seven * sideshore, tsunami, breakwater, rainbow

Pure blue wave by Remi Bertoche

sideshore * seven of winds

Sometimes “mixed up conditions” bring a freshness to things. “Bumpy but enticing,” funky conditions can be rideable, and sometimes are just as epic, if not more so, than tradewinds. With a south wind blowing into honing sections, we find a diamond wave within the otherwise rough conditions. Our enthusiasm overcomes the uneven and irregular lines, as sometimes we “just wanna surf.” The wind can be bracing, and in combo with the “downcoast” littoral drift, makes it harder to hold your position in the lineup, and throws off your normal on shore markers. It can be tricky to navigate inbetween, and opposed to, the more familiar zephyr west wind, with first timers feeling a bit raw and sensations anew.

The shifty conditions are good for our distant relatives, the windsurfers, and remind us as to just how “unsettling” it can be when our moaning and indecision is cause again for us to pass up on an otherwise “usable,” or doable session. It’s not as we planned, as we stand by futile yet reinforced, as we watch yet another surfer “catch rail” in the chop. With conditions in flux, for most it’s an “incomplete” session at best, as we become frustrated with imperfection, and can’t live with the irregular rhythms of the sea.

Can you adapt? Shift directions. Do you know where to go? Pick your spot. If you are in need of local knowledge, consult others. You may find dream wave, and partner to boot. Are you versatile enough? Show off your versatility. Give things a fresh face. You’re in your element. Sparkle. Address your level of vitality. The absence of guidelines gives you the opportunity to “take stock” of yourself. Self reliance and discipline will soon afford you a “change in fortunes.” Go ahead and “put your hand in the cookie jar.” Don’t put your fortunes “on hold.” Fortune favors those who keep themselves “in the fold.”

Illustration Nathan Paul Gibbs

tsunami * seven of waves

Not always “titanic,” tidal waves are a little bit misunderstood, in that it is not just an open ocean phenomena, as much as an inshore or “harbor wave,” that causes the H30, “heavy water” damage. Ultimately unrideable, the “relentless surge” is definitely not for surfing. Caused by underwater volcanic eruptions, or created by unseen submarine or “subduction” earthquakes, and sometimes by the subsequent undersea landslides, the “wave trains” travel virtually unnoticed and can strike in kind, with little notice as well, until they “stackpile” and “stampede” onto shore. It seems like nothing is happening until the ocean gets sucked out dry, and just before Poseidon begins to roll in unrelenting, leveling the playing field, and taking out everything in his path. We don’t realize until it’s too late, as we aren’t familiar with the warning signs nor signals. Unfathomable and most unreal, we had but an “eerie sense” of the “insensate” force coming our way. A “collective altered state” ensues as chaos and confusion are but two of the raw emotions run amuck. It’s a “life and death experience” and a “true test of heart and spirit.” A “once in a lifetime” event, with the very “meaning of life” flashing immediately before us.

There is no time for indecision, as our “chimerical” sea thug is highly impersonal, and now totally out of control. His pent up energy is of an “overflow libido,” and symbolic of a deep seated, watery and hence emotional imbalance. He is capable and can wash away everything we own. He is without regard or compassion, and we can suffer complete and total devastation. It’s karmic retribution for our relentless and thoughtless pursuit of the “material girl” and her world, with cause from repressed emotions and our correspondent “emotional dam,” now ready to burst. It’s a total “washout,” as we are swept off our feet and washed away into “the drink,” engulfed by our “emotional flood.” Our surf spot’s a wreck, with “common denominator,” that all individual desires are now snuffed out. Swallowed up and flooded out, bedlam and mayhem continue wreaking havoc and ultimate ruin upon a most “disturbing and difficult situation.” A “reef flogging” is our “greatest fear,” and our own “personal Watergate break,” as we are unable to avoid the danger. We have been flushed out, revealed and left “fundamentally” exposed.

Find “higher” ground. Be true to yourself. It could be the path to what you really want in life, albeit perhaps just not the how and quite when you had in mind? Pursue your dream. Make an offering. Return to balance and get the pono back. Your humility is your window of opportunity. The “path of faith” will be revealed. Do not minimize or underestimate the outer destruction, and yet real eyes that you still have no choice but to work from within. Are you afraid of the “underwater volcano” within? “The calm after the storm leaves a silver lining of compassion and understanding.” Let in the “sea of love.” Be gracious to your fellow “brothers and sisters.” Respond to others and lend a hand. Live for the day. Be part of the ohana and think for the whole. Work together. Take stock of what’s left. Join the “recovery program.” Ask yourself what “watery emotions” have not had the chance to express themselves? They are the symbolic key to unlock your “emotional store.” You hadn’t shared what was really inside, and you never let her know how you really felt. You were too removed and too vested, and had to stay in control. Well, you’re not much help now sitting up alone on that mountain top. You’ve never tapped into your expressive or artistic side. What untapped potential do you have on “reserve” or lying within your pool of “unshared resources?” You can just feel it. It’s time to act instead of lag. You must choose a new tact. “How we treat others is often indicative of how we treat ourselves.” Rethink your priorities. Rise up from your own personal “ground zero.” Zero in on what it is you truly want out of life. Move from “catastrophic” to “anastrophic.” Believe and “know” that something really good is about to happen.

