Cutting Strings

This week I'll be using Songs for the Journey Home, a deck and book set created and self-published by Catherine Cook and Dwariko von Sommaruga. I'll also be using the Raven Cards, an oracle created by Gabi Bucker and published by AG Muller. Today's draws are the Seven of Flames (Wands) and 'Wellspring:'

Right this very instant, when you’re

Under the spell of mistaken perception

You’ve got to watch out.

~Patrul Rinpoche

          This fellow cuts the strings that have pulled his mind and emotions to and fro. While it would be easy to assume other people and circumstances are the causes of our defensive posture, often it is simply the committee in our head. We've all been shaped and conditioned through our experiences, resulting in a mental steering committee that is constantly telling us what is good or bad and what we should or should not be doing. But is this a skewed perception of reality? The Wellspring card suggests there is a place in our mind that doesn't cling to preferences and prejudices but opens to possibilities instead. We find this spaciousness when we relax and let things be, allowing our mind to observe instead of judge. This unconditioned mind enjoys equanimity, without any strings to jerk it around.