Free of Hindrances

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, the King of Swords; from the Mahjongg Oracle, Carp:

Amoha is the alignment with that which is as it is without any spin, without any corruption of integrity. It’s this bold gaze at the truth, and the truth can be hard to accept if we’re emotionally invested in the truth being different than it is—and so often we are.

—Joshua Bee Alafia

The King of Swords is the king of clarity, yet he knows it requires him to first polish his own mirror. Otherwise, ignorance (not having enough knowledge about a situation), strong emotions, wishful thinking and rigid opinions can cloud his perception. Any judgments he makes must be free of these hindrances if he wants them to be balanced and objective. Carp symbolizes tranquility and inner calm, allowing thoughts and emotions to flow through and past us without reacting to them. As Willa Miller put it, "If you stop biting at the bait you won't get hooked." The King of Swords is likely adept as this meditative practice.

Broken Glass

This week I'll be using the Roots of Asia Tarot, created by Amnart Klanprachar with Thaworn Boonyawan and published by AGM Müller. I'll also be using the Mah Jongg Oracle, created by Derek Walters and published by Thunder Bay Press. Today's cards are the Three of Swords and Carp:

          Where there was once a head and trunk, now there is only a pierced heart in this painting. When we have been betrayed or hurt, our world can begin to rotate around our pain. The booklet suggests this card is about coping with sorrow caused by the loss of something in which we were emotionally invested. We desperately crave for things to be different, to go back to the way they were when we were happy. But the more we funnel our thoughts in this direction, the worse it gets. It's as if we accidentally step on broken glass in bare feet, then continue walking back and forth across the sharp pieces. The Carp symbolizes inner calm and contentment, a time when troubles might not be over, but we have come to terms with the situation. How do we move from a place of suffering to acceptance? As Bodhipaksa writes, we focus on self-care rather than the mental story we've constructed about the situation. 

Once we’ve practiced by turning toward our pain and offering it care, we often find that things shift radically. The sacred pause of mindful compassion becomes a conduit for wisdom and other inner resources that we sometimes aren’t aware we had. 

—Bodhipaksa