Diplomacy

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, the Lovers; from the Mahjongg Oracle, Pine:

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

—Walt Whitman

The booklet describes this card as the healing union of opposites, the merging of conflicting forces into a harmonious, integrated whole. Whitman, in the quote above, was likely referring to all of creation. Yet we each have parts of ourselves that we've boxed off and separated: what we're proud of is segregated from what we're ashamed of; our wounds of the past are held apart from our healthy selves. But those things we don't like can help us develop inner resources. Our wounds can remind us of our resilience, encourage us to advocate for others, and rouse us to embrace self-compassion. Our guilt or shame can allow us to be more forgiving and less demanding of perfection. All of our parts can be used to shape who we want to become, or we can passively let them shape us. Pine makes the finest charcoal, and its soot the finest ink. It represents diplomacy as opposed to violence. We don't have to hate or battle any part of ourselves if we accept and use it for good.