Stepping Back on Solid Ground

This week I'll be using the Cosmic Tarot, created by Norbert Losche and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be drawing from L'Oeil de Lotus (Eye of the Lotus), created by Colette and Gérard Lougarre and published by Vox Arkhana. Today's cards are the Prince (Knight) of Wands and Detachment:

          The Prince of Wands lives by T.S. Eliot's words: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." He also likes a party, so he'll convince others to tag along on his adventures (and with his charisma, that's easy to do). The problem with the Prince is that he often has little discernment between a great cause worthy of risking one's neck and what is purely an adrenaline rush. The EMTs know him and his posse well. The Eye of the Lotus card shows a rope slipping off a dock cleat, indicating a need to untie oneself from a person or situation. Caring does not include enabling or supporting insanity; detachment means we let the responsible parties be responsible for a change. Disengaging from emotional entanglement helps us see objectively without creating resentment.

Detachment is profoundly honest, grounded firmly in the truth of what is.

~Sharon Salzberg

Creative Restlessness

From the Spiral Tarot, the Two of Wands; from the Sacred Journey Cards, 'Detachment:'

          This fellow has two rods (projects) with healthy vines growing up them that are sprouting leaves. But he seems restless and distracted by the city skyline across the way. I can understand this desire to move on once the creative and developmental stages are done, particularly when there's nothing much else to do but watch from the sidelines. However, the Detachment card cautions that I shouldn't get too attached to whatever project I envision next. Verse 2:47 of the Bhagavad Gita explains this well:

You only have authority over action, not ever to the result.

Don’t be motivated by the result, and don’t get attached to inaction.

In other words, I shouldn't get caught up in what the outcome is supposed to look like, just do the action to the best of my ability. There are too many variables that I have no control over; I might be elated when things go my way or disappointed when they don't. Yet I can focus on the task at hand rather than give up, even when the results don't look exactly as I imagined.

Balancing Barefoot

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Two of Pentacles:

On a beach, a young man balances barefoot inside an infinity symbol. He seeks a way to maintain stability while dealing with his obligations and responsibilities - an ongoing task for all of us. His choice of being shoeless emphasizes the need to be grounded in the "now," and one efficient way to do that is by being aware of the senses and signals of the body. I went to a seminar years ago where the speaker had us stick our arms straight out to our sides, while a partner tried to push down on our wrist (non-dominant side) with two fingers. We resisted, and the partners had to push quite hard to get our arms down. But then she had us make up outrageous tales (lies) about ourselves and express them aloud. When our partners tried the experiment again, they found it quite easy to push our arms down. The body is an excellent barometer for how well we keep our lives in balance - so much so that even when we try to deceive ourselves, it responds in kind.

From the L'Oeil de Lotus comes the card "Detachment:"

In this painting, a rope is about to slip off a mooring bollard, allowing the boat to which it's attached to float free. Detachment allows us to disengage our emotions so we aren't manipulated by them. We don't allow their actions or attitude to affect us; in other words, our happiness isn't attached to whether they are content. How do I personally do this? I attempt to keep my hands out of the other person's affairs. When I start obsessing about how they are feeling (and what I can do to make them "better"), I distract my mind with something else. It definitely is a balancing act to stay compassionate while refusing to get tangled up in that rope. I wish it were as easy as that explanation I just gave.