Counter with Integrity

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Queen of Wands; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Ophelia:

          Kat Black describes this Queen as confident and passionate, a woman who has the ability to draw others in (like a moth to a flame). Watching the U.S. this past election year, I've seen people lose their common sense and their common decency. It would serve us well to reflect on our strong attraction to certain people and what that magnetic pull says about our character. As Matthew Gindin stated, "There is an essential connection between truthfulness and personal integrity. If one goes, so will the other." Ophelia is depicted right before she drowns (either by a broken willow branch or by her own choice). Scholar Tina Packer argued that this dutiful daughter was trapped in a world of noblemen, and the only way she could escape was to lose her mind (and eventually her life). Yet we all have a choice, even when those around us try to tell us otherwise. 

Complacency is countered by integrity, which is an unswerving love of the truth and a willingness to live it. —Jack Kornfield

Uncalculated Risks

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Fool; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Juliet:

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

          This Fool has paused from playing his flute and appears to be listening. Is he listening to something outside of himself or the music in his own head? Hopefully before he walks off that cliff he's done both. It never hurts to hear from those who have some life lived behind them. Yet the young can lack discernment and prudence, such as Waterhouse's Juliet shows. But did she believe she had no other choice but to take such great a risk? When she refused to marry the man her father chose for her, Lord Capulet threatened to let her become a street urchin, says he will allow her to rot in prison, and states that he and his wife had one too many children. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote, "Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to preserve it. Has it ever been said that a man who throws himself out the window to escape from a fire is guilty of suicide?" People who have their backs shoved to the wall often take uncalculated risks.

Self-Awareness

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Lovers; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Consulting the Oracle:

Divination is a means of telling ourselves what we already know.

― Joanne Harris

          In Black's version of the Lovers, Eve holds a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Once they both ate the fruit, they became self-aware. No longer did they move about simply as instinctual animals, now they saw themselves clearly, able to discern how their thoughts and motives led to action and habits. Yet as Tchiki Davis explains, most of us run on autopilot: "Our minds are so busy with daily chatter that we usually only self-reflect when something goes awfully wrong." Waterhouse's painting shows a group of women raptly listening to an oracle. There's nothing wrong with using divination (or a therapist) to help with self-reflection and awareness, but neither can tell us something our gut doesn't already know.

Something Fishy

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Boreas:

O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

~Sir Walter Scott

          This shifty-eyed fellow looks like he's up to something risky and deceptive. And while he might get away with some dishonesty, he's going to eventually get tangled up in his own web. People will start noticing his smarmy smiles, his unending excuses, and the detailed stories he tells that feel like something the Grimm brothers would write. Talented liars can get away with a lot for a long time, but not forever. Waterhouse's Boreas is named for the Greek god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter. This rosy-cheeked lass wraps her shawl around herself in defense. There are some people who may not see through a liar's sugar-spun words, but they feel something 'off' about them and recoil. Certain types of behavior create a stink around the perpetrator that has nothing to do with the sense of smell.

Out of Dark Spaces

From the Touchstone Tarot, the King of Wands; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, In the Peristyle:

          Black describes this King as a man who has self-confidence founded upon realistic skills and knowledge. He doesn't need any displays of superiority to make others look bad and himself look good. He never stays up late at night sending snarky tweets to those who he thinks don't hold him in high enough regard. He's a real leader who prefers to gets things done rather than waste time pontificating about all he has done or will do. The young lass feeding birds in the peristyle (a porch that surrounds a courtyard) is likely enjoying the fresh air and sunlight on her face after spending so much time doing chores indoors. She would likely agree with Jason Ward: “Birds have always had the ability to bring me out of a dark space and provide relief in bad times.” Nature would likely provide restoration and inspiration for a King with too much to do as well.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~Rachel Carson

Progress Prep

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Chariot; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Ulysses and the Sirens:

            This warrior woman has a shield, spear and helmet, but that off-the-shoulder look seems a little dicey to wear in a battle. Haste, whether motivated by fear, anger or excitement, can lead to belatedly finding out our preparations weren't very well thought out. Like the woman stopped by a policeman for speeding and asked where she was going in such a hurry, our only reply might be the one she made: "I don't know, but I'm making damn good time." This portion of Waterhouse's painting shows a Siren, a dangerous creature who lured sailors with beautiful songs and caused ships to wreck on their rocky island. Preparation is only half the battle when we're trying to make forward progress. The other half involves not getting led off course by distractions designed to catch our eye. 

