Burying the Carcass

From the Animal Totem Tarot, the Five of Cups; from the Organic Oracle, Fresh Beginning:

          The Five of Cups is illustrated with the capybara from South America. It can live up to ten years but generally lives four; hunted by humans, it is also the favorite prey of the jaguar, puma, ocelot, caiman, eagle and anaconda. Though capable of running as fast as a horse, they are also at home in the water, able of staying submerged for five minutes. The capybara in the water is swimming away from a home that is no longer safe. Grief will have to be postponed until it is out of danger. The companion book asks, "What ghosts of the past are you letting influence your presence?" Trauma, pain or heartache from the past can resurface when a trigger of that memory occurs. It can generate so much emotional energy, that it seems impossible not to generalize to the present. Yet the Fresh Beginning card appears from the Organic Oracle. Carole used an actual shed snakeskin to make a template for this card, thus its meaning of a new start that doesn't drag the past with it. I've been adept at putting my pain in sealed compartments at times, so I don't have to deal with it. But it often seeps into my conscious mind when similar situations or people remind me of it. Better to do the work necessary to process and heal the suffering than carry around a carcass with me forever.