Made Holy by Grief

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Gods and Titans Oracle, Ganesha:

          Loss can make us physically hurt, withdraw and create anxiety. The mind separates our life into chapters, those before the separation and those afterward. It constantly spins out questions: "How can I live without their love and laughter? How can I survive this pain I feel? Will I ever stop fearing the future without them?" Joan Sutherland suggests that we are not meant to 'cure' grief but to experience it as a holy season of life. Its pain can help initiate us into a new season. Trying to be tough and repress what we feel isn't healthy; as Omid Safi wrote, "Unprocessed grief always lashes out in ignorant, unhelpful ways." Yet Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god known for removing obstacles, shows us another way. All Hindu gods have a 'vehicle' or mount, like Durga's tiger or Saraswati's swan. Ganesha's is a rat, a bit ironic since elephants are supposed to fear rodents. Ganesha tells us to allow our fear of separation to mold us into compassionate and kind beings, knowing that we share this same pain with the whole world.

Juggling with an Ax

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Two of Pentacles; from the Gods and Titans Oracle, "Ganesha:"

          The boat in the background has its sails filled to capacity as it races along the horizon. I've got a trip planned out of town on Thursday, then we'll have family from New York visiting this weekend. In the middle of this I've been in spring cleaning mode; its been 96F for the past several days, making it too hot for yard work. No wonder this fellow has shown up. I notice his hat feathers are blowing the same way as the boat is moving. No need to fight the headwind when I can use it to propel me instead. I've got to be practical about what needs to be done now, and what can wait for later.
          The Hindu God shows up with an ax in his hand to remove obstacles. I'm wondering if he can help me move the large bags of trash I've accumulated from cleaning. But the booklet says the ax is for destroying pride, inertia and vanity; inertia definitely isn't the problem. It also declares I should "invite in a drama-free life." Ah... now we're getting somewhere. It's easy to let my old friend perfectionism slip in unnoticed when I'm making plans and preparations. He's the one thing that will cause me to lose my balance, my sense of humor and drop the balls I'm juggling. Swing that ax, Ganesha!