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

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Box Full of Darkness

From the Spirit Within Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Answer Deck, Wisdom:
Wisdom has to do with seeing clearly, seeing things as they are, that is, coming to terms with the way things are. —Larry Rosenberg

          There's no way around experiencing some deeply felt hurts of the heart for humans. The event itself can be crushing, but then we relive it over and over in the mind, adding immense suffering to that strange mix of anger and grief. Yet the Wisdom card suggests a way to deal with our hurt, beginning with acceptance rather than suppression or revenge. We are relational beings, and so we must find a healthy way to relate to this reality we don't want. We can't change other people, but we can look at our own choices and see if we can make better ones. Surely the rest of our life doesn't need to revolve around this sorrow and resentment. We can make better use of our minds by acknowledging the pain but realizing it is actually a small part of the whole of our life, even though it may feel huge at the moment. 

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift. – Pema Chödrön

2 comments:

  1. It is the constant replaying of those critical moments that is defeating, which then we play that defeat as well.

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    1. We'd do well to take Kristin Neff's suggestion for self-compassion:
      This is a moment of suffering.
      Suffering is a part of life for everyone.
      May I be kind and tender toward myself.

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