That Strange Space Between One Chapter and the Next

There's a stage of change that nobody really prepares us for.

Something has ended — or is clearly ending — but whatever comes next hasn't appeared yet.

Some moments in life you simply know something is changing...

And it's uncomfortable.

Maybe your children have grown up, and suddenly your life looks different.

Maybe you've left a relationship.

Maybe work has changed, you've retired, you've moved somewhere new, or you've simply reached a point where you know you don't want to continue doing things the way you've always done them.

People will often say things like, “How exciting! A fresh start!”

And perhaps eventually it will be.

But sometimes it doesn't feel exciting at all.

Sometimes it just feels confusing.

We're very good at telling stories about our lives once we know how they turned out.

That happened, which led me to this, and then I met that person, and everything made sense.

It's much harder when you're actually standing in the middle of the story.

You don't know what happens next.

That's often when people come to Tarot wanting to know the future. I completely understand the temptation. But I think there is something more useful we can do with the cards. Instead of asking, What's going to happen to me? we can start looking at where you are now.

What are you ready to leave behind?

What are you carrying forward simply because it's familiar?

What have you learned?

What would you like the next chapter to have more of?

And perhaps most importantly, what do you need right now?

Sometimes a Tarot reading gives you a new perspective. Sometimes a card makes you laugh because it is almost embarrassingly accurate. Sometimes it raises another question you hadn't thought to ask.

And sometimes it simply confirms what you already knew.

I don't think every uncertain period in life needs to be fixed quickly.

There are times when not knowing is simply part of the process.

You haven't lost your way.

You might just be between chapters.

LIGHTSIDEUP Tarot — Tarot & Clarity for Life’s Turning Points.