Checkup from the Neck Up

This week I'll be using the Margarete Petersen Tarot, created by M. Petersen and published by Königs Furt. The oracle I'll be using is the Elemental Dice. Today's card and dice roll are the Moon and Lightning (Air + Fire):

 We habitually jump to thoughts and feelings about what is being perceived. These thoughts and feelings, rooted in past experiences and conditioning, then influence the mood of our mind. 

—Ruth King

The woman on the left pillar is finally seeing that her free will is not very free at all. The unconscious is a mental file cabinet that immediately sends to the conscious mind any file remotely relevant to our current situation, yanking our chain according to past encounters. So much of what we think and feel is tied to our past and greatly influences how we respond. Yet Lightning, a massive electrostatic discharge from cloud to ground, suggests we find a way to pause and looks with discernment at what the mind tells us. I've found two tools that are helpful in this regard: a fearless inventory of my life and meditation. A inventory helps me become aware of patterns that have become habitual but are unskillful or harmful; awareness can aid in change. Meditation allows me to see just what is swirling around in my head so that I don't unconsciously react to it.

Before fixing what you're looking at, check what you're looking through.

—Mark Nepo