Lead Soles

From the New Era Elements Tarot, the Six of Fire (Wands); from the Tao Oracle, 'Biting Through:'

          Another runner shows up today, this one winning a marathon. I can't imagine the daily challenges of training this young woman endured to make her body capable of such a long run. But that's the point of the Six of Fire; it isn't one mountain we have to climb over, but a mountain range. The trick in being persistent is to do it one day at a time, focusing only on the hill that's right in front of us. The Biting Through card (hexagram 21) deals with both obstacles and discernment. It is tempting to blame other people or life in general for any difficult situations we must deal with on our daily climb. But the Tao assures us that the root of suffering grows directly from the bottom of our own feet. To bite through the root, we must realize how our thinking is sabotaging our efforts. As the Buddha explains, "Attachment is the root of suffering." We need to figure out what expectations and assumptions have poured lead in our running shoes.