In Mythology, the King of Swords refers to the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, known as ‘The Wily One’. A legendary tactician and shrewd advisor, the concept of the Trojan Horse was his brainchild. For years after the war, Odysseus and his men set sail, and from the Island of the Lotus-Eaters to the Island of the Cyclopes, he encountered and conquered one trial after another. Not even the Sirens’ seductive songs could deviate him from his quest to return to his homeland. A skilled leader, it was because of his intellect, strategy, and foresight, that Odysseus finally succeeded to reach those shores, more than a decade later.
Living is very much like riding a roller coaster. One minute we are on top of the world, and the very next moment our stomachs roll over as the carpet gets pulled out from underneath us; and life as we know it comes crashing down.
Odysseus never laid down his sword in surrender. He fell, many times, but each time got up, and persevered. Grace bestows us all a second chance, and a third, and a fourth. What you may perceive as being burnt to the ground - a job, a relationship, an opportunity – in essence still exists. It is simply transformed, just as your trials have transformed you. Look closely and you will see saplings growing amidst the scorched earth. Where there is an end, there is also a beginning. Nature’s cycles, like time, are inevitable, unstoppable. But winter’s thaw gives way to the blossoms of spring, proof that there is life after death, regeneration after decay.
Know that you are that much more equipped to face the next challenge, and then the next. Find and connect with that inner center and feel the pulsation of strength within its very core. Death is an illusion. Grieve not. Release that which needs to be released.
