Development and Refinement

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, the Page of Pentacles; from the Mah Jongg Oracle, the Orchid:

          This Page gazes down at a seed within the soil; his hair resembles the canopy of a tree. The booklet offers the instruction to "regard life as a perfect seed, placed in good soil and given the nourishment to grow." If he is to grow in knowledge and skill, he will not only need to put for the effort, but place himself in an environment which will encourage his growth. I've had times in my life where the atmosphere wasn't very conducive to my development, yet there were small pockets of people with whom I could connect and receive "nourishment" from in the form of support. They were the fertilizer for my depleted soil.
          I've tried unsuccessfully to grow orchids before; their needs were just too specialized for the time I had to give them. It's no wonder that the meaning assigned to the Orchid is refinement and a continual striving for higher standards. I've been in that place of having developed a few skills while feeling like I was more experienced and knowledgeable than I actually was. My ego stokes this kind of thinking, and it can quickly lead to complacency. I once read a quote by Steve Jobs that said getting fired by Apple was one of the best things that could have happened, because it allowed him to be a creative beginner again. As Shunryu Suzuki explains, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."