Before Blooming

This week I'll be using the self-published Wayfarer Tarot, created by Stacy Salpietro-Babb with Margaret Shipman. I'll also be drawing from A Curious Oracle, self-published and created by Holly DeFount. Today's draws are the Queen of Earth and Lotus Fire:

People first concern themselves with meeting their basic needs; only afterwards, do they pursue any higher needs. —Abdolkarim Soroush

The practical Queen of Earth knows that no large project will be finished, and no family or community will be stable until bodies have the basics of food, rest, shelter and clothing. Taking time for daily needs is not a luxury but a requirement. Lotus Energy represents the fuel and resources needed for the seed to embed its roots in the mud, climb its way above the water, and then flower in the sun. No matter how we want to bloom, we must first take care of the bodily conveyance that will get us there. 

Do This First

From the Tarot of the Abyss, Temperance; from the Nature Mandala Cards, Change:

Combine the extremes, and you will have the true center.

―Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

In the fires of rage, the depths of despair, or the icy clutch of fear, what we think we should do is usually some extreme reaction. It's not that we should eliminate these feelings, as they may contain useful information. But we need to let them mix with a bit of calmness, hope, and courage to give us a clearer, more balanced view. Somewhere between "Off with his head!" and "I'll just be hiding under the bed covers," there is a solution that might be more effective. Effective Change is not brought about by getting hooked by our emotions, allowing our old habits and patterns to take over. It comes when we allow the mud to settle. As Jimi Hendrix put it, "In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first."