A Change of Thinking

From the Sacred India Tarot, the Eight of Arrows (Swords); from the Land Sky Oracle, Awake:

You need a change of thinking rather than a change of climate.

―Seneca

In the middle of the Kurukshetra War, the skilled archer Arjuna was refusing to fight his kinsmen (which included their leader, his grandfather Bhishma). Krishna knew the kingdom would never have peace if Arjuna did not squash the attempted takeover. In an effort to prod him to action, Krishna picked up a chariot wheel to whack Bhisma, but Arjuna shot his grandfather before Krishna could attack him. His action saved Krishna from breaking his vow of nonviolence and ended the war. Awake is illustrated with tingsha cymbals; they prompt us to focus on the present moment and see clearly what is in front of us. In the case of Krishna - and also Jesus who was accused of breaking the Sabbath - sometimes vows and promises can keep us stuck in an unethical or unhealthy situation. Wake up and take the appropriate action that is needed.

Revelations

From the Thoth Tarot, Aeon (Judgment):

Crowley uses two images of the sky god Horus, a young boy in the foreground and a mature Horus in the background.  Arching over both figures is Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky and heavens.  This card represents an awakening to new perceptions and understandings that were previously unknown.  It is a transformation of how I see the world and my place in it.  The two versions of Horus represent retaining the wonder and openness of a child, while adding the knowledge and experience that age brings.  It is not a deliverance from the hard stuff in life, just a new way to see that can bring insights.

From the Vertical Oracle comes the card "Awake:"

This woman may be having a brain freeze now (see the ice crystals around her head?), but she will soon have a thaw.  Alli's phrase for this card is a disconcerting revelation; he writes, "The truth will set you free but first it may make you miserable."  Sometimes the hardest person to be compassionate with is myself.  When I get a wake-up call, my first reaction is, "How could I have been so stupid?"  But the good news is I'm finally awake...