I don't write year-end
retrospectives but 2012 was hyped up to be the end of the world as we
know (and I feel fine! /apologizes to REM).
Let's set aside my situation for the
moment. Among my kinky circle of friends, there were a fair number
of earth-shattering changes and endings, that I'm wondering if this
year is truly exceptional. It's not just relationships. We had a
presidential election, had some horrific events involving guns,
natural disasters and an overall fear of impending doom, both
figuratively and literally.
Just on the top of my head I know of
three to four relationship break-ups. One was a dissolution of
marriage, during a period of underemployment, while keeping his
persona intact. The other ended abruptly without a word, just status
changes to their Fetlife profile. Another ended with all the
participants being dragged into the quagmire of drama, involving
restraining orders, the break-up of the primary relationship, getting
people outed and a plethora of hateful words aimed at everyone. This
particular breakup ended in the spring, with its residual effects
lasting through the summer to die quickly afterwords, only to start
up again last month. I have a friend who released his slave a few
weeks before me, and another friend who broke-up with his Domme a few
weeks after mine.
Although I don't have any empirical
data, I feel there is a general restlessness in the air, that things
needed to be shaken to the core, and that the status quo needed to
change. So I am dedicated 2012 to a tarot card – The Tower card in
particular. As the above picture indicates, its not a happy card.
It shows a mighty tower, crumbling by the effects of thunder, as a
man and a woman falls on either side of it. It is the Shiva
of the major arcanas. Here is one of many interpretations of this
card, one that I agree with. Quoting Brigit on her website.
The most important aspect of the Tower is that with any destruction there comes creation. Thus, the Tower card represents an awakening and is about inspiration, freedom, reality and the release from bondage. It is a truth and honesty card that comes as a bolt of lighting to you through a shocking and impactful life event. It represents a necessary experience that forces you to get out of your comfort zone and to grow beyond your present level. The sudden destruction of the Tower represents the immediacy of change, and the often disorienting effects of that change.
Like Shiva, there is a positive side to
this card, not shown in the illustration. Quoting Brigit again:
Following a Tower experience, you can rest assured that you will grow stronger, wiser and more serene as you begin to develop a completely new perspective on life that you did not even know existed. These moments in time are necessary for spiritual growth and enlightenment. Truth and honestly will bring about a positive change, even you must experience pain and anxiety throughout the process. (Link)
So perhaps the Mayans was correct,
though without the Special Effects. Admit it, the impending doom of the
world due to a clerical error was complete nonsense. But already, it
feels that people are at least open to change. Whether this openness
leads into positive change or more hiding into fear, that remains to
be seen. As for me, I am internally hopeful and think that next
year will be better, or at least calmer.
