Wide Open

From the Gill Tarot, the Five of Swords; from The Circle, Beginnings:

Anything that happens to us has that absolute, wide-open, co-emergent potential to either deepen the confusion or to liberate us. —Pema Chodron

The Five of Swords is an intellectual crisis that happens when our mind demands that life be logical and reasonable. We expect certain actions to bring definite results and common sense to make sense, yet our assumptions are left in the dust. Our philosophical framework needs to be dismantled if we are to make any headway. The Beginnings card suggests a return to being teachable with a wide open mind rather than ranting about how things should be. Insight and clarity will come when we stop fighting reality and pay attention.  

Emotional Storehouse

From the Victoria Regina Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the Alchemist's Oracle, Beginnings:

          It is interesting that when people see the Nine of Pentacles, they recognize it as financial rewards due to hard work and self-discipline. Yet the Nine of Cups fits this same model - we all have an emotional storehouse that we are constantly filling. We might be making daily deposits of frustration and resentment, fear and anxiety, or intolerance and blame. On the other hand, we might be adding moments of joy, wonder, generosity and compassionate service to others. When the balance of one exceeds the other, we end up with a period of time either colored by deep discontentment or serene satisfaction. Beginnings of any kind will have a foundation built on our storehouse. Will that base be constructed on confidence and courage or doubt and distrust? The good news is that with attention and effort, we can intentionally change what type of deposits we making.

We can plant seeds of mindfulness, of kindness, of humility, of energy, of trust, of letting go—an array of beneficial possibilities. If we are not attentive to planting these kinds of seeds, however, we will unconsciously plant more seeds like the ones that have borne fruit from our past. 

~Ben Connelly

Begin Again

From the Gill Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from The Circle, Beginnings:

          Beside this Queen's throne is an alembic, an alchemical still used to distill chemicals from a solution. Like the alchemical apparatus, she purifies the information she receives and extracts essential information. She can soothe the lizard part of the brain (the brainstem, which is only concerned with avoiding harm) long enough to see if there are logical reasons to be concerned. We've got another tropical system headed our way (Nate), and because I'm physically and emotionally tired, my lizard brain is sending out a red alert. According to the Weather Channel it will likely arrive as a hurricane because of the warm waters it is traveling over, but it's intensity and landfall track is still very uncertain. The Queen would tell me to calm my 'lizard' by preparing, but also by taking care of my body's physical needs so the trickle of anxiety doesn't turn into a flood. The Beginnings card suggests I can change the track of my thoughts if I find them heading down dark tunnels. If I consider the facts instead of the 'what ifs,' I can begin again where there is light and clarity.

New Wineskins

From the Gill Tarot, the Two of Cups:

At first glance, there only appears to be one cup on this card - until you see the shape created by the two faces. I got an email the other day in which a friend stated, "Contentment can be solitary but happiness by nature is, at a minimum, plus one." It is such a blessing to find a person with whom you connect on a deep level, whether that connection is a love for each other, a shared hobby or a common cause. When it is born of mutual respect, this kind of love is strong and resilient; it can traverse the mountains and valleys of life, benefiting both of the travelers.

From the oracle deck The Circle comes "Beginnings:"

For some reason, a bible verse in Matthew 9:17 popped into my head when I saw this card: "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Each person is unique, and therefore each relationship as well. I can't possibly try to fit one into the pattern or mold of another. Time to work on building new foundations and parameters instead of relying on old ones.