In the spring, A-Tu returned to his land. To his surprise, the "Black Gold Rice" plant that had been frostbitten had not died. It had stubbornly sprouted new green shoots from its roots.
But its growth became unusually slow. All summer, it grew at a leisurely pace, yet showed no signs of producing grain. A-Tu used every method he had learned from books and from Xiao-Ye—fertilizing, watering, and removing pests—but the plant, as if on its own schedule, gave only a lukewarm response to all his efforts.
A-Tu began to feel anxious again. But he quickly became aware of the change in his mindset. He was no longer trying to "control" and force it, as he had with the Four of Pentacles. He was learning another, more important lesson: waiting.
He continued to work hard every day, but he no longer focused all his attention on the "result." More often, he would be like the farmer in the card, leaning on his hoe after work, quietly watching the green field.
He was observing, evaluating, and reflecting. Was his method wrong? Was it not the right time? Or was this plant's growth cycle simply this long?
He no longer rushed for success and instead learned to cooperate with time. He shifted his focus from a single outcome to the entire process. This patience brought an unprecedented sense of peace and certainty to his heart.
【Echo from the Mirror】
What are you "waiting" for? Is it the outcome of a project, the development of a relationship, or an inner transformation? Can you, like A-Tu, use your patient watchfulness to evaluate, reflect, and fully trust in time and the process itself?