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, October 31, 2015

Leaning Back on the Edge

From the Prairie Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the Medicine Cards, the "Snake:"
          This cowpoke seems so happy and content. He's had the perfect week, and now with his pay in his pocket, he's relaxing at his favorite saloon. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but his chair is about to tip over. There's a rattlesnake waiting outside that's coiled and ready to spring. It could be an old friend who's betrayed him or his foreman telling him he's having to make cutbacks. Whatever it is, it will push him to his edge.
Most of us do not take these situations as teachings. We automatically hate them. We run like crazy. We use all kinds of ways to escape -- all addictions stem from this moment when we meet our edge and we just can't stand it. We feel we have to soften it, pad it with something, and we become addicted to whatever it is that seems to ease the pain. ~ Pema Chodron
But Snake's message isn't all bad; it can lead to transformation, something that changes us from the inside out if we don't zone out or freak out:
 Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.
Because of mindfulness, we see things when they arise. Because of our understanding, we don’t buy into the chain reaction that makes things grow from minute to expansive....It all comes through learning to pause for a moment, learning not to just impulsively do the same thing again and again. It’s a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up the space. 
In the words of the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, “You take it all in. You let the pain of the world touch your heart and you turn it into compassion.”
~ Pema Chodron
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10 comments:

  1. Inner WhispersOctober 31, 2015 at 11:57 AM

    I've been loving your Pema Chödrön quotes. An unusual pairing with the Prairie Tarot, but you've really pulled it off - I linked to yesterday's post in my newsletter, even if I didn't manage to comment ;)
    I wonder about this stopping to pause thing. Sometimes, I've managed to stop and pause, and yet still fell back into my habitual behaviour after the pause. So, there must be something else, too. Perhaps I didn't manage to connect to compassion enough in that pause...

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 31, 2015 at 12:16 PM

      Thank you Chloe. :) We've been reading Chodron's "When Things Fall Apart" at book club, so her words are rolling around in my head!
      I think the pause has to be a mindful pause; we have to see what we're doing. There may be times when I decide that yes I'm going to have a slice of cheesecake because we're celebrating Thanksgiving. But other times, I may pause and see that I'm about to engage in an addictive behavior because I'm trying to escape something or distract myself from what I need to deal with. I can realize I'm about to trade a short-term pleasure for a long-term hell. I might still do it, but it will be a conscious choice rather than an unconscious one. Either way, compassion is important. The more we beat ourselves up, the more we're likely to go back to those familiar habits.

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    2. UnknownNovember 1, 2015 at 9:44 AM

      You are right Chloe there is more than pausing, and we all have to find what that is. For me it's always prayer for strength and discernment.

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  2. EllenOctober 31, 2015 at 2:58 PM

    Toady has been all about "To buy or not to buy" the next novelty deck. Ravens Prophecy has been all over IG ,YouTube and the blogs. I was about to give in this afternoon while this morning I told myself I don't need it for now. I have so many decks which are still waiting to be fully discovered, whining in their drawer to get my attention. I've just bought Soulcards1 and 2 and also the Mother Mary Oracle. I think I do need to ask myself the question which hole am I trying to fill and how can I prevent myself form falling of my chair?
    Maybe asking these questions is a pause too. Letting it go is harder but necessary because otherwise the deck can become an obsession which which I am bound to give in to.....

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    1. thesycamoretreeOctober 31, 2015 at 4:32 PM

      I think that is exactly it; we pause and take an honest look at what we're about to do and see if it's a pattern. And if it is, we can ask if it is one that helps or hurts, clarifies or confuses. My habits are usually an escape of some kind.

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  3. RoseOctober 31, 2015 at 11:36 PM

    Ooh, naga energy...love!

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  4. UnknownNovember 1, 2015 at 9:47 AM

    I really appreciate this post Bev and love the card combination. The quote about turning pain into compassion...so true. Easier said than done, and takes a lot of practice and compassion!

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 1, 2015 at 10:09 AM

      Definitely easier said than done! But each time we meet that edge is the opportunity to keep practicing. :)

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    2. UnknownNovember 1, 2015 at 10:14 AM

      That's for sure. Progress not perfection. I don't expect to "graduate" from life; perhaps when I'm dead and gone from this mortal coil. And maybe even then there will be more practice.

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