Inner Workings

From the Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, the Eight of Water (Cups); from the Insectorum Divinorum, the Stag Beetle:

          Da Vinci's sketch shows a combustion engine, the beginning idea that would much later transform into the idea for motor-powered vehicles. The combination of fuel and oxygen that results in combustion is a nice analogy for relationships; sometimes the energy of combustion forms deep relationships and other times it simply burns them up. With the Eight of Cups, it is time to move on. The dimmi asks how things can be improved in order to move ahead, otherwise, the same mistakes will just get us to the same place. The Stag Beetle, named for its oversized pinchers that look like antlers, needed a wide head to offset them. Large muscles and a lever (like the handles of pliers) connected to the jaw allow them to become a forceful weapon when grappling with other beetles. To understand why this adaption is needed to create force, try pressing your palms together with your arms extended and then with your hands close to your chest. The adaption message combines with the dimmi to suggest that the changes needed must come from within rather than externally. Otherwise, we just keep building an engine that doesn't work well.