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, October 5, 2016

Forgive and Forget?

From the Druidcraft Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Druid Plant Oracle, Agrimony:
          Have you ever intentionally forgotten a deep wound someone caused (as in 'forgive and forget')? Not me. I have however remembered it less and less as time goes by. Those kind of sorrows leave a scar, whether we're aware of it or not. The authors suggest heartache is considered part of the Druidic triad of learning: seeing much, studying much and suffering much. If I can move beyond self-pity, my pain can teach me about compassion. Agrimony was considered a 'dispeller of sorrow' by the Druids. It was supposed to liberate a person from depression and lethargy. I've learned that the greatest tool to dispel my anguish is my mind. Normally I replay the event, rehearse what I would have liked to have done differently, and talk endlessly to others about the incident. I'm not referring to the natural process of grief, but to being caught in an endless loop of it. This continuous circuit serves to blow on the embers of my pain, fanning them into a flame rather than letting them cool. Distracting myself with a new interest and deliberately turning my mind from the incident allows the embers to eventually grow cold. Changing my mind's course helps me move on with my life, while discernment can keep me from being susceptible to the same suffering again.

8 comments:

  1. I too have been caught in the loop of replay. Over and over again my mind rehashes a past grievance. I am now working with a new paradigm, go back to the event and change the way the scenario played out. Putting a different spin on the memory of the event and releasing the pain.

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  2. Love the song "Let it be"!! It is hard for me not to get caught in these loops either. doing things like gardening, knitting, cleaning, etc helps a lot. It keeps the mind from downward spiraling.

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    1. That's it - put some reins on it instead of letting it just run amok.:)

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  3. I know that loop well. There is a quote it is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die. Like Ellen I find busyness especially working with the hands a way out. i also remember my schoolteacher saying I will forgive but I won't forget. I flip that sometimes (some things like deliberate cruelty are unforgivable) I can't forgive but for my own sake I will have to forget.

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    1. There are some things I don't want to repeat, so I think there are some people and situations I should remember and avoid if at all possible. The "forgive" part in that case just means I don't hate them or want to seek revenge. But I don't have invite them home for supper either! :)

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  4. I've forgotten the one that was killing me. Know who, but no longer what and refuse to try to remember. Life...what can you do!

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    1. Sounds like a good way to stay serene. Life's too short to waste it hating someone.

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