Seeking Forgiveness

From the Shining Tribe Tarot, the Four of Rivers (Cups); from the Animal Tiles, 'Bumblebee:'

In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls...

Leviticus 16:29

          Pollack associates this card with the Jewish 'Day of Atonement,' Yom Kippur. It is a celebration of one's essence and its indestructible relationship with G-d. Before this day, one must first seek reconciliation with others, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. This day of forgiveness is a reminder to be mindful of daily actions, making a choice to do what is good and beneficial instead of what is self-serving. This card represents casting off the old self to find healing and connection. Bumblebees are wonderful pollinators. Yet unlike the honey bee, they produce only the amount of honey they need to feed themselves and their young. These insects are reminders that we can do good work, but we must not hold ourselves to an impossible standard. Sometimes forgiving ourselves can be the hardest work of all.

Realize, right now, that there is a very big difference between doing a bad thing and being a bad person. ~ Michael Davidson

Buzzing Along

From the Shining Tribe Tarot, the Fool:

The Fool has an aerial view, like that from a Google Earth map, that allows her to see the big picture.  She sees how everything touches everything else and understands the interconnection of all.  No wonder she has such a childlike trust.  It seems like the longer we humans live in this world, the more likely we are to forget that we are all part of a web rather than just individual threads.  As John Muir wrote, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."  There are times in my life when I feel very lonely and isolated, yet I must not lose sight of this wholeness.  My emotions are not reality - they are transient and will pass.  My inner connection is what can keep me anchored in times of doubt.

The animal chosen from the wooden tiles this morning is "Bumblebee (Bombus sp.):"

Unlike honey bees, in the autumn all bumblebees in a colony die off except the fertilized queen.  She alone is responsible for finding an underground site, building a nest, and raising a new brood of workers.  She must go out and find the nectar to feed her young until they have developed into workers.  There is no "woe is me" buzzing about in her little insect brain.  She knows there are resources she can use; her job is to find them so the colony will thrive.  The bumblebee reminds me to keep looking for what I need and not give up.  Though I may be at low point thinking that nothing will ever change or get better, a new cycle is just around the corner.  I just need to keep buzzing along, doing my part to prepare for it.