Even snails make progress. Just be sure your progress is in the direction you want to go.

― Richelle E. Goodrich

High Adrenaline

This week I'll be using the Touchstone Tarot, created and self-published by Kat Black. Along with it I'll be using the John Waterhouse Oracle, created and self-published by Elaine Wilkinson (aka Seven Stars). Today's draws are the Knight of Wands and Hylas and the Nymphs:

High risk is high adrenaline. ~Jason Statham

          Black uses a painting of poet and playwright Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe to illustrate her Knight of Wands. Marlowe's life was as extreme and daring as some of the dramas he wrote; his mysterious death was said to be an assassination ordered by Queen Elizabeth for spreading his atheistic views. Following this Knight, who lives impulsively and chases thrills, can literally leave a person on a cliff's crumbling edge. The Waterhouse painting shows Hylas, companion of Hercules and part of the Argonauts, sent to find fresh water. He came upon a pond full of nymphs who enticed him in the water, and he was never seen again. Both these cards suggest a close look at what drives behavior is in order. There's nothing wrong with loving adventure, but the life of an adrenaline junkie tends to become more reckless and dangerous each passing day. And as the tale of Hylas shows, being influenced by such folks tends to put us in precarious and perilous situations.

Blind party loyalty will be our downfall. We must follow the truth wherever it leads.

― DaShanne Stokes

Yearning and Craving

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Two of Wands; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Indulgence:

Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet, if we have the courage to face it. ―Pema Chödrön

          Do we dive into the unknown or stick with what we know with certainty? This woman holds palm leaves, a symbol of success in her endeavors. Yet there is a yearning for something more beyond marking her days, doing what she has done for years. The Indulgence card suggests gratifying desires, yet there is a hint of warning to check our motivation. Are we trying to grow and develop, to learn and make our lives more expansive? Or are we simply looking to satisfy a constant craving for more and better?

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed. ― Mahatma Gandhi 

Finding Joy

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Two of Pentacles; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Joy:

          A dog who truly loves its master will do almost anything for her - even balance on its hind legs on a drum. While necessity and obligation drive many of us, we may sometimes be like this dog, wanting to please others. In such cases, we eventually lose our balance trying to keep up with demands and requirements. At some point we have to pick up that stick and beat our drum in a rhythm we can maintain rather than let others do it for us. Joy, a deep-seated source of contentment or delight, can keep us going when obligations wear us down. It suggests that my time can either be spent or well spent; I must uncover and discard those things that aren't necessary in order to have time for joy.

Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it. —Chuck Palahniuk

Change of a Different Sort

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Six of Pentacles; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Messages:

          I'm sure those flowers the little girl is selling will wilt within an hour or two, but she's trying to make some money for bare necessities. The woman she's stopped probably doesn't even know what it means to be hungry or without a safe home. She's liable to give the girl some money to make her go away as quickly as possible. But is this generosity? Generosity is an expression of caring and connection - knowing that we could easily be in another's shoes given the right circumstances. The Messages card is a reminder to reflect on what shows up on our doorstep (especially what is unwanted). The messenger isn't meant just to make us uncomfortable but to inspire us to change.

Resources Check

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Withdrawal:

The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.

