Loving the World

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the World; from the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk deck, the Maze:

The world is not ugly; it is only our way of seeing it that is sometimes ugly.

—Hermann Hesse

How do we learn to love the world? First by realizing we are not the center of its orbit. Secondly, by grasping and accepting the meaning of the triskele symbol - life does not stand still; it is always changing. When we understand that: 1) nothing stays stuck forever, and 2) we will not always have what and who is around us, which makes them precious. The Maze brings up a third way. Unlike the labyrinth, which has one way in and one way out, a maze has many dead ends. But change and movement remind us that we don't have to give up and stare at a brick wall. If we're willing to try other avenues and stay curious (change our own mind), we'll find other options. Such open-mindedness and willingness, however, is fueled by love, not hatred and frustration.

Love does not lead to an end to difficulties, it provides us with the means to cope with our difficulties in ways that enhance our growth. ―bell hooks

Creativity and Connection

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the Empress; from the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk, the Lovers:

There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.

—Edward de Bono

I had a good chuckle with this pair of cards - talk about cause and effect! But what if I told you the Empress wasn't a baby-making factory? What if her children were named music, dance, painting, and gardening? Somewhere along the line, things for practical uses became part of our cultural heritage, used to create beauty, feeling, and relationship. What a boring life this would be without these pleasures. The Lovers represents connection, and as Steve Jobs stated, "Creativity is just connecting things." Our imagination is fed by curiosity, through people, places and things. We synthesize and recombine them, making connections between what was previously unrelated. It's no surprise that Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way suggests a day to explore and pay attention: "a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist."

Layers

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Absurd, created and self-published by Jessica Rose Shanahan. I'll also be using another self-published deck, the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk by Masha Falkov. The draws for today are the Page of Blades and Matrioshka:

I understand how a first impression is often just that: a quick snapshot that, on its own merit, is meaningless. —Adriana Trigiani

This sly, saucy Page has a mind as quick as lightning and a tongue as sharp as her sword. She is full of knowledge and likes to surprise people with how much she knows. Though she understands and collects information, it amounts to one grain from all the world's beaches. She has not yet grasped that what she wields isn't wisdom; it will take time and experience to learn to use it well rather than as a weapon or as an arrogant display. Matrioshka, or Russian nesting dolls reminds us that first impressions may not accurately give us enough information to judge a situation or person. We all have had days when we were stressed and reacted badly, or in the past, when we were young and cocky. Given some time, a fuller picture can be revealed, good or bad.

Make Some Room

From the Slavic Legends Tarot, the Three of Cups; from the Urban Crow Oracle, Play:

When you lose your laugh, you lose your footing. –Ken Kesey

Honestly, when I drew these two cards this morning, I wanted to stuff them back into their respective decks. Lately the people I hang out with only want to talk about "him," the war, the high cost of everything, and other worries or problems. I don't mind, as I do think these things need to be discussed. But I also need to balance this darkness out with light - laughter, fun, and discussions of things that entice me with wonder and curiosity. As Pema Chodron wrote, we need to make room for all of it - not just the bad stuff.

The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. 

Unfriendlies

From the Slavic Legends Tarot, the Five of Wands; from the Urban Crow Oracle, Soar:

There's something wrong with the mental life, radically. It's rooted in spite and envy, envy and spite. 

―D.H. Lawrence

This is definitely not a friendly competition or some cooperative brainstorming. It is five rigidly held opinions raging about how things should be done. This group will need a supervisor to make the final decision, which is a pity. If they compiled all of their perspectives instead of vying to be right, they might see the whole picture and create a more useful plan. Soar indicates what Michelle Obama encouraged: When they go low, we go high. Being spiteful to prove we are the expert will simply bury us in a cycle of anger and retaliation. As John Ford said, “Revenge proves its own executioner.” It's better to simply explain our views, then listen and ask questions about those that oppose us. Make a choice not to wallow in the mud.

Against the Current

From the Slavic Legends Tarot, the Nine of Coins; from the Urban Crow Oracle, Resistance:

Most people notice only the final results you achieve, not the hard work, struggles, sacrifices, and failures you go through to reach them. Success is visible and easy to admire, but effort usually happens quietly in the background when no one is watching.  —Laila Saleem

This woman is covered in coins, jewelry and flowers, representing her wealth and how she has blossomed in life. The swan, in Slavic lore, symbolizes spring, transformation and wisdom. What wisdom would this feathered being advise for attaining such a lifestyle? Likely it would offer this Japanese saying, "Float along placidly on the surface, but underneath paddle hard with your feet." Translation: Stay calm but work diligently. Resistance, showing a crow flying against the wind, brought to mind the Buddhist phrase "going against the stream." Instead of mindlessly following our emotional whims or habitual patterns, we actively choose to go against the current, which can allow us to reach our goal rather than get distracted.

Irritation

From the Slavic Legends Tarot, the Six of Swords; from the Urban Crow Oracle, Mischief:

Attitude isn’t just a mood, it’s the undercurrent of how we think, act and move through the world.

—Meredith Eastwood

The swords all aiming at a center point on this mast suggests that out mindset matters. While thoughts are temporary, attitudes are more enduring evaluations that incorporate thought, emotion and action. It's easy to point those swords outward, blaming other people, places and things when we're out of sorts, but likely we'd still feel the same even if they disappeared (we'd just pick new targets). Mischief shows crows pulling a cat's tail - not harming, just annoying. When we are irritated with others, there are better options than yelling or bonking people on the head. R.J. Starr states, "[Annoyance] exposes our values, boundaries, expectations, and stress levels;" he suggests we look past the trigger and pay attention to what our self is trying to protect us from. Our focus may need to shift to self-care by improving our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.