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

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Seed Sowing

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, "Karma:"
          Instead of a heart, a rose has been pierced in this Three of Swords. What was beautiful has been destroyed, and the woman and two men seem to be having a funeral of sorts. When I moved back to my hometown after college, a man with whom I'd previously had a relationship wanted to start dating again. But only a few weeks after our rekindled relationship began, I discovered that he was currently engaged to another woman. I will not write the words I said to him, but suffice it to say it was fiery and sharp. He attempted to apologize by sending a dozen roses to my workplace each day for a week. Every day they arrived, I cut off the rose heads and left the vase full of stems on my desk. They were a symbol of what he had done to our relationship, and I wanted to be reminded so I would not be lured back.
          A crystal is a solid structure whose atoms and molecules are arranged in an orderly, repeating pattern extending in all three directions. The "repeating pattern" of this mineral makes it a suitable image for karma. Imagine planting a flower garden with one black-eyed susan and five purple coneflowers. Each flower head will produce dozens of seeds with the potential to sprout the following year. From a Buddhist perspective, the intentions behind my thoughts, words and actions can produce karmic "seeds." These seeds may be wholesome or unwholesome; each seed will be patterned after the motivation that created it. But if I recognize these seeds (habitual patterns), I don't have to water and tend them - I can choose a different response. It is typical for most humans to want to lash out when they have been hurt or to turn inward and soak in self-pity. Either response is self-centered, and the Karma card cautions that such a reaction will produce seeds I won't welcome when they sprout later.

4 comments:

  1. Been there to. But instead of lashing out I chose self-pity and grief
    In such a situation what would be the answer which whould provide us with good karmic seeds???

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    1. Well it's not the grief that is the problem, but what we do with it. We may be sad, but instead of thinking, "I'm worthless" or "Revenge will be sweet," I can concentrate on myself. I can find activities that will help heal and nurture me, whether that's a bike ride enjoying the sunshine or a new creative project. :)

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    2. So as long as we are moving forward instead of staying in bed with the covers over our head. :)

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