Work-based Focus

This week I'll be using the Tarot de St. Croix, created and self-published by Lisa de St. Croix. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Archetype Cards, created by Caroline Myss and published by Hay House. Today's cards are the Eight of Pentacles and God:

Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love a cow - for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage. ― Meister Eckhart

The Eight of Pentacles suggests a work-based focus, one where physical effort is expended beyond mental fantasy. Sure, a vision is needed as a starting point, but no concrete progress can be made until we buckle down to the tasks at hand. The God archetype (and Eckhart's quote) imply a ploy that people often use to get out of taking responsibility for any personal exertion. "If it's God's will" can suspiciously sound like "I'm going to let someone else handle it." It might be better to follow the advice of an Islamic proverb - Trust Allah but tie up your camel. It's the results we can let go of, not the work.

Creative Response

From the Urban Tarot, the Prince (Knight) of Wands; from the Principles to Live By, Equanimity:

Scott uses the role of comedian/newscaster in this card, bringing to mind such folks in this field as Stewart, Colbert and Oliver. The Prince/Knight of Wands is Air within Fire, having intellect combined with energy and enthusiasm. His passion is fueled by a desire to stand up for what is right while fighting to protect the vulnerable. His push for change is guided by such motives, and he can be tenacious. He invites us to have the courage to do the same. Equanimity (illustrated with the alchemical symbol for earth) suggests the need for being grounded and having a calm, even temperament. Activists of all kinds know that if they don't embrace this quality, their fire will soon burn out. There is conviction and action without clinging to hoped-for results. Equanimity allows for clear seeing and appropriate action, as Dawn Scott expresses: "When we call on forbearance in the face of insult and injury without reacting, it frees up our energy so that we can respond creatively."

Pausing for Enjoyment

From the Urban Tarot, the Nine of Disks; from the Principles to Live By, Mindfulness:

The paradox of impatience is that, in trying to hurry toward enjoyment, we hurry past it. 

―Dean Sluyter

The Thoth keyword for this card is Gain; Scott says it is our hard-learned prudence that gets us to this place. Yet Gain is not just about more money or things - it can also include time to enjoy the pleasures of life as this woman does. But for those of us who hit the floor running every morning, it may be hard to relax. We may be lying in a hot tub with cucumbers over our eyes, but our mind has jumped ahead to what we need to be doing later. Mindfulness is a reminder to rest the mind and let the senses take over, simply paying attention without judgment. It gets easier with practice.

When practicing mindfulness, even directed toward something as ordinary as breathing, we enhance the part of the mind that is aware of the way things are while diminishing the part that is stressed because things are not the way we want them to be.

—Andrew Olendzki

But Then

From the Urban Tarot, the Five of Disks; from the Principles to Live By, Justice:

You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. ― James Baldwin

We've all been there, when our health, home or livelihood has been affected. Whether it's the devastation of a tornado, the doctor's diagnosis, or the pink slip from our employer, it begins as a moment of numbness and disbelief. That soon morphs into fear or anger, accompanied by a feeling that this isn't fair or right; we shouldn't have to deal with such a burden. Yet the Justice tile is a reminder that we all deal with loss of all kinds; hardships come to everyone regardless of how knowledgeable, wealthy or spiritual they are. This counsel (and Baldwin's words) are not meant to be a condescending pat on the head, but a poke to awaken compassion for ourselves and everyone else. It's not easy being a human, but if we look beyond our current mindset, we'll likely find some support.

Showing Up

From the Urban Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the Principles to Live By, Trustworthiness:

Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them. ~Dhammapada 1:2 

A group of people have gathered at Fort Washington Park for some fun and relaxation. I appreciate that Scott created an everyday image for this card. I have been in beautiful and exciting places and been miserable, yet I have also been in simple settings with a full heart. In each case, a large part of it was the company of folks with me. The right people, I've found, can make the even the ordinary a memorable, happy experience. The star represents Trustworthiness, the trait of being dependable and responsible. As Samuel Johnson put it, "Hell is paved with good intentions." Those joyful moments come when I follow through and show up; simply saying the words is as lasting as a ripple in a stream.

Recognizing Our Debt

From the Urban Tarot, the Three of Wands; from the Principles to Live By, Generosity:

In Thoth-based decks, the Three of Wands is given the keyword 'virtue.' The number one is ''all about me" and number two represents "just us;" at three, an understanding and awareness dawn that we're all in this together. The fiery wand triad realizes that responsibility, and so that the effort expanded outward is directed toward a worthwhile (virtuous) goal. Generosity suggests a willingness to share resources, including time, energy and attention. The quote for this tile comes from Master Hsing Yun: "Generosity begins with our recognition of our debt to others."

