Attention is the Key

This week I'll be using the Wild Unknown Tarot, created and self-published by Kim Krans. I'll also be using the Pictish Oracle, researched and drawn by myself, then lasered onto wooden tiles by a friend. Today's draws are the Moon and Tongs:

This emphasis on the unconscious driving our behavior and influencing our judgements, decisions and choices has been vastly over-emphasized. —Ben Newell

The Moon shows a waning moon, suggesting a time for letting go of things. The evergreen trees (endurance) seem to have no ground showing beneath them. Such groundlessness is an apt description of the Moon, when things are confusing and unsettled. We might wonder why we feel or behave in particular ways around certain people or specific situations, or why we at times make impulsive decisions. It would be nice to blame this on our unconscious - a repository of information that can guide us. Yet current research indicates that we are more likely governed by conscious thinking than by our unconscious. Attention is the key. Conscious awareness is the broad, open space of perceiving, while attention is a focused beam. The Tongs - an instrument for handling hot metal safely - suggests we focus our attention on a specific thought, motive or feeling and look at it with curiosity rather than as truth. Though attention, insight can allow us to see things as they actually are. 

 

Cycles

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Ten of Disks; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Sun:

Read the brilliant book of nature, study the rhythm of life, and you will find everything moves in perfect symphony. —Robbie George

I used to have a small drum collection: a frame drum I made of elk hide, two bodhrans, a djembe, and a doumbek. I got interested when I had the experience of drumming in a diverse circle of about 60 people. I played in smaller circles after that, but eventually those disappeared. Having "stuff" without a relational connection soon lost its meaning, and I gave all the drums away except one of my bodhrans. The Ten of Disks is a gathering of abundance, the result of the energies we've put forth into living. But it also hints that excess should be distributed to prevent corruption and greed. Nature teaches us that health lies in flow and change, not stagnation. The Sun in Dreamtime stories was thought to be a woman who carried a torch across the sky during the day, then returned to her starting point via an underground tunnel at night. Cycles are about transformation and movement, not standing still. As Parker Palmer stated, "The notion that our lives are like the eternal cycle of the seasons... encourages us to embrace it all—and to find in all of it opportunities for growth."

Taking Our Place

From the Wheel of Fortune Tarot, the Eight of Disks; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Koala:

Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit; and it is but common prudence to see our way out before we venture in. —Aesop

Weaving - both from a loom and from spiders - illustrates this card of prudence. The Eight of Disks is a caution to employ careful planning and attentiveness when we use our skills and resources. It is easier to use our finances, bodies, and material possessions wisely and carefully now, than having to spend time repairing them later. Koala, in the Dharug language, means "no drink" - referring to the fact that this animal receives almost all of its hydration from the moisture in eucalyptus leaves. Thus, Aboriginal Peoples have seen it as a symbol of water stewardship. All that we have is limited and constantly changing. As Linda Hogan wrote, "Caretaking is the utmost spiritual and physical responsibility of our time, and perhaps that stewardship is finally our place in the web of life, our work, the solution to the mystery that we are."

Spinning Mind

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Butterfly:

A crowded mind leaves no space for a peaceful heart. 

—Christine Evangelou

The nine blades of three windmills represent our spinning mind and racing thoughts when we worry. Yet worry doesn't accomplish a thing except to rob us of our fortitude and ability to think clearly. Butterfly represents transformation and encourages us to change our mental channel. Is there actually something to worry about, or are we making assumptions? If there is something real to deal with, what small step can we take in that direction? If there is nothing we can do, we can get out of our head and ground ourselves in the present moment. The senses are great for this task: enjoying the taste of a cup of coffee, listening to the birds sing, feeling a breeze or the sun on our face, or watching the squirrels chase each other around a tree. 

Boomerangs

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Empress; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Sea Eagle:

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.  —Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Empress is the loving Mother, the joy of abundance offered freely. She represents altruism, the unselfish concern for the well-being of others, distinguished by actions that prioritize other people's needs besides just one's own. It is the glue that connects and binds people together, helping all to survive and thrive. The Dreamtime story of the Sea Eagle tells of a selfish boy who would not share any of the food he caught with his family. He was eventually turned into a sea eagle, a wise guardian of the ocean who taught the people the laws of sustainable hunting. Like a boomerang, our actions can return to bite us, forcing us to change or be miserable. As Krishnamurti stated, "I must see the nature and structure of my relationship with the world – and in the very seeing is the doing."

Everyday Contentment

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Lightning Man:

The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.

 — Doug Larson

The Nine of Cups often marks achievements, a time to revel in the joy of accomplishment. In this undersea environment, there is beauty and the warmth of contentment. Life won't let us stay in this peaceful place forever, but we can sure enjoy every second of it while it lasts. Lightning Man was well known by indigenous people, who lived closely connected with the earth and sky.  They believed he sent bolts of lightning and rumbling thunder as a warning to those who broke tribal and spiritual laws. On a pleasurable day, our warning is more of an encouragement: remember that beauty, warmth, wonder and joy can be found in everyday, unexpected places. We don't have to wait for the big moments to experience contentment.

Learning to Use Our Hurt

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Barramundi:

Strength is not the absence of hurt. It is the refusal to let hurt set the terms of who we become.

—Rabbi Yonatan Hambourger

The Three of Swords indicates a painful realization and the loss of an illusion. There are some relationships that just can't be put back together as they were before when truth is revealed. But what do we do with our pain?  Psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun have studied what they call post-traumatic growth - a conscious shift from being a victim to being a student of our experiences. This process does not delete our pain but helps us use it to extract life lessons and gain emotional resilience rather than remaining stuck. The Dreamtime story of Barramundi tells the story between two young lovers who long to be together, however the young woman was already promised to an older man in an arranged marriage. Rather than accept that fate, the lovers jumped into the sea and became fish. Traditional ideas and romantic dreams must often be sacrificed if we want an authentic, fulfilling life.