Finding the Center Point

From the Ellis Deck, the King of Swords:

With his missing eye and birds, this King reminds me of the Norse god Odin. According to Ellis, the ghost of the king visits the Knight of Swords and explains to him why a battle based on anger and revenge will never bring peace; it would be the same as going to battle to get back the eye he lost. With such an attitude, it makes sense the King of Swords has his blade in a sheath across his lap. The white and black birds on his shoulders also made me think of the three pillars of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Mercy and Severity are the outer pillars, with Equilibrium (the king) being the center pillar. The King of Swords is mature enough to know the difference between a need to protect and defend and the desire to punish to feel vindicated. He reminds me to look for that center point of balance today.

From the Oracle of Shadows and Light come "Strange Valentine:"

The companion booklet states that love doesn't always look like we thought it would. Sometimes it is the severe "tough love" we offer to prevent enabling the unhealthy behavior of other folks. It  may look like merciful love, a time when we overlook words or actions because we know a person is grieving or going through a tough time. My guess is that most of us try to strike a balance between the two; like the king above, we protect and defend, instead of becoming a doormat or wiping our boots on the other person.