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

Monday, May 12, 2014

Making Noise or Making Music

From the Gill Tarot, the Devil:
We humans do some weird stuff trying to make uncomfortable feelings go away. We eat, shop, drink or take drugs, get in and out of relationships, hoard money, etc. One of the obsessive ways I handle anxiety is through accumulating information. I can surf the internet for hours or load my Kindle with books thinking that the right knowledge will make it go those icky emotions go away. But what I'm running from (in my case, anxiety) is actually what holds the key. If I can sit with my fear and observe it, I might discover where the roots of it are planted. Perhaps there is something I can do, or maybe I just need to accept life on life's terms. Either way, I don't have to rely on behaviors that will only complicate my life rather than help it.

From the oracle deck The Circle comes "Friction:"
A bow glides across the strings of a violin, creating lovely music (or screechy noise if I was playing it), and it reminds me I need to be discerning in what I chose as a coping mechanism. Yet friction also implies that the right amount of stress can produce beneficial action. Like the musician who knows which strings to hold down and how to move the bow, I need to be mindful of the results I produce by my what I choose to do. If my behavior isn't creating beautiful music, I need to approach things from a different angle.

2 comments:

  1. I can relate to the surfing part. Whenever I am insecure or doubt if I am on the right track I want to be confirmed by some outside source (books internet). I know I have to learn to trust on my own inner wisdom and be patient enough to watch my life unfold itself. I can be such a control freak :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I think you nailed it: I want confirmation for how to deal with whatever is bothering me. Another control freak here. :D

      Delete