Where Darkness Lies

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Five of Water (Cups); from the Bird Signs/Ascension to Paradise Cards, Flamingo:

There are some things in this world you rely on, like a sure bet. And when they let you down, shifting from where you've carefully placed them, it shakes your faith, right where you stand.

― Sarah Dessen

The Five of Water/Cups is a card of emotional loss brought on by disillusionment, when our expectations or beliefs fail to line up with reality. And what part of reality did we miss? Alisa Denis wrote: "Ignorance is the way the world feels solid when it’s not, the way the self feels central when it’s not, the way we keep expecting what is changing to finally settle down and behave. Ignorance is not a moral failure, it’s a perceptual one." When feeding, the Flamingo plunges its head into the water, twists it upside down, and scoops up its meal using its upper beak like a shovel. It reminds us to keep a close eye on what is happening right where we are rather than get caught up in fantasies about the future. As the Japanese proverb says, "darkness lies at the foot of the lighthouse." 

Ingested Thoughts

From the Vision Quest Tarot, the Moon; from the Bird Cards/Ascension to Paradise decks, Flamingo:

There are times when the door to my unconscious is slightly more open than usual. The outward signs are that I'm more sensitive or prickly than normal. Generally it's because I'm about to experience something that seems similar to a situation in the past (and might include related people, places or challenges) that has caused stress or pain. Sanity arrives when I figure out every experience is different, especially because I can make different choices. It's no wonder that a group of colorful flamingos are called a 'flamboyance.' These wading birds get their color from the carotenoids found in their diet of animal and plant plankton. They're message is to be careful of the thoughts we ingest and nourish the mind - they may color the way we perceive in ways that aren't the full truth.

Balancing Kindness and Generosity

This afternoon I drew the King of Pentacles from the Jolanda Tarot:

  

This Amazonian-looking king has the Midas touch - whatever he involves himself in seems to prosper (like the tree he holds loaded with fruit).  Yet the reason he is so successful is that his ideas are grounded in reality; he is not the sort who would invest in some crazy scheme, because he does his research and comes to his own conclusions.  He has an unusual hoodie - made from the head of a snake that resembles a cobra.  In Buddhism, the serpent is often represented as a guardian of temples and other sacred places.  This connection probably resulted in the observation that some snakes, such as cobras and rattlesnakes, will hold and defend their ground when threatened.  Though generous, the King of Pentacles is also protective of his assets, whether time, energy, health or money, and won't tolerate someone stepping across his boundaries.  Just check that necklace of teeth around his neck for further verification.  His message is clear: kindness does not mean allowing someone to take advantage of me.

     The card drawn from the Bird Signs deck is the "Flamingo - balance:"

No one knows the reason flamingos balance on one leg.  Scientists speculate it could be to conserve heat and help with blood flow, to look like a reed to prey, or because they turn off half their brain when they sleep (allowing the other half to control the leg they stand on).  Considering that their legs are longer than their bodies, and most of their weight is oriented horizontally, it is an amazing feat.  But what appears to be their knee is actually their ankle; a flamingo's knee is hidden underneath its feathers.  The ankle has a locking mechanism that allows the bird to maintain its balance.  Like the flamingo, humans are made to stay balanced, not on one leg, but in the areas of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.  Maintaining my equilibrium often requires me to have some firm boundaries in place.