Riding the Wheel

From the Urban Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Principles to Live By, Forgiveness:

The neurotic is nailed to the cross of his fiction.

~Alfred Adler

Just when we think we can't endure another thing, our fortunes change. Then weeks later, when we think life couldn't get any better, it goes into a tailspin. Do we blame the universe for the hardships we face and claim the glory of any good fortune? Our choices and actions can influence a lot of our luck, but sometimes we have absolutely no control over the roll of the dice. How do we deal with riding on this Wheel without becoming neurotic? Acceptance, adaptation and an appropriate response help. It's also beneficial if we can let go of any anger, whether it's directed at ourselves or the ebb and flow of life. The quote for Forgiveness cautions us what will happen otherwise: "The present is endlessly overwhelmed and devoured by the past" (Lance Morrow).

No Bending the Knee

This week I'll be using the Urban Tarot, a deck and book set originally created and self-published by Robin Scott, but now published through U.S. Games. I'll be pairing it with an oracle I created called Principles to Live By. Today's draws the Emperor and Courage:

Scott illustrates her Emperor as a mayor of New York in the midst of being lashed by Hurricane Sandy. She describes him as someone who "holds us to a higher standard of ethics," who "teaches us responsibility and morality with a firm and measured hand." It's one thing to wear the crown when life is good. But try it when there's a pandemic and no one wants to wear a mask, when there's been a natural disaster and everyone is desperate for help, or when social injustice is met with rioting, looting and violence. It's no wonder that the tile for Courage has appeared, when boundaries must be set and triage determines which concerns come first in a long line of priorities. It takes a tough person to take a stand on doing what is right and ethical instead of bending the knee to those who scream the loudest or have the most money. 

Advice for Success

From the Gill Tarot, the Ten of Cups; from The Circle, Love:

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

~St. Francis of Assisi (E. Easwaran trans.)

The success of emotional fulfillment is a paradox, as St. Francis clearly laid out. The bedrock of contentment and joy is not found in self-cherishing, but in a mindset that gives, forgives and has no agenda for either action. These people take life lightly without clinging - as John S. Spong described, they 'love wastefully.' The Love card's symbolism is not so much a romantic fantasy as it is connection, belonging, affection and mutual support. Those are the side effects of taking St. Francis' and Spong's advice.

Getting Off the Repeat Cycle

From the Gill Tarot, the Hermit; from The Circle, Partnership:

There's a huge difference between experiences like silent meditation retreats and vision quests as opposed to self-help seminars. In the first two, there is the spiritual purpose of contemplation that involves insight, decluttering the mind and letting go of old patterns. The seminars are all about adding more ideas (or products) to make us a happier or more successful person. Someone tells us what we need to do or think to be 'better' (self-reflection is rarely involved other than whether we can put all this on our credit card). But it makes more sense to clean out a dirty, crusty pot before adding anything new that might get contaminated by the old. Partnership brings this into the realm of relationships, suggesting that if we don't take the time to contemplate our choices and their results, we'll just continue to repeat them.

An Ocean of Possibilities

From the Gill Tarot, the King of Cups; from The Circle, Choice:

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

~Booker T. Washington

The King of Cups tries to bring balance and guidance to those experiencing emotional upheaval. If he can help them regain their composure so that they are no longer spinning, he will point their attention to the wide expanse of the ocean. "This," he will tell them, "represents all the possibilities available in this moment if you can release your assumptions and expectations." Choice suggests that if they can become open-minded, they will see there are several options available rather than just one. Relax, release, and resist nothing - the view is wider and deeper than first thought.

Labor Lost

From the Gill Tarot, the Star; from The Circle, Reflection:

In the companion booklet Gill writes, "Following the period of instability (Tower), which invariably led to much inner questioning, many of us in fear and relief turn to constructing another Tower, again on our old ways of thinking." It's that instant reflex that seeks only to protect rather than understand that keeps us repeating old patterns. Yet the ibis, a symbol of truth and wisdom, suggests a better way - the one that the Reflection card represents. Of course it can be tempting to reflect on and blame the actions of others, but a true reflection shows only our own face. If we really want positive change, we need insight into our choices and their results. As Confucius stated, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."

Wide Open

From the Gill Tarot, the Five of Swords; from The Circle, Beginnings:

Anything that happens to us has that absolute, wide-open, co-emergent potential to either deepen the confusion or to liberate us. —Pema Chodron

The Five of Swords is an intellectual crisis that happens when our mind demands that life be logical and reasonable. We expect certain actions to bring definite results and common sense to make sense, yet our assumptions are left in the dust. Our philosophical framework needs to be dismantled if we are to make any headway. The Beginnings card suggests a return to being teachable with a wide open mind rather than ranting about how things should be. Insight and clarity will come when we stop fighting reality and pay attention.  

