Repeating Patterns

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Seven of Cups:

Obatala is the Orisha responsible for making human bodies. Once when he was creating them from clay, he got drunk and accidentally broke some of the figures. These figures became people with disabilities, and he became their patron. Since that horrible incident, Obatala required his devotees to avoid alcohol. He is said to be the owner of all heads (where the soul was thought to reside), and he is strongly associated with clarity. The consequences of Obatala's behavior were a wake-up call for him to take his responsibilities more seriously and soberly. Adding his pataki (story) to the Seven of Cups traditional meaning, I find a cautionary tale for making sure my mind is clear before I choose one cup over another.

From the Diloggun Cards comes the cowrie toss "Osa (10 mouths):"

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

When I have a major screw-up, it's often hard to move my thoughts out of the consequences and back to the cause that got me to this place. If I can't, I'll stay on the treadmill of "I don't know how to handle this mess" and never discover the root of the problem. I must dig up the root, or I'll soon have my own story of repeating the same choices over and over, and neither the pattern nor the outcome will change.