Each week in The Wisdom of Change blog series, I share the original artwork and unpack the insights and meaning behind one of the 44 cards in The Wisdom of Change oracle deck.
This week’s card is 35 Clear Karma
As I write, I’m wracking my brains to see where I can take greater responsibility for the aspects of my life that are ‘less than perfect’. My resistance to the wisdom contained in this card has always been strong 😉
I’ve learnt that holding onto the ‘victim archetype’ leads me nowhere fast in resolving the aspects of my life that I desire to change. I’m not proud to admit that it was ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality that led me to acknowledge that my view of the world is just that; an entirely self-imposed ‘truth’. What’s more, I can wrap any meaning around this truth that I choose to. My conclusions will either serve me or hinder me, so I’ve committed to taking much better care of the way I interpret and label things.
Landing the wisdom in this card began with me understanding that each of us have our unique view of the world; myself included. Two people could stand side by side watching the same event and come away with an entirely different memory of the details, meaning and nuance of the situation. My interpretation of my life is simply ‘my story’; my version of what has happened to me, for me and around me.
The fastest way to manifest our desires is to take 100% responsibility for our side of any situation.
The first line of this week’s card reminds me how empowering it is to be OK with this level of personal accountability. I used to think that at most, I could be expected to take 50% responsibility for where I find myself. Quite who or what should shoulder the other 50%, I’m not sure. It is terrifying and liberating in equal measure to accept 100% for everything that has shown up in your life.
The desire to ‘place the blame elsewhere’ runs strong in me. The quest to see ‘where the fault lies’ is part of my process of avoiding pain and discomfort now and in the future. But this approach to making and owning ‘mistakes’ in life is fundamentally flawed. Life was closing in on me; shutting down my self-expression and desire for risk taking and adventure. It killed any chance of joy, creativity and intuition guiding me towards a better life. My day to day experience felt small, difficult and unrewarding as a result.
Once I allowed the identity of my deepest hurts and traumas to be recognised as a series of well-honed personal stories, I held the key to unlocking the door of my ‘prison’. Suddenly the carefully crafted, well-worn tales of hurt relating to past relationships, ill-informed financial decisions and professional setbacks took on a new light. They became treasure troves of new insights and wisdom; a chance to review where I could have done things differently and to see where on some level, I had invited those mishaps towards me.
Owning my stuff was life changing.
Learning how to clear karma is one of the most powerful techniques I have ever encountered. I got in touch with an ex of mine that I had refused contact with for years. He remains one of the great loves of my life, but our breakup was traumatic for us both. I organised a meeting with him with the intent of owning my version of the story. When we met, I articulated and owned the accusations that I had levelled against him. My heart was pounding. It was one of the bravest things I had ever done. I felt raw, exposed and vulnerable; completely out of control of what would happen as a result of investing in this course of action. I could write a book about that one-hour meeting in a golf club restaurant somewhere in Warwickshire, but for the purposes of this blog I will share this much; I was left with the overwhelming knowing that when all else is done, nothing but love remains. Now that is closure of the highest frequency. Karma is now clear in this relationship and my heart remains happy as a result.
Choosing the stories we wrap around our life experiences is not about circumnavigating personal responsibility or avoiding where we need to apologise or improve. It’s about being kind to ourselves (and others) in all our perfect imperfection. Instead of believing that the world is out to get me, I now subscribe to the idea of inverse paranoia; that the world is conspiring to do me good 😉 It reminds me that other people are also living life as best they can with the tools they’ve got. Whatever story I use to interpret their actions is my issue, not theirs.
So today I sit with the opportunity to search for truths that serve me better than the ones that cause me pain or discomfort. It reminds me that when I do, I invite greater good into my life.
I wonder how the wisdom of clearing karma might serve you.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s connection to your inner wisdom.
As always, I’d love to hear your comments below.
If you’d like to learn more about The Wisdom of Change oracle deck you can find out more here.
If you'd like to find out more about a Wisdom of Change reading with Wendy please click here.