Seven of Stones:

On sustainability, Investment and having a long-term vision

The Golden Giraffe has found a treasure in the middle of a yellowing savannah — a seven-stoned pyrite structure. Giraffes are gentle giants known for their grace, beauty and gentleness, but they are also a highly vulnerable species that, like all wildlife in the African Savannah, requires a long-term strategy for protection against heat, drought and other effects of the climate crisis. Though Pyrite is known as fool’s gold, it also symbolizes the promise of abundance and prosperity, which the Giraffe needs and deserves. Meanwhile, Sevens focus on perfection, evolution and patterns, while Stones hold the powers of wealth and resources. The Seven of Stones is a reminder to focus on long-term sustainability in all aspects of your life. It’s time to step back from individual trees and look at the whole health of the whole forest. It can be a difficult goal to achieve, especially if you’re living life by the seat of your pants, purposefully trying to live more presently in the moment, or are struggling with expenses paycheck to paycheck, but creating stability over the long-term by nourishing quality friendships, increasing skills and knowledge, dedicating a certain amount of time and energy each week to a longer-term goal, repurposing items and resources, and learning when to take risks and when to play safe can all help a person achieve a level of sustainability and stability in a chaotic world. Does what you’re doing right now feel sustainable to you? Could you do what you’re doing now for the next 20 years and be happy? Even if there’s nothing you can or would change now in the present moment, now is the time you should invest in your ability to make changes later.

If you’re feeling blocked:

Maybe it’s difficult to think about sustainability and planning for the long-term when there are so many influencing factors that lie outside our control. Planning for 10 years from now when you don’t know what’s happening this weekend can seem ludicrous, and more and more, people are experiencing PTSD from uncontrollable events and traumatic losses created by the climate crisis and experienced during the height of a global pandemic. Displacement from natural disasters, layoffs at work, medical emergencies, increasingly extreme political climates and even flight cancellations affecting long-awaited or hard-earned vacations can all make it feel absurd to envision a viable long-term plan. Maybe you’re feeling trapped by all the circumstances outside your control. Or maybe your time is spent scattered in every direction and you’re really just unsure about where you’re going or what the goal is. There will always be circumstances outside our control; learning to keep your eye on the horizon can help a person know the best way to respond to more immediate threats and challenges. A long-term vision is a guiding light during dark times and can keep a person from spending time on projects that won’t lead to growth, fulfillment or success. Moving on from a project that didn’t work out or no longer inspires you isn’t a failure; it’s just the way the flow sometimes moves, and it affords you the time and energy required to start something new or dig deeper into something that serves more purpose.

Creativity exercises:

Create a collage from magazine clippings that illustrates something about the place you’ll call home in 5 or 10 years.

Design a trophy, comic costume or draw a super hero character for yourself, assigning yourself a super power that you think will most help you in the future

Make a treasure map and add directions pertaining to the journey you want to take in the next 5 years.

Get inspired by giraffes or the color of Gold