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, January 17, 2017

Intoxication and Detox

From the Nature Spirit Tarot, the Six of Pentacles; from the Australian Wildflower Reading Cards, Sturt's Desert Pea:
          The Pentacles suit is primarily represented by daffodils in this deck, also known as Narcissus. The genus name comes from the Greek language and means 'intoxicated.' I can't think of a better description for the physical world, especially in finding balance between what we need and what we simply desire. The giant silk moth (a cousin to the silkworm) are sometimes cultivated for the coarse silk from their cocoons. Likewise, with hard work, we can take our resources and generate even more. But what do we do with that extra when we have all we need and then some? The bamboo in the card suggests flexibility, the ability to not hold so tightly to any excess but to give to those in need. The unusual Sturt's Desert Pea is in the legume family, which means that although it takes nutrients and water from the soil, it also adds nitrogen back. The booklet suggests that in order to overcome, we must be willing to let go. It is interesting that of all the Buddhist paramitas ('far-reaching attitudes'), generosity is number one on the list. It involves compassionately giving in three ways: material things, protection or understanding. Generosity is the detox practice for grasping and clinging.
Greed is the salty water consumed by those who thirst for self-centered gratification. This kind of thirst can never be quenched and becomes the source of increasing torment. 
—Matthieu Ricard

6 comments:

  1. These two decks you are using this week are so vividly colored. I can't get pass the busyness in them. I think they would look great as wall art. A frame with sized windows to display them.

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    1. It has been so drab here, which is why I decided to use two brightly colored decks this week. :)

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  2. Giving away the latter two is not so difficult for me but being a Taurus at heart it is very difficult to let go of material stuff. Giving money to charity is not so difficult but parting from my personal "stuff" is much harder.

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    1. I agree! Which made it hard to come across this quote:
      “When you are practicing generosity, you should feel a little pinch when you give something away. That pinch is your stinginess protesting. If you give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There is no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you’re just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else. Giving away your coat might keep someone warm, but it does not address the problem we face as spiritual practitioners: to free ourselves from self-cherishing and self-grasping.”
      —Gelek Rinpoche

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    2. Great quote! It explains this stingy feeling beautifully but it doesn't make it easier! :)
      I suppose this needs practice too

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  3. Giving understanding to someone who has and is still making my life difficult is the hardest one. Not sure if it is the pinch of stinginess or self protection.

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