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, November 8, 2014

Wants for Needs

This week I'll be using the Albano-Waite Tarot, recolored by Frankie Albano and published by U.S. Games. The oracle deck I'll use is the Rumi Cards, created by Eryk Hanut, illustrated by Michele Wetherbee and published by Tuttle. The cards drawn for today are Moon and "Before death:"
       The Moon represents the memories and emotions locked in my unconscious that often trickle out in my dreams and reactions to certain stimuli. It can be helpful to know what is shaping my present from the past, but interpreting the information can be tricky. It is much like the domestic dog and the wolf trying to communicate; there is a definite connection, but the translation is not always perfect. Yet once unlocked, that crayfish can shuffle down the yellow brick road into the present with much more awareness.
     If anything can poke the unconscious into peeking out from under its cover, it's the subject of death. Right now I am dealing with a cat who's received an unfavorable diagnosis, a mother-in-law whose dementia and frailty increase each day, and a family member struggling with mental health issues. My natural instinct is to cling tightly to all of them, trying to control or fix every problem. But instead of clinging, perhaps what they need is a more generous spirit. An attitude of openness and compassion, releasing what I want in favor of what they need.

7 comments:

  1. I can understand how you would love to have a magic wand and make everything right for everybody. If only we could embrace death and loss as a natural part of life. Maybe this is a downside of our spiritual growth: being able to bond on such a deep level that is almost non doable to let go. Compassion on the other hand is a gift of the same development. So I wish you well in finding the right balance to care for the ones in need with an open attitude. And please don't forget to look after yourself too!
    Hugs (((Bev)))

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    1. Thank you Ellen. I think this reading is something I need to understand and embrace. I can't change the direction they're walking in, but I can keep them company and love them along the way.

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  2. And the infirmities of others are also a reminder of our own mortal fears. It's doubly hard to cope with these problems, as you are coping with their troubles, and your own worries :( It takes strength to stay open-hearted in those circumstances :)

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    1. Yes, to be able to sit with another's pain, I need to be able to sit with my own suffering first.

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  3. Bev,

    Life can sure give us more than our fair share of difficulty, burdens and sickness. Know you are not alone.

    I just wrote a post about my favourite artist Frida Kahlo.

    In Mexico they seem much more comfortable with death, then we are in the Western world. To the Mexicans it's all simply part of life, celebrating the Day of the Dead

    Frida Kahlo was not dark and full of death but the opposite, full of life and light. In spite and I think because of her great suffering. I think over thirty operations she had and experienced great loss and heartache all her life.

    No one said it was easy.

    I think you have great insight. <3 Love and prayers to you and your family.

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  4. http://catherinemeyersartist.blogspot.ca/2014/11/how-frida-kahlo-made-me-think-about.html

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    1. Thank you Catherine. Even though people can't change the circumstances, it does make it more bearable to have people support you as you make the journey. I'll have to check out your post on Frida (I am familiar with some of her work). :)

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