Flapping Thoughts

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Two of Feathers: from the Elemental Dice, Steam:

Ordinarily, our minds are like flags in the wind, fluttering this way and that, depending on which way the wind blows. ~ Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

If we had to be a stenographer for every thought and feeling that flowed through the mind, we'd be exhausted by mid-morning. It's no wonder that we often find ourselves distraught over making a decision, getting even more stressed as our thoughts flutter and flap. Steam suggests that this limbo can be like a build-up of pressure, such as when water is heated and its volume expands. We may feel desperate to make any choice, right or wrong, to relieve our pressure. Yet, as Mingyur Rinpoche explains, "Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the “support,” of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached." Watching our thoughts and emotions without judging or feeding them tends to slow our mind down. We begin to have some space between thoughts and see them with more transparency, hopefully realizing that we can't please everyone, we can't fix anyone, and there are many situations beyond our control. In that clear, quieter space we can make a skillful and wiser choice.