What Our Choices Reflect

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Tower; from the Diloggun Cards, Nine Mouths (Osa):

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. —Nelson Mandela

The Tarot Lukumi takes a different approach on this card than the RWS. Rather than living in an ivory tower, it shows slaves being freed from captivity by Chango (the Orisha of thunder and justice) along with other Orishas. This card heavily emphasizes the breaking of mental, physical and spiritual chains that hold us. It may be that we've made unskillful choices, allowed others to make our choices, or didn't choose at all. Sometimes, as Mandela points out, we let our fear or anger make decisions. Whatever the cause, the result is that we find ourselves with a choke collar and leash around our necks. Both the ethic and proverb for Osa (Nine Mouths) is worth reflecting on:

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

We have an opportunity to escape that collar and leash by making some new decisions and acting on them.

No Grabbing

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Nine of Coins; from the Diloggun Cards, Eight Mouths (Ogbe):

The man who expects nothing gains everything. For he no longer waits — he creates.

—Napoleon Hill

Eleggua, guardian of crossroads and opportunities, leaves a trail of gold coins. He teaches that every choice is a path, and new openings should be approached with sincerity, humility, and an open mind. This chance is not about impulsively grabbing something but recognizing our responsibility in attaining it. The ethic for Eight Mouths (Ogbe) states: "Those who attain blessings are those who live by their wisdom. If we do not bear suffering that will fill a basket, we will not receive blessings that will fill a cup." We earn - skills, education, wages, etc. - through effort, not because we feel entitled to having them.

Just What Is Needed

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Six of Wands; from the Diloggun Cards, Twelve Mouths (Oturupon):

Without integrity and honor, having everything means nothing.

—Robin Sharma

Ochosi's skill and patience in tracking the herd have paid off. He returns victoriously with food for his people. The deer's life will be honored - not by putting its head on a wall - but through the nutrition, clothing and tools it will provide. Ochosi didn't kill the whole herd, just what was needed. Likewise, success means simply achieving our objective, not subsuming or obliterating everything in our path along the way. Oturupon's (Twelve Mouths') ethic says: "We must never raise problems or incite conflict. We must take the time to be sure of our words even before we speak." If we want to live an honorable life that is respectful of our interconnection with others, self-restraint in all areas is good advice.

No Drill Instructors, Please

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Four of Batons; from the Diloggun Cards, Three Mouths (Ogunda):

A warrior is gentle in spirit, fierce in commitment. –John Eldredge

Initiates in this tradition are first introduced to the "Warrior Orishas" - Eleggua, Oggun, Oshosi, and Ozun. These guardians provide spiritual care and supervision, marking the formal beginning of a practitioner's lifelong relationship with the Orisha. It is always helpful when beginning something new, such as a religious path, marriage, career, or parenthood, to have a role model to provide skillful examples for us to follow. Those who are experienced and proficient may keep us from making too many mistakes or at least help us learn from our missteps when we fall flat on our face. The Three Mouths (Ogunda) proverb reads: "A little subtleness is better than a lot of force." It hints that we might be better suited to and gain more from models who offer suggestions rather than make demands. Save the drill instructors for the military.

Curiosity Saved the Cat

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Eight of Swords (Ochosi); from the Diloggun Cards, Seven Mouths (Edi):

Your perspective will either become your prison or your passport.

—Steven Furtick

Ochosi is the Orisha of the hunt, forests and animals, yet he is also known as a believer of impartial justice and equality. He has a little chuckle at us today, because we've constructed a prison for ourselves made of our own thoughts. Ochosi says, "You stand and look in one direction, seeking resources or a solution to your problem. Can you not look to the left, the right and behind you, realizing there are many other options?" The proverb for Edi (Seven Mouths) reads: "Always being in a hurry does not prevent death, neither does going slowly prevent living." Curiosity is the partner of patience; curiosity heightens our patience by keeping us interested. It grants us time to unravel problems rather than create more.  

Zoned Out

This week I'll be using the Tarot Lukumi, a deck created by Caelum Rainieri, Ivory Andersen and Raphael Montoliu. It is published by Dal Negro, and the artwork was done by Luigi Scapini. The oracle deck I'll be using this week is the Diloggun Cards, a digital set created through the use of art by Mase Lobe. Each card is associated with an Ifa ethic as well as a proverb, with information from a book by Ifa Karade called The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts. Today's draws are the Queen of Cups (Yemaya) and Six Mouths (Obara):

Transcendence is a false detour - a dead end in the sky. Transformation is what is needed now. 

—Clark Strand

The Queen of Cups is illustrated with Yemaya, orisha of all the oceans and bodies of water and Mother of All. Having a powerful influence over the tides and the movements of the sea, she encourages us to surrender to the natural flow of life and find the strength to transform ourselves during after difficult periods. When we meet head-on with hardships, our first response is often to find some way - pills, booze, sleep, or some other pleasure - to help us ignore it. Yet the proverb associated with Obara (six mouths) tells us just the opposite: "Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can." Choosing to be present rather than zoned out can give us the clarity to respond in ways that might be beneficial to us and possibly the situation too.

 

The True Essence

From the Wild Unknown, the World; from the Pictish Oracle, Rectangular Figure:

Form is none other than emptiness. Emptiness is none other than form.

—Heart Sutra

We begin life awash in wonder; later, we focus on finding certainty and solidity, through both concepts and material possessions. The Sutra tells us that form - anything tangible or perceptible (objects, thoughts) - is "empty." Rather than a void, emptiness points out that all things are impermanent and interdependent. Emptiness is the canvas that allows form to happen. To recognize wholeness in our diverse and ever-changing world, rather trying to separate and petrify, allows us to develop compassionate understanding. Several of the Rectangular Figures have been found on stones that show monks carrying books in satchels that look very similar. We all carry concepts and ideas that help us to make sense of life. Hopefully, we don't latch our "satchels' too tightly, allowing room for new perspectives and new information. As Tara Brach said, "Belief without inquiry is like mistaking a map for the territory - guiding us but never capturing the true essence of what is."