It's Okay

From the Tarot of the Master, the Four of Swords; from the Paracelsus Oracle, Amissio (loss):

Not everything is a battle that needs to be won, and not everything needs to be a fight.

—Kimberly Davis

This helmet and gauntlet have no wearer, and the swords are laced to the shield. Not everything is a battle, though we often act as if it is. At times we must stop our strategizing and accept life on life's terms. Only then can we adjust, adapt and move on. Amissio's figure has been described as a bag opened and turned upside down, dumping out its contents. Loss comes in many forms, and anger is often a reaction because it feels empowering. Yet loss is not a battle; we can give ourselves permission to feel our grief and respond to our needs with compassion. It's okay not to fight but to feel.

Now or Later

From the Tarot of the Master, the Six of Swords; from the Paracelsus Oracle, Amissio:

This deck's Six of Swords card has been given the keyword 'courage.' Small acts of courage occur daily on an individual level: when we make that doctor's appointment, when we say 'no' when expected to acquiesce, when we choose to leave a relationship that has become detrimental to our well-being. These are all small victories, though personal rather than public. Amissio ('loss') indicates why it is so hard to make these kind of choices - there's usually more stuff to deal with in the aftermath. Yet what we choose to do now will determine how our future unfolds. We can deal with the little things now or deal with the monstrosity they grow into later. 

Arms Wide

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Master, created by Giovanni Vacchetta and published by Lo Scarabeo. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Paracelsus Oracle, published by Lo Scarabeo with instructions written by Gina di Roberto. The cards drawn for today are the Queen of Cups and 'Amissio:'

          The Queen of Cups nourishes the heart, and this particular one seems to be planning for a gathering. She reminds me of my mother who is constantly looking for a reason to get together with a group, whether it involves family or new and old friends. She is like the live oak with its arms that sweep low to the ground, gathering in those who could use a sense of belonging, care, and laughter. Amissio literally means loss and suggests transience and learning to let go. The Queen's tenderness and compassion are perhaps needed the most when someone has been gutted by grief. She may enjoy celebrations, but she also knows how to sit with those in pain, giving support with her presence.

A person’s world is only as big as their heart. -Tanya A. Moore

No Help at Hand

From the Tarot of the Master, the Hanged Man; from the Geomancy Cards, "Amissio:"

          The keyword for this Hanged Man is "agony," and I can't think of anything more agonizing than finding you have no control over a distressing situation. With the river below, I'm theorizing that he has been hung from the support of a bridge. There is some area in his life where he would like to move from one place to another, but he's been stymied; his hands and feet are tied. There is nothing to do but wait (and hopefully see things from a new perspective other than "Why me?").
          The mice eating the fruit represent Amissio, or loss. This geomancy figure is connected with Venus, normally associated with love, beauty and pleasure. But Venus also includes tenderness and vulnerability. There's no way to love and care deeply without exposing my heart. And when I suffer a loss, there will be pain. Like the Hanged Man's predicament, there's no quick fix, pill or potion that will instantly cure my hurting heart. Time will help, but only if I realize I'm not alone in grieving such a loss.

Spilled Milk

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Master created by Giovanni Vacchetta and published by Lo Scarabeo. Today's draw is Death:

Death uses his scythe to gather all sorts of material items: symbols of worldly and religious power and symbols of careers. He knows their owners have no use for them now. The Lo Scarabeo deck has keywords along the sides of the cards, and (without my first cup of coffee) I mistakenly read "conclusion" as "completion." Even after I realized my mistake, it made me want to compare it to the World card. The World card deals with cycles - one stage or phase is finished and then you move on to the next. With Death, whatever is the subject matter becomes closed forever. There is no hope of building or restoring that relationship, job, or physical form. No one narrates in the background that this time things will be "better, stronger, faster." But all is not lost; the ship behind Death sails away to unknown lands. I can begin again, but I need to let go and move away to do it.

The oracle I'll be using this week is a set of digital Geomancy Cards that I created on the computer. Instead of choosing a card, I make four groups of random dots with pen and paper. The odd and even numbers create the geomantic figure. Today's figure is "Amissio:"

Amissio means "loss," and can be seen illustrated here by the mice eating the ripe fruit that has not been gathered yet. If I were to connect the dots (unlike the figure in this card), I would created two triangles that resembled overturned cups. What is spilled cannot be fixed or made whole again. Amissio is ruled by Venus, a planet emphasizing harmony and beauty, especially in relationships. I do not like to be discarded by other people, as if I'm a used tissue. But if there is no hope of reconciliation, it would be healthier to focus on the other relationships in my life instead of obsessing over how to fix this one.

Due Dates

From the Wild Unknown Tarot, the Mother (Queen) of Wands:

I first thought this might be some type of rattlesnake guarding its clutch of eggs, but then I remembered pit vipers have live young.  However, this could be a snake about to have an egg lunch, as most snakes I'm familiar with in the States don't coil around and protect their eggs.  Either way, I get the feeling this snake is guarding something important to her.  The red color in the background emphasizes the passion in defending what is hers, but the yellow indicates the intelligence behind the passion.  This Queen is not impulsive in her zeal, rather she uses a well-thought-out strategy and advises me to do the same.

The roll of the geomancy sticks this morning produced "Amissio:"

Amissio is Latin for "loss," and like Puella, it is connected to Venus.  Here there is a connection between something I love and transience; the figure reminds me that no matter how strongly my heart strings are attached to something or someone, keeping them safe from all harm is out of my control.  It may hurt like hell, but endings are as natural as beginnings.  Like the books that I check out and enjoy from the library, all things must one day be returned.