Where Darkness Lies

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Five of Water (Cups); from the Bird Signs/Ascension to Paradise Cards, Flamingo:

There are some things in this world you rely on, like a sure bet. And when they let you down, shifting from where you've carefully placed them, it shakes your faith, right where you stand.

― Sarah Dessen

The Five of Water/Cups is a card of emotional loss brought on by disillusionment, when our expectations or beliefs fail to line up with reality. And what part of reality did we miss? Alisa Denis wrote: "Ignorance is the way the world feels solid when it’s not, the way the self feels central when it’s not, the way we keep expecting what is changing to finally settle down and behave. Ignorance is not a moral failure, it’s a perceptual one." When feeding, the Flamingo plunges its head into the water, twists it upside down, and scoops up its meal using its upper beak like a shovel. It reminds us to keep a close eye on what is happening right where we are rather than get caught up in fantasies about the future. As the Japanese proverb says, "darkness lies at the foot of the lighthouse." 

A Tiny Shift

This week I'll be using the Vision Quest Tarot, a deck created by Gayle Silvie Winter and Jo Dose (illustrator); it was published by AGM Müller. I'll also be using two combined oracles: Bird Cards and Ascension to Paradise, created by Jane Toerien (author) and Joyce van Dobben (illustrator); they were published by Altamira-Becht and Binkey Kok. Today's draws are Two of Air (Swords) and Owl:

Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.

 —Dan Brown

The Vision Quest Tarot was inspired by the Thoth, so the Two of Air/Swords emphasizes that inner peace is available. But it will require us to make an effort to see ideas from a different perspective, not just from the standpoint of what we desire or think we deserve. If we cling stubbornly to our ideas, we may end up as Michelle Thaller described: "Your brain may be as blind to reality as a grasshopper is to calculus." The Owl has long symbolized wisdom - direct, experiential insight into the true nature of reality rather than mere intellectual knowledge. Clinging to our views can turn us into that grasshopper if we refuse to acknowledge what is.

More than a Bank Account

From the Stone Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 12:159:

Your worth consists in what you are, and not in what you have.

What you are will show in what you do. 

—Thomas Davidson

Bank loan officers and brokers will often ask, "What's your worth?" They are interested in our net worth (what we own minus what we owe) and our liquid assets (cash or items easily converted into cash quickly). But the King of Pentacles would tell us it's not about what we have, it's about sustaining and growing what we have or knowing how to begin again if life tilts sideways. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One should do what one teaches others to do; if one would train others, one should be well controlled oneself. Difficult, indeed, is self-control." Before we take advice from others, we should look at the whole of their life - it might tell us more than what this person is trying to sell us.

Cloudy Within

From the Stone Tarot, the Moon; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 19:256:

Darkness within clouds the world without.

―Anasazi Foundation

Our perception of reality is not an accurate reflection but a constructed interpretation. This subjective view is shaped by our prior experiences, expectations, cultural background, emotions, and physical states. If we're having a bad morning, we're likely going to view everything with the taint of negativity until that mood changes. The Moon reminds us that what we think is going on could be like the reflection of a fun house mirror. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One is not just who judges a case hastily." Be curious rather than rash and include for others' assessments. Clarity can be a complicated thing.

Endowment

From the Stone Tarot, the Ten of Pentacles; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 1:19:

Every person has a legacy. ...it may not be something that you can write on your tombstone, but every person has an impact on this world. ―Dara Horn

These pentacles move from a room through an arch, to the outside. The legacy we leave behind involves more than money - our actions and their effects are also our continuation. The Dhammapada verse reads: "Much though he recites the sacred texts, but acts not accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who only counts the cows of others — he does not partake of the blessings of the holy life." Has our life been a performative display designed to impress, or a have we modeled responsibility and accountability?

Reason to Celebrate

From the Stone Tarot, the Nine of Wands; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 14:186:

At the end of the day, the fact we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate. 

— Meredith Grey

Celebrations are often thought of as a time to party and have fun. Yet the sweetest victories are the hard-fought ones: the cancer patient in remission, a victim of physical abuse who later finds and embraces love, a struggling student who eventually earns a degree. These successes may not be as rowdy, but they are indeed commemorations of deep gratitude and full hearts. The Dhammapada verse reads: "Not even with a shower of gold coins would we find satisfaction in sensual craving." Buddha spoke of sensual enjoyment (outward pleasures) and non-sensual enjoyment (inward contentment). While there's nothing wrong with pleasure, it is like a mud puddle - it tends to dry up quickly, leaving us chasing the next pleasure in an attempt to find happiness. Just as those arduous victories require an inner strength, so too can we find a source of gladness within us.

Suffocating Darkness

From the Stone Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 7:94:

Despair is anger with no place to go.

—Mignon McLaughlin

This painting illustrates the suffocating darkness and hopelessness experienced when life's burdens become unbearably heavy. It's not the little things, but the ones that we must bear daily that can overwhelm us: struggling to pay bills with a too small paycheck, caring for a severely autistic or physically disabled child, being responsible for a fragile, elderly parent. Life is not fair; it's a crap shoot. How do we keep on keeping on (as my MIL used to say)? The Dhammapada verse reads: "Even the gods cherish those who are without craving, who have abandoned conceit, and whose senses are calm, like horses well tamed by a charioteer." Craving, in this case, is akin to demanding things be different, and conceit is thinking we're entitled to a better lot in life. Neither of these reactions will help. But what can aid us in turning our anger and depression into compassion is to connect with others who are in similar straits. Not the folks who want to have a pity party, but those with whom we can trade ideas with about handling situations that arise.