The Fire Horse and The Falling Tower

2026 is the year of the Fire Horse. It appears every 60 years, and is a symbol of dramatic change and intense energy. The Fire Horse portends major shifts, breaking old patterns, and inspiring new growth. If it lives up to it's reputation, this will be a very interesting year.

In January, my "the year ahead" Tarot reading was... unsettling. The Tower came up as the card to represent my year as a whole. Wow, the Tower. The scariest of all Tarot cards. But, it tracks with the energy of the Fire Horse. The Tower is about a major, unexpected shift: an undoing allowing for a redoing. The crumbling Tower topples so that a more stable structure can be built in its place.

Now, of course, I am thinking about all aspects of my life. What false truths have I built upon? What is no longer serving me? Where do I need to experience growth?

I mean, it is not like I've been idle. The past four years have certainly included growth and exploration. In many ways, Dave and I dismantled the foundation of our lives when we started the "sell everything and live on a boat" adventure. Now, in the year of the Fire Horse, we are once again living in a house. Landbase feels different this time because we have consciously chosen this life, this place. For me, a different kind of exploration has begun. The focus of this blog will likely shift. I'll still post travel adventures and art; however, the journey this year will be more introspective. The blog is likely to become the travelog of my spiritual journey. You are welcome to venture with me.

I believe the Universe knows I've been "dabbling" in a spiritual quest for a while. Perhaps, the Fire Horse and the Tower is the Universe shouting to me that it is time to move beyond sticking my toe in the shallow waters of curiosity and dive into the deep waters of understanding. The Tower is telling me that it is time to let go of what I do not believe and to embrace what I do believe. The Fire Horse is saying "get on with it, already!"

Why am I on a spiritual quest? You may wonder.

My spiritual tower, if you will, is wobbly. I have not put down a solid foundation. What are my truths? Are they mine or have I borrowed from others? Have I just adopted what those around me believe?

From an early age, I have, at times, felt a deep connection to something greater than myself, the physical body of my being. I believe there is a "higher power" or organizing principle to the Universe. I also believe our lives serve a purpose. I believe, whether it is intentional or not, our existence in this time and place has an impact on the world, the Universe even. And if we have just this one life, if there is no "after life," it does not make this one life any less worthwhile or noble. Even if there are other lives, this life is the only one that you have right now. We are "called" (for want of a better word) to use this existence to make the world a better place.

Joan's truth #1: There are mysteries beyond human understanding, and sometimes we comprehend truth as a feeling that cannot be explained with words.

Joan's truth #2: The Universe is a system, we are an integral part of that system, and we have a responsibility in this life to make the world a better place.

As a person who has grown up with a Christian belief system (more or less) and as a person who has been a feminist since before I knew what a feminist was, one of my original challenges with Christianity is the systematic diminishment of women. With few exceptions, Christian churches are rigidly patriarchal. Women are sidelined or even reviled. It makes zero sense to me that any divine entity would create a population where half the people - the half responsible for birthing new life, no less - would be deemed "the weaker sex" by some and banned from leading worship or holding religious authority by many. Thousands of years of patriarchy has damaged both men and women (and Mother Earth). I read a doctoral dissertation years ago that proposed Jesus was the first feminist. And since that time, I have come across more scholarly works supporting that idea. But, of course, this is not the mainstream thought. And, let's face it, Jesus' actual teachings are largely absent from many mainstream "Christian" churches these days.

Loud Christians, like mega churches, and prosperity gospel adherents, that seem to be a far cry from the most basic tenets (like don't worship false gods and love your neighbor) have soured me on Christianity in general. As far as I can tell, loud Christians are about productions, pyrotechnics, and posturing, but few good works. But, I must also say, I've also seen many examples of folks who do welcome the stranger and rebel against the status quo. When Sofie and I were on a walk the other day, I saw a garden flag that read, "Christians Against Christian Nationalism." It made my day. I went home and baked bread to take to them. I thought they might think I was a weirdo, but they were wonderful. We had a great conversation and they were happy to get the bread. Maybe they thought I was OK because I was wearing my "Practice Peace" sweatshirt.

Joan's truth #3: The Divine is both masculine and feminine and the divine feminine is the force of creation and intuition (also, Jesus is a feminist).

Joan's truth #4: Loud Christians are sus.

Apparently, the Universe, in her wisdom, knew I needed multiple perspectives to help me along my spiritual path. The Universe always provides and gave me two such experiences in the past month. I am learning more about Indigenous culture through my participation in a workgroup developing training for early childhood educators. At some point, somewhere in all of our ancestry, we were tribal peoples, intimately tied to nature and spirit. This learning has been like both rediscovering forgotten knowledge and gaining a whole new viewpoint at the same time. We are not healthy when we are isolated from each other, from the earth, from the divine within. The Venerable Monk's Walk for Peace was the other experience. Each day I write, "Today will be my peaceful day." I've practiced meditation off and on for years. It is one of my dabbles, just a toe in the water. I am not very good at it, but am improving. So I'm reading some books and am trying to be mindful, to meditate, to be present.

Joan's truth #5: Meditation is good for your soul.

I hope that each day is your peaceful day.

P.S.

Or, maybe, the Tower is about something else altogether... it is Tarot... the meaning is open to interpretation...