Replenishment and Equanimity

This week I'll be using the New Era Elements Tarot, created by Eleonore Pieper and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using the Tao Oracle, created by Ma Deva Padma and published by St. Martin's Press. Today's draws are the Ten of Water (Cups) and 'Duration:'

          Pieper uses a clear lake to illustrate the Ten of Water and gives it the keyword 'repletion.' It implies that at some point the water dried up, leaving a dry river bed. But now it is full again; such is the cycle of relationships and our own emotions. Yet instead of worrying about changes to come, now is the time to enjoy the contentment and serenity available. When we're fully hydrated, we'll be in a better frame of mind to deal with the unexpected. The Tao Oracle's card (hexagram 32) shows a mountain weathering the seasons. Padma suggests the stability of the mountain is an analogy for the equanimity of life, found only in the present and through emotional maturity. I've been reading about the concept of emotional differentiation (based on cellular biology) by Dr. Murray Bowen. Psychologically, differentiation results in a solid sense of self. If we fear that we won't be loved or accepted, we develop an idealized-self, based on who we think we should be in order to be loved. As he explains:

 People with a poorly differentiated “self” depend so heavily on the acceptance and approval of others that either they quickly adjust what they think, say, and do to please others or they dogmatically proclaim what others should be like and pressure them to conform. A person with a well-differentiated “self” recognizes his realistic dependence on others, but he can stay calm and clear headed enough in the face of conflict, criticism, and rejection to distinguish thinking rooted in a careful assessment of the facts from thinking clouded by emotionality.

Refilling my cup and maintaining emotional balance is my work, independent of the actions of someone else.