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

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Essence of Love

From the Prairie Tarot, the Ace of Cups; from the Medicine Cards, Turtle:
We think we need to be able to trust, just as we think we need to be able to be loved. But we have it backwards. As adults, we don't need to be loved. The only real emotional need, if we want to call it that, is to love. To love is our essence; it is who we are. ― Ezra Bayda

          How do we love with an open heart that is without discrimination? In Pali, mind and heart are considered as one; there is no compassion without wisdom. Chogyam Trungpa coined the term 'idiot compassion,' our ego's version of love that has more to do with our own expectations, self-image and desires than fulfilling a real need. True compassion uses discernment and offers the right action at the right time in response to another’s suffering. It doesn't support or condone an unhealthy situation, attempt to people please, or try to 'fix' a person because we want to escape their suffering. It requires that we question the ego's intentions and self-involved version of reality. Turtle is the oldest symbol for Earth in Native American teachings, and its message is a reminder of the cycle of give and take. In adding it to the Ace of Cups, the idea of self-compassion emerges. No one can build their happiness on the back of another; we each are responsible for our own. When I practice self-care rather than self-indulgence or self- pity, I can keep my own cup full.


8 comments:

  1. when everybody feels the need to love we are bound to be loved by some one :)

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    1. Exactly! And we can practice on ourselves. :)

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    2. expectations from/of love. Ooo, some powerful suggestions in that phrase and much food for thought.
      The idiot compassion made me laugh though

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    3. Trungpa had a way of saying things that took out a lot of the esoteric language and plopped them firmly in real life. :D

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  2. Two very auspicious cards. Ace of Cups and Black Turtle. The Turtle is a card of abundance and wisdom in most Asian Astrology. Have a very good day.

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    1. And both are connected with water. :) Hope you have a delightful day too, Carolyn.

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  3. It's funny the things that strike you when reading something. I started wondering about using a creature that is considered a water dweller to represent Earth. Then, actually googling turtle, I suddenly thought, well, the Earth is mostly water. And reading up on them, the oldest known examples of turtles are from 157 million years ago!
    Wishing you a brimming cup :)

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