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, December 14, 2015

Attention: Time for a Clean-up

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Four of Cups; from the Button Oracle, "Bugler:"
          In this card, one fellow looks as if he is about to nod off, while two others blindly wander around, seeking something they can't see. That feeling of restlessness and boredom is a familiar one for people whose lives aren't centered on survival. Thoreau called it "quiet desperation," and those of us who experience it find it painful and unsettling. We look for ways to fill the emptiness, reaching out to self-help books and gurus to find our bliss once again. Yet the bugler rides in blowing his horn, warning me to pay attention (the opposite of boredom, which is a lack of attention). All those ways I'm trying to distract myself (even the fun kind) might be adding to my stress and burn-out, or at the very least, prolonging the problem. Lin Jensen writes, "A foot rub lacks pleasure if you haven’t walked far enough to get sore feet. A hot shower is a bland event if you haven’t gotten dirty. Rest is pointless if you’re not tired. A meal is indifferent to one who’s not hungry." Instead of running away from my boredom via diversions, what would happen if I were to just sit still and experience it, really look inside what is going on underneath? I could take the time to peer inside each of my four rooms: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. The river in the Four of Cups looks polluted; perhaps instead of adding to my life, I'll find I need to be cleaning it up.

15 comments:

  1. I'd nod off every time I expect :) except for middle of the night when nodding off is apparently vorboten

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    1. Aging women and insomnia go together like peas and carrots. :D

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  2. Sitting quietly, doing nothing is one of the most exciting and sometimes scary things to do. I let my self be pulled away from this quiet place by many distractions. But luckily knitting socks can bring me there too

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    1. I tried to learn how to knit; all I managed was a blanket big enough for a cricket, lol!

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    2. Maybe you could knit lots a little blankies :D

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    3. Just that one took me hours (of frustration)! Heehee

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    4. Don't give up on the knitting Bev. First doilie I made honestly took me a whole year to finish. I was almost doilie doolally! Then I made about ten in the Winter. Thought I'd turned into my granny!

      The last couple of days I've gotten back into making baskets. It's the Winter coming I think that makes brings this on.

      I love this Granny deck!

      I don't get board unless I am in a group were the speaker is really bad at presenting. Then it's time to vote with my feet.

      I really like this post Bev. Gratitude squelches indifference I think. When people whine about being bored they aren't very grateful I suspect.

      Gratitude sure

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    5. I think I'm much more suited to crocheting. :) Basket-weaving is such an awesome craft!
      I agree gratitude can squash indifference, but with burn-out it's a bit trickier.

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    6. I've found basket making so satisfying.

      Burnout reminds me of that book To Good For Her Own Good. You ever hear of it Bev?

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    7. I've not heard of it before, but I just looked it up. I think some men need one too!

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    8. Totally Agreed! Men could benefit greatly from reading so called "women's books". And visa versa, though I none come to mind at present! ;)

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  3. I find this a very enlightening reading of these two cards. Haven't seen the Granny Jones deck before either; thanks for introducing it.

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  4. I'd never read the context of that "quiet desperation" quote before. Yes, you need something to inspire you, either the need to survive, or some more spiritual drive if the basics are covered. And that brings us back to sitting with the boredom, looking underneath it: what would really fire you up?

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    1. Thoreau's quote is from Walden: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation." His cure is to go to the woods. :)
      It does seem counter-intuitive to just sit and look within, but if you don't, it's kind of like just putting gas and oil in your car when there's a knocking sound - we usually just do things to distract ourselves.

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