Who's Playing the Instrument?

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Nine of Arrows (Swords):

Potter explains that this woman is playing her bow like a musical instrument rather than using it as a weapon. Waves of sound move outward, indicated by other arrows. Potter's artistic rendering has a much more positive feel to it than the RWS version (with a woman anxiously holding her head). Comparing the two versions makes me ask the question, "Are my thoughts a useful tool for me or are they my master?" If I let myself be bombarded by thoughts and never question their validity, then they have power over me. If I look for any evidence of truth and find none, I can send them on their way. After all, it is the musician who plays the instrument, not the other way around.

From the Pictish Oracle comes the tile "Cauldron:"

 

The Picts incised this symbol from a viewpoint of looking down into a cauldron. These huge iron pots were used as cooking tools, but the carved picture on the Glamis Manse Stone (with two sets of legs sticking out of the cauldron) shows cauldrons had other purposes as well. Some researchers theorize they were used for ritual drownings, while others believe they were symbols of rebirth and regeneration. This time of year, with holidays approaching, I usually find myself in need of being restored to sanity. All the "shoulds" and "what ifs" flood my brain, making me more than a little crazy. The cauldron reminds me to put all these thoughts on "simmer." There may be something important I need to be aware of, but all of the anxiety (water) is keeping me from recognizing it. Once the water boils off (and I calm down), I'll be able to separate fact from fiction.