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

Monday, February 10, 2025

Compared to the Similarities

From the New Liminal Tarot, Anima Mundi (World); from the State by State Cards, Pennsylvania (Three of Hearts):



The differences that separate human beings are nothing compared to the similarities that bond us together. —Sophie Gregoire Trudeau

Anima Mundi is Latin for soul of the world, an energy believed to connect all living beings and animate the cosmos. If we have our senses and minds open, our experiences as we live can teach us that while we look different and make different choices, our inner world of wanting to be safe, at ease and happy are the same. And we must all deal with constant change, loss, aging and death. To step through this spiritual portal is to recognize that we are not independent but connected.  The Pennsylvania Dutch painted designs on their barn doors; often called hexes, they were actually meaningful but not magical. This folk art was more a prayer for good rather than a wish for evil, as the list below shows. What if we expanded these wishes to all? It would be like the hand helping the blister on the foot...

  • Distelfink: A stylized goldfinch that represents good luck, happiness, fertility, and abundance
  • Heart: A common symbol of love and goodwill
  • Tulip: Symbolizes faith and trust
  • Dove: Represents peace and contentment
  • Eagle: Represents good health, strength, and courage
  • Pineapple: A symbol of hospitality
  • Eight-pointed star: A symbol of regeneration or redemption

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Created, Recreated

This week I'll be using the New Liminal Tarot, created by Penelope Cline and self-published through Make Playing Cards. I'll also be using the State By State Playing Cards created by Wendy Cipolla Boccuzzi and published by U.S. Games. Today's draws are the Lovers and Oregon (Jack of Clubs):


 The partners in great relationships don’t expect “perfect,” and never have. They know that great relationships are created, and then recreated, every day. —Randi Gunther

Finding a healthy relationship with a partner involves looking for someone that complements rather than completes us. Based on loyalty rather than a transaction, it is rooted in love and respect. Such partners give each other the freedom to grow within the commitment, each having interests and ideas of their own. They see challenges and conflicts as ways to develop a more resilient partnership.  Yet no matter where we find ourselves, they always feel like home. Oregon (Jack of Clubs) is known for its production of Christmas trees, a fragrant, lovely addition for holiday decor. Yet a cut tree, even if kept in water, will soon begin to dry out and lose its needles. It is a reminder that a changing love is a living love.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Flickering Candle

 From the Daniloff Tarot, the Six of Coins; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 37:


There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher.  —Henry Van Dyke

Asking for help puts people in a place of vulnerability; it requires trust, humility and acceptance of what is offered. Pema Chodron said that compassion was a relationship between equals and was only real when we recognized our shared humanity. In other words, we realize that if our life had taken some unexpected turns, we could be in a similar boat. The Kuan Yin verse reads:

A lighted candle flickers precariously in the wind.
Do not expose yourself to danger.

Our ethics and morals tell us to let our light shine by lifting others up. Yet some of us get overwhelmed with all the suffering in the world as we attempt to help. If we are to stay sane and healthy (and continue to be of service), we must grasp this truth: We can't do something about everything. 

Friday, February 7, 2025

Stink Bomb

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Five of Swords; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 98:

Another such victory over the Romans, and we are undone.
—Pyrrhus of Epirus

Competition has its place in the business world - it helps keep quality up and prices down. But when it comes to relating to other humans, it's a stink bomb. There are people who will argue their views from sunrise to sunset, but they refuse to consider anything else from another perspective. As Pyrrhus warned, we might win the battle, but we lose what is more valuable in the process. "My way or the highway" will leave us in a lonely place. The 98th Verse underscores this caution:

Like a careless bird that plunges into the net, you are trapped.
There is hardly a chance to escape.

Researchers have found that people with a need to win tend to have poorer self-esteem than those who simply like to do well. Unfortunately, competition sets up the must-win group in a cycle that never really lets them feel worthy for long. Cooperation allows us to be a part of something greater than our ego, helping us to thrive, grow, and evolve. 

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Blowback

From the Daniloff Tarot, the King of Coins; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 30:


The name and pretense of virtue is as serviceable to self-interest as are real vices. 
―Francois de La Rochefoucauld

This is not a king that sits around on a cushy throne eating grapes all day. The elephant and rook (turret) on his shield is a reminder that he is a powerful mover and shaker. The rook of chess, able to move horizontally or vertically any number of squares, is second only to the queen in power. It is an apt symbol for this go-getter. Yet there is a caution offered about such ambition in Verse 30:

A stork in flight may conceal a secret arrow. 
Looking for wood in the high grass, you encounter a snake whose bite could harm you.

Putting a kind face on hidden motives does not mean things will turn out well. If it's not our business or our right to execute an action, we need to stay in our lane. Otherwise, the blowback could be extremely detrimental. 


Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Learning from Mistakes

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Seven of Coins; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 49:


The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.
― John Dewey

Twice I have bought plants from gardening centers that were supposed to be one thing but turned out to be something else. Deciduous trees and shrubs can be hard to identify until they put out leaves, blooms or fruit. It can be exasperating to work hard and only to later discover that the harvest you intended turned out quite differently. The Kuan Yin verse reads:

The chilly waters turn to ice when the year gets colder.
One day the ice will return to flowing water again.

Nature is a grand teacher when it comes to change and impermanence. Such shifts allow us to also learn from mistakes and alter our ideas, giving us a chance to reap the results we want.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Looking Over One's Shoulder

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 11:

Stealing is basically taking what is not given, either without the knowledge or without the consent of the owner. ― Nathan Strait

How many times have we thought to ourselves, "I hope no one notices." It may have been when we stuck a handful of sweetener packs in our pocket at the cafe, switched a store sticker from a cheaper product to a more expensive one, let the cashier give us more change than we're owed, or borrowed someone's wisdom and claimed it as our own. We try to convince ourselves that it won't hurt anyone, yet it does. And it damages us as well, imprinting on us a habit that is hard to shake. The Kuan Yin verse reads:

It is strange to achieve something in the middle of a battle.
As if by magic, what seemed like bad luck turned to good.

Our mind often tells us things like, "No one will care or miss this. It's not a big deal." It can be a battle not to act on those thoughts, but when we avoid taking what is not given, we don't have to waste our life making excuses or looking over our shoulder all the time. There is freedom in that.