On review of my reading for 2022, I can see that I have much to learn in reading the Aeons. There was a powerful and strong message in last year's cards but in communicating it, I layered on a lot of my own agenda- specifically, some of the work that I'm doing at Acumen, that is pushing for a radical transition of the business world.
When you strip away my own desire for "urgent transformation" the message in the cards last year was very clear. A consequence of the isolation and separation we experienced during COVID has been a series of tensions and divisions. My personal desire was to resolve these tensions, but the cards were not communicating resolution, that was my desire. They were revealing the tensions, telling us there will be a pressure to take sides but not necessarily a resolution of them. And wow, was 2022 a year of division, war, tensions, and a lot of taking sides, whether that be January 6th, Ukraine, World Cup, Racial Inequalities, Brexit realities, Latin America, Crypto, environment...it was all the consequence of division.
To quote last years reading:
"We have not yet seen the full extent of the long-term and lasting damage that come from prolonged self-absorption, prolonged immersion in social bubbles, prolonged protection of 'you and yours', prolonged self-deceit that you are who you pretend to be. This damage from lost connections and lost social interactions will be profound, especially for a generation who are experiencing this at critical stages of their development."
"Technology, the virus, political and economic cycles have conspired to make us prioritize the individual and our individual survival over our shared responsibilities and shared realities. The result is that we cast 'others' as enemies, distancing ourselves from them and excluding them from our lives. The truth we will come to learn is the opposite - that it is the inclusion and the invitation of 'others' into our lives that makes us stronger."
Lesson learned
So, this year, a little simpler reading because I'm trying to keep this open. To stay true to the cards without too much of myself being layered in.
The first card tells us the subject of the reading.
As you will recall, the first card of the reading is selected by the reader to define the topic to be explored. Given my take on last year's write-up, I chose the card of the Aeon HENOSIS which means union, a joining of opposites. The question for me, for this year, is how do we emerge from these tensions and divisions and find some bridge to heal our wounds of separation.
(The remaining cards in the reading are drawn from the deck).
The second card tells us the energy that is in play.
This card is the card of ELPIS which means hope. But in this reading the card is reversed. Which means hopelessness and the absence of hope. Despair.
I think this card speaks for itself - that the energy that surrounds us currently is a sense of hopelessness. It seems the institutions and structures we once trusted and relied on have failed us and the new ways of being and thinking are not yet proven or certain. Not knowing how the tensions around us are going to net out, or even if they are going to resolve at all is difficult. When there is a lack of hope, it is tempting to give up. To let it go, to separate ourselves once again from an outcome we desire because we cannot see how it might be achieved. And this is where we are now. Not knowing what to pursue and what to give up on. How can we possibly move forward when we don't know how the story will end?
The third card tells us the will that we need to assert.
This is the card of PHRONESIS, not technically an Aeon, as it represents two material Aeons of Zoe (life) and Logos (word).
(In creating the Aeon deck there are only two cards that represent a powerful pairing of Aeons. The first is MONAD, which represents eternal nothingness and silence out of which all the Aeons emerged and the second is PHRONESIS, out of which all material, physical reality emerged).
PHRONESIS means practical wisdom and in that sense, also all the knowledge and experience that each of us have learned. The symbol here represents the multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and complex nature of reality. There are many sides, many perspectives, many ways of experiencing and many interpretations of experience that need to be assimilated into our understanding of the world around us. This is why it's so difficult to achieve anything alone, we need more than just the wisdom we've acquired to achieve anything, we need the wisdom of others too - received or shared wisdom. This card in this position is telling us to focus on the tangible, what is known directly or what is known by others. This is not the time for dreaming but is the time for tangible action based on tangible knowledge. Grounded. Actual. Real. If you are facing something that you are uncertain about, don't make it up. Don't hope that your intuition is right, or your assumptions are correct, find someone who has direct experience or who might have real experience or knowledge. The scales at the top of this card represents the balancing of these different factors. The need to weigh up different perspectives and calculate risk and reward. To hold yourself and others to account.
The fourth card tells us the truth we will discover in 2023.
This card is PARACLETUS which is the helper. This is the card of action on behalf of others. Giving comfort and help to those who need it. To serve the needs of others or to ask others for the help we need...because helping goes both ways.
In 2023 we are going to learn a big lesson and reconnect with our capacity for helping others. A new renaissance in the power of helping others will emerge as necessary. It's very clear that the binary of government or markets is failing us. I don't think anyone believes that either government control or profiteering corporations are going to solve any of the challenges we face. In 2023 we will be forced to explore and embrace the power of helping - the power of the Aeon of Paracletus who has for the last century been largely ignored and rejected. For so many generations, before our modern, urban, all-consuming reality, we shared a common understanding that nature and/or our communities can be the most effective, reliable and generous providers. This is the power of Paracletus and in 2023 all of us will have to relearn this truth- getting over our ego to realize someone else might be willing and able to help us or learning anew the joy and reciprocity we receive when we give help to others more freely.
The fifth card tells us what we do not expect.
This is the card AINOS which means praise. Something worth celebrating. A promise delivered or a prediction that comes true.
Well that certainly is one of the least expected things...That we might, in 2023 have some good news worth celebrating. That some truth will be revealed in this year that might give us hope or that might offer us a clue as to the path out of our hopelessness...whether small or large, this will be a welcome relief.
A piece of the puzzle will fall into place. A hurdle overcome or a step in the right direction that signals the path we are working towards is the right one. This isn't the promise of nirvana, but it is a signal that there is light at the end of the tunnel and this moment will give us more confidence that we are moving in the right direction. In 2023 we should look for these signals, acknowledge them and celebrate them. We should look for these valuable qualities in others and recognize them and celebrate them. We should look for the valuable experiences and contributions that we can offer ourselves and not be afraid to recognize and celebrate these inner qualities too.
The sixth card tells us what will be.
The final card is NOUS...which means Mind.
In 2023 we will see within ourselves, and hopefully with society at large, the emergence of a new mindset. An opening of our minds to a different future that we cannot yet envision. With this new perspective, this new way of thinking, we might also expect some new ways of being and of behaving.
Events of 2023 will not be comfortable if we resist transition. Such forcing of re-appraisal and rethinking is not easy. It demands that we abandon some ways of thinking (and being) that we are comfortable and familiar with. It demands that do different things with our money, our time, and our other assets. It demands that we renegotiate some collectively understood and universally agreed truths that no longer serve us. We might even need to change how we represent ourselves to others and how they see us. It demands that we shift to different agreements within our relationships with either family, community, employment or our relationship with natural and physical environments. Change starts in the mind...2023 will be the year we all start to get our heads around where we are heading before we orient our life/lifestyles to that future.
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