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

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Cracked Coverings

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Tower; from the Soul Cards, Surrender:
Most people in my area have had a tree struck by lightning on their property at one time or another. None of the trees that took a direct strike survived the massive jolt of electrical current. In the same way, the Tower reflects a moment when one of the ego's mental constructs comes crashing down. The 'protective' delusion it created might have lulled us into feeling safe and secure, but it actually served to keep us separated from reality. When the shock and numbness wear off, we may feel grief, anger or fear. We demand our old life back, now. We may blame, manipulate and try to control the situation, but this tends to have the same effect as banging our head on a tree trunk. Imagine a person prostrating themselves in the leafy litter under that struck tree, with forehead and palms pressed to the ground. If one took a picture from beneath the earth, this Soul Card image is what it might look like. While a prostration might show reverence or respect, it is also the physical embodiment of surrendering the ego. It is a way to acknowledge that like it or not, we all live according to the natural laws of life. Yet as the quote Burrington includes for the Tower card suggests, surrender can also bring a certain kind of freedom and growth:
For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely
undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes.
To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete
destruction. ~ Cynthia Occelli 

6 comments:

  1. Such a timely post for me. Surrender is the way out of anxiety and fear. Thank you so much

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seeing reality with clarity isn't always pleasant, but the alternative is a sure way to add to our suffering.

      Delete
  2. Standing a part we can see such things with clarity. In the moment or stuck in the grief all we can do is keep beating our head on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've had a brush with a control freak, I'd cut my head off before I would ever allow it again. nice decks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makes you learn how to walk backward at a fast pace. :)

      Delete