A Sense of Responsibility

From the Gill Tarot, the Six of Disks; from The Circle, Conflict:

Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained. ~Helen Keller

Gill gives this card the keyword of well-being, not just for an individual but applying it to all. In Buddhism, the three poisons - greed, hatred and delusion - have antidotes in generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom. The first three bring discontent while the second three bring joy and a sense of well-being. But getting people to willingly share their resources usually creates a push back, as Conflict shows. Often, we don't want to imagine ourselves in a place of need, so we try to ignore those who currently are. But that worrisome feeling will dog us no matter how far we try to push it down. Psychiatrist and researcher Helen Riess found that physicians who turned off their feelings and created emotional distance not only had patients who distrusted them, they became lonelier and burned out themselves. As Riess explained, "All parties are equally enriched when we perceive and respond to each other with empathy and compassion."

Capable

This week I'll be using the Gill Tarot, created by Elizabeth Gill and published by U.S. Games. The oracle deck I'll be using with it is The Circle, created by D.R. Taylor and published by Versation Publishing. Today's draws are the Ace of Wands and Trust:

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.

–Thomas Edison

This fiery Ace of Wands is given the keyword 'potency' - the measure of a thing's strength and effect. When we are given an opportunity to create or do something incredible and wonderful, our first reaction might be, "Wow, I'm honored but I think this is more than I can handle." We doubt ourselves and our abilities, envisioning a failure before we've even begun. Yet Trust suggests that not only do we have what it takes, we also have people who will be there to help us. We have more available resources than we originally thought.

 

Beware of Salesmen in Sheep's Clothing

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Star; from the Button Oracle, Claddagh:

Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.

― Voltaire

The Star cards shows Tasmania's Richmond Bridge and St. John's Catholic Church behind it. What transpired to break Granny's certainty and stability? Was she told that if she fervently believed and prayed without ceasing she would be granted her wish? Yet it could be that she is guiding someone else who has been crushed by disappointment or a foundational collapse. Hope is a good thing if we don't tie it to a specific outcome; confidence that things will change might be the safest aspiration. The Claddagh button is a symbol of loyalty and trustworthiness. We all need the support of others, but we need to be careful and discerning about those we offer our trust. As Alejandro Alex Jadad put it, "Never sell your head to buy a hat."

No Protection

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the Button Oracle, Eagle:

The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.

― Robert Frost

Like Granny looking through old photo albums, we often relive moments of the past in our mind. But as we get older and grayer, we also find ourselves checking the obituaries and the calendar for doctor appointments. Some of us may feel as if our body is betraying us as we age. Others, upon hearing of a death in their circle, begin to make comments about the person's lack of a healthy diet or exercise, as if that talisman might protect them from a similar fate. It's not that we need to give up taking care of our body and mind, but we do need to accept that we all come to the same end. Eagle represents clarity and a wide perspective: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Moving out of a self-absorbed orbit can help us live out our days with meaning and equanimity.

The Pleasure of Your Company

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Three of Cups; from the Button Oracle, Bridge:

This card made me think of the wording on many wedding invitations: "request the pleasure of your company." There are some folks who are indeed a pleasure to be with, whether the occasion is a celebration or a chin-wag. Such a relationship is simply founded on the concern for the well-being of each other. The Bridge button's quote comes from Angela Merkel: "A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution." In suspension bridges, the cables must be anchored at each end of the bridge, since any load applied to the bridge is transformed into tension in these main cables. Likewise, healthy relationships share the load - one person is not responsible for being the ear that listens, the shoulder cried upon, or the giver of encouragement. 

Mutual Network

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Hierophant; from the Button Oracle, Liberty Bell:

The triquetra this Hierophant holds and his bond to the trees emphasizes the dependent connection we have with everything. As Ikeda Sensei explained, "No person or thing exists in isolation. Every being functions to create the environment that sustains all other existences. All things are mutually supporting and interrelated, forming a living cosmos..." Inter-being means we are not independent, but rely on the rest of this living cosmos. As much as we would like to pick and choose our connection, judging some more worthy and others not, we are stuck in this mutual network. The Liberty Bell was already cracked when it arrived in Philadelphia, and that crack has since become part of its character. Its quote comes from Kathy L.: "“Progress not perfection” is a comforting thought because for many of us being perfect was a part of our problem." Our web of relationships might have some shinier strands than others, but none are perfect. Yet even in our imperfections, we are still supported. 

