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

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Healing, Waking and Moving On

From the Jolanda Tarot, the Star; from Bird Signs, Migration:
          I suspect this woman is a representation of Artio, a Swiss bear goddess associated with Spring. An ancient figure uncovered in Switzerland shows her feeding a bear that has emerged from hibernation. The idea of down time (like hibernation) fits with the Star's emphasis on a period of rest in order to heal and rejuvenate hope. The creator of the deck describes this as a stage that renews one's faith. I've been reading a book on this topic by Buddhist teacher, Sharon Salzberg. She suggests there is a difference between belief (an untested assumption) and faith (a practice), which she explains as "a willingness to be open, to explore, to investigate."
          When life has knocked us down (once we've recovered and  dusted ourselves off), we often try to run fast as possible in the opposite direction. There's no plan other than to get far away from where we are. While the Migration card is about movement, it is moving with intention toward a certain place, not merely running away. It may be a physical movement, or it may involve moving away from beliefs that have caused suffering. It fits well with Salzberg's idea of faith in that we leave behind what didn't work while testing and exploring new ground.

4 comments:

  1. You know I use to do that, something knocked me down I got up and did an about face. I discovered if I ran back away from it later when I turned around I ran into it again. Better just to work and move through it as the Migration card suggest, especially with those doves of peace.

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    1. That is so true, and it reminded me of a quote by Pema Chodron:
      "If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. It just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves."
      Thanks for dropping by, Carolyn! :)

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  2. we are supposed to have a plan. Yikes. Never tried that idea.

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    1. How about calling it an intention or flexible plan? :D

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