To-Do List: Choose Gratitude

From the Gaian Tarot, the Six of Fire (Wands):

"Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation."
~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

Today's card brought to mind the email I sent to a few folks when I received the news that my biopsy showed no abnormalities. The tail end of the message said I would be dancing around the neighborhood if anyone needed to reach me, and indeed that was how I felt. When I got the nurse's call, there was an overwhelming feeling of appreciation and reverence for life. I was finally able to take a deep breath without my chest tightening, and my shoulders relaxed and dropped from earlobe level. As the t-shirt logo says, "Life is Good."

From the Goddess Oracle comes "Blodeuwedd:"

betray: to be false or disloyal to

This Welsh goddess married the Sun god, but then found another lover who helped her kill her husband. Only they didn't actually succeed, and she got turned into an owl for her offense. I struggled with the keyword for this card, because I couldn't think of anyone who had deceived me or that I had betrayed. But thinking in terms of the Six of Wands above, a light bulb clicked on. Last night I woke from sleep and immediately started worrying about another situation in my life. How could I go from that feeling of euphoria I experienced earlier to saddling myself with anxiety about something I had no control over? I was being disloyal in a sense to myself. I suppose at the top of my to-do list I need the reminder that life is worthy of my gratitude, and I can show it by what I choose to focus on. 

Teachers and Trust

   From the Gaian Tarot, the Teacher (Hierophant):

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

How serendipitous - I was out at the pond yesterday, working with some plant allies (and spotted a Little Blue Heron there), and now I draw a card with a elderly man surrounded by his allies.  This human teacher seems to have a gentle spirit, and I can't help thinking of Thich Nhat Hahn (with hair) when I look at him.  But what I notice most about him is that he is not holding a book or giving a lecture in a classroom.  He's in the midst of his own teachers, getting grass stains on his pants and dirt under his fingernails.  Books and seminars are good, but true learning comes when I get out of my head and actually apply the knowledge in the world.

     From the Goddess Oracle comes "Blodeuwedd: Betrayal:"

Blodeuwedd, the Welsh goddess of spring, was only unfaithful to her husband (the sun god), but also killed him.  For her punishment, she was turned into an owl.  Betrayal often has a steep learning curve; the more pain we experience, the greater the likelihood we will want to avoid that person or situation again.  But having talked to many women about men, employers, etc. who deceived them, one of the things I usually hear is, "I should have seen the signs."  If a person always has an excuse for the small things - showing up late (or not at all), incomplete paperwork, not returning a phone call - it's quite likely they will be irresponsible when it comes to the big things.  Before choosing someone to give my trust to, I need to keep my eyes wide open to any little flags waving in the breeze.