Truth and Dare

This week I'll be using the Dark Goddess Tarot, a deck created by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince and published by Arnell's Art. Along with it, I'll be using a digital set of Tattwas Cards. Today's draws are Death and "Ether - Seed of Water:"

          La Santa Muerte, the Saint of Death appears in her red form. She has three faces: La Blanca, the protective one; La Roja, the passionate one; and La Negra, the dark, mysterious one. Like the lyrics of the religious song, she too has the whole world in her hands. This goddess represents the truth of impermanence, the natural cycle of beginnings and endings. Wayne Muller writes: "Will we interpret this loss as so unjust, unfair, and devastating that we feel punished, angry, forever and fatally wounded - or, as our heart, torn apart, bleeds its anguish of sheer, wordless grief, will we somehow feel this loss as an opportunity to become more tender, more open, more passionately alive, more grateful for what remains?"
          The keyword associated with Ether - Seed of Water is "daring." There is great potential here for freedom, if I am willing to venture outside my comfort zone in spite of my fears. Yet loss can make me want to do just the opposite; a cocoon to crawl inside and hide is normally what I seek. I feel too raw and exposed to face anything, as if I have no protective skin. I think even La Santa Muerte would give me a brief respite to grieve and work on acceptance. But life will be moving on whether I do or not. I'll never discover a new shore if I'm not willing to step on the boat.