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, November 16, 2015

It's a Good Start

From the Fairytale Tarot, the Four of Wands; from the Tree Affirmation Cards, "Olive:"
          The "Musicians of Bremen" is a tale of a donkey, rooster, dog and cat who are considered worthless because they are elderly. Instead of waiting for a dire fate, they decide to band together and seek a better place to live. Along the way they find a cottage that has become the hideout for a gang of robbers. Together they frighten the robbers into running away (making them think the place was haunted), and the animals move into their new home. As this story suggests, progress can be made when folks work together, even if they are a diverse group. Age can have its advantages.
          But what happens after a good start has been made? The Olive card suggests a time for peace. Lewis writes that we need to make space for the present moment, to sit and watch the breeze in the leaves and listen to the birds singing. While in the middle of a project, I find this incredibly hard to do. It is in my nature to go full speed ahead, finishing what I've started and then jumping right in to something else. There is a part of me that feels lazy if I am not doing anything useful. Yet taking a breather and paying attention can help me make better choices in the long run. It does have a purpose other than relaxation:
If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy. ~ Ravi Ravindr

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8 comments:

  1. EllenNovember 16, 2015 at 8:29 AM

    What a great reminder to focus on "just" being where we are right now and enjoy the, peace and quiet of this moment. We are so much alike. sometimes it feels like my day is one big todo list and then it is even hard to focus on the task at hand because one part of my brain is already busy with the next item on the list...
    When all is done my mind doesn't really get is and keeps racing around so it is hard to focus on something enjoyable like reading etc. :)

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 16, 2015 at 8:33 AM

      We are a lot alike. :) I do the same thing - while I'm supposedly relaxing, I'm making plans and to-do lists in my head!

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  2. Sharyn Mallow WoerzNovember 16, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    finishing what we start is a real life key I think. This is such an instant gratification culture, and our resulting life styles has suffered much. Lovely oracle.

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 16, 2015 at 1:53 PM

      My problem isn't with finishing, but pausing along the way to appreciate things and reflect on what I might need to do differently (rather than bulldozing my way through something).

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  3. RoseNovember 16, 2015 at 8:20 PM

    I'm a pause along the way woman...sometimes the pause is more comfortable than the project or task lol...particularly if there's a cup of tea involved ;) These two cards look lovely together.

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    1. thesycamoretreeNovember 16, 2015 at 8:34 PM

      The Tree Affirmation Cards are really lovely, aren't they?
      I pause more often between projects than in the middle of them; bulldozer Bev likes to get things finished ASAP. :D

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    2. UnknownNovember 17, 2015 at 8:44 AM

      I've come to really enjoy the pauses. Being someone who had been in a stressful profession as a Youth Care Worker for 20 years, it was easy to slip into being a human doing.

      I had to work hard at learning to get the right balance. Either extreme of being a sloth ( I love sloths!) or a human doing is not comfortable for me. Comes with age and retirement I think.

      Smelling the roses means to appreciate the blessings along the way, like all the little things, because life is great and short, savour it!

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    3. thesycamoretreeNovember 17, 2015 at 9:09 AM

      Even our breath has a natural pause. :) Yet (as you implied), we must continue to inhale and exhale.

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