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, October 19, 2017

Sun-Scalding

From the Tarot de St. Croix, the Ace of Pentacles; from the Archetype Cards, the 'Addict:'


          A sunflower that grows to maturity can produce up to 2000 seeds; that's a huge heaping of potential in one flower head. But those seeds must be harvested when the head dries, then planted and nurtured the next season to grow more. It requires management and consistent action so those seeds won't simply  decay on the head or be eaten by birds and other animals. My health, finances, energy and time must be managed the same way, or I will one day find these physical gifts have been wasted. One interesting fact about the sunflower is that before the buds open, they follow the sun. But once they bloom, the flower's tracking behavior stops and the flowers face east. The change is likely a defensive response; facing south or west could result in sun-scalding during very hot days. This the opposite of the Addict, whose motto is always 'More.' Everyone has addictive behaviors, though they might not have chemical dependencies. Do you find it necessary to check your phone every time it buzzes with a text or email? Can you place one item in your Amazon shopping cart and buy it without filling it up with other things (telling yourself it makes sense to get free shipping)? If I don't want to fritter the potential of my life away, I must recognize and change such behavior patterns.
Addiction is the only disease that will try to convince you that you don't have it. 
~ 12 Step Groups

8 comments:

  1. I use my amazon cart as a tool of sanity. Mostly books and movies, but I let 'em set there and set there. Eventually I mostly delete eventually. But I did buy a packet of $2.00 Magic fist once to make the free shipping.

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    1. :D I do something similar. I wait 2 weeks after putting stuff in the cart. Then if I'm still interested, I move them to 'save for later' and give it 2 more weeks. By then I've lost interest in most all of it.

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  2. M. has harvested our sunflowers seeds this afternoon. We always love to have some of these flowers in our garden each year.
    Addictive behavior: A lot of it is rooted in procrastination or running away from myself

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    1. I love them, but our ground is too hard to grow any. Most addictive behavior is a way to substitute a temporary pleasure rather than deal with reality.

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  3. Window shopping. If you are going to buy it buy it. Time may be short, Ace of Pentacles gives us the opportunity, seize it.

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    1. Nothing wrong with buying unless there decay and rot beneath the motive.

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  4. I love how you intertwine natural history with tarot and divination. Sunflowers are so ubiquitous, I thought I knew them, but I didn't.
    And yes, addiction definitely dilutes potential, far too often *sigh*

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    1. Unfortunately I get to see a close-up of the effects of addiction on potential nearly every day.

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