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

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Inflated Loss

From the Tabula Mundi Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Universe Cards, the Red Giant:
          When an Egyptian died, the major organs were placed in canopic jars before mummification - except for the heart. The heart was thought to be the seat of the soul and was left in the body (it would be needed in the afterlife). So it is curious that Meleen explains the cracked vessel over the fire is a heart jar. Yet great loss and the grief or anger that follows can make us think we have lost our spirit; we may feel what gave us life (literally and symbolically) is gone. A Red Giant is a dying star whose fusion ceases and causes it to swell, which is why this card was given the keyword 'inflation.' Grief is a tricky waterway to navigate. On one hand, we need to talk about the loss and how we feel rather than suppress our emotions. But we humans can get tangled in our net of feelings and mentally exaggerate how awful, significant, or unforgivable the incident was. We may lose sight of the natural cycle of impermanence and believe life is treating us unfairly. We fan the flames of outrage which does nothing but cook our hearts. Yes, we need to honor our wounds, but we also need to look around us for what is good that is still there to enjoy.

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8 comments:

  1. EllenMay 25, 2017 at 7:43 AM

    So true my friend. Grief comes and goes but when we get attached to it, it will become a black hole which swallows about everything; both light and dark

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    1. thesycamoretreeMay 25, 2017 at 8:21 AM

      A black hole is a good description of the unhealthy form of grief. It does swallow everything.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 25, 2017 at 9:03 AM

    "We fan the flames of outrage which does nothing but cook our hearts."

    Oh, I liked this thought.

    The exaggeration of emotion...almost like we relish it, wallow in it, very much like trotting out The Story about who you are or what you do. Like we are in a play and reciting dialogue. Very easy to get trapped in that.

    There is a way to respect grief and let it come and go without letting it become the main story you trot out with fervour.

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    1. thesycamoretreeMay 25, 2017 at 9:21 AM

      I've been caught in that sticky web where it's easy to feel airing that emotion is a right. In a sense it is, but not to the point where I become so self-centered that I forget it is likely thousands of others are currently going through the same feelings as I am.

      Delete
  3. Sharyn Mallow WoerzMay 25, 2017 at 9:37 AM

    as it isin all things, only the rich were mummified. everyone else was shrouded if they could afford it and stuck in the sand. I'm guess they were better mummified by that natural process than those who paid for the service. It took 70 days :)

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    1. thesycamoretreeMay 25, 2017 at 10:35 AM

      I think I'd prefer the sand and shroud to the organ removal. :)

      Delete
  4. TriviumMay 27, 2017 at 3:49 AM

    'Outrage does nothing but cook the heart' True...and you are right there is plenty of goodness and beauty in the world.

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    1. thesycamoretreeMay 27, 2017 at 5:23 AM

      It is something I must train myself to do (looking for goodness and beauty), for me it does not come naturally when I am hurt and angry.

      Delete

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