From the Daniloff Tarot, the Three of Swords:
Three swords pierce a heart painted on a shield; a drawing of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns hangs below. Regardless of one's religious or spiritual persuasion, I think most people would generally agree with Jesus' philosophy that "Love trumps the law." Whether seen as myth or historical fact, his life was lived with a heart exposed rather than shielded from the words and actions of others. I have felt my share of pain, yet I have been the cause of it as well. Intentional or not, humans are quite adept at causing sorrow. Over the years I've built a nice little wall to try to ward off such suffering, but the problem with this barricade is that it can keep out joy too. I think I can survive the hurt caused by others, but I don't think I could endure being without their friendship and love.
From the Kuan Yin Oracle comes stick #82, "The Water Lily and the Fire:"
The scorching heat of a forest fire.
Through a happy chance, the lily survives the blaze.
It is not only spared from the flames,
but new leaves and tendrils sprout on each stem.
Looking through the lens of the tarot card above, the scorching fire is the anguish caused by my own or others' actions or words. Yet in the poem, the lily not only survives, but sprouts new leaves afterward. I am reminded by these verses that it is usually my ego that feels insulted and hurt by the what people do and say, not my Higher Self; when I am the aggressor, it is usually my ego in action. If I can get past my hurt pride, I will find new growth follows. As Karcher states in his book, "We learn who we are through our suffering."
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