Fairy Tales and the Healing Journey
Throughout human history on earth the mystery of our soul’s journey has been explored through art, myth, and a keen introspection. Historical and scientific study of unseen forces suggests that our soul/spirit is a blueprint consisting of layers upon layers of memory. We do not know for certain how this memory is stored, or how re-incarnations manifest within the context of a greater universe. We do know, however, that a magical and intelligent curiosity furthers our quest for answers. I am certain the topic of soul wisdom will continue to tug at our imagination until that holy day we cross the veil of earthly illusion beyond the curtain of infinity.
My years of astrological intuitive counsel and mythical studies have been steeped with discoveries regarding the transgression of the soul. There is such honor to behold when entering the terrain of another’s soul mission and healing. Through my earnest desire to travel beyond the veil of the material world and into the frequency of higher awareness I have come to understand that healing happens when we gratefully accept our destiny’s challenges and gifts. With free will and a desire to illumine the soul’s potential a choice to make amends with past hurts, fears, and pattern becomes our own courageous deed.
My ability to read the karmic story of an individual is two fold. First I have come to trust the integrity of the astrology chart as a means to explore the terrain of an individual’s life. From this work of over thirty years I have devised a system called Power Mapping. The primary focus of this three session experience identifies an individual’s blueprint signature through incarnations as a means to gain awareness regarding the struggles, addictions, fears, and underlying circumstances that may block an individual from living their true potential. This work helps us to push through the darkened tunnels of the mind that perpetuates an unconscious drive toward self sabotage. This work sets us free to move beyond subliminal fears and enables the individual to navigate toward the fulfillment of a bright and prosperous future.
Second, myth, fairy tale, and archetype serve as a rich field of study furthering my interest and understanding of life’s complex circumstances. Through the images and stories we are able to peer into the ‘looking glass of the soul.” This process is called ‘Soul Mirroring.” If we seek to understand the vast umbrella of symbol, thought, and action that define the collective experience of human life, we are more apt to unite with universal themes that tie us together as a human family. In particular, with the creation of Inner Child Cards: A Fairy Tale Tarot, The Power of Flower Cards, The Triple Goddess Tarot and The Tarot of the Four Elements, I have applied the synchronistic use of archetypal paintings as a means to mirror the soul life of the individual with the mirroring of saints, angels, fairies, and figures in fairy tales and myth as a means to contact these qualities and apply them to own daily life.
Both art and fairy tale symbols open the channels of the psyche so that one may conjure the invisible forces of the hand of fate. Although the astrological chart is an extraordinary mirror to the soul, it is in the latter, the fairy tale and myth, that we uncover a mass consciousness encoded within the story of life, and within the fairy tale fable we find three major steps of soul healing.
The three stages of soul healing as witnessed in the fairy tale framework are one, Birth, (the orphan stage), two, Initiation, (the work of the soul), and three, Enchantment, (liberation, freedom, and happiness) In fairy tale lore, the moment of Enchantment is the miracle when a spell or curse is broken and a new consciousness abounds. In fairy tales, this enchantment phase is personified by the appearance of a genie, a frog turning into a prince, a loving kiss that awakens a Kingdom from one hundred years of sleep, or any other magical event that reshapes reality, altering an imminent potential of danger or limitation.
The second phase, initiation, fosters an active pursuit within an individual to conquer that which ceases to encourage healthy development and inner nourishment. Whatever has remained hardened or paralyzed within the psyche it must be softened, reshaped, and returned to a source of love. Again, the enchantment liberates a frozen and limiting condition within the Soul and illumines one’s internal quest for wholeness. This is the ‘awakening, and we all seek it.
Our life resembles the fabric of a fairy tale in so many ways, for our inner psyche is affected by various strands of fear, addiction, and self degradation, often fed to us through the imagery of media, movies, music, and the conditions of our own karma. As our consciousness awakens and we seek love and nourishment, a great hunger for ‘enchantment’ or rebirth knocks upon the door of the Soul. If one is to move beyond the factors of personal imprisonment, the past must be understood and released. Our pursuit of true happiness beckons and our illusions must come to an end. At this crucial stage of fulfillment, our personal life myth or story is about to change. We yearn to be alive again, and become willing to enter the Kingdom of Love, Service, and Happiness.
Addiction is the human rendition of a spell in fairy tale lore. It ushers one toward a false embrace of safety and familiarity. It freezes and imprisons the Soul. Addiction perpetuates panic, desperation, guilt, fear, and self-denigrations. Addiction comes in various forms. It can be hidden, like a spell, or it can be overtly obvious, like a great plague. Either way, it prohibits freedom and self-love. The task of the individual is to break the spell; to become passionate again with life, and to seek renewal of the spirit in every day life.
Life-shattering circumstances invite the experience of enchantment or enlightenment. This stunning awareness may rise up from the deep unconscious of an individual, be provoked by the outside forces, or be intentionally motivated by a person who aims her or his will toward initiation and transformation. The latter may be the most rewarding; for an individual takes command of whatever beast may plague the Soul, meet it eye to eye, and within the storm of awakening, discover a way to liberation. One is left with an internal mosaic of various pieces of altered consciousness that must fit within the framework of the new life of the individual.
There are few people who escape the clenching grip of an addiction of one sort or another in a lifetime. Addiction can be subtle or extravagant, but either way, it surpasses the joy of freedom, and dictates the inner world in such a manner as to control the ‘dial’ of self-love. When one is locked within the walls of addiction, nothing short of radical action actualizes the escape toward personal fulfillment. In the Royal Road to Wisdom in the Tarot, the major arcana card, The Tower, symbolizes this poignant timing in the individual life.
The cataclysmic earthshaking bolt of illumination that The Tower offers is an indication that the false consciousness of an individual is about to be shattered. The card represents a kind of ego death, a face to face battle with one’s own inner demons and attachments. When one discovers one’s self at the edge of despair, unable to untangle themselves from the clinging vine of self-abuse, they can be sure to meet the Tower: a force of unavoidable destruction and transformation. This powerful moment of enchantment is a kind of retribution of the Soul; the inevitable time to break free. This upheaval is often invoked by astrological transits and progressions as well, often involving the planets Uranus, Pluto, and Mars. The inner force to destroy is altered and the passion to rekindle innocence and purity of the Self is restored. The grasp of internal war is halted by the deep work of the Soul as it seeks to “set things right” and return to right and living and healthy behavior. The Tower is indeed a step toward enlightenment, for the next card on the Evolutionary Road to Wisdom is the The Star. The initiation of The Star invokes beauty and balance within the individual and serves as a bridge to The Sun, the ultimate moment of awakened consciousness.
As we journey through the maze of life lessons, including addiction and enchantment, the Tarot serves as a kind of ‘hall of mirrors” reflecting Truth and the way to internal and eternal freedom. Life is like a fairytale, destined to carry us through Soul teaching, until the final moment of enchantment, when the veil is pierced, and we are launched into the uncharted territories of Life Ever After.
Isha Lerner
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