Questions for Reflection (9/23-25)

Reflection Questions 9/23-9/25:

The Hermit:

Q: To what questions are you seeking answers?

I suppose that all depends on the question or dilemma at hand. I’m constantly trying to expand my mind and really think about things around me, asking questions about life and the Universe. For example—am I alone in my dorm as I type this? Or is there someone/thing watching me? Are we as alone as we feel? Do I set too many limits on myself? What if those limits were influenced by those around me?

Q: For whom are you a guide or mentor?

I have given spiritual guidance or otherwise helpful, mundane advice for a few years now, and not to toot my own horn, but I am proud that people have taken my advice and bettered their lives. There is this one girl I have always given spiritual advice to (due to privacy, I will not state her name here), and like many of them, I met her through Instagram. She has come to me seeking advice regarding love and major changes in life. I can name one particular example where she had asked me; “do you see so-and-so in my future?” My sagest advice to her was: “only if you make it so. Talk to him and see what happens.” In fact, seeing what happens doesn’t just mean uncertainty of a situation—it means that you are willing to see something through in its every detail, even if it is as simple as talking to someone you really like but don’t know well. The signs of interest will appear. Quoting a famous movie, life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.

Q: From whom do you seek sage advice?

I have felt more in tune with myself to take my own advice in recent years, but I try to get outside opinions as well. Though we disagree on a number of things, my mother provides for me sage advice. I also ask whomever I trust with more experience in a certain area regarding what I need to know. I also consult the powers-that-be (to you, it could be God, Goddess, the One, etc) for assistance when need be as well; but they have a unique way of teaching lessons—that, my friends, is LIFE. Life is a big lesson, offering its own advice in due time.

Q: How comfortable are you in solitude?

I have always felt comfort in solitude. It helps me think, and helps me sort out my innermost thoughts. Being raised in a sheltered household, solitude became my friend. I would be in my room for hours listening to music or on the computer or writing in my diary. Solitude doesn’t judge; solitude is freedom. As for feeling lonely, no one likes that, not even me. That feeling just sucks eggs.

Q: When do you feel the need to retreat into yourself?

I often retreat into myself when there are too many people around. Sometimes, for example, if a classroom is too loud, I’ll not speak unless spoken to or if it is quieter. The same goes for when I’m at a party or group of friends—if there are two people max, I will be myself and talk. Any more people than that, I shut down and am silent until I am spoken to. It sounds like a defense mechanism, and maybe it is. It’s just how I’ve always been around people.

Q: What activities do you enjoy doing alone?

As I mentioned, I enjoy solitude. I’ll do many things by myself, even preferring working alone to working in groups on a class project. It’s too much to list here, though.

Q: What area of study completely absorbs you?

I tend to be absorbed into occult studies. Being a practicing Witch, studying and learning helps me grow and progress in my path, and because I no longer follow any particular religion, I feel free to explore many different paths and apply my knowledge to what I already know. I get to explore many mythologies and not just the ones I have stuck to for years. I get engrossed and sometimes have to reread pages in order to fully understand the content. Since I am a visual learner, having pictures or diagrams helps me remember things more clearly.

 

Death:

Q: Who do you need to forgive?

Forgiveness is something I have mixed feelings about. I cannot find it in me to forgive everyone who has ever done me wrong. That doesn’t make me a bad person; it makes me someone with a good sense of conviction. I find it impossible to forgive every single person who has done me wrong because each person has done something different. If someone apologizes, I feel like you can accept their apology, but depending on what they did, you don’t have to forgive them. Accepting an “I’m sorry” is not the same as forgiving someone. Forgiveness runs much deeper than that.

If I see someone has genuine remorse for offending me or if it was over something petty (such as an argument), then I’ll be like, “take a seat. Let’s talk this over.” However, it is different when something crosses the line to betraying me or breaking my trust, harassing me, or any form of repeated, deliberate behavior that offends me. For example, I would NEVER take back a cheating spouse or significant other, no matter how much they (seemed to) suffer without me. I would NEVER forgive someone who harmed, injured, or killed someone I cared about (especially things like rape or murder). Those are just a few things I would never forgive, but you get the picture.

Q: What relationship needs to pass quietly away from your life?

The emotionally toxic relationship I was in has come to pass. I have actually started dating again, and I am quite happy. That being said, I can’t actually speak to any relationship that needs to leave my life as present.

Q: What is absolutely certain and permanent in your life?

I don’t believe anything is truly permanent, not even death. Yes, life is full of inevitable changes, both positive and negative, but that’s all a part of the balance that is life itself. People think happiness can be permanent, especially when young.

For example, a couple who is madly in love get married in their late teens only to find themselves wanting greater things ten years later. They wanted the happiness and excitement to last and hence be permanent, but it doesn’t work like that.

Or a toddler will get so attached to their grandmother who lives with the family, thinking they will always be there. When she dies five years later of cancer, the child then realizes that grandma was not going to live forever; again, life doesn’t work like that.

Maybe years later, when this toddler has grown well into adulthood, they believe they are receiving signs from their beloved grandmother, who had died when she was a child. These signs prove that even death isn’t permanent, but another stage in the soul’s development and ascension.

Nothing is ever permanent. Things change as time passes.

Q: When has the loss of something allowed for your personal transformation and growth?

It is funny this question pops up, because before breaking up with my ex, I had done a spread with this card, Death, as the outcome in an upright position; I wondered if breaking up with him was the right thing to do. In fact, breaking things off with him allowed me to finally breathe and become a better person. It contributed to my personal growth and success.