Don't Rain on the Parade

From the Wild Unknown Tarot, the Six of Swords; from the Pictish Oracle, the Snake:

          A butterfly rises from a tangle of brush; Krans says that this is "a card of victory, of rising up against the odds." I would guess that at least half of those obstacles were created by our own minds telling us there was no way to be successful, that we might as well quit before we embarrass ourselves. But thankfully the pull of reaching the goal strengthened the will and gave us reason to persevere. But what if those same negative thoughts come back in different form? The Snake symbol appears 14 times on Pict inscribed stones; it likely represented both fear (sudden strike) but also healing (shedding skin). We may wonder how we could ever top this moment, or how we could ever have enough willpower to meet another such challenge again. But like the butterfly's brief existence, our lives are short. This is the time for the joy of celebration, not worry; it's time to rest and relax. The Wheel will turn and there'll be plenty of opportunities soon enough for another quest. This is the moment to embrace what is, not what might be.