On The Road Again
Travel and The World
I head to Guatemala for the first time today, also the first time Chris and I have traveled internationally without our kids. He is really nervous about leaving the stores for two weeks, but I am hoping he settles down once we land. Years ago, when Ben was sick, we had a Guatemalan woman clean our house. She now owns a very successful Guatemalan restaurant here in Seattle and we stay in touch. Her grandfather is a shaman and she believes his prayers healed Ben. I’m not sure if this is true or not, but I would take whatever hope I could get during that time. Her uncle will pick us up at the airport and take us to her abuela’s house in a small village called El Fiscal for rest and a meal before they take us to our hotel in Antigua. I have gifts from Emely to her whole family and I heard her abuela likes perfumes and lotions so I have a few of those for her as well.
This trip is guaranteed to be interesting. We will be in Antigua on our own for a few days and then head to an old family friend’s 70th birthday party at the resort she owns on Lake Atitlan. We will be there with twenty strangers (except for my friend and her sister who have known me since birth), for five days. For Chris this is hard, and I am trying to be compassionate. For an introvert and someone who is a bit socially awkward, there is nothing more daunting than having to get to know a whole lot of new people quickly. We will have plenty of solo time, but breakfasts and dinners will be together. As an extrovert, meeting new people doesn’t phase me. I have offered my tarot and enneagram skills for this retreat, and I love giving readings to new people. It’s a surefire way to get to know someone quickly.
The World is the last card in the Major Arcana. It depicts the end of the cycle that begins with The Fool, card zero. The four figures in the corners of the more traditional representations represent the four elements with their astrological counterparts. The ouroboros comes to us in many ways throughout the tarot but here it tells us that our capacity is limitless and that though this cycle may be coming to a close, a new one begins, back to The Fool.
This travel bug I’ve had this year, wanting to see new places, going on adventures, is the wonderful balance of The World and The Fool, knowing everything and thus, knowing not a damn thing. The World also hearkens back to the Wheel of Fortune card:
The Wheel of Fortune is right in the middle of the cycle, when opportunity abounds but not necessarily clear decision making. The elements are all present and at our disposal but we aren’t necessarily sure how to use them. By the time we get to The World, we have more direction and decisiveness. We know what we want and where we want to go. In this case, I’m going to Guatemala. More news from there next week.
xo Hanna