Endings and Fresh Starts

The new deck I'll be using this week is the LE Touchstone Tarot by Kat Black.  This morning's draw is "Death:"

The source of this image (minus the skeleton) is from a painting done by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio entitled Death of the Virgin.  Caravaggio's work cause quite a stir with the church, because it depicted the death of Mary as ordinary rather than a portrayal of her rising to heaven surrounded by cherubs.  I am reminded by this card that the normal flow of life to have both a beginning and an end.  It is not a form of punishment, it is just the circle arcing back around to meet its beginning.  Everything is a part of nature and follows this cycle, though on a personal basis, accepting this law is rarely easy.

     The other new deck I'll be using this week is the Oracle of the Grail Code by Amy Sophia Marashinsky.  Today's card is "Service:"

Here is another painting of Mary (Madonna Litta) attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.  It is interesting that this one (birth and life) is in stark contrast to the one above (death).  Marashinsky makes a wise statement in her companion book: "If your service is not bringing a feeling of being blessed, then it is time to let go of negative beliefs surrounding your service and/or choose another more nurturing way for you of giving service."  At first glance, her words may sound a bit self-centered.  But if my service causes me to feel resentful and "put-upon," then it is not really service - it's just me trying to earn some brownie points.  I need to find what brings me joy because that is what I really want to pass on to others.