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

Sunday, September 3, 2017

It Isn't "Them"

This week I'll be using the Buckland Romani Tarot, created by Lissanne Lake and Raymond Buckland; this book and deck set was published by Galde Press. Along with it, I'll be using the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, created by Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer and Helene Sarkis; this deck and book set was published by Inner Traditions. Today's draws are Strength and Hanwi (Moon):
Facing the monster. And recognizing it. Knowing that it was not a vile few.
It wasn't "them." It was us. ~ Louise Penny, Glass Houses

          Rage, greed, jealousy, grief, fear - the beast within wears many faces. It's easy for me to see this face on others, to point it out with self-righteous satisfaction and pretend it doesn't live within me. But it does (and it has large teeth and massive claws). If I pretend long enough that it isn't there, it's easy for it to escape and do irreparable harm. Everyone has a tipping point, when the iron door to the beast's cage opens. I may try to deny that these instincts are alive and well in me, but what happens when I reach that point? I have no way to calm the beast and no way to close the door. Hanwi, or "night sun," represents cycles. The companion book states that "We cannot sustain one mood, one way of perceiving, one action only, throughout our lives or even throughout our day." For better of for worse, humans are emotional beings. I must befriend the beast inside me, and learn how to ground and center myself when it roars and wants unlimited independence.


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8 comments:

  1. EllenSeptember 3, 2017 at 8:01 AM

    Befriend the beast within and you'd be amazed what she can do for you. Better to team up with her than to oppress her.

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    1. thesycamoretreeSeptember 3, 2017 at 8:06 AM

      I agree. A calm beast can motivate me to do beneficial things rather than simply react. :)

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  2. Sharyn Mallow WoerzSeptember 3, 2017 at 11:01 AM

    We are emotional? Are you sure? :)
    the only upside to having a hair trigger temper is now it iscombined with no memory, and it doesn't last long anymore

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    1. thesycamoretreeSeptember 3, 2017 at 11:23 AM

      I am glad I didn't own a gun when I was a rage-aholic. Still don't, but for different reasons now.

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  3. Carolyn TindorSeptember 3, 2017 at 11:40 AM

    Your post reminds me when someone irritates us they are possible mirrors of something within ourselves. I sometimes think, "really that is a reflection of me?' Then I have to go eat chocolate to soothe my savage beast and make it shut up.

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    1. thesycamoretreeSeptember 3, 2017 at 12:53 PM

      It can be easy to think the problems are all "out there," and never consider what is lying in wait within.

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  4. Inner WhispersSeptember 5, 2017 at 8:02 AM

    Ha, more than anything, this reminds me that my beast comes out to play more when I'm tired. So, a call to honour the cycles of dark and light, and sleep!

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    1. thesycamoretreeSeptember 5, 2017 at 8:09 AM

      Yes, recognizing it as something we need to do something about can make such a huge difference rather than wasting time blaming external circumstances.

      Delete

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