Opening Doors

This week I'll be using the Rosetta Tarot; both the deck and companion book were created by M.M. Meleen and published by Atu House.  Today's draw is the Empress:

Meleen states that the Hebrew letter associated with the Empress is Daleth, meaning door.  While the High Priestess was the vessel that received, the Empress is the opening through which what is received is born.  She may look all sweet and innocent, but the shield next to her is a nod to the force of power that this woman wields.  She is the gateway that opens my mind to the inspiration that comes, opens my mouth to put it into words, and unfolds my body to create my vision in the world.  And like the mother she is, she will show me how to nurture and care for it as it grows.

The oracle deck and book I'll be using this week is the Ascension to Paradise, a set created by Jane Toerien and Joyce Van Dobben and published by Binkey Kok.  This morning's draw is the "Brolga:"

The brolga is an Australian crane, a tall, elegant, silvery-gray bird.  It has a patch of red skin stretching from behind the eyes across the back of the neck.  This physical trait represents a traumatic or damaging event that resulted in a prejudice toward a specific person, group or thing.  The purpose of the brolga's card is to help me move from my instinctive reaction of intolerance to one of tolerance.  I know the weight of prejudice well; while the anger and resentment is obvious, the greater pain comes from the fear that underlies it all.  How do you trust someone who has ripped your life apart?  But perhaps distrust is not the problem (which I don't think I am capable of letting go), but the need to forgive and see this person as damaged emotionally.  Maybe the door I need to open is my heart, not necessarily my day-to-day life.