Living in Balance

From the Buckland Romani Tarot, Temperance; from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, the Sacred Pipe:

Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism. 

―Carl Jung

          The companion book states that what may need to be tempered is the line between our idealism and mundane reality. Ideals are a standard of perfection, and while there is nothing wrong with aiming to improve things, to rigidly adhere to ideas with no leeway can bring any progress to a halt. Life is not all or nothing; we need to be flexible enough to agree to move in increments toward our goal without demanding to jump there instantly. The Sacred Pipe represents communication between the Sacred and humans, used both in personal prayer and collective rituals. White Buffalo Calf Woman gave the first pipe to native people, explaining the necessity of living in balance with nature. The pipe implies a pause to see if our demands and desires are in balance or if they are simply to benefit ourselves or a particular group. 

His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them. ―Patricia Briggs