Beware of the Abyss

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Devil; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Respite:

My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.

― Robert Louis Stevenson

Stress in all its guises is often the trigger that unlocks our inner devil - that part of us that feels entitled to all the pleasures and comforts we desire. It tells us it is our recompense for dealing with so much, that we deserve to indulge ourselves. It's not evil, just naive. But a close look at this smiling Devil reveals a dark abyss behind her. Repetition easily becomes a habit; we long to recreate that good feeling over and over. But that is only possible when we keep increasing our 'drug' of choice. Respite suggests we pause from our scrabble for bliss by simply resting and detoxing our mind and body. As Roger Babson stated, “If things go wrong, don’t go with them.”