Crack the Egg

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Four of Earth (Pentacles); from the Tattwa Cards, Ether/Seed of Ether:

How you define your life limits you.

~Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

I've got a sick cat, a husband with kidney stones and jury duty; I am overwhelmed. Yet the sphinx asks me a riddle: "How are your words limiting you?" I'd have to answer that my focus is on what I lack (my challenges) and not my resources. And saying "I am" rather than "I feel" makes those walls closing in around me seem even more impenetrable. Yet Ether/Seed of Ether represents rebirth, a message to expand my horizon (my mindset) and start again. I am reminded by these cards of a verse by Mark Nepo:

Sometimes, when things

break, life begins. It still hurts.

But when the egg cracks, the

chick is born. When the dam

breaks, the fields finally grow.

―Mark Nepo

Constrictive Thinking

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Eight of Air (Swords); from the Tattwas Cards, 'Ether - Seed of Ether:'

          In the Hopi tradition, when children reach the age of nine or ten, they go through an initiation. They are led away from the community where they are met by elders dressed as Kachinas (spirits of nature). The children are whipped with blades from the yucca plant (four strokes) - the only time in their lives they are ever beaten. The ritual is meant to help them face their fears and shatter their illusions. They are then welcomed back into the community with ceremony and honors. The companion book states, "To step out of a stuck situation you need to step up. Face what has been holding you back." Those blind beliefs and inner critics can do tremendous damage to our courage. But once we plow under those weeds, we have space for rebirth, the symbolic meaning of Ether: Seed of Ether.

It's such a relief to learn that we don’t have to believe our thoughts.

~ Toni Bernhard

Scourge of the Earth

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Ten of Air (Swords); from the Tattwa Cards, "Ether: Seed of Ether:"

          The Erinyes are commonly known as the Furies, goddesses bent on vengeance and retribution. They afflicted the damned of the underworld as well as the evil doers of the upper world. There have been times in my life when I was so full of self-righteousness, so sure that my view of the world was Truth, I have picked up that scourge. Yet what happens to those I've left bleeding from the words of my sharp tongue? Surely their ears are forever closed to me; there will be no more discussions and sharing of ideas. Even worse is that sinking feeling of shame when I realize the distortion of my conclusions or my unkind methods of communication. It can be awfully hard to rebuild a burned bridge.
          Ether can also be referred to as "space," and this double dose of it is assigned the keyword "rebirth." It suggests learning from the past, plowing under the field, and replanting again with new seed. Before I go cleanse the earth of its "wrong" beliefs and ideals, I would do well to remember that in a world of impermanence, even facts can change. Sharing my thoughts with calmness, gentleness and compassion might reach more ears than my earlier strategy.

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.

~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Dancing to Exhaustion

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, Strength:

Be wild, and be whole.

This Slavic goddess of the forest is a fierce protector of the animals, plants and streams. She has a deep knowledge of herbs and their uses in medicine. But what also makes this goddess well known is her nonstop, midnight-to-dawn dance that symbolizes the raw energy of nature. Most humans who attempted to join in died of exhaustion. This dance, that wrings people out and pushes them beyond their normal limits, is how I see the love and tolerance advocated by the Strength card. It encourages me to nurture and protect the spark of goodness in others and myself, even when it may be deeply embedded in layers of selfishness and self-centeredness. It requires that I don't hate the person or group, only the negative behavior or attitude they represent. Samovila's dance will give my patience, courage and perseverance quite a workout.

From the Tattwa Cards comes "Ether: Seed of Ether:"

Rebirth

Last spring I spent a lot of time clearing an area of brush and weeds, but already the ground is no longer empty. Nature doesn't tolerate a void; it will refill the empty space as soon as possible. From a spiritual point of view, removing one behavior (intolerance for example) will require me to fill the space with something else. Last night I downloaded an ebook by Norman Fischer titled Training in Compassion. It is a Zen take on the Tibetan practice of using Lojong slogans. Fisher writes, "Compassion literally means embracing the suffering of others... But compassion is impossible if we can't learn to bear our own sufferings and difficulties, if our old habit of denying and running away continues to have its way with us." It seems odd that I need to train for this way of living, but I suppose it is no stranger than working out with weights to improve my physical strength. If I do, perhaps Samovila's dance won't be quite as exhausting.