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, February 18, 2026

Gain and Loss

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Chariot; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Loss:



Those who are truly wise will remain unmoved by feelings of happiness and suffering, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, gain and loss.
—Buddha

This fellow, with his beard blowing in the wind, is making good time. But the faster we go, the less control we have, and the less we notice along the way. I'm celebrating my birthday today (my Medicare and Social Security debut, as my mother called it). At this point, I've lived more life than I have life left. So, while I want to keep moving and progressing, I don't want to do it at top speed. I want to appreciate the small joys and wonders that busyness didn't allow me to notice. Loss - a magpie with someone's piece of jewelry - is a reminder that aging does take some things and people away from us. Yet it can also bring gains in wisdom, if we keep our minds open, attentive and curious. 



4 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday! I know what you mean, I get a bit disturbed realizing that I might only have 15 to 20 years left to live. What to do? Slow down and enjoy small things—good point. (J)

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    1. Thank you for the wishes! Here's to more fun days and years for us old gals!

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  2. So right, Beverly -- appreciate the time we have left; appreciate the time we're in, period! It IS daunting to accept that we now have less of it left than we've had so far. What a shame! LOL. Several things I always thought I'd do and probably never will -- feels like a loss, but isn't really, or I'd've made a point of doing them. Choices were made.

    I hope you are being spoiled today, or spoiling yourself, or both. And hooray to the financial supports you become entitled to. They reduce stress considerably, or so I've found now that I don't have to leave my home on a blizzardy morning -- or any morning. I can be where I want to be. I hope it's the same for you. Happy Birthday!

    -Kate

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    1. Thank you for the wishes! And I was spoiled by my family today!

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