I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Don't Expect It to be Easy...

This week I'll be using the Wildwood Tarot, created by the writing efforts of Mark Ryan and John Matthews, and illustrated by Will Worthington. Today's draw is the Nine of Bows (Wands):
In legends and lore, the hero or heroine must always face a great challenge, not just to prove how tough they are, but to see if their heart is truly committed to this quest. In this Nine of Wands is the Woodwose, a large and hairy wildman of the forest, who has come to see if I have the courage and determination to reach my goal. Will I earn his respect and be allowed to pass, or will I whine and complain about how life isn't fair and give up? Perhaps if I can maintain my sense of humor and realize that such trials happen to everyone, I'll soon find that sunny spot where I can let down my guard and rest.

The other deck I'll be using is the Shaman's Oracle, created by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan. Today's card is the "Spirit of Love:"
The image on this cave wall looks as if someone rolled flower petals into balls and used them to create a figure with its arms open in acceptance. I am reminded by this spirit that feeling forced to do something out of fear will only create anger and frustration, but acting from love creates respect and kindness. Love doesn't mean I can't have boundaries (such as you might impose on a child), but even those can originate from the heart. As I work toward my goal, I imagine my challenges will be met and resolved much easier through an attitude of love.

10 comments:

  1. I belief when you act out of love you're open to receive more Love and you don't have to do everything on you own. That is for me a comforting thought

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    1. Where I sit to meditate in the mornings I have a statue of Kuan Yin and below it a quote by Zhang Jigang that says:

      "As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart,
      a thousand hands will naturally come to your aid.
      As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart,
      you will reach out with a thousand hands to help others."
      :)

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    2. That says it all. Beautiful!

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    3. Jigang was a choreographer who put together a show called "Dance of a Thousand Hands" dedicated to Kuan Yin. The amazing part was that all the dancers are deaf! Here's a clip on YouTube:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjSD1dLTPUk

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    4. Stunning, amazing, wonderful! Thanks for this link!

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  2. I feel, you are really convinced of your goals and that you are deeply committed with it; all of us have those kind of trials and "stones in the road" too. The thing is don't let stones block our way, focus on our goals and go ahead. I'm sure you will achieve your goals!!!! Muchas Estrellas!!!!!! :) ...And beautiful oracle!!!

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  3. Humour and love, definitely sounds like a good recipe :D Loved the 1000 hands vid, too!

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    1. The dancers were amazing weren't they? Now I'm imagining a yoga flow with a lot of people done in the same way. :)

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    2. Ooh, that sounds lovely :D I saw something a while back that had a bit of that feel to it, a combination of acrobatics and yoga, can't remember what it was called though *wanders off looking pensive*

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