Stray Cats

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Five of Cups; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the Island of Black and White:

Having turned yourself around, accepting your situation, set foot on the path, spiritual energy will marvelously transport you. —Hongzhi Zhengjue

This fellow is experiencing disappointment and despair, a normal response to loss or unmet expectations. What he hasn't gotten around to yet is acceptance. He's too busy denouncing and blaming the person, place or thing he thinks has caused his pain. But as Carl Jung stated, "Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." The Island of Black and White had a flock of sheep that turned black or white, changing from one color to the other as they crossed a boundary. Our emotions are like stray cats - if we feed them, they stick around. If we don't, they move on. As Percy B. Shelley wrote, "Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; nought may endure but mutability!"

Not Just an Opinion

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the King of Swords; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, Sea of Glass:

If you want to assert a truth, first make sure it’s not just an opinion that you desperately want to be true.

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

The King of Swords is an intellectual authority, an advocate of truth, and a promoter for logic and reason. He knows truth can change as investigation uncovers more information, but he is very much aware of how personal beliefs, emotions, and desires can muddy the waters. As Tyson stated, "If your personal beliefs deny what's objectively true about the world, then they're more accurately called personal delusions." The Sea of Glass was a portion of the journey when the ocean's bottom could be seen clearly by the sailors. It asks us to be willing to discern fact from fiction, regardless of how we want or think things should be.

Not Worthy of Hysterics

This week I'll be using the Morgan Greer Tarot, created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using the Celtic Book of the Dead, published by Grange Books, created by Caitlin Matthews and illustrated by Danuta Mayer. Today's draws are the Ace of Swords and the Sea of Mists:

Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than your own mind untamed. And who is your friend? Mind is your friend. No one can help you more than your own mind, wisely trained — not even your own mother and father. 

—Dhammapada

The booklet gives the keywords "glorious conquest, power and strength" for the Ace of Swords. But this is not a description of a king or warrior, it is the might of a disciplined mind. Our mind is a constant flow of thoughts that tell us all kinds of things, many of them untrue or unfounded. The problem is that it generally focuses on the past it knows, rather than just seeing things objectively. The seafarers who traveled to the Celtic Otherworld found themselves struggling with this when they suddenly found themselves floating on water that became like a mist. They could even see a monster stealing cattle below them. When our mind is confused, it runs to old memory files of what it knows of the world. In this case, clouds can't support a boat, so it's time to freak out. Yet the objective, logical mind would ask, "What is actually happening, what evidence do you see?" In their case, something wondrous and mind-bending, but not worthy of hysterics.

Break the Cycle

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Ace of Swords; from the Marseille Oracle, the Clock/Destiny:

Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. – Baruch Spinoza

This Ace of Swords divides a world into peace (dove) and war (eagle); according to the booklet, one does not exist without the other. Indeed, throughout recorded history, there has been no period entirely free from conflict. And today I see that the Trump regime has joined Israel in bombing Iran. Holy shit, what is wrong with this administration? Perhaps the words of Johan Galtung explain things: "Peace equals the ability to handle conflict, with empathy, nonviolence, and creativity." Empathy and the ability to be creative in diplomacy is definitely not in Trump's wheelhouse. The Clock suggests repetitious cycles, which fits with human's penchant for war. Instead of doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results, we would be wise to heed the words of Albert Einstein: "We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war."

A Good Escape

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Page of Pentacles; from the Marseille Oracle, the Anchor:

She kept her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. 

—Karen Robards

This Page finds studying fascinating; the more he learns, the more he wants to know. Yet he hasn't figured out that ideas are not reality, and his studies often keep him from experiencing the real world. Reading and learning are fun, but to be useful, we need to apply or test the knowledge we've gained. The Anchor suggests that people are a good way to ground ourselves. When we talk ideas over with others, we get different perspectives and hear different experiences. Good friends will gently steer us back to reality when we're about to fall down a bottomless rabbit hole. While books can be a good escape, they should also make us want to enjoy the world too. 

A Little Key

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Nine of Pentacles; from the Marseille Oracle, Secrets:

A very little key will open a very heavy door.

―Charles Dickens

A well-dressed fellow admires an exotic tree and bird in his garden. The key on the Secrets card reminds me of all the questions people ask of those whose lives they envy: "What's the secret to your success?" "What's the key for your longevity?" "What do I need to be happy?" Most just want to fast-track their desires. But that little key Dickens talks about is just the willingness to apply consistent, ongoing effort to achieve what we want. A simple solution, but one many folks don't want to hear.

Lies and Amends

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Five of Swords; from the Marseille Oracle, Amends:

We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter. 

—Denis Diderot

This fellow has been swindled in a game, losing all of his money. Of course, the con man first had to convince the mark how skilled he must be and how he could easily take the swindler's money. The Five of Swords is often viewed as a forceful argument yet lies also work - both often end with the self-congratulatory pride of a winner and the shame and anger of a loser. Amends suggests that the offender realizes his mistakes and wants to apologize. As the 12 & 12 (AA) tells us, "He can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake." The hurt party would likely prefer a living amends (sustained, honest and positive behavior) rather than a moment of humiliation.