From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Nine of Feathers (Swords); from the Elemental Dice, Volcano:
Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will. ~W. Clement Stone
In Petersen's painting, eyes open wide in terror, and a mouth screams silently. Yet it is our thoughts about things, not the actual things themselves that this card represents. The Dhammapada tells us, "Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself a greater harm." Just a seed of assumption, misinformation or projection is all it takes if we let the mind run amuck. Yet Volcano reminds us that we have a power within to help us meet the challenges we face. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, "You have power over your mind - not outside events." It is our responsibility to use this power, no one can do it for us.
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