Resting: Four of Swords

Excerpts from my favorite, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, by Rachel Pollack :

Stabilization. Rest. Retreat.

***

“Withdrawal . . . can . . . lead to healing, if the purpose is not to hide but to recoup strength. The card can mean holding back from a fight until there is a better chance of winning. Similarly, by withdrawing for a time after some deep hurt a person gives him or herself a chance to recover.”

“The imagery suggests the Fisher King of the Grail legend,whose physical wound mirrored the spiritual sickness of the kingdom.”

Excerpts from a wonderful piece on “The Courage to Rest” , by Simplicity Relished:

Resting takes courage. Resting says, “I am okay with what I’m missing. I’m okay with what I can’t do. I recognize my limits. I submit to my own needs.”

We are not a culture that likes to rest. In fact, those of us all too familiar with the work-hard-play-hard mentality understand that life can only be measured by intensity. We are comfortable on either end of the spectrum– intense work or intense play– but there is an ominous gap in the middle that we find terrifying. The place where neither work nor play happen. The place of rest.

The amazing thing about resting, however, is that its impact is manifested in both work and play. When I am rested, I can dig deeper into myself for patience, creativity, compassion, and conviction. When I am rested, I work more efficiently. I think more creatively. I laugh more heartily. I enjoy things more deeply.

The courage to rest is the courage to invest, in a sense, in our experience of life. Slowing down comes with little to show for our efforts, except that the quality of our experiences will be much improved.