Chasing Pleasure

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Masters, created and self-published by James Ricklef. (I'll also be referring to Ricklef's Tarot Affirmations book.) The oracle deck I'll be using is The Key to the Kingdom, a set of transformational cards and companion book created by Tony Meeuwissen and published by Running Press. Today's draws are the Lovers and the Six of Spades:

 But until a person can say deeply and honestly, "I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday," that person cannot say, "I choose otherwise."

― Stephen R. Covey

          The Lovers shows a young man making a choice between a sultry, fun-loving woman and another who appears overly modest and more serious. If he lets his decision be made by his hormones, it's a no-brainer. The verse for the Six of Spades is by John Gay and inscribed on his monument in Westminster Abbey:

Life is a jest,

And all things show it;

I thought so once,

But now I know it.

Gay obviously realized that the moment we are born, we begin to die. The evidence is all around, but if our attention is absorbed by self-pleasure, we likely won't notice. That's not to say we shouldn't enjoy the bit of life we've been allotted, but perhaps we should consider the intentions behind our day-to-day choices if we'd rather have contentment and joy rather than simply chasing pleasure.