Growing Ideas

From the Sun and Moon Tarot, the Ace of Swords; from the Animal Tiles, Box Turtle:

The world can use more light and less noise. More solvers and fewer blamers. More folks showing a better way and fewer folks complaining about how much better things used to be. More folks offering help and fewer folks wringing their hands about the problems. More hope bringers and fewer hope killers. ―Steve Goodier

The Ace of Swords widens the mind, bringing clarity (seeing reality just as it is) and creative thinking (solutions, art and innovations). Being receptive to such an opening allows insights, seen as the crown of light in this card. Yet instead of running through our community yelling "eureka!", Box Turtle (whose shell allows him to completely close himself off) suggests we pause and contemplate what we've come to see and understand. This Ace is only a seed at this stage; it needs care to germinate. Give it time.

"Camp Betty" - aka "Cousin Camp" - was wonderful!

(Mom and me in the middle, cousins on the ends)

My mom has tame box turtles in her yard that often show up when she's working outside or even at her kitchen door. She feeds them strawberries, tomatoes, bananas, cherries and cantaloupe. She hasn't seen any for quite some time, but yesterday one of the old timers (Maxine) showed up when I was taking out mom's trash. Drawing the box turtle tile today made me smile!

Sacred Spaces

This week I'll be using the Shining Tribe Tarot, a deck and book set created by Rachel Pollack and published by Llewellyn. The oracle I'll be using is a wooden set of Animal Tiles, hand pyroetched by my multi-talented friend Carole. My draws this morning were the Gift of Stones (Queen of Pentacles) and Box Turtle:

The two shapes in the center of this card represent the Ġgantija (Giantess) Temples on the Mediterranean island of Gozo in Malta (Pollack's representation of the Queen of Pentacles). The site is considered as one of the oldest free-standing monuments in the world, preceding Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids; some of its megaliths weigh over fifty tons. Archaeological evidence suggests that worship in the temples included fertility rites in dedication to a mother goddess. The Box Turtle's high-domed shell and the lower hinged shell are prominent features of this terrestrial turtle. When disturbed or frightened, most box turtles will pull in their head and legs and tightly close the shell. Both these cards remind me of my grandmother and mother, two women who always created welcoming, supportive spaces for others to celebrate, enjoy fellowship, and be fed spiritually and physically. Like the Queen of Pentacles, they nurtured others in simple, practical ways.

Forget the Magic Wand

The tarot I'll be working with this week is the Shining Tribe, a deck and book set created by Rachel Pollack and published by Llewellyn.  Today's draw is the Magician:

Outside a village, a shaman stands with one hand pointing to a red flower and the other raised holding a wand.  He has connected with his purusa, his pure, inner light of awareness; from this place, he can tap into isvara, the unlimited, universal intelligence.  From these, he receives knowledge and inspirational energy that can be used to create in the physical world (the flower).  But there's no magic trick here that produces something from nothing.  Beside the shaman are a flute, bowl and a stone that represent the resources he'll need to create the vision he holds.  No simple "abra-cadabra" is going to do it - he's going to have to combine the knowledge he's received with the tools he has and do it himself.

The oracle I'll be using this week was created by my multi-talented friend Carole, who painstakingly pyroetched animals on wooden tiles.  Today's animal is the "Box Turtle:"

The eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina, is primarily a land turtle though it prefers moist habitats.  Slow to mature, it is extremely long-lived - the average life span is 50 years, but a significant number live to be over 100 years old.  The box turtle's dome-shaped shell is unique in that its bottom is hinged, allowing it to close itself off from predators.  Like the Magician-Shaman who is alone outside the village, this turtle reminds me that sometimes I must close myself off too.  Although I don't have predators, there are people who will "eat" my time and provide plenty of unwanted distractions.  My solitude will help me maintain my focus, enabling me to make progress on my projects or goals.