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, May 3, 2018

Still Standing

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Nine of Wands; from the Rumi Cards, 'Fear:'
You know I'm still standing, better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid.
I'm still standing after all this time,
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.
~ Elton John

          People who've survived hellish childhoods or traumas, those who've been deployed to fight overseas, women who've been battered and abused, those who deal with chronic mental or physical illness, and folks who struggle in poverty are symbolized by this card, particularly if they've managed to survive with a little hope and determination still in them. Yet living in survival mode can create behavior patterns that are hard to shake, even when a person finds a more stable life. Rumi suggests that if love is to thrive, we must cut off the head of fear. Rather than being triggered by past memories and repeating old behavior, we must learn a new way to live that keeps our heart and mind open. Emotional memories can inform and guide us, but only if there is concrete evidence in the present.

4 comments:

  1. Interesting color in the Albano. Orange and Lime are my two favorite colors, this decade anyway

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    1. It definitely has a late 60s - early 70s vibe. :)

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  2. Rumi's advice is too pat. No one can know what trauma can do to another and everyone responds differently to different scenarios. Trauma changes us and will always be part and parcel of the identity that emerges from said traumas.

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    1. You are right that there is no one answer. I think Rumi's encouragement was to not let the past darken the present as much as is possible.

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