Solid Ground

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Seven of Fire (Wands); from the Bird Cards, Shrike:

Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.

— Unknown

          Being Thoth-influenced, this Seven of Wands exhorts endurance and bravery. It asks us to face formidable situations, and instead of running and hiding, be true to ourselves, our values, and our needs. Here we take a stand with our integrity intact. The Shrike is also known as the butcher bird because of its feeding habits. It hunts large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents and lizards, then pins their corpses to thorns, barbed wire, or other available sharp points as a cache they can return to and eat what is left over later. Those sharp points are symbolic of swords and the truth they represent. When we stand against the allegations of others, we can skewer their words and see if they hold any truth. If what we find is false, we know we are on solid ground.