I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Know Your Own Welfare

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Empress; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Myrrh:


Don’t give up your own welfare
For the sake of others’ welfare, however great.
Clearly know your own welfare
And be intent on the highest good. 
—Dhammapada, chapter 12

The peony is a beauty that can stop people in their tracks; the Chinese call it the "flower of riches and honor." Ants are attracted to the nectar on the outside of its buds, though they do not cause harm. In fact, it's likely the ants deter other harmful insects. This Empress has figured out how to give abundantly while also caring for herself. Myrrh is a gum-resin extracted by making cuts in the thorny tree Commiphora myrrha. The resin has been used as an analgesic for toothache pain, bruises, aching muscles, and sprains. There is evidence to suggest certain compounds in myrrh interact with central opioid pathways in the brain. Extreme sacrifices can be like a drug, making us feel we are making a difference when we are really only harming ourselves. Know your own welfare.


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