Saturday, September 17, 2016
Progress and Simple Comforts
From the Via Tarot, the Chariot; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Cinnamon:
This charioteer has three tigers by the tail, which Bonner explains forms the Hebrew letter Shin. Shin can mean both 'teeth' and 'sharp,' which fits well with the tigers' claws/teeth and the eagle's talons/beak. To make headway and ultimately achieve one's goal , it is often necessary to dig in to gain traction. The form of Shin (according to inner.org) represents the flame of a coal: the simmering outer flame, the hot inner flame, and the brightly burning flame that appears when the coal is blown upon. There are times when the steadiness of the simmering coal is needed, and times when a more fiery flame is called for. The Pharmacy Deck adds Cinnamon to the Chariot, a fragrant spice from the inner bark of trees. If there was only one type of spice that I could keep in my kitchen cabinet, this would be it. Whether something is baking with cinnamon or the smell rises from a hot cider, it always seems comforting to me. And when you spend all day trying to manage your tigers, those simple comforts can make a difference in your progress.
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Shin also reminds me of the way cinnamon is prepared for shipment, where the bark strips are bundled together by the strips being folded into each other to make one big tube, like an inner and outer flame.
ReplyDeleteI saw a thing on TV--think it was the BBC series with Kate Humble called The Spice Trail, where she showed them preparing the bark by hand--quite a tedious process that can't be done by machine. The problem is that younger people don't want to do it.
I also think that some trees are on the endangered list, whether from being cut down or from disease. Can you imagine a world without cinnamon? It immediately makes you think of Mom and baking and home and comfort.
I used it quite a bit this summer in rhubarb crumbles. Apples with cinnamon--what happens if we can't have that anymore? Such things we take for granted, right?
Yes, I can see three tubes of cinnamon sticks as Shin. :) I think there are two main types: Ceylon and Cassia, one being more expensive than the other (and from two different trees). I wouldn't want to imagine a world without the smells of cinnamon!
DeleteCinnamon and spice and those things nice. Cinnamon can calm us after a long and difficult 'chariot ride' kind of day.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't even have to be something I eat, it's just the smell - like bread baking - that seems to have a calming effect.
DeleteWhen I haven't time to bake I burn a candleberry candle - they are pricey but the fragrance fills the whole house. No other candle comes close. I think they do a cinnamon fried buns scent.
DeleteThe honey buttered rolls candle is divine and it has notes of cinnamon :)
DeleteThose candles do sound divine! I'll have to be on the lookout for them here (or look on Amazon). :)
DeleteThey are US based and not as expensive on your side of the pond. https://candleberry.com/
DeleteEven better - thank you!
DeleteI'd choose pepper
ReplyDeleteCayenne or black?
Delete