― Pope John Paul II

          This elderly king knows the importance of personally checking on his kingdom. As he travels the boundaries of his realm, he looks at the health of the people, the animals and the land. He appreciates his comforts but knows they come at a cost. If the price is too high and creates an imbalance anywhere, then change is in order. Withdrawal speaks to this pulling back, of allowing all creation to rest and restore itself. We can't misuse one part without affecting the rest. As John Muir wrote, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

 

The In-Between

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Six of Wands; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Upheaval:

          These two cards seem to be polar opposites, one representing victory and success and the other disruption and insecurity.  Actually they are two sides of the same circle that life moves in, we just like to try to separate and divide them because we like one and not the other. As Pema Chodron explains, "To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest." It would be easier if we could view these phases as natural occurrences, like when the hot water in the shower eventually runs out and starts getting cold. However, our preferences often keep us stuck. Perhaps even scarier is that place of limbo, when we don't know what comes next. Yet as Chodron explains, this is our training ground:

Holding the paradox is not something any of us will suddenly be able to do. That’s why we’re encouraged to spend our whole lives training with uncertainty, ambiguity, and insecurity. To stay in the middle prepares us to meet the unknown without fear; it prepares us to face both our life and our death. The in-between state—where moment by moment the warrior finds himself learning to let go—is the perfect training ground. 

The Power of Clarity

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Power:

When all is said and done, mindfulness is really about wisdom, about discerning what is really, really, really, true from what is mere appearance, or what you’re attached to because you want it to be true.

—Jon Kabat-Zinn

          This queen looks over her shoulder as if to say, "Really? That's what you're going to use for an explanation?" Like all the queens, the Queen of Swords is a nurturer, she just doesn't do it in a warm and fuzzy sort of way. She wants us to live in the real world, not a fantasy one. Which means we need to be able to see when our thoughts are simply reacting to our wishes, opinions or emotions instead of being based on logic. Power, in this case, refers to self-knowledge. If the mind is where both the roots of suffering and happiness are, why would we not want the ability to see clearly what is in ours?

Opening Doors

This week I'll be using the Victorian Romantic Tarot, created by Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahony with Magic Realist Press as publisher. I will also be drawing from Dreaming in Color: the Luman Deck, created and self-published by Mindy Hope Sommers. Today's draws are the Page of Swords and Catharsis:

When awareness and alertness become integral parts of our character, our ignorance and fears gradually start dying out. ―Prem Jagyasi

          This Page holds his sword like a gun and walks like a hunter with his ears and eyes open and alert. Yet what this young fellow hunts is not game, but knowledge and truth. He's learning how to use his sword to slice away fallacy and fiction from what is factual. In today's world, that can take dedication to pursue. Catharsis refers to releasing in order to find relief and restoration. Under the Page's influence, this might include rejecting a set of rigid ideas for an open mind. To accept only what we currently believe means we close off many doors to other possibilities. An open mind doesn't negate discernment, but it can allow us to create change.

A Breeze or a Hurricane

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, Judgment; from the Goddesses and Sirens, Oya:

We are so lost in delusion that we don't even know there is a problem.

~Living Clean

          Judgment in the tarot deck is not the same as the Judeo-Christian view. Instead, it is a wake-up call that opens our mind so that reality is seen and understood, not our preferred version of it. It is freedom from deluded thinking, from those fixed beliefs that deny facts. Delusion comes in many shapes and forms:

• Ignorance - We don't have the knowledge we need, but we refuse to change or be open-minded enough to listen.
• Avoidance - We avoid what needs to be dealt with by simply ignoring it or through distraction, convincing ourselves that it's just not that important.
• Denial - We rationalize, gaslight or blame - anything to keep from admitting the truth.
• Indifference - Blind to how our actions or words affect others, we don't care about anything that doesn't affect us personally.
• Familiarity - Some of our patterns of behavior have become so habitual that we think they are normal, and we overlook how detrimental they actually are.
• Toxic Positivity - We cling to our rose-tinted glasses and invalidate any painful feelings we may have. Our hope always has unrealistic expectations attached to it.

Oya, Yorban goddess of winds, can manifest the gentlest breeze or a raging hurricane. "What will it take for you to see clearly?" she asks. 

