Rebirth and Reinvention

We are all born, and someday we will all die. Along the way, we recreate ourselves—either intentionally or through circumstances beyond our control—becoming quite unlike the children, teenagers, or young adults we once were. For many of us, finding a new spiritual faith is a kind of rebirth. For some, it's discovering or accepting a different sexual orientation or gender identity, changing careers, finding or losing love, becoming a parent or losing our own. For women, menopause often triggers an enormous shift in how we see ourselves, and retirement can also lead to stress. Accept each life-altering change as it comes, no matter how frightening or unsettling it may be, and rejoice in your rebirth as a new person with a new path opening before you.

Think about all the major changes that have occurred in your life over the years and how you have transformed through them. Are you happy being the person you are now? Put a candle in a cake and celebrate who you have become. If you're unhappy with the person you are now, put a candle in the cake anyway... but when you light it, vow to be reborn and become the best version of yourself.

This card points to one of two possibilities. The first is that you are in the midst of or emerging from great changes, in which case it's time to celebrate a new birth. The second is that you need to rediscover yourself, and this card is a push in that direction. Have you been hesitating on the threshold of making significant changes? This card may be saying it's time to move forward!

If you want to mark some form of rebirth in your life, here's a simple magical ceremony. Use a bath or shower (you can use a large bucket or bowl of water outside if you have privacy, or a lake and stream if you're fortunate enough to have one nearby) to prepare for the ritual of transition. Burn some sage if you like, or add a small amount of herbs or flowers to the water. Find a robe or other comfortable clothing to put on afterward. This clothing will symbolize your new 'self,' so it should be both comfortable and, if possible, quite different from what you usually wear. Remove your clothes slowly and carefully, as if shedding an old skin. Step into the water and immerse yourself or pour it over yourself from head to toe. Close your eyes and imagine that you are inside an egg, cracking it open and emerging fresh and renewed.