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

Friday, October 24, 2014

Wash It Off

From the Tarot of Durer, the King of Swords; from the Philosopher's Stone, "Self:"
As a child, did you ever find some treasure half-buried in the dirt while playing outside? If so, I bet the first thing you did was wipe or wash the dirt away so you could see clearly what you uncovered. That's what the King of Swords asks me to do in order to see a situation clearly. I must not rely on similar situations or be influenced by my emotional reactions. I need detachment in order to see with impartiality what is in the here and now.
Good grief, look at the size of that boulder in the Philosopher's Stone card. The Self image represents my personal identity or ego. All the experiences I've had and my perception of them create this ego. No matter what new thing happens, it wants to pull out picture books of the past and convince me that I should continue expecting more of the same. If I listen to my ego, I'll probably create a self-fulfilling prophecy instead of seeing the reality of the present moment. The King would tell me to shelve those books and take notes on what's happening now. Otherwise, I'll spend all my time wallowing in fear or resentment instead of enjoying what is right under my nose.

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4 comments:

  1. EllenOctober 24, 2014 at 9:38 AM

    I do hope you can find the inner strength to abide by your king today just like the little fox, who is eager to run and hunt like he always does but now is looking up to his king waiting for his command ready to obey
    I wish you a good day in the here and now and I hope everything will turn out just fine
    Hugs

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 24, 2014 at 9:46 AM

      Thank you Ellen; I really am trying to "hope for the best" instead of "expect the worst"!

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  2. Neopagan PriestessOctober 25, 2014 at 11:45 AM

    It's one of those catch-22 things. On the one hand, it's really useful for us to be able to learn by comparing people and situations to past ones, generalising so we don't have to re-invent the wheel every time. On the other hand, it does take us out of the present moment, and if something doesn't achieve a certain level of difference to past experiences, we won't even notice if there are subtle differences… Hope you find a good balance, seeing what is and what could be, rather than what was or what might have been :)

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 25, 2014 at 12:02 PM

      I think you're right. It probably started off as a helpful survival tool, but now the hammer originally used to build with often becomes a sledge hammer used to destroy without a second thought.

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