Competitive but Fun

From the Rider Marseille Tarot, the Five of Wands; from the Ostinato Oracle, the Rest:

We were watching a battle, but it took clean forms.

―Yasunari Kawabata

There's no malice to be seen in these faces, as their battle resembles more play than combat. Games have been around over 5000 years - since civilization began. They can be fun, even if competitive, when we avoid expectations and assumptions about winning and losing. They help us develop critical reasoning, problem solving, and flexible thinking. But above all, they can help us develop camaraderie and connection. One of the jurors (when I was still in court) brought UNO - No Mercy to play when we were banished for long periods to the jury room. I laughed until I cried - it's a good thing that room was soundproof. The Rest symbol, however, reminds us to balance our activities with stillness. Here we train in the art of letting be. As the Zen saying goes, "I'll explain in detail why Bodhidharma came to China: Listen to the evening bell sounds. Watch the setting sun."

Letting Them

From the Rider Marseille Tarot, the Five of Pentacles; from the Ostinato Oracle, Fermata:

You need other people... There's a great freedom in knowing that. And accepting that. And letting people in. Letting them help you. —Blake Nelson

Humans struggle; it may be our health, providing for our basic needs, or trying to solve a problem and not knowing where to start. Though we like to feel that we're strong and independent, we are wired to need others. In this card one person has her head down as she trudges on while another pauses to look at a chapel window - a sign that there is assistance available. Fermata is a notation that indicates a musical note should be held longer than its written value. Instead of feeding our worries, it suggests we pause and notice who or what is around us. There are folks who want to help without strings attached - we only need to ask. (We might think people should already know, but they often need to be told a specific way they can help.) As Cicero put it, "Not for ourselves alone are we born."

Out of the Loop

This week I'll be using the Rider Marseille Tarot, created by Alejandro R. Rozan and published through Artisan Tarot. I'll also be using the Ostinato Oracle, created and self-published by Mellie Parkway. Today's draws are the Emperor and Ottava bassa:

Moving awareness from the head to the feet has the effect of settling the mind. This probably occurs because the bottoms of the feet are as far as we can get away from the head. 

—Jan Chozen Bays

Uh oh, the Emperor is giving us the side-eye. He's thinking, "Why do they have to color outside of the lines? Why can't they just commit to the organized structure that's in place?" The rams on the armrests are rolling their eyes at this pronouncement; the Emperor's life may be stable, but not everyone else's is. When the world feels as if it has turned upside down - especially right before the holidays - people react in unusual and sometimes extreme ways. The symbol Ottava bassa gives some advice that might actually help. It instructs the musician to play the passage one octave lower than written, thus it encourages us to ground ourselves. Focusing on the senses, whether touch, smell, hearing, sight or taste, can help us move from the loop of stressful thinking to feeling calm and balanced. 

Monkey Wrenches

From the Songs for the Journey Home Tarot, the Five of Flame Songs (Wands); from the Magic Neko Deck, the Queen of Clubs:

When there is too much order, too much management, too much programming and control, it becomes the duty of superior men and women to fling their favorite monkey wrenches into the machinery. 

― Tom Robbins

A person sleeps, having strange dreams about earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions. Funny how we can go to bed with things on an even keel, then wake up to discord and disruption. The past with its traditions has collided into the present with its innovations. If we're wise, we won't immediately take sides; instead, we can act as a juror who listens to both sides attentively before rendering an opinion. But the Queen of Clubs takes things a little further - this ninja kitty suggests we act more covertly and cautiously. Rather than an opinion, we can ask questions of both sides and dig out more information. The more the parties explain in detail, the more likely they might come to a compromise without us ever having to choose a side. If not, then at least we have enough knowledge to make a wise judgment. 

Hoarding and Hiding

From the Songs for the Journey Home, the Four of Earth Songs (Pentacles); from the Magic Neko Deck, the Three of Spades:

We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. 

–Joseph Campbell

A living existence demands an ebb and flow, but this poor fellow has traded prudence for paranoia. We can all find ourselves in this position, not just with money, but also with our bodies. It can be hard to embrace wrinkles and gray hair as well as less energy and more aches as we age. Saving some money and taking care of our health are wise; but as the Three of Spades reminds us, flux and fluidity is natural. Hoarding and hiding create fear and anxiety, taking away our ability to live life to its fullest. Yet freedom and contentment can be found in such change IF we accept and adapt to it rather than struggle against it. 

Insight from Inquiry

From the Songs for the Journey Home, the Hermit; from the Magic Neko Deck, the Seven of Clubs:

The student is inside you. The teacher is also inside you.

—Sayadaw U Tejaniya

In an effort to understand who he is beyond what he sees in the mirror, the Hermit finds a place of solitude and peace. Rather than being driven by unconscious beliefs, the Hermit seeks self-awareness - knowledge of his character, feelings, motives and desires. He understands that insight comes with inquiry, questions that allow him to see the truth of what lies behind what his thoughts, words and actions. The Seven of Clubs represents training. It's not easy to see our self with clarity and honesty, but we get better at it if we practice diligently. Then we can act mindfully, without some hidden impulse pulling our strings.

Pontificating

From Songs for the Journey Home, the Luminary (Hierophant); from the Magic Neko Deck, the Nine of Spades:

In the East, we have a saying, 'When the wise man points to the moon, all that the fool sees is the finger.' —Anthony de Mello

The Luminary represents the seeking of meaning and wisdom in our lives. However, part of the stumbling block in finding these insights is that we rely on intellectual explanations and the beliefs of others rather than personal experience. We have become too literal in our understanding, and we often prefer the shortcut of being told than discovering for ourselves. So how do we get there without a teacher? Joseph Campbell stated, "We have to have poets, we have to have seers, who will render to us the experience of the transcendent through the world in which we're living." The Nine of Spades shows a kitty smoking and represents the habits we have that are crutches. Our belief system can also be a type of crutch if merely transactional or a form of escape.  To live in contentment, to have a moral compass, to love without motive, to see interconnection rather than separation - these are the fingers pointing to a true spiritual experience.