Loamy Earth

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Ace of Pentacles; from the Mystic Glyphs, Forward:

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

—Søren Kierkegaard

The Ace of Pentacles is the dark loam of the earth, waiting for us to plant seeds. The booklet suggests our ambitions should be practical rather than fanciful. Pragmatic aspirations have down-to-earth steps that we can take, whether it's exercise for our body or balancing our checkbook. Forward (an animal's footprint) encourages us to stop dragging our bag of "This happened to me" behind us. We can learn from these things, but acting as if they are still happening only hampers us. As we attempt a new endeavor, our past mistakes and successes can guide us, but they won't give us control over the future. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, "Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."

Holistic Wealth

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Sibyl (Queen) of Pentacles; from the Mystic Glyphs, Friends:

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.  –Marie Curie

If you've ever seen a plant growing in the crack of a concrete sidewalk, you've met the mindset of the Queen of Pentacles. She moves in harmony with nature and its rhythms. Her resourcefulness breeds self-confidence; she sees her life as full and rich, which makes her generous and kindhearted. Friends are just one part of the web of life to which she feels connected. Keisha Blair writes, "Holistic wealth is about creating circumstances in your life that allow you to be resilient and resourceful." I can't think of anything more helpful for this kind of wealth than the support and encouragement of good friends.

Wider Than Our View

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Hanged Man; from the Mystic Glyphs, Village Abandoned:

Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.

–Carl Jung

When the world seems like it has turned upside down, sometimes we have to do the same to understand it. This blue shaman holds a staff decorated with bones, shells and feathers - sacred tools that help him bridge the physical and spiritual realms. His skin color is like that of the Medicine Buddha, who represents spiritual healing. This is obviously not a situation to be fixed, but a problem of ignorance (not seeing reality clearly). Village Abandoned represents making a rash, unwise decision as a result of our pride being hurt. Together, these cards suggest we have been so busy promoting our own opinions and perspective that we have failed to see any other. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "The universe is wider than our views of it."

Not What We Thought

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Five of Cups; from the Mystic Glyphs, Moon Phases:

Grief is the difference between where your life is and where you thought it would be.

—Lucy Hone

By the time most people are my age (65), we've collected losses like jars of old spices sitting in our cupboards. Yet every fresh loss hits us the same - we feel it physically as well as emotionally. We ask ourselves, "How will I ever get through this?" We were cruising down the highway of life, with ideas about how it was supposed to proceed, and suddenly it takes an exit ramp. Moon Phases reminds us that everything evolves and changes constantly; it doesn't make our losses less bitter, but it does remind us that these things are universal rather than personal. If we'll open our heart and mind even as we grieve, we might find glimmers of happiness even on hard days. Resilience requires that we adopt a wider perspective and a willingness to step out of our comfort zone. It won't erase the pain, but it might help add some sunshine.

Hustle Your Bustle

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Eight of Wands; from the Mystic Glyphs, Turkey:

Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.

― Joan Didion

Looks like I better hustle my bustle today, as some potential activities or opportunities are about to land on my doorstep. As that eye on one of the wands indicates, today is not a day for lolling about but for paying attention. I'm on my first cup of coffee and have not yet washed the grumpy sleepiness out of my system. It would be easy to complain about all I have to do today without adding extra on my plate. Turkey shows up - a symbol of abundance, community, and gratitude - to remind me that such opportunities are gifts. There's no need to impute the day with assumptions of what a chore it will be when I've barely lived much of it yet. Plus, as Didion points out, things can change quickly, and this particular gift may not arrive again.

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.