Defensive Posture

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Nine of Wands; from the A'HA Oracle, Eye of the Cosmos:

All this hurrying from place to place won't bring you any relief, for you're travelling in the company of your own emotions, followed by your troubles all the way. ―Seneca

Exhaustion is the fitting subtitle Padma gives to this card. I have a friend who lives life in a defensive posture, having been shaped from an early age by years of cruelty, desperation and fear. Having a conversation with her is a winding road that first must detour many roadblocks put up in a neurotic attempt to protect herself. Yet she'll often relax her guard on my back porch, as we sit and watch the birds and the leaves fluttering in breeze - it is a place she feels safe and loved. The eye of a hurricane, typically 20 to 40 miles across, is characterized by light breezes and sunny skies. This place of calm in the middle of the storm is what The Eye of the Cosmos entreats us to find, whether internal or external. We all need a place of refuge to remind us that there's more to this world than simply defending ourselves.