Fictional Assumptions

This week I'll be using a Polish deck, the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, created by Alla Alicja Chrzanowska and Alina Konwinska.  Today's draw is the Nine of Swords:

A man sits forlornly in a chair with a book in his lap, swords beneath him, and floating bubbles above him.  Swords often represent thoughts, and this particular card reminds me how they can be beneficial or detrimental.  All of his worries and anxieties are represented by the bubbles drifting overhead; the book symbolizes the ways he's tried to find a solution to his problems.  But as Einstein wisely said, "Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."  What this fellow hasn't realized is that there is very little substance to those bubbles - they are just created by his expectations and assumptions.  If he would only pick up one of those swords (a new way of thinking), he could eliminate them by seeing they are not based in reality.

     The oracle deck I'll be using this week was created by Lily S. May using carved linocut prints.  This morning's card is "Respect:"

How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? ~ Steve Maraboli

Respect, to me, means being courteous while at the same time recognizing my ideas and ways of living may be quite different from others.  This difference doesn't mean I need to fear them, nor does it mean I need to try to forcefully impose my mindset on them; rather, I might see what I can learn from them.