Choosing Freedom

This week I'll be using the Scrying Poetry Tarot, created and self-published by Julianne Victoria. Major arcana cards are haiku, court cards are limericks, and minor arcana are free verse. The other deck I'll be drawing from is the Tapestry Oracle, created and self-published by Kendall Eifler. Today's draws are the Wheel of Fortune and Energy:

One of the finest results of meditation is the increased gap between stimulus and response. That gap before I react gives me time to notice my habitual patterns and sometimes even decide whether to stay a slave to them or break loose. —Brent R. Oliver

          The Wheel's haiku alludes to karma, a concept the West has twisted into something that resembles a system of rewards and punishments. Yet it actually refers to habitual patterns that are created by the intentional choices we make. Once we take an action, we can reflexively repeat it over and over again if we do not bring awareness to the motives driving us. Who hasn't heard someone complain, "Why do I always get involved with the same kind of person?" or "I always end up with difficult co-workers." While there may be outer causes and conditions that are in play, the real key is our own intentional actions (thoughts, words and behavior). The card Energy relates to this as well. Some people seem to seek out emotional chaos while others engage in risky behaviors. Although these patterns might supply us with an adrenaline rush, they soon leave us feeling worse than we did before. So what do we do? We step back into our rut and repeat the same behavior. Yet there is a chance we'll get tired of the merry-go-round we're on and become willing to remain in our discomfort rather than reflexively react as usual. That's the first step to freedom.

The Knowledge Within

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the High Priestess; from the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk Deck, Energy:

          This High Priestess seems to be crawling inside a book of knowledge, but what she is actually doing is diving deep within herself. This is not an exercise in navel-gazing, but an investigation into the undercurrent of thought and feeling that runs constantly in the background of the mind; it causes us react in unskillful ways when we are unaware of it. The Energy card reminds me of an equanimity meditation, part of which reads: “I am responsible for the energy and attention I give my thoughts, feelings, and experiences.” (In equanimity, we come to understand that our happiness and suffering is not caused primarily by our experiences and circumstances, but in our responses to them.) An undercurrent of emotional energy given free rein is like being bound with puppet strings we've tied ourselves. 

Once we see an inner pattern of mind clearly and bring to it mindful awareness and acceptance, this in itself initiates the process of self-liberation. ― Rob Nairn

Power Drains

  This week I'll be using a quirky tarot deck by Amerigo Folchi, the Millennium Tarot 2000.  The majors, aces, and courts commemorate famous/important people in the last millennium.  The other pip cards (2 -10) are based on regular RWS imagery.  Today's draw is the Four of Coins:

When I first started learning tarot symbolism, I always interpreted this card as a miser who was being stingy with his time, energy and money (an Ebeneezer Scrooge of sorts).  Indeed the coins on his head, over his heart, and under his feet suggest that his mental, emotional, and physical focus is in the material realm.  Yet there are times when being focused on oneself is not necessarily a bad trait, especially if I am being drained by circumstances, whether emotionally, physically or financially.  Like this man who sits far from the city, sometimes I need some time away from a situation to assess whether my involvement in it is beneficial and productive for all involved, including myself.

     The other deck I'll be using this week is a set of trippy handmade cards I found on Etsy, created by Masha Falkov, the Post Psychedelic Cyberpunk.  The black and white images are a combination of photography and line drawings.  Although Falkov labels it a tarot, I believe it falls more into an oracle category.  Today's card is "Energy:"

This flower-like image looks as if some kind of mechanism is spinning inside it.  Exactly what is energy?  The dictionary defines it as "the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity."  So food and rest in the right amounts are necessary, but just as important is what feeds my soul.  Art, nature, and the use of spiritual tools can be helpful here.  But I also must be careful with the "leeches" that drain my energy - worry and anger.  Added to this list are the people who seem to plug in to others and suck the life right out of them.  Have you ever been around someone who constantly seems to have chaos going on in their life, or the "Eeyores" who swim in self-pity?  Not only what I do can affect my energy level, but the people I choose to associate with as well.