From Bead to Cord

From the Buckland Romani Tarot, the Sun; from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, the Spirit of Man:

In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.  — Albert Camus

          When life gets hard, we hunker down and build walls that separate us from 'them.' We shut out the sunlight of clarity, warmth and creative energy, allowing our ego free rein. As Sean Feit Oakes described, our little self "is defined by what we crave, who we hate, and what we believe to be true." Yet within each of us - and all creation - is a luminous cord that links us to each other; it can move us from the darkness to the sunlight if we pay attention to it. This luminosity shows us that we are neither omniscient (all-knowing) nor omnipotent (all-powerful), but interconnected and dependent on the 'other.' It helps us see beyond imperfection, recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

          For me personally, I see this luminous cord not as a far-off deity, but as an experience I share in when I acknowledge the wonder and beauty of Nature, when my heart is touched by kindness, or when my heart softens because of someone's suffering. This is where my inner strength lies. We are like beads on a never-ending cord; our physical bodies and the labels we choose for ourselves create our specific bead. Although each of us is different, that cord of goodness and wisdom exists within us all. Through my spiritual practices, I seek to move from bead to that cord.