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

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Razed Relations

From the Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, the Deluge (Tower); from the Insectorum Divinorum, the "Cockroach:"
          Matthews uses Da Vinci's study of Noah's flood as a replacement for the usual Tower. I would speculate that a great flood could indeed raze the earth as easily as fire. Matthews connects this card with the "heretical" views of the period; though the Roman Catholic Church tried to implement a counter-reformation at the time, their efforts weren't successful. The genie was out of the bottle, and no way was it going back in without a fight. What it did do was cause increasing damage to its own image; a scouring, radical change happened as people began to question the Church. A big divide appeared as the people began to see it as a human construct, fallible and made in man's image. The dimmi for Deluge asks, "What are you shoring up in this situation that needs to pass?" The Cockroach scuttles over as if on cue, with the key phrase "persistence in the face of disapproval." My unquestioned thoughts, beliefs and opinions can cause me to become arrogant and intolerant (exactly the characteristics I am fond of pointing out in others). They can lead me to "poke the bear" with a sense of smug satisfaction and and self-righteousness. While I might get a retaliatory reaction, I doubt my blather will cause anyone to change their mind. Yet respectful dialogue and discussion offer an alternative, and they aren't as likely to raze the relationship like a heated debate can.




9 comments:

  1. A good friend told me once that mere preaching never truly wins new believers but being a living exhibit of your beliefs might do the trick :)

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    1. Yes, not only those actions but the results of those actions (such as a joyful, contented life)! :)

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  2. Persistence in the face of disapproval. Thanks for the morning laugh, this should be on my grave stone.

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    1. :D I could see how this might be a good thing in some cases, as in "comfort the afficted and afflict the comfortable." :D

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  3. Having spent time with a relative recently who argued about everything, I felt like I was in a deluge I can tell you. I refer to it as her "bulldog grip" but I'm thinking the tenacity of cockroaches might be a better analogy. There is seemingly no way to get rid of them!

    Man Bev, these cards are good together this week. You really hit on a good combo.

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    1. There have been frequent mornings this week when I looked at both cards, reflected, and said to myself, "damn, that's bang on." :D

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  4. I'm a big believer in persistence, but certainly not at the expense of being unkind or disrespectful to another. No one likes lectures or bullies and all the rest in the group whose modes operandi is control and power over others. They really get my hackles standing on end! BACK AWAY NOW FROM THE PORCUPINE! Great card combination and post Bev.

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    1. BACK AWAY NOW FROM THE PORCUPINE! - Thank you for that laugh. :D
      You are so right about persistence being a good thing as long as it is not at the expense of kindness!

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  5. Haaa Haa lol. Don't get me wrong I've seen that viral video with that porky that thinks she's a dog, but by Jesus don't be pettin' her the wrong way!

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