Dangling Bait

This week the book and deck set I'll be using is the Ship of Fools Tarot, created by Brian Williams and published by Llewellyn.  Today's draw is the Five of Swords:

A fellow waits in a back alley, holding three swords but leaving two on the ground.  I can almost hear him whisper, "Come on, pick them up... they're waiting just for you."  But I know this guy's mindset.  He loves a fight, and will tempt people with inflammatory remarks and biting opinions to draw them in.  He's the Glen Beck of television, the Rush Limbaugh of radio, and the trolls of internet forums and Facebook.  They don't want to discuss, they want to debate.  They draw their energy from goading people into a war of words and watching the subsequent chaos with glee.  The trick to avoiding them is to remember "don't take the bait."

The oracle I'll be using this week is the Wisdom of the Four Winds, created by Barry Brailsford, illustrated by Cecilie Okada, and published by StonePrint Press.  This morning's draw is the North Guardian, "Limestone:"

The place I live is built on ancient limestone beds.  Recently the city dug out a holding pond about 100 yards from my house that is on a lime sink.  They ended up with huge machines there when they hit the limestone, and pulled out boulders the size of cars.  Before they smashed them up, I slipped over there and gathered a few small fossils of shells to bring home (the city discouraged people from going there because the boulders were mixed with flint, and one slip could result in a life threatening gash).  I wish I could have recorded all the plants and shells that had been preserved in the limestone before the city smashed them to pieces and hauled them away.  The book suggests this card means to "look back that you might go forward with purpose."  In adding its meaning to the tarot card above, I see that I must be aware of my behavior patterns and "triggers" to keep from reacting to something that will result in resentment rather than anything beneficial.