Face Your Challenges Head On

Strength in the Struggle

You are about to embark on an incredible journey where you are encouraged to embrace struggle as a path to growth and enlightenment. This is not accidental. You planned this challenge in the spiritual world to give yourself the opportunity to develop into a more realized version of your divine self. You are asked not to feel fear or hesitate when you walk this path. You are in safe hands, and all is as it should be.

If you embrace this time of struggle with a welcoming, positive attitude, you will awaken willpower and develop profound astuteness, humility and sensitivity to the cycles of life. You will learn that all things have their time and that cycles of joy, pain, loss and contentment are a part of life.

By facing challenges head on, you gain the ability to move beyond karmic cycles, let go of hidden darkness, pain and negativity and awaken parts of yourself that you never knew existed. It is time to look within and recognize that past actions – negative or positive, in this or other lives- were opportunities to balance the scales in the present. How you live, how you treat others and the ideals you follow are being tested at this time. You are being asked to face the struggle, move through it and change for the better. Transformation and blessings await you on the other side.

Metamorphosis through challenge is rarely easy. It requires extended periods of gazing into the inner mirror and asking tough questions. Change is an immense undertaking, but it is also the greatest work you can do. Those around you may ridicule your commitment to change. Yet, as you progress, your insight into yourself and human nature will dramatically mature and lead to deeper wisdom.

If you reject, fight, deny or hide from the challenge being presented, you may remain in struggle for longer. The only way out is through. Lean on those you love for support. Remember that challenge does not mean constant pain or hardship. Amidst the challenge, there will be moments of levity and balance. Take care of yourself during this time, and know that the fruits of your labor will be well worth the effort.

Healing Practice

To integrate the guidance of this card, you may wish to perform the following healing practice.

Creative Exercise

Look at your face in the mirror. Become aware of how it looks and feels. What story does it tell?

Look deep into your eyes. What secrets are they holding? Ask yourself, “Am I facing life courageously or hiding behind a mask?”

Take a sheet of blank paper and some pencils and draw an inner mask that you wear. This may be confrontational, but be as honest as possible and take as long as you need to complete your drawing.

Once you’re finished, observe your creation. Ask what the mask represents and what it says about who you have been trying to be. How has it hidden, dulled or diminished you? What is the purpose of the mask? Don’t judge or criticize yourself during the inquiry process. Simply observe what is and let insights into what could be to come to you. You may wish to meditate to integrate the insights and let go of judgement.

Once you have finished contemplating your mask, tear it up and throw it in the bin. This is you letting go of the mask for good. You may wish to say aloud, “I cast aside the mask that conceals the true me. I no longer need it. It is safe to bear my face and live as my true self.”

In the days after the exercise, notice any new thoughts or perspectives that call to you. What new behaviors can you implement to live as your maskless self? It’s time to explore.

Each time you notice yourself hiding behind a mask, acknowledge t, remove it and move forward.