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, September 16, 2014

Making Space

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Empress; from the Elemental Dice, "Air + Fire:"
Instead of trees, streams, flowers and wheat fields, Petersen chooses to show her Empress creating an empty space. Why? To fill it up of course. Beside her are two halves of a fruit, like a shell that has been cracked open. What was inside has been released, and now a new space is being constructed. The image strikes me as being very Kabbalistic, as when Ein Soph withdrew to form an emptiness in which to create the Universe. I've been in creative mode until yesterday, working on a birthday present for a friend and planning which techniques to introduce to the meditation group. But now that I've completed my tasks, I feel restless. Yet the Empress suggests I need to allow some emptiness, and the Elemental Dice explain why. The dice combination is "lightning," suggesting a sudden inspiration. I must allow my mind to lie fallow for a bit if I want to have a harvest later. Author Julia Cameron suggests making time for an "Artist Date," a solo expedition to explore anything that is of interest: "The Artist Date need not be overtly 'artistic'– think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration." Sounds like a good idea to "seed" my brain.

6 comments:

  1. The image remind s me of some sort of birth canal from which anything can come to life. Happy to hear you've been creating and enjoying it so much. The emptiness which follows is one of expectation and wonder: what will be next. I can relate to this feeling. It buzzes with possibilities. As long as we think "Mischief and whimsical" is is a good pace to be :)

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    1. My first reaction is to fill the space immediately, because I know I feel such joy when I am in creative/planning mode. But I know I get my best ideas when I relax and allow instead of forcing something to fill the emptiness. And yes, I like the idea of "mischief and whimsical" - sounds much more fun! :)

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  2. I took Julia at her word as I worked through the book. When I'd hit the bottom of the hill I'd flip a coin, left or right and every junction there after until turning to return. Back in Webshots (sob) day, I had a whole album dedicated to Artist Dates.

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    1. Webshots? What a great idea to catalog all your dates with photos!

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  3. Ooh, I like the notion of the artist date! Leaving that empty space is hard, goes against the modern grain, but oh so worth it :)

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    1. Being comfortable with the void is hard for me, but I'm beginning to see how it could be useful!

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