​February 2022 Storytelling - Those were the days

And from the universal comms team, comes the song from the year of my birth by Mary Hopkins - Those were the days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3KEhWTnWvE
I'm actually laughing to myself as I type this, listening to the lyrics... It's the 31st of January at 2pm as I type, at 3.30pm Boris will have to stand in front of parliament with THAT report! ( I wonder if they thought their days of partying would never end ???) lets not talk into that contentious issue here though..... Let's take a look at the lyrics and see what message they may hold.
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And think of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
la la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la La la la la la la
Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Despite it sticking in my head about the shenanigans in Downing street and Whitehall, I also see in the lyrics a reminiscing of times before lockdowns, restrictions and the like, and whilst we are truly lucky here in the UK with our freedoms returning, I can't help but notice that the past two years have left and indelible mark, that feels that things won't quite get back to the old ways of being, something has changed within all of us, that maybe we took for granted before, as we didn't even realise whatever IT was or is, would be so important.
As the song says..... In our hearts our dreams are just the same - I wonder, are they? or have those dreams changed as a result of the past two years? Do our dreams in fact hold even more meaning now perhaps? Are they simpler and less, well, materialistic maybe?
Interesting thoughts.
So onto our cards:
First out is the 6 of cups (associated with the water element and feelings and emotions, including dreams and that which gives meaning to your life.)
Humility and unconditional love are related to the energies and vibrations of number 6. It also links us to 6 The Lovers which is the energy of 2022, which holds a message of choices.
When we look at the card we see the journey we've undertaken, there is perhaps nostalgia for that childlike wonderment of the World of the past, and yet everything we have experienced has bought us to this exact moment.
I wonder what childhood memories and adventures are coming up for us right now?
What can we learn in our reflection?
What dreams as yet unfulfilled?
As we approach the new moon in Aquarius there's an opportunity for us to revisit and set seeds for our most expansive, galactic sized dreams and aspirations. With all planets all about to move direct, we should feel the surge of forward momentum, now is the time to dream those dreams and re-imagine what is possible, in this moment, right now.
In the card we see the loyal friend, the yellow Labrador retriever. The yellow Lab is perhaps best known for its role as a guide dog. The symbolism of this metaphorically speaking, is quite profound. Are you the guide for another or is another a guide for you? Or both?
The yellow Lab has become associated with companionship and families, which brings me to consider the question, who is your tribe? Who do you surround yourself with, your inner circle?
Labradors are known for their gentleness, tolerance, and intelligence. As a spiritual totem the Labrador lets us know that it is time for us to explore the concept of “Unconditional Acceptance.”
Absolutely everyone is different, no matter how much they try to conform to societal norms. It's really in our best interest to find acceptance for ourself and everyone and everything else.
Labrador brings us the lesson to welcome in that we are all creatures of Spirit no matter what beliefs we hold.
This spirit animal understands that others have their paths, and though it is okay to disagree with what they say and do, we must learn to accept them unconditionally.
Our second card out is the 5 of wands ( associated with the fire element and action)
The number 5 is all about change, and as we can see in the card a strive for freedom seems to be causing conflict in a group of people at cross purposes. What would happen if they were to work in collaboration I wonder?
The phrase "sticks and stones my break my bones, but names will never hurt me", comes in as a cosmic fax, meaning hurtful words cannot cause any physical pain and thus will be ignored or disregarded.
There seems to be a war of words going on, causing disharmony, division and discourse. Words are powerful; despite the rhyme, in truth, words cast spells that's why we call it spelling.
I take this to mean, that despite the powerful "Spelling" that we have experienced, if we can rise above it to reach the unconditional acceptance of our first card then we will all reach the light (fire) at the top of the card.
With the planets all about to be moving forward the momentum is building, it could feel like a bumpy forward ride,if we look out for one another then nobody will get hurt, metaphorically speaking.
As a look at the card it does seem like the wands are falling, the structure is not secure, and people are falling from a great height and falling from grace. ( I'm reminded of that report again).
5 also links us to The Hierophant, in the traditional depiction of this card the Hierophant is seen seated on a throne between two pillars symbolising law and liberty or obedience and disobedience.
Discernment is the key word that drops into my awareness.
Our final card for February is 4 The Emperor - The king of kings, he looks a pretty chilled out dude in our card, don't let him fool you.
The Emperor sits in front of the ram-adorned wall, a symbol of Aries and it's ruler Mars (God of War) . He has an ankh tattooed on his arm and he sits on top of a globe (Mars), symbol of domination. The Emperor brings regulation, and unyielding power.
To give you an idea, 2020 when the lockdowns began was a 4 year, The Emperor year!
We see a chequer board floor, and he holds the king chess piece in his hand. He is strategic and plays the game multiple moves in advance.
My mind is taken back to this, in conjunction with the conflict of our previous card, and it makes me think about the global game of chess that is currently surrounding Putin, (as well as the comedy of errors playing out in Parliament)
I feel these cards are playing out on numerous storylines in parallel at the same time. The song that started off this month's storytelling was originally a Russian song funnily enough!
Ultimately, The Emperor brings us power, to determine our own trajectory, rules and boundaries at a personal level.
On the UK and global level I can't help but feel there's a much bigger game being played out at a higher level of power, that's almost ethereal , that we cannot be aware of or even conscious of (see that wisp of spiritual energy guiding The Emperor's right hand?)
Very interesting stories rather than one story this month!
* Learning from the past to bring to the now and into the future
* Dreaming and re-imagining
* Being with your tribe
* Unconditional acceptance of others
* Disharmony and discord, war of words, the old structures falling
* Determining our own rules, boundaries and trajectory
* Power struggles on the World stage with Authoritarian leaders