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

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Fierce and Formidable

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, Destruction (Tower):
All the world changes
This may seem strange, but I actually prefer Kali over a burning, crumbling Tower. I suppose it's because I see her as a protective mother - fierce and intimidating maybe, but with my best interests at heart. This Hindu goddess is the consort of Shiva, and though both are associated with destruction, Shiva represents the big, eternal picture of time while Kali symbolizes the immediate side ("the time has come"). It's hard to have those things I'm attached to yanked suddenly away, because they shore up my ego. But Kali shows me what I think is a firm foundation is really just shifting sand.

From the Tattwa Cards comes "Fire: Seed of Water:"
Vaporization
When I was a child growing up in my grandparent's home, we had floor vents for the central heat and air conditioning. During the winter, my grandmother would fill empty soup cans with water and place them on the vents. She explained that all the heat dried out the air in the house (leading to sinus problems), so the water helped add moisture back to the air. As I see the formidable power of Kali in the tarot card above (fire), it is nice to know there is a seed of healing there too (water). 

4 comments:

  1. Water to put out the burning embers after the fire and water to irrigate the fertile soil left behind after burning away the deeply rooted weeds.
    For me Kali is also the protective aspect of the Mother or Amma
    I love that name so much! :D

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    1. We have controlled "burns" here, so your analogy of the water on the fertile soil is very apt. Amma is a name both soothing and powerful, but with none of the negative or dogmatic connotations for me. :)

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  2. It's true, Kali gives me a very different sense than the regular Tower! With her it's much clearer for me that any destruction is necessary and positive, rather than just a tearing down of what feels safe. She is fierce in a protective way, as you say, bringing healing rather than just pain. Makes me think of tearing off a scab so that the flesh underneath can be cleaned and heal properly...

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    1. You are so right; reminds me of trying to cover a deep wound with a bandage (like pretending it's not there) that Kali takes off, pours medicine in, and allows it to heal.

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