taking on the new

Another rather apropos draw today. As promised, posting from my new digs in Tunis. The first card is quite on point in the sense of...a journey, moving forward, pushing past the currents, and in so many ways that new shore offers so many opportunities, so much potential, so many new, unknown things to learn, to explore, to discover...and of course, behind you, all the reasons you left in the first place, still perfectly valid. And yet, the people in that boat....they don't look very excited at all, do they? The sitting figures are huddled. I suppose that is because well...the new can be difficult, until you get your bearings. All that familiar comfort, knowledge, is gone. You are walking around unfamiliar streets, needing to familiarize yourself with an unfamiliar train systems, talk in languages you aren't nearly as fluent in as your first, scavenge and hunt down stores that sell food you can actually eat, accustom yourself to very intensive classes, much moreso than you are used to even...so many unfamiliar things, hitting you all at once...and who would want to huddle down, in those circumstances?

But of course, that isn't the best solution. The six of swords is Science in the thoth, and in a way you can see how to get the spirit of that here, too. It's about being proactive about exploring the new shore, about filling in those gaps of knowledge. Think and do. Draw on all of those resources you have on the table in front of you. Ask, speak, study, walk. Get out in this new world and experience it - the best way to deal with the unfamiliar, after all, is to experience it until new familiarity develops. Confidence in yourself, that you can handle all this, and action, follow-through. Instead of dwelling on it all and letting yourself get overwhelmed, just go and take things on, one at a time.