Memories of the Forgotten Self: When did you forget all of who are, dear one? When did you begin to believe what others say is true of you and turn away from the quiet certainty of the internal voice, the voice of your soul, calling you back to remember all of who you were? Did it become too difficult? Did is seem that others perhaps knew more that you, more than the ancient self who has traveled with you for millennia? Can you now see that it is impossible for another to know you better than the voice of your own immortal soul knows you? At whatever time it was that the voice of your soul was smothered, it never was quiet, and it found its way through the labyrinth of self-doubt and fear until it rose up within you.
It is with you now, the forgotten self, urging you to remember, showing you scenes of who you once were in this lifetime, the visions you had as a child, the times you stood firm in your own trust and belief in yourself. It will first whisper to you of the truths of the soul, sharing secrets of who you are, reviving memories and dreams of other times and within this lifetime. Then that voice will grow stronger, showing you moment after moment, until you, bright soul, finally remember. And at that moment, which is coming for you, your own voice and the voice of your soul will entwine as one, and you will no longer be who others feel you should be. You will incarnate again, in this lifetime, as the once-forgotten self, now remembered and alive and present.
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SHADOW DANCER: The Shadow Dancer moves through the forest, finding those who have a strong belief in who they are, how they can change, and who they can become, revealing to them the hidden self they have shunned and avoided. When the shadow dancer comes, you will slowly come to illuminate the unknown within, and, in this way, the lost and unloved parts of yourself will be able to come home to you, and in time, become a part of you that will offer you so much richness and creativity. This mysterious being brings to you the blessing that so many of us refuse in this lifetime – the opportunity to work with their shadow. So many flee from her wisdom – but those who stay find many blessings, more than if they had practiced avoidance.
To dance with the shadow, to know the shadow, is a great challenge. It is not as simple as acknowledging our less-than-pleasant qualities – it is to acknowledge that within us there is much that we are unaware of, and that in order to come to know the shadow self, we must become humble and feel our way into our own deeper self. In this way, our own tendencies become illuminated, over time, and with patient, steady work. This work takes deep self-love, compassion, and often self-care. It can be troubling and can raise shame, guilt, and fear, as we begin to know what we have previously been unable to see. This is a process of seeing the unknown that lies within our own souls. This is not a process of self-condemnation, but one of self-discovery and deep self-love.
When this card comes to you, prepare to dance with the shadow, to discover the hidden self within, who is so very different from the self you have created over time. This shadow self will be a great teacher, and will come to you in moments that can shake our foundations, but when we dance with the shadow, we can become closer to whole than we once were. But in order to do so, we must be prepared to explore the strangest, wildest, most avoided aspects of ourselves. In this way, though, we become travelers of the soul. Stronger, authentic, with a wisdom that is born out of Knowing Thyself, when your work with the shadow dancer is undertaken (for it is never truly finished), you will be more than whole, with a truer sense of who you are here to be.
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PAST LIVES: You long, some days, for gentility, propriety, older times when distance and conventions governed behavior. Within those laws and boundaries, you found freedom and expression, even while there was restriction and oppression.
There is a sense of how things once were, nostalgia, and yearning for times long past when this card comes to visit you. This Victorian Kitsune is here to remind you of your own past lives, for she journeys through the realms of the human ones, finding the people who have forgotten their wisdom, and she reminds them of who they once were, so they can remember, and bring to this life the wisdom of who they once were. She will make sense of the manners and the preferences you have, the desire for manners that were more genteel and refined, for the roles that were more certain and sure, and for codes that, although restrictive and binding, gave us surety and a sense of place.
The past is not the present, and you’re not being reminded of your past in order to negate or escape where you are in this time, in this lifetime. But who we are is all we have been, and in memory there lies many a mystery which can enrich our lives. So, know now that your fascination with aspects of the past have meaning, and that you are being visited by the Victorian Fox to remember a little more of who you once were, in order to become more surely who you are destined to be. This would be a wonderful time to incorporate a little olde world magic into your life – take a step back, slow down, and revisit, savouring every minute.