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

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Bonds and Havens

From the Japaridze Tarot, the Three of Tides (Cups); from the Holitzka I Ching, hexagram 33 - "Retreat:"
          Seeing the horses on the Three of Tides took me back to my camping trip on Cumberland Island. Early in the morning, I would see these feral beauties running through the twisted oaks and palmettos as they made their way to the beach. There they would fly along the surf, looking like children just released from school on summer break. This card is a testament to our longing to belong, of how we humans find common bonds and create groups. In such havens, we can share both our joys and sorrows.
          Even without the text, it's easy to look at the Holitzka painting and see that it is about taking shelter from the storm. I could instantly see how the message of these two cards apply to my husband, sister-in-law and I as we take turns at the hospital with my mother-in-law. If there were no one else to share this duty with, it would quickly become overwhelming. The understaffed nursing team, the dementia patient next door (who chants "nurse, nurse" 24 hours a day), and the sheer monotonous boredom (interlaced with explaining for the 100th time to my MIL that she can't get out of bed with a broken pelvis) would quickly make anyone insane. Yet working as a group, we can allow each other to go home and rest while another takes a shift. And together, we can maintain a sense of humor as we laugh at the frustrations instead of cry over them.


10 comments:

  1. I am holding you (((Bev)) and your family in in my thoughts.
    Gentle Hugs

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  2. Be prepared for a serious drop in her cognitive abilities, it is very common after this kind of accident or surgical procedure. ((family))

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    1. We've already seen it - were stunned by it actually. She has made small steps in coming back cognitively though, which is encouraging.

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  3. The horses have a very Chagall-like feeling for me at first glance. Their ebullient, fast moving energy feels like it's paused just for the moment as they drink from the stream. The Buddha, too, is holding a similar tension with his contained, meditative body while above him a maelstrom of energy unfolds. This sounds like what you're working with your MIL, holding your own place of stability in the midst of the realities of her journey. Blessings on your family as you navigate these waters.

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  4. Thank you Rose. "Holding our own place of stability" is an accurate description of what is going on. We're so busy bailing out and plugging the leaky boat, we don't even have time to worry about sinking. We're maintaining by staying in the moment.

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  5. Thank God for those who can share the load.
    I love the horses, being a horse nut. They remind me of a painting I did, a purple flying horse, based on a book I read a well known horse woman. "She Flys Without Wings". I think this is what our friends and family etc help us do, at least we feel we can at least get off the ground! Prayers to you Bev for your family <3 XO

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    1. Amen! As Donne said, "No man (or woman) is an island," and thank goodness for that.

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  6. So glad to hear you have that support network, for your MIL, and for you all. And the storm will pass, if you can sit it out...

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    1. They have at least moved her to the physical therapy floor at the hospital, but her confusion is startling. She thought for some reason they were taking her to Florida!

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