I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ego on a Platter

From the Prairie Tarot, the Hanged Man:
In the heat of summer, a young man participates in a Sundance Ceremony. After the preparation of fasting for several days, men have their chests pierced with leather thongs attached to a tall pole. They dance around the pole until the skin breaks open and releases them. Years ago I spoke to a man who had done a piercing, and I expressed my awe at his mental and physical toughness to endure such and ordeal. He replied that it had nothing to do with machismo, and everything to do with sacrifice. The men do it as an offering for the benefit of family and community. It is ego served on a platter as a gift for the greater good.

From the Medicine Cards this morning comes "Mountain Lion:"
Here in the South we have Florida panthers, and I remember seeing two up close years ago. Their massive size and power made me speechless in wonder. It's easy to see why the authors associate this animal with leadership. I have been a leader before (jury foreman, restaurant manager, etc.), and I don't really care for the position. See, it sounds all grand and wonderful, but the reality pretty much sucks. Sams and Carson also agree it is difficult because "it places you in a position to be a target for the problem of others," and "you become the perfect justification of the insecurities of others." At some point I will be called to step into such a position, but as the Hanged Man stresses, it's not about me but those around me.

7 comments:

  1. I haven't had any managing jobs. I was a teacher once so I guess I've managed a bunch of kids. And I think being a mother counts too. Mothering requires so much sacrifice that sometimes it can be hazardous for our own health

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    1. I've been a preschool teacher and a substitute teacher for an elementary school, but neither was as hard as being a mom!

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    2. Again something we have in common. I've done both kind of teaching too :)

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    3. I'm beginning to think we are distant cousins... Well, my grandfather's people (originally Garretson changed by the Brits to Garrison) did come from Holland!

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  2. This is a particularly powerful Hanged Man, for me. That sense of surrender at such a physical, painful level, is rather scary. Or maybe that's just my fear at my impending birth, which also has aspects of that.
    It sounds like you are the best kind of leader, the one who doesn't crave the power, but does the job because it needs doing… :)

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    1. I agree - this is one of the most emotion-producing images of the Hanged Man.
      Holding you and the baby in a corner of my heart, sending thoughts for a quick and safe delivery for you both.

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    2. Just saw this, thank you so much for holding us in your heart. He's out and well and home, and I'm so grateful for all of those :)

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