Planning

We are a culture obsessed with planning. We have five-year plans, ten-year plans, retirement plans. We have business plans, marketing plans, and strategic plans. We plan our vacations, our weddings, and our funerals. We are constantly trying to control the future, to bend it to our will, to make it conform to our desires. But what if all of our planning is just a form of sophisticated anxiety? What if our obsession with control is actually a form of bondage? The "Planning" card is a fierce and loving invitation to question our relationship with planning, and to discover a new way of moving through the world – a way that is both intentional and surrendered.

The Tyranny of the Plan

A plan is a beautiful thing. It can give us a sense of direction, a sense of purpose, a sense of clarity. But a plan can also be a tyrant. It can blind us to new possibilities, it can make us rigid and inflexible, and it can set us up for disappointment when things don't go according to our preconceived notions. When we are too attached to our plans, we are no longer in a dance with life; we are in a wrestling match. We are constantly trying to force life to fit into our neat little boxes, and life is constantly resisting. This is a recipe for frustration, for exhaustion, and for a deep sense of disconnection from the natural flow of the universe.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving."

- Lao Tzu

The Tao Te Ching teaches us the wisdom of wu wei, of effortless action. It is the art of moving with the Tao, with the natural flow of the universe, rather than against it. A good traveler, according to Lao Tzu, is not attached to a fixed plan. They are open to detours, to unexpected adventures, and to the possibility that the journey itself is the destination. This is not a passive or fatalistic attitude. It is a deeply engaged and responsive way of being in the world. It is the art of making a plan, and then holding it lightly, ready to let it go at a moment's notice.

The Divine Plan and the Human Plan

In many spiritual traditions, there is a distinction made between the divine plan and the human plan. The human plan is born of the ego. It is based on our limited understanding of the world, and it is driven by our desires and our fears. The divine plan, on the other hand, is the plan of the universe, of God, of the Tao. It is a plan that is far vaster, far more intelligent, and far more benevolent than anything our little minds can conceive of. The spiritual path is not about abandoning planning altogether. It is about learning to align our human plan with the divine plan. It is about learning to listen to the whispers of the universe, and to trust in the wisdom that is always guiding us, even when we cannot see the way.

A Real-Life Example

I once knew a woman who had her whole life planned out. She was going to go to law school, become a partner at a prestigious firm, marry her high school sweetheart, and have two and a half children. She was on track to achieve all of her goals. She graduated from law school at the top of her class, she got a job at her dream firm, and she was engaged to be married. And then, one day, her fiancé left her for another woman. Her whole world came crashing down. Her plan was in tatters. She was devastated. For months, she was lost in a sea of grief and despair. But then, something shifted. She realized that her plan had been a prison. It had been a cage that had kept her from discovering her true self. She quit her job at the law firm, she sold her house, and she bought a one-way ticket to India. She spent the next ten years studying with a spiritual master, and she became a renowned yoga teacher. She never became a partner at a law firm, she never married her high school sweetheart, and she never had two and a half children. But she found something far more precious. She found herself. And she found a new plan, a plan that was not born of her ego, but of her soul.

The Fierce Art of Surrendered Action

To live without a plan can be terrifying. It can feel like you are adrift in a vast and empty ocean. But it can also be exhilarating. It can be a radical act of trust, of faith, of surrender. It is the fierce art of surrendered action. It is the dance of making a plan, and then letting it go. It is the paradox of being both the captain of your ship and a humble passenger on a journey that is far grander and more mysterious than you can ever imagine.

Embodying the teaching of "Planning" is about cultivating a new relationship with the future – a relationship that is both intentional and surrendered. Here are a few ways to practice this deep teaching in your daily life:

The Practice of Holding Plans Lightly

Make your plans. Set your goals. But hold them lightly. Write them in pencil, not in pen. Be open to the possibility that the universe has a better plan for you. When things don't go according to your plan, don't resist. Don't fight. Don't complain. Instead, get curious. Ask yourself, "What is life trying to teach me here? What is the gift in this detour?"

The Practice of Following the Breadcrumbs

The universe is always leaving us breadcrumbs, little signs and synchronicities that are guiding us on our path. Pay attention to these breadcrumbs. Notice the recurring themes, the chance encounters, the unexpected opportunities. These are the whispers of the divine plan. Follow them, even if you don't know where they are leading. Trust that they are leading you home.

The Practice of Daily Surrender

Start each day with a prayer of surrender. It could be as simple as, "Thy will be done." Or, "I offer this day to you. Use me as you will." This simple practice can help to shift your orientation from one of control to one of surrender. It can help you to remember that you are not in charge, and that there is a wisdom and a love that is always guiding you, always holding you, and always leading you on your path.

When the "Planning" card appears in a reading, it is a powerful invitation to examine your relationship with control. It may be a sign that you have been holding on too tightly to your plans, and that you need to learn to let go. It may be a reminder that life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. It may be a call to trust in the divine order of the universe, even when you cannot see it.

This card is a fierce and loving command to loosen your grip on the future and to embrace the radical freedom of the present moment. It is an invitation to dance with life, rather than to wrestle with it. It is a promise that when you surrender your little plan to the grand plan of the universe, you will discover a life that is far more magical, more mysterious, and more magnificent than anything you could have ever planned for yourself.