A Wide Embrace

From the Fairytale Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the Tree Affirmation Cards, "Weeping Willow:"

          "Puss in Boots" is a tale of a trusting young man who inherits a cat, and the cat who shows off his talents by providing his master with a castle and a princess. Mahony describes this card as going after the good life - a comfortable life filled with good company. For most folks, I'm sure contentment involves something simpler than royal status and a kingdom. Yet to be able to sigh with satisfaction at the close of the day is a gift for which to be grateful. Do you smile and feel fortunate each evening, or just collapse in the bed with relief that the day is over?
          With branches that reach down to touch and embrace the earth, the weeping willow is symbolized as the Divine Mother by Lewis. It represents "the ability to nurture and to receive all with unconditional love." When I'm having a Nine of Cups kind of day, this is a piece of cake. But change that number to a Four or Five, and it's difficult. I think of gratitude and acceptance as spiritual practices that I must work to develop. They require me to be aware when I closing my mind and heart to what is unpleasant, rather than embracing it with the knowledge that it is just a natural part of life. I don't know if I'll ever get to the point of loving unconditionally what scares me or causes me frustration or pain. But I can at least try to make room for it.

With such a vast heart,

immense as the wide-open sea,

suffering cannot overpower us,

just as a small handful of salt

cannot make a great river salty.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh