Moving in Cycles

From the Buckland Romani Tarot, the Six of Koshes (Wands); from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, "Hanwi:"

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

    a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:4

          One Rom stands in a wagon; both he and his horse have wreaths around their necks. Buckland explains that he has just won a race; his buddies wave their whips in the air in acknowledgement and celebration. The horse is honored as much as the man, being an integral part of their lives. And though this is a time of excitement and happiness, the Moon (Hanwi) shows up as a reminder that it will eventually pass as more pressing matters come to the forefront. Yet there's no need to go into a tizzy because the good times have been replaced by something less pleasant. Beginnings and endings are the natural ebb and flow of life. My job (from a spiritual practice point of view) is to pay attention and be present for all of it rather than spend my time wishing for an alternative. As Pema Chodron states, "we can have a joyful relationship with our lives, an honest, direct relationship, that no longer ignores the reality of impermanence and death."