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, October 4, 2014

Mark of Existence

This week I'll be using the Ship of Fools Tarot, a deck and book set created by Brian Williams and published by Llewellyn. The oracle book and deck set I'll be using is the Wisdom of the Four Winds, created by Barry Brailsford and Cecilie Okada and published by StonePrint Press. Today's cards are Death and "Comet:"
 That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything—every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate—is always changing, moment to moment. ~ Pema Chodron
As the fool anticipates taking his bouquet to his lady friend, Death pulls on his tunic and says, "Excuse me sir, but we have a pressing appointment." Isn't that how change is? We're skipping merrily along and suddenly get blindsided. We refuse to acknowledge impermanence because we superstitiously think we might cause it to happen, when in fact it occurs anyway. We create our own suffering by living this way; we refuse to accept change and demand that it shouldn't happen to us. Is it wrong to feel sad, worried or angry when we lose a job, a loved one or hear bad news? I don't think so - that's only human. But we'll never find permanent security in a world that is constantly changing. Perhaps we could take Chodron's advice:
But rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, what if we accepted it and relaxed into it? What if we said, “Yes, this is the way it is; this is what it means to be human,” and decided to sit down and enjoy the ride? 
The Comet, with its sudden appearance and the excitement it causes, fits perfectly with Death. Brailsford suggests it brings tidings of hope and joyful, new beginnings. Yet if I want to receive the good things to come, I'm going to have to unclench my fists and release what was. 

8 comments:

  1. That is a meaty death.
    Don't know that is has any bearing, but it struck me as odd. Maybe in the time of the Narrenschiff showing all the bones wasn't politically correct...

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    1. Yea, I noticed that and was curious about it too...

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  2. What a wonderful quote. And how true it is. Life is always changing. Even if we don't notice it. Most of the time change comes in subtle ripples but once in while there are tidal waves and undercurrents. That is the tricky part: to accept this and still see life as a gift
    A beautiful post Bev thank you!

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    1. Thank you Ellen. :) I wish Chodron would send me a telegram of these quotes when I had a major change in my life!

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  3. Thank you for this reminder today Bev. I know the one thing that always is the same is change. Sometimes I need a reminder. ' Wearing the world as a loose garment' is the only way to go!

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    1. If only it was as easy to live this idea as it was to write about! :)

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    2. Ha, yes! We write about it often, yet I still find myself blindsided by change so often. It's not even always "bad", yet it's still disconcerting… :)

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    3. Yea, the only time I usually welcome it is if I am in pain or dealing with some emotional chaos and it goes away. :)

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