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

Monday, October 26, 2015

Double-edged Swords

From the Prairie Tarot, the Eight of Swords; from the Medicine Cards, "Bat:"
          Thoughts are like double-edged swords; they can help us or hinder us. The Eight of Swords reminds me of a term I heard recently from psychotherapist Dr. Russ Harris, a proponent of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Cognitive fusion refers to becoming so entangled in our thoughts, we can no longer clearly see reality. Our thoughts, assumptions and beliefs become like a blindfold, and so our decisions and actions are based on our internal experience rather than what is actually going on in the world. And from this young woman's cognitively fused point of view, she's out of options.
          Sams and Carson associate Bat with rebirth and the death of old patterns and habits. Nothing much can grow in the soil unless it is cleared of old stumps and large rocks (like habitual thoughts). How do I get past such cognitive fusion when it feels so real? Harris suggests we put some objective distance between ourselves and our thoughts. Instead of saying, "I'm so worthless," the woman could defuse a bit by saying, "I'm having a thought about feeling worthless." Thoughts and reality get a bit of separation between them, leaving room for a crack of light to filter through. Hopefully, she'll eventually be able to remove that mental blindfold and discover there are more options available than she originally assumed.


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6 comments:

  1. Sharyn Mallow WoerzOctober 26, 2015 at 10:22 AM

    Although often painful, I think that is why I keep blogging every morning. It forces me to know, what I think.

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 26, 2015 at 10:26 AM

      Me too, friend. It helps to hold them in the morning light and see what's what.

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  2. RoseOctober 26, 2015 at 12:41 PM

    Rebirth as the very act of loosening of the ties that binds us...

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 26, 2015 at 3:45 PM

      And how ironic that I'm the one that tied them... :)

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  3. EllenOctober 26, 2015 at 1:17 PM

    I instantly had to think how a bat has to use his sonar to find his way the world. Maybe if we would check how things really are more regularly, some of those swords would fall down and she could move on.

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    Replies
    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 26, 2015 at 3:46 PM

      I think that's why it's good to have a few close friends, people who will tell me when I'm way off the mark. :)

      Delete

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