Move to the Center

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Mystic Glyphs, Mountain Lion:

Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.

―Katherine May

I was reading a review of one of my favorite books yesterday by Pema Chodron, "When Things Fall Apart." The reviewer said she spent the first thirty pages disagreeing with Chodron, desperately hoping this nun who had spent decades studying the mind had it all wrong. But eventually she gets it, realizing that major fluctuations are not a malfunction but simply the normal life as a human. Instead of trying to separate ourselves from this reality, we can experience it and grow through it. As Chodron writes, "We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know." Mountain Lion represents a confident strength and leadership. It points to these words in the WS booklet: "In the midst of all the ups and downs, remember that the Wheel has a still center. That same calm can be found at the core of your own being."

Stigmatized

This week I'll be using the World Spirit Tarot, published by Llewellyn and created by Jessica Godino and Lauren O'Leary. The oracle deck I'll pair with it is the Mystic Glyphs; it was published by Red Wheel and created by Barb Rogers. Today's draws are the Six of Pentacles and Morning:

Poverty is neither a crime nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live.  —Sarah Kendzior

I have seen several homeless people with pets lately; it isn't a surprise that outcasts look for four-footed friends that have also been rejected by society. But the point of this card is to ask ourselves - when there is a request to be kind or generous - whether we are making a judgment about worthiness or actual need. As Tim Wise wrote, "We are a nation increasingly ‘under the affluence,’ meaning not only the power of those with excess wealth, but also subordinated to a mentality and ideology of affluence, the effect of which is to rationalize and normalize inequities, no matter how vast and how deep." Morning suggests a new beginning and a fresh perspective. Instead of making sweeping assumptions and generalizations about "those people", can we just see each person individually, just as they are? Even if we don't have money to give, we can offer them dignity by bearing witness to their situation.

Today's Flow

From the Anna K. Tarot, the Ace of Swords; from the Meditation Cards, Grace's Reprieve:

Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not. 

— Cal Newport

Anna suggests the bright, open view of this Ace implies looking at problems and situations with a cool head and clear mind. Like the surface of a mirror, our mind can receive what is there without being overlaid by our beliefs, thoughts and judgments. Clarity allows us to distinguish these add-ons, recognizing that they are not part of the current condition or predicament. Without them, we just see what is, which can simplify things enormously. The quote paired with Grace's Reprieve is from Rumi: "Give up to grace. The ocean takes care of each wave 'til it gets to shore." Will today's happenings flow the way they're supposed to without our judgments and demands? Perhaps we can just let things be and relax. 

Slowing the Fire

From the Anna K. Tarot, the Page of Swords; from the Meditation Cards, Firebreak:

By slowing things down, you can interrupt the tossing of the match into the pile of leaves. You can say, 'I don't need to go there. I see what's coming.' —Judy Lief

We all have to learn things, but it is especially important to have a skillful knowledgeable person to teach them. In this Page's case, he is trying to learn to use his intellect and words (sword) in a conflict. Hopefully his mentor will explain that a debate is not a diatribe; the point is to influence rather than impale the other person. The Meditation Card is Firebreak - a gap in vegetation or combustible material used to stop or slow the spread of a wildfire.  At times, we all need a person who can act in this way; someone who knows our propensities and can slow us down in heated situations before we leave only scorched earth behind.

Receptive, Not Selective

From the Anna K. Tarot, Justice; from the Meditation Cards, Nonresistance:

When you feel that you are being challenged, step into the center of the problem

Take the opposite line of reasoning

Resolve the conflict by understanding the other side of the argument

—Eric Oberg

Justice implies discernment, clarity, fairness and objectivity. Anyone who's been around for more than a few decades has likely experienced a biased judgment, one born of black and white thinking instead of viewing the whole context of a situation. (On the other hand, we might have been the one in the judge's seat.) Nonresistance asks us to avoid using force; like the martial art of Tai Chi, we yield and receive rather than using force in return. As Eckhart Tolle explains, "Nonresistance doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing. All it means is that any 'doing' becomes non-reactive." By absorbing and redirecting, we can neutralize physical or emotional tension and maintain our balance. Then we can explain, without emotional fury, our side of things while sincerely considering the opposition's view.  

Beyond the Threshold

From the Anna K. Tarot, the Knight of Swords; from the Meditation Cards, Spiritual Companions:

When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own. —John O’Donohue

Anna suggests her Knight of Swords represents a spirit of discord. He doesn't mean to be a stubborn, biting, kicking mule. It's just that he's found a small piece of truth and now defends it like it is the only Truth. But seeing the house he's just burned down (metaphorically), might have just put a big crack in his immovable mindset. Spiritual Companions represent those few people who know us intimately and care about us deeply. They are also our truest mirror, showing us ourselves - even the parts we don't want to see.  In this case (in the words of Yonaton Hambourger), the Knight is shown how "Familiarity itself begins to feel morally binding." Our anamchara ("soul friend") can be our guide in moving our attitudes and actions beyond the threshold we've been stuck behind. 

Making a Living

From the Anna K. Tarot, the Nine of Pentacles; from the Meditation Cards, Money Mind:

Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.

—John Wooden

The Nine of Pentacles is a time of contentment, the fruit of hard work and discipline. Instead of just making a living, we find time for enjoyment. Anna suggests that this wealth is inner as well; we realize just what a fulfilling life looks and feels like (and often, that has nothing to do with money). Money Mind shows up as a reminder that financial situations can easily change, like everything else. Do we become paranoid and begin to see every interaction as win/lose? Or do we draw on our inner resources that we developed from creating what we have? As Nelson Mandela put it, "I never lose. I either win or learn."