When the Brain is Offline

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Two of Swords; from the Goddesses and Sirens, Kuan Yin:

Conflict wreaks havoc on our brains. ~Diane Musho Hamilton

          It doesn't matter the source of the conflict (inner or outer) or whether it is fueled by anger or fear, our brain is geared by evolution to react. Stress hormones flood the body, preparing it to fight or flee while also shutting down the neural pathway to our prefrontal cortex. Without the prefrontal cortex to rely on, complex decision making disappears as well as our ability to access multiple perspectives. No wonder we need a time-out from making any major life choices. Kuan Yin (who in this weird illustration seems to be suffering from 'resting bitch face') is the bodhisattva of compassion. She reminds us that in this period of mental conflict, we would do our mind and body a favor by taking care of them rather than stressing them out further. Eventually our nervous system will calm and our brain will come back online; then we'll be able to discern the better choice. 

Made Holy by Grief

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Gods and Titans Oracle, Ganesha:

          Loss can make us physically hurt, withdraw and create anxiety. The mind separates our life into chapters, those before the separation and those afterward. It constantly spins out questions: "How can I live without their love and laughter? How can I survive this pain I feel? Will I ever stop fearing the future without them?" Joan Sutherland suggests that we are not meant to 'cure' grief but to experience it as a holy season of life. Its pain can help initiate us into a new season. Trying to be tough and repress what we feel isn't healthy; as Omid Safi wrote, "Unprocessed grief always lashes out in ignorant, unhelpful ways." Yet Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god known for removing obstacles, shows us another way. All Hindu gods have a 'vehicle' or mount, like Durga's tiger or Saraswati's swan. Ganesha's is a rat, a bit ironic since elephants are supposed to fear rodents. Ganesha tells us to allow our fear of separation to mold us into compassionate and kind beings, knowing that we share this same pain with the whole world.

Wise or Wishful Hope

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Five of Cups; from the Gods and Titans Oracle, Ra:

          Someone has lied and betrayed this young man; loyalty has been shattered and a partnership lost. It's probably not the first time this person has conned him in this relationship, and it's likely red flags were ignored. But there is wise hope that sees things realistically with the potential for change, and then there's wishful hope that has specific expectations attached (that rarely ends with anything but a few new resentments). Ra, the Egyptian solar god, admonishes this fellow for giving away his power and allowing someone else to control his happiness. He would likely agree with Louise Hay: "You have the power to heal your life, and you need to know that. We think so often that we are helpless, but we're not. We always have the power of our minds."

No one changes unless they want to. Not if you beg them. Not if you shame them. Not if you use reason, emotion, or tough love. There’s only one thing that makes someone change: their own realization that they need to do it. And there’s only one time it will happen: When they decide they’re ready. 

― Lori Deschene

Not an Undertaker

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Page of Pentacles; from the Goddesses and Sirens Oracle, the Valkyries:

          The Page of Pentacles, like the rest of his court family, is grounded and focused. But he is also a student who puts what he learns to test in the real world. If he studies meditation, he will be practicing it as well. He is a hands-on kind of lad, and being element-tied to earth, he agrees with Carl Sagan: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." The Norse Valkyries (literally 'choosers of the slain') are the figures who chose which of the fallen soldiers would gain admittance to Valhalla - Odin's dwelling for worthy warriors. Their keyword - redemption - suggests something bad being transformed into something good. For the Page, this might apply to his failed experiments. He knows that mistakes aren't final, they just help him improve.

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. ~Denis Waitley

Chaos to Order

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Four of Swords; from the Goddesses and Sirens, Maat:

          The mind likes me to believe that it can do something about everything; that it can find a way to fix what is broken. But the truth is, that isn't always so - not even close. Sometimes I have to rest the mind and follow my heart. It chooses to look at what I'm responsible for and how to clean up any messes I've made rather than telling people how they should live their lives. I want this nation to change and the world to change, but my personal power lies in acting with compassion, having an open heart and a discerning mind. Maat, the Egyptian goddess that brings law to chaos, warns that natural order will be restored. May it be so.

"Respect" is a good word worth handing down to our children.

― Laurence Overmire

Creative Mind

This week I'll be using the Morgan Greer Tarot, created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using an oracle made of a combination of two decks - the Gods and Titans along with the Goddesses and Sirens. Both of these were created by Stacey Demarco and Jimmy Manton and published by Blue Angel. Today's card draws are the Ace of Staves and Loki:

I am convinced that we humans do better when we have something to ground us, a deep source from which we can draw wisdom, insight, and inspiration. 

