True Magic
How Triggers Become Tools for Liberation
The Moment that Set Me Off
Maybe you’ve been there—that tight, uncomfortable feeling in your stomach when someone irritates you more than they should. A flash of resentment that seems disproportionate to the moment.
The situation itself was trivial—just another example of someone floating through life with financial ease, despite never having prioritized money. Worse, he had full financial control without ever having earned that right. Meanwhile, I’ve been working since third grade, hustling my way to financial independence, carefully calculating every risk, every opportunity. And yet, here was another person who had the house, the security, the freedom to do what he wanted—without the grind.
It shouldn’t have mattered to me. And yet, I could feel resentment bubbling under the surface. I felt cheated.
But then I stopped myself. Why does this bother me so much?
And that’s when it hit me. It wasn’t about him.
It was about me.
The Past Loads the Gun, Your Trauma Pulls the Trigger
I used to think that if something triggered me, it meant I needed to either get over it or fix the situation. But I’ve come to see triggers for what they really are: portals to freedom.
A trigger isn’t just about the person or situation that set it off. It’s a flashlight pointed at an old wound, an outdated belief, or a place where we are still unconsciously trapped. And if we learn how to follow the trigger back to its source, we don’t just understand it—we unlock something powerful.
When I sat with it, I realized this wasn’t a new feeling—it was an old one.
I grew up in a house where my mother controlled the money, even though she didn’t earn it. My father worked, but she dictated where the money went—and not in a way that prioritized anyone but herself. If I wanted anything beyond the basics, I had to earn it myself.
So, I started working young. Not because I had to, but because I wanted freedom. I wanted choices. I didn’t want to have to ask permission for things that made life enjoyable.
And from that, I learned the rules that have governed my entire life:
✔️ If I want security, I have to work for it.
✔️ If I want freedom, I have to earn it.
✔️ If I want success, I have to hustle harder than everyone else.
But then, here was this person—who had never prioritized money—living a life of ease. It wasn’t fair.
Life Isn’t Fair and Then You Die
Once I peeled back the layers, I saw that my resentment wasn’t just about fairness. It was about wanting something I don’t yet know how to get.
Because here’s the truth:
I want the nice house.
I want financial security.
I want the freedom to focus on creative work without constantly worrying about money.
And, most of all, I don’t want to have to grind myself into exhaustion to get it.
But that is where I get stuck. Because my entire life has taught me that freedom has to be earned—that unless I’m willing to work harder than everyone else, I won’t get to have what I want.
I wanted that kind of ease, but I didn’t know how to get it.
That’s when I realized my trigger wasn’t a punishment. It was a clue.
Breaking the Spell: The Tarot Card That Shifted Everything
That night, I pulled a tarot spread. Three cards. And right in the Past position was The Devil.
In the tarot, The Devil card represents entrapment, unhealthy cycles, and feeling stuck in something you think you can’t escape. But here’s the part most people miss:
In the image, the couple is chained—but the chains are loose. They could slip them off at any time. The real prison isn’t the chains—it’s the belief that they can’t leave.
That’s what the trigger was showing me. I wasn’t actually trapped.
I had been assuming that financial security could only come through endless work. I had been assuming that freedom had to be earned through sacrifice. But what if I was wrong?
What if there was another way?
True Magic: Turning Triggers into Liberation
A trigger is just a signpost pointing to an invisible cage. The magic happens when we realize we have the key.
The moment I stopped focusing on resenting the people (or in this case a person) who had freedom and started asking how I could create it for myself, everything changed.
Instead of asking “Why do they get that and I don’t?”
I started asking “How do I get that—on my own terms?”
Instead of feeling stuck in the grind, I started looking for a new structure—one that would allow me to have financial stability without sacrificing my freedom.
Because life isn’t fair.
But that doesn’t mean I have to kill myself to even the score.
The Takeaway: How to Use This in Your Own Life
If something triggers you, don’t dismiss it or shove it down (or shoot the person that caused it as tempting as that may be!) Instead, ask:
1. Where have I felt this before? How is this familiar?
2. What old belief is making this feel personal?
3. What is this showing me about what I secretly desire?
4. How can I move toward that desire instead of staying stuck in resentment?
Because true magic isn’t about making your triggers disappear. It’s about turning what once felt like a curse into a key.
Wonderful insight!