Zayin artwork by Jean-Jacques Levy
Temperance focuses on mixing two opposites to create a transformation, not to get rid of one or the other, but to find a middle path between extremes. A radiant crown shines above a pathway between two mountains, suggesting the way to mix the elements that will result in strength rather than choosing a drastic or desperate path. This reciprocal modification of thought or behavior is a win-win arrangement. Zayin is the shape of a sword and is connected to the number seven. While the root of this Hebrew weapon means 'sharp weapon,' the same root is connected to the words for food and sustenance. Though its shape may symbolize power and authority, its numerical association is connected to the Sabbath, a day of rest. It is a reminder to pause and examine what is greater than our egos. In a world of duality, it may seem safer to choose one side of the other, to join one group while disavowing the rest. But both these cards suggest that a saner way needs to be seriously considered.
The middle way is a view of life that avoids the extreme of misguided grasping born of believing there is something we can find, or buy, or cling to that will not change. And it avoids the despair and nihilism born from the mistaken belief that nothing matters, that all is meaningless.
~Sharon Salzberg
day of rest. while women work twice as hard the day preceding in order to make it happen.
ReplyDeleteNot in this house,😁
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