Evolution

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Six of Air (Swords); from the Bird Signs/Ascension to Paradise Cards, Hoatzin:

Change and growth is so painful. But it's so necessary for us to evolve. 

—Sarah McLachlan

In the Thoth viewfinder, the Six of Swords asks us to stop indulging our emotions and journey to the land of reason and objectivity. We need to do some research to find a practical solution for the problem at hand. Hoatzin eats the leaves in its marshy or riverine habitat. Serrations on its beak help cut the leaves into smaller pieces and a ruminant-like digestive system aids in breaking them down. Chicks have two claws on each wing to help them scramble among the branches without falling into the water. These birds have evolved to meet their environment rather than uselessly trying to change it to meet their needs. As Bill Wilson wrote, "It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet conditions, whatever they were."

Forget the Straight Line

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Mother of Fire (Wands); from the Bird Signs/Ascension to Paradise Cards, Barbet:

To control fire is to tame a force that defies captivity.

—Nelson DeMille

The Mother of Fire/Wands is confident, passionate and inspirational. Yet she has a mature side to this fiery personality. Fire rarely moves in a straight line; it runs along the ground and up trees, using the wind to send embers to untouched areas. This Mother/Queen is not deterred if she is in the middle of a project and her plan hits a roadblock. She bypasses the hissy fit and moves on to Plan B, knowing the trait of adaptability will serve her objective better. Barbet birds have stiff, hair-like bristles that surround their beaks and eyes, which act as protective shields and sensory tools. This bird implies a need to stay tuned to what we are currently experiencing. If we meet an impediment to our progress, understanding how and where things went off course can help us correct the problem instead of wasting time by insisting things should not be this way.

Where Darkness Lies

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Five of Water (Cups); from the Bird Signs/Ascension to Paradise Cards, Flamingo:

There are some things in this world you rely on, like a sure bet. And when they let you down, shifting from where you've carefully placed them, it shakes your faith, right where you stand.

― Sarah Dessen

The Five of Water/Cups is a card of emotional loss brought on by disillusionment, when our expectations or beliefs fail to line up with reality. And what part of reality did we miss? Alisa Denis wrote: "Ignorance is the way the world feels solid when it’s not, the way the self feels central when it’s not, the way we keep expecting what is changing to finally settle down and behave. Ignorance is not a moral failure, it’s a perceptual one." When feeding, the Flamingo plunges its head into the water, twists it upside down, and scoops up its meal using its upper beak like a shovel. It reminds us to keep a close eye on what is happening right where we are rather than get caught up in fantasies about the future. As the Japanese proverb says, "darkness lies at the foot of the lighthouse." 

A Tiny Shift

This week I'll be using the Vision Quest Tarot, a deck created by Gayle Silvie Winter and Jo Dose (illustrator); it was published by AGM Müller. I'll also be using two combined oracles: Bird Cards and Ascension to Paradise, created by Jane Toerien (author) and Joyce van Dobben (illustrator); they were published by Altamira-Becht and Binkey Kok. Today's draws are Two of Air (Swords) and Owl:

Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.

 —Dan Brown

The Vision Quest Tarot was inspired by the Thoth, so the Two of Air/Swords emphasizes that inner peace is available. But it will require us to make an effort to see ideas from a different perspective, not just from the standpoint of what we desire or think we deserve. If we cling stubbornly to our ideas, we may end up as Michelle Thaller described: "Your brain may be as blind to reality as a grasshopper is to calculus." The Owl has long symbolized wisdom - direct, experiential insight into the true nature of reality rather than mere intellectual knowledge. Clinging to our views can turn us into that grasshopper if we refuse to acknowledge what is.

More than a Bank Account

From the Stone Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 12:159:

Your worth consists in what you are, and not in what you have.

What you are will show in what you do. 

—Thomas Davidson

Bank loan officers and brokers will often ask, "What's your worth?" They are interested in our net worth (what we own minus what we owe) and our liquid assets (cash or items easily converted into cash quickly). But the King of Pentacles would tell us it's not about what we have, it's about sustaining and growing what we have or knowing how to begin again if life tilts sideways. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One should do what one teaches others to do; if one would train others, one should be well controlled oneself. Difficult, indeed, is self-control." Before we take advice from others, we should look at the whole of their life - it might tell us more than what this person is trying to sell us.

Cloudy Within

From the Stone Tarot, the Moon; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 19:256:

Darkness within clouds the world without.

―Anasazi Foundation

Our perception of reality is not an accurate reflection but a constructed interpretation. This subjective view is shaped by our prior experiences, expectations, cultural background, emotions, and physical states. If we're having a bad morning, we're likely going to view everything with the taint of negativity until that mood changes. The Moon reminds us that what we think is going on could be like the reflection of a fun house mirror. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One is not just who judges a case hastily." Be curious rather than rash and include for others' assessments. Clarity can be a complicated thing.

Endowment

From the Stone Tarot, the Ten of Pentacles; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 1:19:

Every person has a legacy. ...it may not be something that you can write on your tombstone, but every person has an impact on this world. ―Dara Horn

These pentacles move from a room through an arch, to the outside. The legacy we leave behind involves more than money - our actions and their effects are also our continuation. The Dhammapada verse reads: "Much though he recites the sacred texts, but acts not accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who only counts the cows of others — he does not partake of the blessings of the holy life." Has our life been a performative display designed to impress, or a have we modeled responsibility and accountability?