As Heraclitus knew, change is always happening whether we choose to make change or not. Things change: flowers whither, seeds sprout, caterpillars become butterflies, clothes become worn, waves erode the shores… Change happens; it’s just part of life, but sometimes we have to choose to make change. Making change can be scary, for it means we are stepping into the unknown. It means we can no longer control the present and the future. It means we have to let go of our ego’s desire to hang onto things, face our fear and anxiety about the future, have faith in our ability to create our lives, and take that step into that exciting adventure called change.

When I feel scared about making changes in my life, the vision of the Fool card of the Tarot appears. The Tarot is a complex language of symbols imbued with spiritual and metaphysical meaning. In this card the Fool looks like a happy-go-lucky young man, carrying the white roses of purity and innocence and embarking on a journey right off a cliff into a huge crevasse! Is the Fool completely unaware of his surroundings and the impending risk of stepping off into the abyss below? Or, has he made the decision to move forward on his life’s journey, acting on faith that the divine will keep him safe and guide him in the right direction as he steps into the unknown, the future?

The Fool card is numbered zero. Zero is nothing, empty, yet full of all potential. The “0” is both a window to offer us vision to our possibilities, and also the doorway that offers us passage towards personal growth and actualizing our potentials and our dreams. When we choose to make change, we free ourselves from the chains of worry and the need to know and control everything. When we choose change, we open ourselves up to explore the adventure that is life. By stepping into the unknown, we connect with our True Self.

No matter how much we try to plan it out, the future is truly unknown. Having faith in ourselves and not letting fear make our decisions for us, will help us deal with changes that happen and the changes we make ourselves. The unknown is an expansive and dark place. With knowledge and wisdom guiding us, we can illuminate the darkness. Anxiety about the future can burn out any light. May the inner light of our True Self guide us on our journeys into the unknown, the exciting adventure called change.