In the Sufi Tarot, I randomly pull a card and study it. Mentally I memorize it and then bring it to my internal mind where I hold a meeting with my Higher Self at a visualized round table. There I discuss problems of my day, or in this case, the card’s meaning and how it can aid me in my personal self discovery. The card is turned to a door and I walk through.

On the other side of the doorway, I see the woman in the card, holding the 9 incense sticks. The wisps of incense floating along one corridor. I see the stars in the ceiling-less sky. The 3 doorways are present and I absorb the meaning. The woman, in this moment for me, represents someone seeking movement from the past, looking for the path forward. The path back constantly tugs, but it is a constant repeat of the world’s drudgery. Where does the air move the incense, towards new found circulation? New found expansion?

Back in the imagined room with my visualized guide, I study what happened and come to a conclusion:

Like the woman in the image on the Tarot Card, I too am seeking the path forward. The path back has pulled me in many cycles. I must let go of whatever draws me to the old ways, as long as the old ways block movement forward. Forward is the only goal now. How will I know what to choose? It’s simple: Observe every moment and look for where the guidance resides… where the proverbial incense blows.