Here we are. It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? A few days ago I sat down to pull two cards: one to close this past year and one to open the new year ahead. I don’t generally find great value in the act of making New Year resolutions—there’s so much weight and responsibility inherent in the word resolution, isn’t there?—but I do think there is something special we can gain from marking beginning points and endpoints. Or, perhaps even more importantly, creating beginning points and endpoints.
So what card can help us create and honor an endpoint?
I shuffled and pulled a card from Resilience Alchemy to find out. The ACTION remedy REST is what appeared.
Often, when I shuffle and pull cards from the deck I do so pretty aimlessly. I struggle with the idea of spirit guides or my higher self directing my hands toward some magical, perfectly chosen card answer. But I think that’s also partly why I love tarot and other card deck systems so much. As Catherine Keller writes in her book On the Mystery, “revelation is not the dictation of some unquestionable piece of knowledge. Rather, it resists knowledge in that sense, the [sense of] knowledge [being something] that masters its objects.”
I don’t need to believe that my hands are being divinely guided to gain wisdom from pulling cards and finding answers (or more questions). I simply need to be open to the mystery of it all, the invitation of it all. Perhaps pulling cards from my deck and finding meaning in those cards is really more about letting go and allowing mystery to exist than it is about finding answers.
And yet—as I pulled this card for us, I felt very clearly as if it was meant to be. My body felt open and light—like a conduit—and I had the image of a door being closed, gently but firmly. And when I turned over the card and saw REST, a phrase very strongly and immediately came to my mind:
Put it to rest.
I know there can be a tendency to feel rushed and desperate toward the end of December. Did we achieve all that we wished to this year? What about all those grand plans we never completed? How can we hurry up and finish them now? How can we close the year in a way that makes it all worthwhile?
The REST card reminds us that it’s ok to put the past to rest in whatever way feels comfortable. Let go of what you thought was needed. You’ve done enough. You’ve done good, valuable work. It’s time to let go. Be here now.
So, what needs to be put to rest for you? The year, your worries, your burdens, everything? How can you recognize what aspects of yourself are in need of rest and then honor those needs? What might rest mean in this context? What door needs to be gently and firmly closed so that you can move forward into a new year?
Perhaps there’s something you’ve been carrying with you, something that asks to be released. What have you held close that no longer feels comfortable? Are you ready to put it to rest and move on?
Or perhaps there is some self-story that needs to be put to rest, a vision of yourself or of others that no longer holds true and right. Are there old beliefs that no longer feel comfortable or relevant? Can you lay them to rest and move forward into a new year without their heavy weight pressing you down?
If you’re here you probably already know that I am excellent at overthinking things. I’ve made a lifelong habit of focusing on the details and missing the bigger picture (I mean, have you seen my artwork?). So, if you’re already saying, aha I get it! That makes sense! feel free to move on. But if you’d like to think further about the word rest with me, keep on reading.
First off, I find it interesting that the phrase put it to rest is an action phrase, whereas the word rest points us toward the cessation of action. Similarly, within the Resilience Alchemy deck itself, the REST card holds a unique place. It’s classified as an ACTION remedy, and yet by definition it urges us toward inaction.
So, what might this mean for us? How can rest point us toward action and inaction at the same time?
We live in a world where productivity and output are praised above all else and seemingly mark the highest value of a person. Because of this, the very act of resting can feel revolutionary and rebellious, even dangerous. We might feel guilt or anxiety when we do allow ourselves to rest.
But perhaps remembering that rest can be a verb, and thus is something we are meant to actively do, can help us to overcome our fear of letting go and allowing ourselves to rest. Rest—the noun—isn’t a void. It’s not a lack. It holds meaning, value and purpose. It is not merely the cessation of other, more important activities. When we rest, we are doing important caretaking. We are making sure that we are healthy and that our needs are being met. This is how rest can be active as well as inactive.
Next, I think it might be useful to ask ourselves:
What does it actually mean to rest? What does rest look and feel like?
Rest is personal. What constitutes rest for one of us might be entirely unrestful for another. So, what would rest look like for you, specifically? Also, think about all the different kinds of rest that you can indulge in, all the different kinds of rest you might be in need of.
You might wish to rest your mind, your body, your voice, or your emotions and feelings.
You might wish to take a rest—from solitude, from crowds, from your home, from your routines, from your family, friends, or colleagues.
You might think of rest as a much-needed pause needed to come between other things—between stressful engagements, meals, activities, journeys, difficult conversations, or creative endeavors.
See how so many areas of engagement start appearing once you start thinking about rest? See how rest becomes an active celebration of yourself and your needs?
And finally, remember the purpose of this card. I pulled it to help us close the year. So REST is the card—and the step—we are meant to take to help us do this. So, if you are able, follow the invitation. I know you may not have the ability to rest in all ways, but perhaps you can rest in one or two small but important areas.
In a few days I’ll post our card to open the new year about to begin. In the meantime, here are some ideas to engage with REST:
Say goodbye to and put away your summer clothes. Pull out and say hello to your winter jackets and mittens, your wool hats and fuzzy socks.
Invite friends over for a “rest party.” Have fun exploring and inventing what this means!
Write down some things that no longer seem helpful or relevant in your life. Safely burn (or bury) the list with a prayer or affirmation putting them to rest.
Take a nap!
Look through all your commitments for the coming days. Is there one you feel the need to kindly and gently bow out of?
Create an affirmation for rest. It could be something like: I am worthy of rest. Rest time is meaningful and necessary for my wellbeing.