Breaking the Resistance

This week I'll be using the Somnia Tarot and its companion book, created and self-published by Nicholas Bruno. I'll also be using the Spirits of Nature Oracle, created by Steven Farmer and published by Hay House. Today's draws are the Seven of Wands and Desert:

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. 

—Sun Tzu

It's interesting that the fellow on top of the hill has no sword or cannon, only a shield - his primary interest is defending his stance, not attacking others. The geometric compass on his shield implies wisdom, self-control, and the ability to circumscribe desires within moral boundaries. Standing up for ourselves has nothing to do with dishing dirt on others. If we take that approach, what is important gets lost in the chaos. A Desert is defined as a geographical area that gets 10 inches or less of rain (meaning even the Arctic and Antarctica qualify). Desert suggests that we are in dire need of something (water or warmth). But in the case of self-defense, it can hurt our goal if we get caught by the need to people please, to want others to like us and make us feel worthy, rather than accept our stance. 

Self-Inflicted

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Two of Arrows (Swords); from the Rune Cards, Aurochs (Uruz):

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

—Viktor Frankl

There is a children's book called, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst. That title sums up my day so far. However, the Two of Swords/Arrows reminds me that I can choose differently. In the Buddhist parable of the "Two Arrows," the first arrow is the one that strikes us all - pain, misfortune and hardships. But the second arrow (our reaction to these things) - anger, self-pity, fear, rumination - is optional. That second arrow is self-inflicted. Uruz is the rune of the aurochs, an ancient beast similar to the bison, and symbolizes primal power and determination. This rune encourages us to reclaim our ability to choose beneficial thoughts to focus on. Pause, breathe and reset.

The Untrained

From the Greenwood Tarot, Balance (Temperance); from the Rune Cards, Oak (Ac):

Discipline is not the enemy of spontaneity but rather its foundation. Without discipline, our actions are dictated by fleeting impulses, external influences, and the whims of an untrained mind.

—Raffaello Palandri

Potter's Temperance shows a blending of dualities that creates someone who is grounded and at one with themselves. This card is not meant to rain on our parade or take away our fun. But it does ask us to consider what is pulling on our leash, what is driving our extremes in thought or behavior. The problem with extremes is that they always pour kerosene on the bonfire - we find neither peace nor contentment. Oak's rune poem reads: 

The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men.

Often it traverses the gannet's bath,

and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faith

in honorable fashion. 

 

The poem praises the oak for what it offers, yet note the last line about the ocean. It refers to the oak's strength being tested by the ocean when it is used in the building of ships. We need inner strength to resist the pull on our leashes, to develop the freedom to choose rather than simply follow our impulses.

Wisely and Slow

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Archer (Chariot); from the Rune Cards, Need (Naudiz):

Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.

—William Shakespeare

The Archer represents the Chariot - in the same way we must train ourselves with self-discipline and restraint to reach our goal, so the Archer trains her arrow (and her dogs) in hopes of a successful hunt. If our aims are to be reached, we must understand that forethought and patience are as important as persistence. Naudiz represents necessity, gaps in our plans that need our attention. People who are in a hurry to get what they want often make impulsive, emotional, or risky decisions. Choosing to delay our progress and correct those deficits can prevent the wheels from coming off on the journey.

The Value of a Moment

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the Rune Cards, Joy (Wunjo):

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory. 

—Theodor S. Geisel

Like the trees in Potter's card, we are interconnected with others, and those moments of connection make memories. If we were to place these on a scale, we might find the bad outweigh the good ones. Yet we are often surrounded by beauty, laughter, tenderness or love. Psychologist Rick Hanson tells us that we must consciously take in the good to rewire our brain for happiness - even the simplest things. We then have a reunion with these memories - reliving those warm feelings over and over. Joy (Wunjo) represents emotional fulfillment, camaraderie, and the comfort of a supportive environment. These are what we can store in our mental treasure chest to take out and remember again and again. As Hanson writes, "Taking in the good is not about putting a happy shiny face on everything... It's about nourishing well-being, contentment, and peace inside that are refuges you can always come from and return to."

Alert Determination

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Page of Wands; from the Rune Cards, the Sun (Sowilo):

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction. 

—George Horace Lorimer

You can almost see the radiating excitement of this stoat, quivering from the tip of his ears to the tip of his tail. Playful and energetic, stoats are skilled hunters, taking rabbits that are twice their size. Potter describes this Page in kind: having alert determination. When everything new twangs your antenna, it can be hard to focus, but this Page has learned to lock onto his target. Sowilo (Sun) indicates energy and drive, an auspicious sign of success. More energy - have mercy! No wonder this Page is vibrating. He might not make the best choices on the way to his objective, but his drive will keep him going around whatever challenges he finds. As William Feather put it, "Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

Need or Greed

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Two of Wands; from the Rune Cards, Gift (Gebo):

   

Doing something to support someone else puts our problems in some perspective and in connection to all the other human challenges in the world; we return to our personal challenges with a vigor and awareness of our connectedness in this human web of interbeing.

—Kamilah Majied

Things are good, but could they be better? This figure must decide how to move forward - to continue on the current course or to expand their goals. While expanding might improve our bank account, we might find it causes deficits elsewhere (time, energy, relationships, peace of mind). Gebo's (Gift) rune poem reads:

Giving is for men glory and acclaim, support and honor,

and for the needy a help and sustenance that is otherwise lacking.

Gebo suggests that we consider the motive for our desire for expansion - is it need or greed? Perhaps it may help pay some bills or could create jobs for those who need them. But if it's all about accumulating more, more, more, that's a craving that will never be satisfied. It may boost our ego, but it will not be a useful gift to our well-being.