Clogged or Free Flowing

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, the Five of Swords; from the Mah Jongg Oracle, Bamboo:

          The screeching, diving birds in this card resemble what is happening now in my area. Even though the night temperatures are freezing, the feathered ones have chosen mates and are beginning to build nests. As a result, they've become very territorial about the sites they've selected. I can be the same way about my opinions and beliefs, wanting to preserve them as if my survival depended on them. I'm convinced we all have our personal dogmas that we guard and defend, even sometimes at the expense of our relationship with others. The booklet uses the phrase "benefiting from others' depleted energy," which implies taking advantage of another person's weakness. That makes me feel so icky, I want to go take a shower.
          Bamboo stems have been used for paint brushes and writing pens, which is why the plant is associated with communication, learning and knowledge. But thinking that I've learned and know it all is precisely what can cause a Five of Swords confrontation. Yet a cross section of the bamboo stem is usually hollow, suggesting a free flowing of ideas. Now my self-absorbed ego would likely agree with Terry Pratchett: "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it." However, that open mind will also allow me to see from new perspectives that can open up a wide, new range of possibilities.