Discovering What I'm Made Of

  From the Shining Tribe Tarot today, I pulled the Star:

Pollack associates the woman in this image with Persephone, the Greek goddess who spent her winters in the underworld, but who came back to earth in the spring.  "It is part of our nature," Pollack writes, "that we must suffer and be tested in order to discover our true selves."  This card was like a spring breeze to me after struggling through the last few weeks.  But combined with the Wheel of yesterday, it lets me know that this cycle is about to change - sort of a pat on the back with a "hang in there" admonition.  Sometimes its hard to remember that the $hit that rains down may just be the fertilizer that helps me grow.  And as the author reminds me, it can have other benefits: "We not only change ourselves through our ordeals, we learn how to help others."  I look forward to the positive changes ahead...

     Today I drew "Beaver" from the wooden tiles, an animal I am quite fond of as you can tell by my blog avatar:

"Busy as a beaver" describes the hard-working, industriousness of this animal.  She has a plan, and come what may, she continues to build it.  Who would ever think such an animal could fell a tree and construct such intricate lodges?  Her perseverance (that borders on pure stubbornness) makes such an imposing task possible.  Though work is important, she is very family-oriented as well, and reminds me that there needs to be balance in all things.  Seeing my old friend show up this morning encourages me to keep paddling along, and not abandon what I've been working toward.