Five Remembrances

From the Ellis Deck, the Tower; from the Brownies Oracle, 'Cycles:'

          Ellis suggests that the Tower was built to ward off the natural flow of things, but nothing manmade will ever accomplish that goal. It reminded me of Buddha's 'Five Remembrances:'

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way I can escape growing old.
2. I am of the nature to get sick. There is no way I can escape getting sick.
3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way I can escape death.
4. Everything and everyone I love will change. There is no way I can escape being separated from them.
5. My deeds are my only true belongings. They are the ground on which I stand.

Yet Buddha wasn't advocating a nihilistic approach to life, but a tender, appreciative one. His goal was to avoid suffering by seeing reality for what it is rather than clinging tightly to what we want it to be. The Cycles card message is that life is always moving and changing; good or bad, this too will pass. Or as Buddha would call it, impermanence.