Just One Box of Pieces

From the Anna K. Tarot, the World; from the Meditation Cards, "Firebreak:"

          The World card for me means viewing the whole instead of just one small part of it. It's a moment when I see the big picture and wake up to a more complete understanding. Suddenly all the pieces fit together, even those I was sure were mixed in from a different puzzle. When I have those moments, I don't try to segregate certain places, experiences or people and put them in a separate box. Like the full, crescent and new phases of the moon, I realize they are all facets of the same thing.
          Firebreak is a gap in vegetation that acts as a barrier to slow down a wildfire. From a human point of view, it's that pause in the middle of turbulent emotions:

By slowing things down, you can interrupt the tossing of the match into the pile of leaves. You can say, “I don’t need to go there. I see what’s coming.” 

~ Acharya Judy Lief

When I am consumed by anger or fear, I can react in ways that aren't beneficial to me or anyone else. It makes me think of the fire marshal's advice when I was in elementary school. If your clothes catch on fire, stop, drop and roll. That pause can help me rein in my emotion. With the World added to this card, I am reminded that all of my encounters are part of my life; I need to make room for all of them. Their purpose may simply be to wake me up in order to see beyond my own self.