Illustration Jose Fernando Mendoza Puma

breakwater * seven of rocks

Quick jacking, high performance peaks, refract and wedge up off our bulwark beach jetty. It’s a “one way” wave that emerges from the frothing slosh and backwash, rebounding off the rocks, and making for a high visibility surf spot, usually with a rider friendly current next to the jetty for easy access. Our “manmade paradox” interrupts the seacoast, and depletes our beaches of much needed sandfill, intent on “reducing down the beach longshore currents,” and deflecting wave and danger from those “at risk."

illustration Patrick Parker

Displaced rocks are an impediment to the natural flow and rhythm of our beachside ecology, and often symbolic of a lack of imagination or resourcefulness. We were without the big picture, and went ahead without sufficient data or proper analysis. We failed to consult or consider wise counsel. Compromised from the start, we came to “premature decision” with “poor underpinnings” and a lack of understanding. Any thought of “arrested development” was no match for our “prodigal project.” We “stole the soul,” and left behind a “manmade monstrosity” of “subjugation” and “interference,” that is without connection to anything “mystical” nor “soulful,” and largely “unnatural.” Often with “manmade” pollution near either harbor or river entrance, correspondent health concerns begin to leave us not far from the “living dead.” Like a “shipwreck of fools,” we are “between the rocks and a hard place,” living with little soul nor spirit.

Illustration Hilton Alves

Improper handling of “earthworks” adds to longrun complications. One good decision saves having to make ten more decisions to right an original poor decision. It’s difficult to alter fixed patterns. We are all party to our “development.” We all want something to show for ourselves and our efforts. Avoid the pack mentality. Give consideration to a “look into the future.” Refrain from rash decisions. Ask if “our humanity” is in harmony with “our environment?” Are you a help or a hinder? Double check your facts. “When shifting the sands of time, bigger is not always better.” Unpave your mind. Look the other way. See in another direction. It’s what you want. Abandon your “ways.” You have the means to make “difficult choices.” Break away and dislodge from your personal “breakwater.” Forming a barrier is only symbolic of trying to control your environment, and your life. After you’ve built it, you’re not always sure you like it? Like the local seagulls, be patient and unafraid. The restoration of flow comes when you let things be. Leave that “artificial reef” unaltered and “break water” only with your board.

illustration Roy Gonzalez

rainbow * seven of rays

Every rainstorm has its silver lining. Rainbows are a good omen and a “sure sign” that something good is in the offing. The rainbow follows the rain and is symbolic of “harmony, prosperity, good energy, and supernatural magic” to follow. The “color of love” signals that there may well be “heaven on earth.”

Offshores against the sun produce rainbows of an “ephemeral quality,” while the rainbow’s “vibrant spectral glow” lessens the “discomfort around the incoming storm.” Still, some are less than willing to face the coming “adversity and challenge.” We feel anxious and don’t like to make unclear choices. We are “stuck in black and white,” only seeing “shades of gray” inbetween. Despite our “good intentions,” we still “pave our road to hell,” knowing that the “pot of gold is not handed over on a silver platter.”

Weather the storm. You’re not stuck in shades of grey. It’s not all in black and white. Life is colorful. The rainbow is symbolic of the spectrum of our life experience. Enjoy the ride, no matter what the conditions. Let things unfold naturally. Persevere and continue your efforts, and don’t take anything for granted. Take the initiative. Give “the reins” a tug. Get goin’ and get a move on. Bridge the gap. Be sensitive to others and don’t force things. Things will blow over. It’s all “water under the bridge.” Keep your personal matters in order. Keep the faith and build your inner strength. Renewal is divine. Be not afraid of what looms on the horizon. Upgrade your quiver. Shed that “grey flannel suit” and hold your ground. Things will improve. Pay attention. Are you just “wandering about?” You are surrounded by clues. Listen. What were you “thinking about?” Take a chance. “Free yourself from mental slavery.” Emancipate yourself, and “act accordingly.” Make a covenant with yourself to chase your “heart of gold” within. Return “home.” Honor the colorful within. “Guided astral travel” and “open doors” await you. They’re just “reminders before you go on.” Keep things rolling. Be true. Show the way for others. The “rainbow warrior” scouts out ahead for others. There is unity to be had between our water and rainbow peoples. Forge ahead. Despite the storm, we can still see the “rainbow bridge” over “troubled waters.”

Banzai beauty and mango rainbow by Patrick Parker