I am pulling a card from the Open Portals deck again this week. This time, I got, “The Myth of Kaaos.”
The Myth of Kaaos is about the cyclical nature of the world and is useful in understanding that beginnings and endings are linked.
↓ Take it as a warning: you will always have less control than you think you do.
↑ To completely let go of control can be freeing. Kaaos represents someone who isn’t afraid to take risks and can make quick decisions.
First of all what struck me about this card’s imagery is how it’s less chaotic than last week’s card, “Portal for the Heartbroken.” It’s a little messy, but it is more contained.
Quick decision-making is a skill. It’s easy to get stuck pondering outcomes and possibilities. Time passes while you remain at a standstill. There is value in weighing options, but what is really holding us back? I know for me it most likely is fear. We actively avoid making mistakes, In doing so, we delay action, but we need to change our mindset. We learn from mistakes. We grow from mistakes. Of course, the gravity of a situation factors in, but any hesitation to balance what if’s may potentially have dire consequences. We’re not controlling the situation. Fear is controlling us.
Let’s look at how chaos is defined. According to Merriam-Webster:
1 a : a state of utter confusion// the blackout caused chaos throughout the city
b : a confused mass or mixture
// a chaos of television antennas2 a often capitalized : a state of things in which chance is supreme
especially : the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms — compare COSMOS
b : the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart)3 obsolete : CHASM, ABYSS
What I find particularly interesting is the third and obsolete meaning. In Greek myth, Khaos (Χαος) was the first of the protogenoi, or primordial gods, to emerge at the time of creation. Theoi.com offers the following description:
Khaos was the lower atmosphere which surrounds the earth--both the invisible air and the gloom of fog and mist. The word khaos means "gap" or "chasm" being the space between heaven and earth. Khaos was the mother and grandmother of the other misty essences--Erebos (the mists of netherworld darkness), Aither (the ethereal mists of heaven), Nyx (the night) and Hemera (the day), as well as the numerous emotion-driving Daimones (Spirits) which haunted it. She was also a goddess of fate like her daughter Nyx and grand-daughters the Moirai (Moirae).As the goddess of the air Khaos was also the mother of birds, just as Gaia (the Earth) was the mother of land animals, and Thalassa (the Sea) was the mother of fish.
Late classical authors redefined Khaos as the chaotic mix of elements which existed in the primordial universe, conflating it with the primal "Mud" of the Orphic cosmogony. The modern English word "chaos" derives from this.
It’s fascinating to see how meanings of words change over time, even subtly. Perhaps viewing chaos less as disarray and more as an opportunity to create may ease some of the tension and worry and help us regain some footing while at the same time relinquishing control or this notion of control.
Once we stop gripping so tightly, blockages are released. Flow resumes. Pause and consider the universe and how all of these celestial bodies form out of cosmic soup without our intervention. That’s pretty spectacular, y’know? Have you ever noticed how once you “give up” on something, that thing magically opens up? Maybe—just maybe—a little chaos is what we need.
Passing time caring for critters.
Creating while they nap.
