The Real Riddle

From the Jolanda Tarot, the Seven of Cups; from the Bird Signs deck, 'Nuthatch:'

          In Greece, the Sphinx (literally meaning 'to squeeze') was part woman and part lion with the wings of a bird. It was said to have guarded the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes; travelers who wanted to pass through its gates had to answer a riddle correctly. In the Seven of Cups, the riddle isn't so much in what cup to choose, but how to bring about the emotional change represented by the chosen cup. If I want to feel good about my body, I might buy exercise clothes, equipment and healthy cookbooks. That's the fun part, right? But I haven't answered the riddle until I actually realize I must do something with those things to find that fulfillment. I've heard the nuthatch called 'the upside-down bird' because it often descends head-first and hangs upside-down beneath branches as it looks for food. It reminds me to be flexible in how I think and what I am willing to do. Unhealthy habits or patterns don't get interrupted without a willingness to change.

Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character.

Sow a character and you reap a destiny. ~ James Allen