Some days the memories still knock the wind out of me.
~ Anonymous
This poor fellow stumbles forward with quite a load of wood. Unlike the usual Ten of Wands, he's not moving up a hill but through a vesica piscis - a symbol often used in the World card to denote conclusion or completion. His tenacious spirit (and probably a strong sense of purpose) got him to the finish line. The Kuan Yin verse reads:
Like a spirit crane that leaves his cage,
You can fly wherever you choose.
North, South, East or West offer no obstacles.
Even the Ninth Paradise has opened its gate.
Even when we come to the end of our commitments and obligations, we may still feel and act as if in a cage. We've become so habituated to being on guard, dealing with crises, and trying to stay at least halfway sane, we often still act as if we are still in the situation that we're now free from. We have to retrain our minds and bodies to live in a new normal. It might take a while before we can relax and enjoy it.
