Fall-Out

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Two of Swords; from the I Ching Pack, 'Thunder over Lake:'

Two heads are not better than one if they each want to go in a different direction.

~ James Ricklef

          I am often of two minds - one of logic and one of emotion. I wrestle with what I should do and what I want to do, with the rational choice and the nicer choice. It's helpful when there's a middle alternative, but sometimes it's just an either/or decision. Thunder over Lake shows a woman planning a marriage that is doomed to fail. The wisdom this hexagram represents is in thinking things through rather than just jumping into what looks good (or what is expected) at the moment. Like the Two of Swords woman, she needs to be still and check her motives. Why is she about to make this choice? Even when outward appearances suggest I am being kind, I may make unwise decisions simply to hide or distract myself from a problem. I just don't want to deal with the dilemma right now. But such a fix is short-lived; the dam will eventually break, and I'll have to deal with a flood of issues even worse than the original problem. I'd do better to pause and consider the long view - what the outcome will likely be not just in the next few minutes but in the days and months to come.