There is nothing quite like spending New Year’s Eve with a baby projectile vomiting. You get back to your car, and your baby keeps pretending they are in the movie The Exorcist. It’s terrifying because you know how quickly things can escalate in children. One of my students went home sick. He went from shivering to being so lethargic. For that student’s parent, everything changed once they got that call from the school that their child was unwell. They probably planned on working, and now their entire schedule has to change to care for their child. It is natural to fear the worst when your kid is sick. You see that life doesn't follow your carefully color-coded calendar. You die a little inside, panicking about how you are going to manage it all. Death itself is a calm and inevitable presence and a perfect guide for how we navigate change.
Every week, we explore a Tarot card because Tarot is rich in symbolism and helps us pause, step out of panic, and tap into our intuition. This allows us to shift our mindset and move from overwhelm to action.
A skeleton clad in black armor rides a white horse and carries a black flag with a white five-petaled rose. Death rides past a fallen king, a bishop with his hands raised in prayer, a small child offering a posy of flowers, and a maiden kneeling with her eyes turned away. In the background, the sun rises between twin towers on the horizon, and a small boat floats down a calm river.
The Pattern It Reveals
Most people panic when they pull the Death card because they take it literally. In tarot, Death signifies change and transformation. Death is impartial and eventually comes for everyone. I’ve been transformed into a single parent and now continue my journey as an entrepreneur after being laid off last year.
It’s the perfect card for the season since today is November 1st and we have Halloween, Samhain, the Day of the Dead, and All Saints' Day. Many traditions mark this as a time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. People transform themselves by dressing in costumes. For many traditions, it is a time to honor your ancestors and release what no longer serves you. The skeletal figure holds no malice and walks confidently with its horse. Change is inevitable, and you have the power to decide how you will meet it.
The Question Worth Asking
“What do I need to release?”
One phone call can change your life and expose the cracks in your system. Maybe you need to pick up your sick child and also have to get that presentation done because it’s the end of the month. Or you get a call from the doctor’s office and can’t find that one important piece of mail because you have a pile of papers that you’re going to get to eventually. We must die to our old ways of thinking, being, and doing. Many of us anchor our identity in our roles as employee, or spouse, or parent, and forget that we are human beings. We are constantly trying to exert control, and it feels like trying to pin the waves to the shore. Death asks you to consider what needs to change in your life.
One Small Experiment to Try This Week
Detach from the outcomes. When my husband got laid off, he said to me, “Well, my life got more interesting today.” We can choose how we face the changes outside of our control. If your kid is sick, you can choose to panic or to calmly assess the situation. Like Death, we can move forward with confidence and the freedom to let go of the things that no longer serve us.
Do the holidays feel like Death riding on its horse for you? My friend Mama Mindy Green, a licensed Social Worker, and I are hosting a webinar to help you make T.I.M.E. during the holidays. We will explore how to release holiday traditions that no longer serve you and how to engage your children so you don’t carry the entire mental load. It will be Thursday, November 12th at Noon ET. Space is limited, so reserve your seat.
About The Author
Hi, friends 👋🏽. I'm Stacy Casson, a Lean Six Sigma certified mom of five. I used to hold a PhD in creating chaos. Now, I help other busy, overwhelmed parents move from Chief Doing Officer to Trusted Advisor and reclaim their peace.
