More than a Bank Account

From the Stone Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 12:159:

Your worth consists in what you are, and not in what you have.

What you are will show in what you do. 

—Thomas Davidson

Bank loan officers and brokers will often ask, "What's your worth?" They are interested in our net worth (what we own minus what we owe) and our liquid assets (cash or items easily converted into cash quickly). But the King of Pentacles would tell us it's not about what we have, it's about sustaining and growing what we have or knowing how to begin again if life tilts sideways. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One should do what one teaches others to do; if one would train others, one should be well controlled oneself. Difficult, indeed, is self-control." Before we take advice from others, we should look at the whole of their life - it might tell us more than what this person is trying to sell us.

Cloudy Within

From the Stone Tarot, the Moon; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 19:256:

Darkness within clouds the world without.

―Anasazi Foundation

Our perception of reality is not an accurate reflection but a constructed interpretation. This subjective view is shaped by our prior experiences, expectations, cultural background, emotions, and physical states. If we're having a bad morning, we're likely going to view everything with the taint of negativity until that mood changes. The Moon reminds us that what we think is going on could be like the reflection of a fun house mirror. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One is not just who judges a case hastily." Be curious rather than rash and include for others' assessments. Clarity can be a complicated thing.