Sweet or Thorny

From the Tarot of the Sidhe, the Ten of Warriors (Wands); from the Green Man Tree Oracle, Blackthorn (Straif):

Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master. 

—Ayn Rand

The Ten of Warriors/Wands illustrates a great sacrifice, yet also reminds us to ask ourselves: "Why am I doing this?" Is our service for the greater good, or to satisfy the wishes of the few? We may need to check and see if we are prioritizing others' wants while neglecting our needs, or whether we are driven by a need for approval. A healthy sacrifice involves freedom of choice, not manipulation or coercion, but with a clear understanding of our 'why.' Blackthorn has a dual meaning, one sinister and one protective. In Ireland, it was used for making both cudgels and walking sticks. A 14th-century Welsh poem describes both sides: "The blackthorn full of spines—but how the child delights in its fruit." Again, we are tasked with asking if what we are doing is truly beneficial or has a thornier side.

Sweet or Salty

From the Tarot of the Sidhe, Maker Six (Six of Pentacles); from the Green Man Tree Oracle, Blackthorn:

 The spirit of generosity

Brings fruitful reciprocity

And mouths need never hunger more

When those with plenty help the poor.

          Western culture has convinced many of us that no matter what we have, it is never enough. You might have a nice car or smartphone, but advertisers insist we won't be happy without the newest car or phone. Our idea of generosity has become twisted as Gelek Rinpoche describes: "If you give away your old, worn-out coat that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, that is not generosity. There is no pinch. You are doing nothing to overcome your stinginess; you’re just cleaning out your closet and calling it something else." We've forgotten to practice gratitude for what we have, which is generosity's foundation.

          Blackthorn is well-named due to its blackish bark and dense, stiff, spiny branches. It suggests boundaries and protection, but these can be taken to an extreme when assertiveness turns into aggression. Those of us with material comforts can fall into this trap of aggressive 'protection' when we are asked to be generous, especially if gratitude has been replaced by entitlement or greed. In this case, those thorns that are supposed to protect us end up piercing us instead.

Greed is the salty water consumed by those who thirst for self-centered gratification. This kind of thirst can never be quenched and becomes the source of increasing torment.

—Matthieu Ricard

Walking Stick or Club?

From the Tarot of the Sidhe, Dreamer Five (Five of Swords/Air); from the Green Man Tree Oracle, Blackthorn:

         When there is an argument instead of a discussion, there will always be casualties. Our ideas and beliefs are closely bound with our ego; when they are attacked or threatened, we also feel personally assaulted. We get angry, lash out and attempt to do more damage than we take. Is there a way to avoid such hurt? I am reminded of a story about Buddha who was teaching in a village. A man there came up to him and told Buddha he had no right to teach because he was ignorant and a fake. The Buddha said, "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?" The man replied it would be his since he bought the gift. The Buddha responded, "That is true. And it is exactly the same with your anger." The Blackthorn is a small tree named for its spur-like shoots and dark bark. Shillelaghs, a combined walking stick and club, were often made from its wood. It's message is the question, "What protects you and what pricks you?" I can bet that anything someone says that pricks my ego is what I am using to protect and feel good about myself. But it is also what keeps my heart and mind closed and defensive rather than open and receptive.

Tear Down Those Walls

This week I'll be using the Anna K. Tarot; the edition I have was created and self-published by Anna Klaffinger, though now I believe there is also an edition published by Llewellyn. Today's draw is the Tower:

There's nothing like the Tower to wake you up in the morning, and this one pulls out all the stops: lightning, raging fire, crashing waves, falling people and crumbling stones. But the fear of this card got significantly reduced since the last time I pulled it. That day, I was leading the last of a series of meditation classes, and we were supposed to do kirtan. The CD player and disc I had tested ten minutes before I left the house refused to work. I tried, and several others tried. But I had an inner nudge that this was something that would be helpful, so (with encouragement from the group) I sang the "call" part of the call-and-response of Oseh Shalom in a cappella. To say this was out of my comfort zone is an understatement - I do not sing in front of other people. Our voices were ragged and hesitant at first, but then swelled to a powerful, moving sound. Not only did we sing as one, we felt that sense of belonging and community that often accompanies kirtan. Since that experience, I look at this card and wonder what rotting, termite-infested walls are going to be pulled down, and what kind of magnificent, beautiful view I'll be able to see when they're removed.

The second deck I'll be using this week is the Green Man Tree Oracle, created through the talents of John Matthews and Will Worthington and published by Connections. However, since I'm not fond of the companion book, I also use Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie, published by Megalithica Books. This morning's card is "Blackthorn - Straif:"

Ah, here's another scary card. But Laurie explains straif means "sulfur," a substance associated with alchemy and transformation. And sulfur has long been used as a mordant, an element used to set dyes in material, making dull fabrics colorful and bright. Change always looks scary before it happens, but 9 times out of 10, there is a beneficial result on the other side.

Balance and Boundaries

This week I'll be using the Motherpeace Tarot, created by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble along with Noble's companion text.  Today's card is the Two of Discs:

A mother holds two babies on her hips, feeding one while the other sleeps.  She is surrounded by green - grass, fields, trees - indicating she has created much in her physical world.  The problem comes in balancing her time, energy, and finances to care for and maintain all these manifestations.  Like the two-headed snake, she burns the candle at both ends, and the need to prioritize her projects and obligations has become a must.  This woman stands barefoot on the earth, a reminder to stay grounded in the present moment.  She will lose her secure footing if she is overwhelmed by the "what ifs" of the future or the regrets of the past.  Her other tool will be in her ability to take each day lightly.  As William A. Ward once said, "A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life."

     The other deck I'll be using this week is the Ogham Oracle, created by my friend Carole.  She originally pyroetched these images by hand on wooden tiles for her own use, then scanned them to make a deck for me.  (She's the same artist who did the wooden animal tiles I used several weeks ago.)  Besides the booklet she included, I'll also be using the text Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom by Erynn Rowan Laurie.  Today's draw is "Blackthorne - Straif :"

Straif means sulfur, an element that has been used in alchemy, as a mordant for dyeing cloth, and in medicine.  As such, this wood/ogham is associated with transformation.  Change is on the way, and discipline and spiritual work will be needed to manage it.  However, care must be taken not to destroy or harm the vessel the transformation is occurring in.  Blackthorn's sharp barbs remind me of the need for protection during this time; just as the caterpillar needs a cocoon to complete the metamorphosis into butterfly form, so I too will need some boundaries to provide safety and security.