Transitions

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, Death:

“Sometimes snakes can’t slough.  They can’t burst their old skin.  Then they go sick and die inside the old skin.” ~ D.H. Lawrence

Two snakes are used as a dividing line between two worlds.  These creatures have been used as a symbol of the life force (kundalini) and to represent great change (ecdysis - shedding).  Snakes shed the outer layer of skin, keeping the inner layer intact, in order to allow for new growth.  It would seem ridiculous for a snake to refuse this task, since it is what helps them stay healthy.  But how many times have I looked at an impending or unexpected change and decided, "Nope. I'm not going to accept that."?  Then I use all my energy fighting to keep things the same rather than adjusting and moving on. Change requires the effort of adaptation, but it may also open doors to worlds I may never have seen otherwise.

 

The roll of the Elemental Dice turned up "Light with Darkness" which represents "Dawn/Dusk:"

 “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.” ~ Isaac Asimov

Dusk and Dawn are the times of day when there is a transition, from light to dark and dark to light.  Transitions are rarely easy; think of a company run by the same well-liked boss for years, then suddenly the employees must deal with a new one when the old one retires.  For me, it is that uncertainty of what is to come that makes transition so hard and worrisome.  In a recent Spirituality and Health article titled "Worried Sick," they list three ways to curb worry:

 

1. Be proactive. “Determine whether your worry is productive or unproductive,” suggests North Carolina psychologist Kevin Gyoerkoe, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Worry. “Productive worry is based on threats that are relatively immediate, have a high probability of occurring, and there’s action you can take to prevent or reduce the negative outcome.”
2. Ask yourself the right questions. “If your worry is unproductive, challenge your negative thoughts,” Gyoerkoe suggests. “Ask yourself, How many times have I been right about my worries in the past? What’s the worst-case scenario? How likely is that scenario? What are the costs and benefits of worrying about this? Is there any productive action I can take?”
3. Accept life’s randomness. “Remember: worry is an effort to cope with uncertainty,” Gyoerkoe says. “You can choose to accept uncertainty instead. For example, if you are worrying as you wait for test results to come back from the doctor, you might remind yourself that you don’t know what the outcome will be right now, but that you’ll find out soon and you can deal with whatever the results are then.”