Mark of Existence

This week I'll be using the Ship of Fools Tarot, a deck and book set created by Brian Williams and published by Llewellyn. The oracle book and deck set I'll be using is the Wisdom of the Four Winds, created by Barry Brailsford and Cecilie Okada and published by StonePrint Press. Today's cards are Death and "Comet:"

 That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything—every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate—is always changing, moment to moment. ~ Pema Chodron

As the fool anticipates taking his bouquet to his lady friend, Death pulls on his tunic and says, "Excuse me sir, but we have a pressing appointment." Isn't that how change is? We're skipping merrily along and suddenly get blindsided. We refuse to acknowledge impermanence because we superstitiously think we might cause it to happen, when in fact it occurs anyway. We create our own suffering by living this way; we refuse to accept change and demand that it shouldn't happen to us. Is it wrong to feel sad, worried or angry when we lose a job, a loved one or hear bad news? I don't think so - that's only human. But we'll never find permanent security in a world that is constantly changing. Perhaps we could take Chodron's advice:

But rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life, what if we accepted it and relaxed into it? What if we said, “Yes, this is the way it is; this is what it means to be human,” and decided to sit down and enjoy the ride? 

The Comet, with its sudden appearance and the excitement it causes, fits perfectly with Death. Brailsford suggests it brings tidings of hope and joyful, new beginnings. Yet if I want to receive the good things to come, I'm going to have to unclench my fists and release what was.