and remove the feared scenario. Imagine something wonderful developing from your action.

"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." --Thich Nhat Hanh

Activity for April: Write about your fears, about the imagined scenarios which stop you in your tracks, and delve into why you may be creating such scenes. And then, write about what you started in March, why you began, and what you hoped to accomplish. See your fear for what it is, your imagination, and continue toward success.

Good luck in your journey.