A Privilege

From the Tarot of Durer, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Philosopher's Stone deck, Depth:

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

―Marcus Aurelius

The Wheel of life is constantly in motion, creating ongoing change. No amount of wishing or begging will make it otherwise. The phrase "seize the day" on this card reminds us to take each day as it comes, making the most of it. We might have a boring day and feel restless followed by a day of dealing with a crisis. We might have a pleasant, lazy day followed by a day of friendship and laughter. Things change. The Depth card reminds us to look deeper, especially when life doesn't roll along according to our preferences. We can get fixated on the one thing that we desire or want to be different and forget the other good around us. 

Whatever we fixate upon limits us because fixation makes us dependent upon something other than ourselves. Each time we let go of something, we experience another level of freedom.

―Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche

Fresh View

From the Tarot of Durer, the Eight of Swords; from the Philosopher's Stone, Depth:

          At first glance, this card might be the Ten of Swords, but a quick count shows only eight hilts. This illustrates how it feels when we trap ourselves with fatalistic, constrictive thinking. We believe there are no solutions, and since things will never get better, we might as well be dead. It sounds a bit dramatic, but most humans experience this when life gets hard and they forget that their ideas and viewpoints are just a small drop in the ocean of possibilities. The Depth card suggests we stop being so self-absorbed and judging things superficially. We need to stop our self-orbit and attempt to see the world from a wider, more spacious perspective. When we stop playing the 'woe is me' soundtrack in our head and sincerely consider other folk's ideas, we might then see our situation with fresh eyes.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

― Plutarch

Keep Plodding Along

From the Tarot of Durer, the Chariot; from the Philosopher's Stone, "Depth:"

A man on his way to sell his goods at the market is slowed down by his wife's chatter. She's not worried about time constraints or what he might get in trade, she's focused on him attending to the gossip while he's in town. The Latin phrase associated with the Durer Chariot is "Those who are everywhere are nowhere." Unlike the rat on the tree limb who grabs her food and takes it immediately to her den, this man is distracted from his task. Likewise, my mind can easily be led astray. I can't count how many times I've sat down to "quickly" check my email, then found myself still in front of the glowing monitor an hour or two later. I need self-discipline to stay on course.
The Depth card shows the stone man with a large boulder and a much smaller rock in front of him. No matter what we are trying to accomplish, there will always be challenges to face along the way. But sometimes I get caught up in things that are in the past (and need to stay there) or situations that are none of my business. Before I get sidetracked from my task, I need to see the depth of what has caught my attention. How important is it, really? Of course some of these will be responsibilities I need to deal with, but if it's just a little mud puddle, I need to keep plodding along.