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

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Beatings and Lullabies

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the Six of Pentacles; from the Arthur Rackham Oracle, 'Ending:'
          A man plays an instrument in gratitude and joy for the life he has; that gratitude, in turn, is showered upon the little plants of the forest. Generosity appears not only in the form of money but also in time and energy. Philanthropists who help the human race are usually well-known, but there are many others who work to save the land and oceans as well as animals and plant life. What we pay attention to, we come to appreciate. What we appreciate, we come to love and care for. The Rackham illustration comes from Peer Gynt, a play about a self-centered Norwegian farm boy. He leaves his widowed mother and takes off to have many adventures only to arrive back home and find his mother dying. At her death, he closes her eyes and says, "Ay, ay, now the journey's done ... For all my days I thank you, for your beatings and your lullabies." At her passing, he recognizes both the good and bad times of their life together. No one is without their faults, though we might use what they have as an excuse not to offer aid. Yet which sentiment would we rather have on our gravestone: 'She lived as a spendthrift and died with lots of money' or 'She lived in kindness and loved wastefully?'

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7 comments:

  1. EllenApril 25, 2018 at 2:33 PM

    I suppose the last one but dang, it ain't easy. Its hard not to let my judgement of people influence my willingness to help somebody.

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    1. thesycamoretreeApril 25, 2018 at 5:53 PM

      I agree - it's not easy! I'm ashamed of how often I've refused to offer help to someone because I think they are unworthy. But usually what I'm looking at is only one small slice of their life instead of the whole.

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  2. Carolyn TindorApril 25, 2018 at 9:09 PM

    I don't think I would want either on my gravestone, but then again I am going to be a big pile of ashes cast to the wind.

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  3. UnknownApril 26, 2018 at 8:19 AM

    I love your interpretation of these beautiful cards Bev. Resentment as it's said in the rooms of recovery is not a luxury I can afford. I know through my own personal experience that it grows into bitter root throughout or relationships and life. As humans we judge, but that's not an excuse, I can always do better if I know better. For me I have to remember when I'm in judgment of another I also will judge myself. Judgement is not about forgiveness or mercy. I hope to treat others as I hope to be treated. No it isn't easy, but it's much easier than hanging on to resentment and all the comes along with it.

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    1. thesycamoretreeApril 26, 2018 at 11:33 AM

      I had a great lesson in judging a few years back. I found out a man who I considered a curmudgeon secretly went around helping people who needed help with heavy yard work and landscaping. Completely changed my attitude about him and made me reconsider those I'd judged previously. :)

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    2. UnknownApril 26, 2018 at 12:30 PM

      Those are best kind of humbling lessons Bev. I've have a number myself!

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