The Hermit: Looking backward
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
–John Lennon
I should not name drop, but maybe I will a little. I knew the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, when she was just starting out as a children’s librarian in Chicago Public Library. Unlike me, she went on to get a PhD and become something truly great: the first woman and the first Black person to be Librarian of Congress. An amazing feat and I am very glad for her. As for me, I worked at Chicago Public Library for several more years then I left to become self-employed full-time.
I also knew Linda Howe at the beginning of her journey. We both worked at a Psychic Fair. Neither of us stayed with the psychic fair very long, but a few years later I saw her on a city bus. She was reading the Shaman’s Drum, and I was reading the local New Age newsletter, the Monthly Aspectarian. It was clear we were heading down different paths: she was studying Shamanism, and I was starting to make a living as an Entertainment reader. Recently, I looked her up. Her web site, LindaHowe.com is amazing. She is now Dr Linda Howe and runs her own institute, has published books, and obviously touched many lives.
Were either of these women more successful than me? They are certainly better known and have achieved high status, but are they more successful than I am? Well…it depends on how you define success. I have worked long and hard at what I do as well. I have had fun. I have a business where I am the go-to person for psychic entertainment for parties and events for several entertainment planners and agents.
This is the lesson of the Hermit. He stands (in most modern tarot decks) on the top of a mountain, looking down with satisfaction to see what he has already accomplished. Will he accomplish more and bigger things? Maybe. We cannot know what the future will be, but for now he has reached a peak.
Could I have done more in my career? Maybe. I could have studied past lives or shamanism or other New Age disciplines. But I did not do it. All I can do is look back and see how successful I have been. What now? Business is gearing up again now that the Pandemic is truly over. I have redone my website. Perhaps I have not done such great things as Carla Hayden or Linda Howe have, but I have done well. I have lived up to my potential as they say. It is enough for now.
There are plenty of adventures left for all of us. Let’s go!
Looking for a fun idea for your next party or event? Consider Psychic Entertainment by Barbara G Meyer. If you are looking for a new idea for a ladies’ night out? Consider a Tarot class for you and your friends. Either in person or on Zoom.