― Lawrence Levy (former Pixar CEO)

          Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do something, especially to do something creative. Read the work of poets and it is often easy to see what inspires them by the threads that run through their work. For Mary Oliver, it was Nature; for Langston Hughes, it was social injustice; and for Jane Hirshfield, everyday events became moments for reflection. But nothing gets done until we grasp that stave and run with it. Loki, a trickster god from the Norse pantheon, is a reminder to keep our sense of humor and to take things lightly. Approaching something with stoic seriousness and rigid expectations will make our inspirations turn into dry corn husks. A creative mind is a playful mind.

Trail Blazer

From the Cosmic Cycles Tarot, the Knight of Pentacles; from the Magic Neko Deck, the Two of Clubs:

Climb every mountain

Ford every stream

Follow every rainbow

Till you find your dream

~Patricia Neway

          This basketball player as the KoP believes in training hard, listening to the advice of his coaches, studying the opponent's tactics, and giving one hundred percent in each game. He doesn't dream of being a great player one day, he determinedly practices every day to become one. The Two of Pentacles card suggests digging deep for courage when the normal avenues to one's goals are blocked and blazing one's own trail. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail."

Experience is a Friend

From the Cosmic Cycles Tarot, the Page of Wands; from the Magic Neko Deck, the King of Hearts:

You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

― Richard Branson

          The Page of Wands is full of curiosity paired with an adventuresome spirit. She learns by doing, even when that doing falls outside of etiquette or the typical norm. She will likely wind up with plenty of scrapes, stitches, and maybe even a broken bone, but nothing will dampen her desire to explore and learn. Experience is her friend even though it can be a hard taskmaster at times. Yet the King of Hearts suggests that she add another tool to her knapsack - intuition. Even a cat knows that while curiosity can lead to discovery, it always is a good idea to follow one's inner nudges as well. Sometimes the best road to travel is the one our intuition directs us toward.

She Blooms in Any Garden

From the Cosmic Cycles Tarot, the Queen of Pentacles; from the Magic Neko Deck, the Queen of Hearts:

          Not every Queen of Pentacles has babies and bakes casseroles; some of them bring home the bacon. Perhaps her husband left her, she chose not to marry, or she is a teen that escaped an abusive situation at home. Her past has taught her to learn how to take care of her own needs. That is why she's so nurturing to others - she knows what it's like to be without. The Queen of Hearts represents that feeling of being grounded and offers a firm foundation to rest on while the rest of the world spins. We all need something to help us feel sane when the people we're around seem to have lost their minds. These two queens have likely had some engaging and enlightening conversations.

Lotus flowers lead harrowing journeys. Their seeds sprout in murky swamp water, thick with dirt and debris and snarls of roots. For a lotus to bloom, she must forge her way through this terrible darkness, avoid being eaten by fish and insects, and keep pressing onward, innately knowing, or at least hoping, that there is sunlight somewhere above the water's surface, if she can only summon the strength to get there. And when she does, she emerges unscathed by her journey and blooms triumphantly.

― Sarah Jio

Within Our Reach

From the Cosmic Cycles Tarot, the Fool; from the Magic Neko Deck, the Four of Clubs:

Mend the part of the world that is within your reach.     

~Clarissa Pinkola Estes

          A young man takes a break from cliff climbing for a cigarette break. Since he's not facing the cliff wall, he can see the sunrise and beauty around him. That pause - when we're trying to fix a person or situation and finally realize how powerless we are - alters and widens our perception. In this space of awareness, we acknowledge that surrendering to reality means a return to sanity. The Four of Clubs shows a kitty roasting a marshmallow, a task that requires attention and patience if you want a nicely browned squishy treat instead of a glob of fire. He would tell the young man that having an insight isn't a new tool to try to hammer things into place (that's just more egoic control). This is about working on what is within our reach - ourselves.