I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

No Strings Attached

From the Anna K. Tarot, the Five of Pentacles:
It's cold and snowing, and the tarp put up for a makeshift shelter looks pretty pitiful.  M. Scott Peck said, "Life is difficult," but he also stated, " Community requires the ability to expose our wounds and weaknesses to our fellow creatures."  If I need help and want help, I must stop trying to act as if I am fine and reach out to others.  The elderly woman ministering to the elderly man in this image is touching; she doesn't look like she has many resources herself, yet she shares the one thing most people hold onto the tightest - her time.  As a giver I've thought, "Will they expect me to keep doing this?"  As a receiver, I've thought, "What will I have to do to pay them back?"  These are the type of thoughts that keep me isolated from others.  There will be days when I will have the chance to be the one to offer help and days I will need to ask for it.  Both sides require opening a closed heart.

From the Green Man Tree Oracle comes "Elder:"
From sacrifice comes restoration.
People these days just don't understand sacrifice.  I often hear a parent or spouse say, "I sacrificed so much for them, but I didn't get anything in return!"  The root of sacrifice is giving without expecting anything to be given back.  There's no quid pro quo - this for that.  I find it hard to do a good deed or kindness without at least some recognition.  But the fullness my soul hungers isn't going to come from some ego-driven action, it's going to come from compassion with no strings attached.

4 comments:

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    1. I find my posts are often better when I poke the sensitive areas...
      Thanks my friend.

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  2. An excellent take on one of the most challenging Minors, thank you for sharing it!

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    1. Thanks MDR, and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. :)

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