Four of Swords

This card is all about healing from the harsh beating by the tides of life.
An understanding of balance must be sorted out on a philosophical and physical level. Strong keywords, like black and white, right or wrong, true or false, and so on dominate this universal topic. But balancing often starts with small steps. More practical opposites, like speed and slowness should be regarded in a first step.
It must be pointed out, that usually not only two opposites are involved. Often, a third counterpart is associated with our struggle, which stays hidden for as long, as we try to focus on an unknown future. Balance is not a straight line, which tends to one or the other side. It’s a multidimensional process, which involves many different standpoints, directions and at least this third constant, which must be found, to achieve a stable state and coming to peace. Being stable means not stagnancy. It’s a state of mind, which is flexible, yet steady and corresponds to the will of the cosmos itself – this is the ultimate goal of being, in most spiritual traditions. That state can never be achieved absolutely, but the way there already leads to a much more stable journey.
The turtle symbolizes calmness and ease, shelter, and wisdom. When our environment tends to be stressful, driven, and chaotic, it is important for our mental health, to slow down. One of us should make the first step, to be a beacon to others. To be or find such a person, can change the whole dynamic of a circulating system.
The geometric patterns in the card symbolize the focus, that comes from taking it slow.
In a hurry, no patterns will emerge, but when we stop, breath consciously, and close our eyes, the mind slowly begins to center and zoom inwards. This moment can mark the beginning of a journey, which leads us outside of the continuous cycles, we are trapped in.
At times, we need to stop running in circles, sit down and study some topic, which is important to us. We would have to disregard the capitalistic principle of “time is money” for just a moment and step out of this circle. Finding our own inherit pace helps with focus and concentration. We are likely to find the gate within us and focus on the right direction. We should remember, only practice will eventually open it. To find the door, isn’t an actual step yet. This rule fits all topics, if it’s physical activity, spirituality, education or just finishing the tax declaration. Buying a bike isn’t exercise, visiting a guru isn’t spiritual work, reading a book isn’t going on an adventure. This sounds harsh. We have to be honest to ourselves –  we haven’t reached the goal, when just looking into a brighter direction. The art of slowing down does not mean to passively participate in endless preparation and thinking. The challenge of this card is to learn to be active at our own pace and walk straight forward by actually doing something.