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

Monday, October 20, 2014

Coddling My Own Opinion

From the Tarot of Durer, the Emperor; from the Philosopher's Stone, "Solution:"
This is a rather jolly looking Emperor; the Latin phrase below his throne reads: "No person can lead well unless he has learned to obey." I would guess that this guy wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He has experienced the same sort of life of his subjects, and he knows intimately the kind of daily challenges they must face. The vulture (who dines on road kill) suggests the Emperor knows how to be content with what is available. Several years ago we had a fellow running for the office of U.S. President. His net worth was conservatively estimated to be at $250 million. He owned three homes, one a summer compound worth $8 million. Had this man ever faced real hunger? Did he ever have to choose which bill not to pay because he had an unexpected medical expense? Was he ever without a job and worried about his family being homeless? My guess would be that he had not; he had little in common with the people he wanted to preside over. No wonder he didn't get elected.
The Solution card shows a stone in the shape of a Century Gothic question mark from the front, yet its shadow casts the shape of an exclamation point. In chemistry, a solution is two or more substances evenly mixed together. It suggests brainstorming, where even the wildest ideas are considered in order to find one that helps fix the problem. These two cards suggest I need a wide perspective to find the answers I seek, which will involve listening with an open mind. Coddling my own opinion will only keep me staring at that stone wall.


5 comments:

  1. He sure is coddling his globe :D
    I notice the older I get the more inclined I am to adhere to my own opinion. This isn't something I am proud of, so I am doing my very best to stay open minded.

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    1. Yes he is! :)
      I find myself doing the same thing Ellen (being more opinionated about things), which drives me crazy. At least if we recognize what we're doing, we can choose to change to a more open approach.

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  2. Those Philosopher's Stone cards are amazing, Bev! I had promised myself not to get any more decks for a while, but they are very tempting. That card makes me think of certainty only ever being a shadow we perceive after many questions :) It's funny, you say you're opinionated, but that's certainly not the impression I get from this blog...

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  3. I'm a work in progress, heehee. :)
    I'm glad to hear someone else thinks these cards are cool. Unfortunately they are out of print, though you can still find them occasionally on Ebay and other places. Until you find yourself a copy, you can use the artist's website (pick a number between 1 and 40):
    http://www.dees.at/game/01.htm

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    1. Yeah, I found them on amazon at silly prices, so thanks for the link to the artist's website!

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