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

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Cat Naps

From the Tarot of the Pagan Cats, the Four of Swords; from the oracle Cat Wisdom, "Reflection:"
          Humans guzzle tea, coffee and energy drinks to stay awake and alert. But the stress of being "on" and at full throttle can work against us.  Cats on the other hand spend 15 to 20 hours sleeping each day. They've learned how to curl up in a corner and switch off. Last night at the meditation group, I handed out markers, clipboards and pages from Lucy Mucklow's book Color Me Calm. We each quietly colored for the first half of the meeting. Everyone was amazed at how enjoyable it was, and the peaceful feeling it created. Time-outs, whether a cat nap, meditation or a relaxing hobby, can refill my "tank." Then I'll be more likely to come up with innovative ideas or creative solutions.
          While the Cat Wisdom deck is full of adorable kittens, too many of the cards rely on the simple image of one gazing sweetly at the camera. I if were to choose an idea for "reflection," I would have a kitten looking down at a book of photographs. Which then made me connect the dots between the tarot card and this one. After I take time to rest and renew myself, I can look back on what I've done. What worked well and what didn't? Do I need to tweak something to make it work better, or should I start fresh? I may be curious about what I haven't tried yet, something completely opposite of my normal choices. Then I must take action; as Soren Kierkegaard put it, "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward."

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12 comments:

  1. EllenFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    A beautiful quote. Often I tend to keep on "full throttle" to quiet down the inner worrier (no type error :D). But it is so much more effective when I paint or meditate so I find it hard to understand why I keep doing this.:)
    I hope you can find the time to take a power nap today
    hugs

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    1. EllenFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:20 AM

      PS Just printed out a mandala to color. Thanks for the idea!

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    2. thesycamoretreeFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:21 AM

      The problem with me staying on "full throttle" and trying to outrun my demons is that they're actually tied to my bumper - they don't go anywhere! :)

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    3. thesycamoretreeFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:23 AM

      Coloring is a great way to be creative because it usually eliminates the inner critic that comes out when drawing. Glad you found a mandala to use!

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    4. EllenFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:42 AM

      Love the visual metaphor :D

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  2. Sharyn Mallow WoerzFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    I agree, the cat wisdom deck is kitten calendar art, I haven't been able to pull anything from them on your blog.

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    1. thesycamoretreeFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:20 AM

      Yea, it's a shame they relied so heavily on "adorable" instead of actually using a photo that had something to do with the keyword. Thankfully I didn't buy this deck, but borrowed it from my daughter to use with the Pagan Cats (which I did enjoy).

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  3. RoseFebruary 28, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    I just bought the Pagan Cat Tarot and am awaiting its arrival. Fun to see you using it here. It was a toss-up between it and the Mystical Cats Tarot. I've got no animal themed decks at all, nothing quirky like that, they're all RWS or Thoth based with a few uncategorizable but serious decks. But for reasons my rational, sober self can't quite explain these two cat Tarot decks have me intrigued. I ended up buying Mystical Cats as an app.

    At any rate, your post is a nice reminder to take intentional time out. I have always loved the Four of Swords card and it's fun to see this depiction of it.

    As for the Kierkegaard quote~ my instinctive response was something like 'yabbut, what about the fact that in actuality we live life backwards and forwards at the same time. The question for me then becomes, How present am I? Which ties in nicely with your Four of Swords reflections :)

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    1. thesycamoretreeFebruary 28, 2015 at 2:59 PM

      While I have some animal oracles, this is the first animal tarot I've gotten, and I've been pleasantly surprised by it. It seems I always draw the Four of Swords when I feel like I don't have time to spare. :) It was a nice reminder to slow down and relax, even for a moment. I guess we do live forwards and backwards, but maybe it's the pauses that keep us sane. :)

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  4. Inner WhispersMarch 1, 2015 at 1:00 PM

    Ooh, doing some colouring sounds lovely, haven't done any in ages. I hadn't thought about it, but yes, meditative and creative without being too challenging :)

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