Ends and Means

From the Neuzeit Tarot, the Eight of Wands:

Eights generally speak of setting priorities, getting things in order, and making swift progress.  The peak in the background is a hint that things are about to be completed - there aren't many more steps to take to reach the top.  The two wand figures on the end each wear a magician hat, and the shape above all the wands looks like a lemniscate.  Both of these symbols are a nod to the Magician tarot card that emphasizes not just focus, but using the resources available to manifest one's goal.  The eyes and hands underscore this emphasis, implying that mental concentration must be followed up with action.  In other words, if I want to make swift progress, I better be doing the same.

The roll from Rory's Story Cubes brought the "beaker and world:"

Humanity gets in such a rush to "improve" the world with medicine and technology, we often don't stop to think what we might be harming along the way.  I think of the invention of antibiotics, that are a wonderful gift on one hand, but have been misused on the other.  Overuse has created resistant strains of bacteria, and the unused portions have been flushed so often our water supplies have become contaminated.  These cubes are a warning to look carefully at the fallout of what I might "accomplish," and decide if the end result is worth the ultimate cost.