A Powerful Addiction

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Moon:

Judging mind is a very strong addiction, and you don’t step out so easily when you have a powerful addiction. —Corrado Pensa 

One of the most valuable assets we can own is a stable and discerning mind. This kind of mind is inclusive of all the information available and does not act or make choices without calming the emotions first. The judging mind is based solely on what it hates or wants to avoid, what it craves or doesn't want to lose, and ignores information that doesn't affect it directly. Problems arise when the winds of reality begin bending our ideas; rigidity is a danger, and can send us to a dark, frightening place. The Moon shows its phases and emphasizes that our mind needs to be able to change its views too. An open mind, calm reflection, and a willingness to shift our perceptions so they align with the facts can help us stay out of those deep holes.

Forget the Prince

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from L'Oeil de Lotus, Healing:

If you look to others for fulfillment,

you will never truly be fulfilled.

—Tao Te Ching, 44

This image has the song from Disney's Snow White running through my head: "Some day, my Prince will come." Often our wishes are fulfilled, but then after a period of time we find the prince or princess we expected to bring us contentment failed to do so. Is it the other person's fault? Not if we thought it was their duty to make us happy and fill our emptiness inside. Healing comes when we discover we don't need another person to make us feel good about ourselves. Instead, we find a cause or a passion and dig into it. It is what we do and think that can make us feel whole. As Christina Grimmie said, "Confidence is not, 'They will like me'. Confidence instead is, 'I'll be fine if they don't'."

Gain and Loss

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Chariot; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Loss:

Those who are truly wise will remain unmoved by feelings of happiness and suffering, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, gain and loss.

—Buddha

This fellow, with his beard blowing in the wind, is making good time. But the faster we go, the less control we have, and the less we notice along the way. I'm celebrating my birthday today (my Medicare and Social Security debut, as my mother called it). At this point, I've lived more life than I have life left. So, while I want to keep moving and progressing, I don't want to do it at top speed. I want to appreciate the small joys and wonders that busyness didn't allow me to notice. Loss - a magpie with someone's piece of jewelry - is a reminder that aging does take some things and people away from us. Yet it can also bring gains in wisdom, if we keep our minds open, attentive and curious. 

Choose Another Door

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Protection:

Your triggers are pathways to your wounds. The stimulus is only a door.

―Sanhita Baruah

This woman shields herself from the swords stuck in the sand - they are mental triggers (untrustworthy thoughts) that can take her right off a cliff. As a mentor for women in recovery, I have borne witness to the wreckage of relapse. It doesn't matter what it is that yanks our leash, the trigger will set shame, stress, or fear in motion, causing the mind to reach for old habits to find solid ground. Protection - illustrated by salt and iron nails - suggests we need to find a ramp that lets us rise above our usual reactions. It will likely involve identifying and challenging negative or irrational beliefs and replacing them with healthier habits and coping strategies. We don't have to keep walking through that old door.

Options of the Heart

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Woman:

How can we deal with suffering? There are three options we can choose: we can suppress our feelings, we can feel them, or we can grow from them. 

—Robert Puff

A rose, a symbol of the receptive soul, has been stabbed with three swords. The people looking on have closed down their suffering by shutting out the part of their world that caused the hurt. There is a bit of Buddhist wisdom that says, "There is an injury behind every fault or shortcoming." In other words, freezing a part of our heart in order not to feel or deal with what hurts only hurt us - shrinking our world as we slowly become cold, uncaring people. The feminine energy of Woman reminds us that there is a healthier way - open to our pain, let our heart feel it, and allow it to help us grow into a stronger, more complete person. 

Prudence, Please

This week I'll be using the Cosmic Tarot, created by Norbert Losche and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be drawing from L'Oeil de Lotus (Eye of the Lotus), created by Colette and Gérard Lougarre and published by Vox Arkhana. Today's cards are the Six of Cups and Caution:

Don't think I've left you all behind,

Still love you and Tennessee

You're always on my mind.

And mama, every Saturday

I can hear your southern drawl a thousand miles away.

—Chappell Roan

It's funny how we think our parents are so out of the loop when we're young. Then we grow up, make a lot of bad choices, and figure out they were much wiser than we thought. This young girl seems to be having an epiphany in the middle of the young man's romantic moves. Can she hear her mom's voice warning her of those who promise the world then leave you with nothing? Caution urges us to pay attention to the warning signs around us. We can be so blinkered by what we want (and how quickly we want it) that we ignore all the red flags waving in our face.  There's a reason for those stupid caution labels on everything these days!

Investment

From the Somnia Tarot, the Ace of Coins; from the Spirits of Nature Oracle, Air:

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.

—Stephen R. Covey

In a half-buried chest, a treasure awaits - but not necessarily the kind we can put in the bank. Each day we have the resource of time to spend, and some moments hold something valuable. It may be unexpected free time to practice a new skill or enjoy a hobby. Perhaps it is a day with lessening pain or illness that allows us to move more freely. What bit of contentment can we uncover today? Air is given the keyword 'ruach,' a Hebrew word that means spirit, breath or wind. How could we spend a little of our day investing it in what inspires us, what fills us with a joy for life?