Acceptance

From the Deirdre of the Sorrows Tarot, the Ace of Cups; from the Victorian Flower Oracle, Daisy:

To deepen your love and acceptance of another, first develop love and acceptance for yourself. 

―Leon F. Seltzer

The pairing of the Ace of Cups and Daisy (Family Matters) reminds me that not all of us were raised in healthy environments. Yet the snake wrapped around the tree, representing the Staff of Asclepius, suggests there is healing to be found. It's not true that we can't love another without loving ourselves. However, we do tend to look for (and expect) others to fill our emptiness, and we might be drawn to what we are familiar with (those who treat us as a lesser being). Yet we need others. As Lia Avellino states, "healing happens in connection and pain thrives in isolation." A trusted friend or therapist might help us believe we are worthy of love and kindness so that we make the effort to uncover our value. 

Generosity, Backward and Forward

This week I'll be using the Deirdre of the Sorrows Tarot, a self-published set created by Deirdre O'Donoghue and illustrated by Wayne McGuire. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Victorian Flower Oracle, created by Alex Ukolov, Karen Mahony and Sheila Hamilton; it was published by Magic Realist Press. Today's draws are the King of Coins and Daisy:

Obviously, you would give your life for your children, or give them the last biscuit on the plate.

But to me, the trick in life is to take that sense of generosity between kin, make it apply to the extended family and to your neighbour, your village and beyond. ~ Tom Stoppard

          I find it interesting that the people who don't spend a whole lot of money on themselves (other than occasional indulgences) often have no problem with generosity. Not that they are foolish enough to indiscriminately give away their wealth, but like this king, they tend to be benevolent and kind. He seems to be dropping gold coins from his pocket, while holding on to a larger one. Whoever shares his picnic will be going home with a full belly and heavier pockets. Daisy represents hearth, home and family. Seeing these two cards remind me how often my time and energy is spent on other people, leaving little for my loved ones. Even when I am home, I can be unavailable if I am staring at my phone, the computer or the television. Today I will attempt to practice generosity backward - beginning with my family and working outward.

It's Not What You Think

From the Deirdre of Sorrows Tarot, the Moon:

When I use decks that have companion books, I tend to look closely at the card image and come up with my ideas first before checking to see what the author wrote. So my checklist with this one looked something like: "a wolf and a dog, a woman with stars in her hands, setting in a desert-like landscape, and a crawfish coming out of a pool." The book states that both the canines are wolves, the setting is actually on the moon, and the woman is a personification of the moon blocking the crawfish from climbing out. Of course I had to laugh, because the traditional meaning of the card is often confusion and uncertainty because of a lack of clarity. So instead of making fast and hard judgments today, perhaps I should just make tentative ones until the fog clears.

From the Victorian Flower Oracle was drawn "Daisy:"

Daisy is shown with all her flower children, so it's easy to see how the creators associated this plant with family matters. I'll be calling my mother to wish her "Happy Birthday" in a few minutes, and in a few hours I'll be visiting my mother-in-law. These women are both kind and loving, but one always sees the glass half-full, and the other sees it as half-empty (with a crack in the glass). My mom is the kind of person who may not tell me the full story because she doesn't want to worry me. My mother-in-law (in the early stages of dementia) worries about things that aren't even real. With the Moon card above, I'm going to have to finely tune my antennae and ask lots of questions today.