Stepping onto a Boat

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, Death; from the Button Oracle, Skull:

Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.

― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

          Considered a megalithic tomb, there is a mystery surrounding dolmens. Though human remains and artifacts have been found around some of these magnificent structures, no one knows if they were placed there at the same time as the stones. Regardless, these spectacular construction feats are likely markers of importance. In Buddhism, the symbol of the skull represents emptiness - a lack of labels and views we normally use to explain who we are and the world we live in (allowing an experience of clarity). When major endings of any type occur, I want the whole world to pause and take notice. But instead, it just keeps turning. I can still mark and grieve my loss; however, it is helpful to accept that this natural impermanence flows throughout every being's life. As Shunryu Suzuki said, “Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.” That doesn't mean I can't appreciate the joy and beauty that is floating all around me now.