Integration

From the Navigators of the Mystic Sea Tarot, the Lovers; from the Celtic Lenormand, the Rider:

          The Navigators booklet describes this card as being two parts of the same person. As we become adults, we begin to discriminate between us and them, me and you. We adopt labels - wife, mother, Buddhist, Aquarian, Democrat, American - that discriminate between who we think we are and others. But by labeling ourselves, we cut off other avenues and possibilities. We erect barriers that are really only intellectual illusions. Turk proposes that we find the parts of ourselves that we have cast aside and reunite with them to become whole. Today's Rider is a female bard, and she seems to be moving at a slower pace. McCracken suggests she is a reminder to open ourselves to the messages of wisdom and guidance that nature and other people have for us. I tend to do this on my walks. For instance, the other day I noticed several criss-crossing condensation trails left by jets in the sky. It made me think of how words and actions can have lasting effects that might not have been intended (reminding me to think before I act or speak). Today I'll try to keep my mind and senses open and see what nature has to say about becoming a more integrated person.

What is the point of letting go of identity? Freedom from identity is what allows and enables us to be truly human—to be an ongoing response to the challenges, demands, and needs of life. It’s the freedom to be constantly moving in the direction of balance and addressing the tension and struggle in the lives of those around us and in the world at large. ~ Ken McLeod