Cold, Dark Night

From the Prairie Tarot, the Five of Coins; from the Medicine Cards, "Deer:"

          My idea of hell is not intense temperatures, fire and brimstone; it's a place where it is damp and the weather is freezing. Looking at this card, I wonder what in the world would make someone leave their warm shelter and slog through deep snow in the dead of night. Did a horse or livestock animal disappear that they depend on? Neither person has a torch to light their way, but a fire in their cabin burns brightly and acts as a beacon.
          Deer, according to Sams and Carson, represent gentleness. What a welcome message to receive when one is suffering physically or financially. I can get frustrated with my body when it gets sick or becomes injured, even though it serves me quite well for most of the 365 days of each year. A speaker I was listening to the other day told us to raise our hands and clench our fists. Then she said, "Now notice your breath." Like everyone else, I was holding my breath as tightly as my fist. Tough times come and go; if I apply gentleness, I won't add to stress to the problem. That is the beacon that shines its light in the cold, dark night.