The Pearl
I have one of those cool oracle card decks (actually, I have many.) But this particular deck, The Wild and Sacred Deck, was introduced to me by my wonderful dance teacher, Rebecca Rose Tousignant from Blue Hill. Rebecca Rose, thank you for all you do to bring light and joy to our community.
This morning, I pulled the card titled Pearl— Authenticity. And wow…what a message. I thought I would share it with you.
A pearl forms when a grain of sand enters an oyster and causes irritation. Instead of being destroyed by it, the oyster responds by coating the grain over and over again with a substance called nacre, slowly transforming it into something smooth, luminous, and whole.
Just like life, the card also begins with a kind of wakeup call reminding us that by way of irritation, a ragged grain of sand arrives at unblemished perfection. A pearl, with all its beauty, begins in a way that is quite unspectacular. It begins with discomfort. Spiritually, it feels like a reminder that our deepest wounds and challenges can become the source of our greatest beauty.
The wisdom of the pearl card also says to trust your knowing as well as your discontent. I love that! So often, we try to push away the uncomfortable parts of life. But maybe the irritations and the wounds, are actually the beginning of something beautiful and powerful.
The lesson is that our greatest value comes from being unapologetically ourselves. Like the pearl, we are each one of a kind. When we share ourselves fully including our quirks, our stories, our discontent and our gifts, we are actually offering something to the world that no one else can. Anything less robs the world of something only we can give. This is the power of authenticity!
Isn’t that so beautiful? It makes me wonder how often we hold back…how often we dim our light because we’re worried about what others might think. The card also reminds us not to criticize ourselves or get caught in those judgments. It calls those thoughts “dragons” that we must slay to reclaim the truth of who we are.
And then, as if the message couldn’t be more perfect, I pulled another card from my Osho deck about playfulness. It talked about how too much seriousness can pull us away from our natural joy. I love the idea that when we can connect with our true playful nature, we are in our most authentic place. I know for me, that is something I definitely need to do more!
So, the message today is be yourself. And don’t forget to play. Trust that even the hard parts of our lives are shaping something beautiful. And believe that who we are is enough.
“There is no one who has not suffered something, and out of that suffering comes wisdom, as the pearl comes from the oyster.”—Joseph Addison
“The world is your oyster —it’s up to you to find the pearl “—Chris Gardner
“Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.”— Heraclitus
Love and so much gratitude,