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, December 26, 2015

Teacher and Student

From the Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, the Hierophant; from the Insectorum Divinorum, "The Brood:"
          Peter, depicted in this Da Vinci sketch, was the first Pope. Originally named Simon, he was given the name Peter (petra - literally a rock) by Jesus.  Petra (feminine) is a mass of rock, while petros (masculine) is a detached stone, a rock that might be easily moved. As his death approached, Jesus declared that from this stone (petros - Peter's faith) a strong foundation (petra) would be built that would become the Church. The question asked for this card is: "How do you bridge the microcosm of daily life with the macrocosm of spiritual existence?" My answer would be through the study of practical spirituality, the application of universal principles (compassion, honesty, etc.) to daily life. It is what I teach in small groups, as well as what I continue to learn about through wise friends and teachers who push me outside my comfort zone.
          The Brood card suggests a number of young produced or hatched at one time. Among that group of eggs, some won't hatch, some will hatch and be killed or eaten, and others will hatch and continue the life cycle. In the same way, what I am taught or what I teach may have an impact or may simply be the entertainment of the day. That information can be used and applied, ignored or just forgotten. No one has control over what happens, except the person who heard it.
And now a bit of a rewind and a story about yesterday:
How a Snake Saved Christmas
As the holiday approached, I was so worried about being in the middle of political and religious discussions among family members on Christmas. Before I left, the Da Vinci card I chose and its companion book reminded me that challenges are not necessarily evil. As I was taking in food to the house upon arrival, I noticed a coiled baby snake near the door. I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't tell if it was poisonous or not, so I went to ask for the neighbor's help to remove it safely to another location. It caused a quite a lot of excitement, and at the dinner table all that was discussed were animal encounters, pets, etc. Turns out it was a nonpoisonous checkered garter. I have to laugh sometimes at just how literal the message behind the cards can be!

8 comments:

  1. I am glad your dinner conversation had an easy non toxic topic :D

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  2. Your comments on the brood and how it relates to ideas fascinated me. Perhaps, too, it says that I don't need to beat myself up if I don't remember every idea. So long as one survives, there is opportunity for progress :)

    So glad to hear your snake story. Of course, the snake could have engendered the kinds of talks you were worried about - talk about politicians being snakes in the grass, or of the snake offering the temptation that led to the fall of humankind from grace. So, perhaps others didn't want that tension, either....

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    1. Sometimes those idea "seeds" can lay fallow until we need them. :) I guess we have so many of the literal kind of snakes here, we didn't think of the metaphorical kind!

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  3. Hooray for snakes and their amazing healing power! One of nature's most vilified and misunderstood creature saved the day. Glad your Xmas gathering went down smoothly, soulsis. :)

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    1. Well, had my mother gotten there with the hoe first... Let's just say the snake got even more of a reprieve than we did! :)

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