Change is Inevitable
Last month I attended STAARCON (Southeastern Tarot Artists And Readers) for the first time. The conference was my first non-corporate gathering and my first tarot-related conference, so feeling like the new girl at a new school was inevitable. Raised by young nomads, these two left feet know every step to the New Girl Dance, so I was grateful to have been welcomed and embraced by some of the coolest folk I’ve ever met. Throughout the experience, my veins pulsed with excitement, the atmosphere swarming in magick and creativity, and I left with an awakening prodding at my joints and bones.
My tarot card for the month of January was the Wheel of Fortune, my card for February is Death, and so far this week alone both have surfaced in my daily pulls twice each. The message? I’m fully immersed in transition. A change storm is on the horizon and I’m both captain and crew of this vessel.
During one of the STAARCON sessions, Mary Ellen Collins, a tarot and crystal reader, charm-caster, and astrologer, presented a series of sessions around those specific subjects. The learning experience was rich with new ideas I quickly translated for how a writer might use them in their own creative practices. However, Mary Ellen made one specific statement that has stayed with me ever since. While I.T. was helping to troubleshoot her presentation technology, she thanked the group for being so patient and commenced a message around just that: patience. “Misery is optional,” she stated in relation to her message, and for several moments after that comment I heard nothing but Charlie Brown’s teacher. Wa wa waa wa waaa wa...
Misery is optional. The words lingered. Apparently, the saying is a thing, although sources vary, but in that instance in Mary Ellen’s workshop it was the first time I’d ever heard it. Those words have echoed in my mind every day since, and they’ve acquiesced with the transitional awakening settling over me.
Yesterday on Instagram I shared a photo of my card for the day, Wheel of Fortune (yet again – the tarot can be so nagging) and I wrote about my own personal interpretation of the card’s messaging.
The Wheel of Fortune is an invitation for navigating ups and downs, twists and turns, surprises and (Ahem...) "opportunities."
How we grasp the wheel and hang on is up to us; however, there's no need to reinvent this particular wheel. The instructions for navigating it are clear: we can hang onto the outer rim and expect erratic flailing and floundering out of control, or we can grasp the spokes at the center and secure a more focused, gradual turn.
To the creative person, while the former offers certain adventure, the latter invites manageable navigation. Whether the waters of change are as choppy as the Two of Pentacles or as smooth as the Two of Swords, change can be difficult to navigate. Change can affect inspiration and motivation, volleying creatives with troublesome hurdles like writer’s block and imposter syndrome.
This sea of change I’m finding myself traversing has my cogs and pulleys spinning at full steam. Next week, I’ll share a process for navigating change that has helped me during times of newness and uncertainty. It’s one that can help change the way you view change, and until then, I’ll leave you with Maya Angelou’s take on that very idea.
In her more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, Amanda “Mandy” Hughes has written and designed over a dozen works of literary, Southern Gothic, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.
Mandy is the founder of Haint Blue Creative®, a space for readers and storytellers to explore, learn, and create. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology, and she has worked as an instructional designer for nearly twenty years.
When she’s not writing, Mandy enjoys the movies, theater, music, traveling, nature walks, birdwatching, and binging The Office. She is a tarot enthusiast who uses the cards to enhance creativity and foster wellness. She lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @haintbluecreative.