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, September 1, 2016

Strength in Darkness

From the Motherpeace Tarot, Strength; from the Toltec Oracle, Sholotl:
          All that crawls, slithers, hops and runs has come out to see this woman in the light of the full moon. I've noticed that when I'm sitting quietly in meditation, I often find a cat in my lap. People are also attracted to those who are grounded and radiate an inner calm. Yet to courageously stay centered while being tested or challenged is much different than meditating on a cushion. It is the mark of inner strength. Parallel to this card is Sholotl, Lord of the Underworld. The underworld represents a place of darkness, not as punishment but as a time of confusion. It is a bridge to a new level of understanding if we have the courage to walk it with an open heart and mind. This awareness will likely require letting go of what I imagined to be true in order to embrace Truth.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. ~ Carl Jung


6 comments:

  1. "to stay centered while being tested" I guess that's what makes life so very interesting :)

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    1. It does indeed! :) Not always easy but rarely boring!

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  2. All animals I think are always present. They don't live with the monkey mind and so ours confuse them, but when we are quiet or living in the moment as they are - is where they can relate to us.
    Is that a door handle on the Toltec card? Something to grab a hold, so as to not to fall deeper in the abyss.

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    1. Most animals can only survive when they stay in the present moment. I think the abyss is not something to fight against but to enter willingly so that we can see the truth. But maybe once we reach that point, that is the doorway out again. :)

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  3. These cards complement each other so well and your post reminds me of another quote by Jung, "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” This ability to "make" the darkness, the underworld, conscious requires strength and staying power both.

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    1. Ah, I like that quote! It does take courage to travel and explore that darkness and discover what it has to teach us.

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