Wisdom of Three: the Past, Present, and Future

Ah, time! It can be quartered into three, like many things, too. This version of the triple circle can obviously be used as a divination tool, much like three card spreads do. The less obvious use of the triple circle in relation to the past, present, and future is as a tool of self growth.

I suppose this makes sense. Not only are the areas contained within the circle affected by time, but the entire purpose of life, and the limitations time imposes, are to learn the purpose of Self, and how to best implement it. Learning how the past, present, and future can impact one another by studying them using the triple circle can deepen your ability to make sense of everything on going around you.

Time, as you're about to really be able to visualize (if you haven't already!), isn't linear at all.

The past is the center of the circle because it becomes the formative information and image on which the present is built, or our foundation of expectation for the present and future. Depending on how the past has gone, this can be a positive or a negative foundation. A positive foundation, for example, would be having good parents, who did all they could do be compassionate, caring, and unconditionally loving to us when we were growing. An example of a negative foundation would be having parents who neglected us, or were narcissistic.

A positive foundation in the past allows us to feel very confident and firmly rooted in the present, and optimistic about the future. This is because the previous energy moving into the present and future is one that supports hope, optimism, and beneficial outcomes. Inversely, if the founding energy from our past is negative, we will have very low expectations, or expectations of the worst sort of outcome, instead.

Belief structures and foundations that lie in the realm of the past become our core beliefs and perspective. These beliefs are a very central part of how we interact with the present, and will also become a part of our future, if they are not changed or removed. Metaphorically learning to mend the cracks within our foundation, or modify the way we view our past, becomes especially important when we are attempting to create a positive "now," that is not affected by the detrimental energies that have come to pass before now came to be.

It goes without saying that now becomes our future. And, if the now is actually composed of, largely, the past, learning to work from this ground level and out can create massively positive changes in the overall scope of your life path. Some people use this perspective to trap themselves in the past, by using statements like, "this is how it's always been," or "this is just who I am." These statements aren't true, though. Why would we have a present moment in which change and opportunity are plentiful, if it were? Why would we have the power to live at all?

While the past may set a foundation or precedent for the future, it is just that - a preceding chapter! If all books ended how they began in the first chapter, there most certainly wouldn't be any stories worth telling. Our lives are no different. Throughout each individual page of our lives, the inevitable plot twists, turns, and changes slowly evolve the energies of the beginning into an entirely different ending.

The actual future, unlike those in stories, however, is quite nebulous, and almost entirely dependent on what goes on in the present. It is only by grabbing hold of the metaphorical pen and doing the dirty work that we begin to create the desired plot changes in our story that we wish to see. While we may not have full mastery over our story like an actual author does, we certainly do have a lot more power over how our story goes than a lot of people like to think.

Unlike the future, something we can truly analyze or predict (even with the tools of divination), or even the present, a complicated blend of energies that are far too many to make full sense of, the past is something that we have full perspective and vision over. It is still, and unchanging. We can zoom out and analyze all the bits and pieces that we have access to look over, and we can do so at out leisure.

Being able to take the long look, so to speak, at the past allows us to see very clearly where our foundation is uneven, cracked, or flawed. By comparing our desired vision of the future with the foundation of our past, we can see all the things that need to be worked on. Even if they aren't "detrimental," some of the past (and, subsequently, your present) aren't going to line up perfectly with the vision of the future. By continually cycling from the center of the circle, out, and back in, we can whittle away the bits of our lives that don't belong, fill the pieces that are lacking, and work on repairing what is broken or worn down.

The triple circle and past, present, future model has been a very useful tool for me to help hone myself into a bigger, better version. While there are still many flaws in my foundation to be settled out and worked on, I grow more and more enthusiastic and hopeful about every tomorrow than I did the day before. I hope this wisdom can help you find the same inner peace!

Affirmation:

I make the most of each moment.