I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Duty of Love

From the Deirdre of Sorrows Tarot, the Hierophant; from the Victorian Flower Oracle, 'Lily:'
          Notice anything different about this Hierophant? He offers a blessing without anyone kneeling at his feet. Together with Lily (pure motives), I am reminded of Father Joe, a priest who shepherded an Episcopal church made up of a formerly all-white congregation and an all-black congregation after a flood destroyed one of their buildings. In second grade my daughter decided we needed to go to church, and after hearing good things about this one, I hesitantly decided to try it out. When I met Father Joe, I gave him a long list of things I didn't believe in and another list of things I highly doubted. He just smiled and said, "Come anyway." He knew that I needed a spiritual group to belong to more than I needed dogma to believe in. His church reminded me of AA whose preamble reads: "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking." I wonder what the world would look like if all the churches were concerned with alleviating the suffering of the world rather than saving souls. Father Joe has been retired for several years now (and I haven't been to church in two decades), but I still consider him a dear friend and spiritual advisor.

The first duty of love is to listen.
~ Paul Tillich
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4 comments:

  1. Sharyn Mallow WoerzAugust 3, 2019 at 9:37 AM

    a need to belong is the biggest draw religions have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thesycamoretreeAugust 3, 2019 at 12:02 PM

      Which also explains the draw of many other secular groups.

      Delete
  2. Carolyn TindorAugust 3, 2019 at 11:19 AM

    And sometimes a teacher comes along at just the right time, regardless of how they are dressed.

    ReplyDelete

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