In drawing this card for you today, I’m being guided to remind you about the importance of going with the flow.

What does that mean?

1 — It means don’t try to swim upstream. Forget about standing in the river, turning to look behind you and trying to swim upstream. You’re not a salmon. You are not meant to go back upstream. You were already up there and it landed you here. There’s nothing back there for you; I promise.

If there was anything back there that was supposed to come with you, it did.

Stop wasting your precious time and energy on something so futile. Besides, it’s just not good for you.

2 — It means don’t push the river. If you stand in water and push it away from you, what happens? Nothin’. Zip. Zilch. Nada. If you can move any of it momentarily, it just settles right back into place, seeking its own level and telling you, essentially, to piss off.

Trying to push the river will never make it go faster. I can promise you, it won’t. The only way it would ever go faster would be because of a raging storm and a flood or something else that is well outside of your capabilities.

Well, unless you have magical powers. In which case, ignore the hell out of me. If you don’t have any such powers, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the river will go at its own speed whether you like it or not. It doesn’t really give a rat’s @$$.

So settle in on a raft or an inner tube and enjoy the ride.

3 — It means don’t stress about what’s around the bend. No point craning your neck to the point that you pull something or fall overboard. It’s one thing to wonder and be curious; it’s another to wreck yourself over it. A lot can happen between here and “there.”

In fact, a lot can be happening “there” right now, messing up any plans you might have for when you get around that bend. Or helping them come together.

You won’t know till you get “there” and we’ve already established that pushing the river is pointless. So stay the course, focus on what’s in front of you and be patient.

4 —It means trust that you’re moving forward. Even if it’s not at a pace you’d like, even if you’re not sure where you’re going or what’s next, you are still moving forward.

We’re not designed to stay stuck in the same place. We have two options: growth or stagnation. And guess what? Stagnation kills us. Probably not a great choice then.

Even if you’re lying perfectly still, your body is constantly changing and being renewed, with zillions of cells dying and being replaced all the time.

Movement is good. That means change is good. Make friends with it ’cause it ain’t going anywhere anytime soon…but you are.

5 — It means enjoy the journey. Quit staring at the ground in front of you, lift up your head and open your eyes. Look around; check out the view.

Be mindful of each moment as it unfolds instead of wasting time thinking about the past (or worse, regretting it). And waste even less time worrying about the future. Do the best you can in this moment, stay positive and focused on what you’d like to achieve and then let it go.

Trust that you’ll be okay and that all is well, right here in this spot on the river and up there around the bend. Slow down. Live in each moment as it happens.

The other ones will get here soon enough.

Spiritual Arts Mentor and Master Teacher, Liberty Forrest, guides you in discovering who you are, why you’re here, and how to follow that path.

Read more below.