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

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Which is Which?

From Waking the Wild Spirit, the Two of Air (Swords); from the MentorSpirit Cards, "Truth:"
 
A mind devoid of insight into its own nature is a chaotic mind, a mind of unease. No matter how savvy and independent and self-controlled we may presume ourselves to be, without mindfulness, chaos is what we discover when we begin to look under the hood. 
~ Kathleen Dowling Singh
Knowing that this card represents the Two of Swords, I wonder if one of those baby birds the mother is feeding is the product of a brood parasite (a bird that lays its eggs in another species' nest). Can the mother tell which is which? Both peep loudly and open their mouths widely to trigger her feeding behavior. These two babies are like my competing thoughts, when I don't know which choice to make.
The MentorSpirit card reminds me that in most cases, given enough time, what is true will be seen clearly. Eventually the baby birds will sprout their wings and it will be clear which one is the real offspring. And if I wait and watch patiently, I'll soon find what is authentic too.

6 comments:

  1. Patience; another major key word for how to live our lives,much like Balance. In The Netherlands we have a saying which literally translated is "with time comes counsel" and it means something like: only time can tell. So waiting and watching how the situation evolves is most often a wise attitude (but sooo difficult when you like to be in control like me:))

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    1. Patience is a virtue I work on through gritted teeth. :D "With time comes counsel" is a great phrase that I'm going to have to put in my memory bank.

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    2. Funny thing with patience, sometimes it comes easy, and other times so hard…
      An interesting interpretation of that Two of Swords. I wouldn't have seen the need for one to be a cuckoo, as even with our own children there are always choices and a need to balance requirements. Still, your interpretation makes a lot of sense!

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    3. I will say that growing older has helped when it comes to patience. Sometimes being impatient feels like a huge waste of time that could be better spent in other ways. :)

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  2. Great post.
    Mmmm patience, something I have had to practice, practice, practice, before I started to finally get a grip. Many times the big things I can plod through with patience pretty good, but it's the little things that can drive you close to the edge. People, places, and things we can't control.

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    1. That's the hard part about patience; you only get it by practicing! :D

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