MU

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the Page of Swords; from the Button Oracle, Guitar:

The Page of Swords is like a radar, constantly observing, listening and asking questions to collect information. With little experience in the world, however, he tends to take what he knows and make wide generalizations. He reminds me of the monk who asked his teacher if a dog had Buddha nature, to which the teacher replied 'mu.' Mu can be translated 'without,' but it would be a mistake to assume it was the opposite of answering yes. As Robert Pirsig explains, "Mu becomes appropriate when the context of the question becomes too small for the truth of the answer." The Guitar quote comes from an African proverb: "When the music changes, so does the dance." No concept can pin down anything all the time. Life is in flux and it's mysteries rarely have easy answers.

Tea and Tenderness

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, Temperance; from the Button Oracle, Fawn:

We humans tend to have an aggressive response to intense emotions. The extremes of anger may even seem normal to some of us, but we even do it with fear or sadness. We might hide from outside contact, run up a huge credit card debt, or eat box after box of candy. We desperately want to be rid of this feeling, this edgy energy that invades our body and mind, but the actions we take often hurt more than help. Granny, pouring out some lemon balm tea, tells us to sit for a spell, allowing our energy to naturally dissipate instead of revving it up with our thoughts and body in constant motion. The quote for Fawn comes from Leo Buscaglia: "Gentleness can only be expected from the strong." Instead of making endless strategies and reacting in useless ways, we might ask, "What would tenderness in this situation look like?"

It's All Valid

This week I'll be using the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, created by Granny Jones (Rebecca Jones) and published by Kangaroo Press. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Button Oracle, a set I made for myself from a collection of buttons. Today's draws are the Five of Cups and Goldfish:

The pain is valid. The grief is valid. The anger, fear, and emotional exhaustion are all valid. 

~Oren Jay Sofer

It's easy to get lost in our sorrow, to let it wrap around us like a blanket. We may alternate between despair and apathy as we try to find the path to compassion and equanimity. The big question becomes, how do we hold both our grief in our cupped hands without losing our gratitude? The Goldfish button is paired with a quote from the Tao Te Ching: "That which offers no resistance, overcomes the hardest substances. That which offers no resistance can enter where there is no space." We don't need to run from our pain or attempt to smother it with toxic positivity. Instead, we allow it to be felt while also remembering to peek out from behind our blanketed heart to see that there is still beauty, warmth and wonder around us. 

Silence Doesn't Always Protect

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Siren (Knight) of Air (Swords); from the Tattwa Cards, Ether/Seed of Earth:

Lilith, in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology, was said to be the first wife of Adam who was banished from the Garden of Eden for not obeying Adam. She was demeaned by the religious and admired by feminists. Her message is that it is time to face our fear, quit hiding all that we are, and stop compromising our spirit. Being different and speaking up for oneself should not be demonized. Ether/Seed of Earth suggests gestation; it is a time of patience, preparation and learning (keep our mouth closed and our ears open). Our truth needs to be heard, but first we must collect information and evidence to ensure that what is heard is more than just our anger.

Your silence will not protect you.

― Audre Lorde

Crack the Egg

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Four of Earth (Pentacles); from the Tattwa Cards, Ether/Seed of Ether:

How you define your life limits you.

~Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

I've got a sick cat, a husband with kidney stones and jury duty; I am overwhelmed. Yet the sphinx asks me a riddle: "How are your words limiting you?" I'd have to answer that my focus is on what I lack (my challenges) and not my resources. And saying "I am" rather than "I feel" makes those walls closing in around me seem even more impenetrable. Yet Ether/Seed of Ether represents rebirth, a message to expand my horizon (my mindset) and start again. I am reminded by these cards of a verse by Mark Nepo:

Sometimes, when things

break, life begins. It still hurts.

But when the egg cracks, the

chick is born. When the dam

breaks, the fields finally grow.

―Mark Nepo

Understanding Interconnection

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Six of Earth (Pentacles); from the Tattwa Cards, Water/Seed of Earth:

Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. ―Erich Fromm

The Six of Earth is represented by the Kwaquitil wild woman of the woods known as Tsonokwa. She was said to eat greedy children, yet she was invited to attend potlatch ceremonies in which the host gave away possessions. Generosity was what Tsonokwa honored and rewarded. She knew that greed was destructive and devoured the heart. Water/Seed of Earth's keyword is alliances. When we are known for watching over and protecting the well-being of others, for leveling the playing field instead of creating pinnacles, we form trusted relationships. It's not an "I scratch your back, you scratch mine," mindset, but understanding that we are all interconnected and dependent on each other.