Girl on Fire

From the Gill Tarot, the Seven of Wands:

I had an Alicia Keys moment when I saw this burning woman. She's got so much creative drive and passion for what she's doing, all those arrows (detractors) heading toward her will likely incinerate before they ever touch her. I like Gill's inclusion of the keyword "valour" for this card; it reminds me that as long as I have my feet on the ground, I'll have no problem standing my ground. I've been studying Lojong lately, and my creative effort has been to take a nature-oriented photo of each one of the slogans. Trying to find a suitable subject has made me delve deeper into the meanings, giving me a greater understanding of them. Of course I've had people ask me what I'm going to do with those 59 pictures when I'm done. Heck if I know, but I'm sure getting a tremendous satisfaction from doing them.

From the oracle deck The Circle comes "Gifts:"

When I'm in a blue funk, I can look at this card and focus on the gray sky rather than the rainbow. It makes me think of the phrase "every canoe has a leak." In other words, instead of concentrating on the gifts in my life, I only see what I don't have (and what I mistakenly think will bring me happiness). Again I get the feeling that I should appreciate the creative process instead of worrying about the end result. And the easy-to-use digital camera employed for this project was a gift from a dear friend (since I don't own a smart phone) - yet another reason to be grateful and happy.

Keep It In the Middle

From the Cosmic Tarot, Justice:

Instead of being blindfolded, this Justice has two bright spotlights that shine from her eyes. Nothing will be hidden from her. The sun/moon and yin/yang combinations reflect the harmonious balance of coexistence. However, it's tempting (and human) to take sides and prefer one to the other; if I have to decide between mercy or severity, my answer would likely depend on whether I am the victim or perpetrator. Group rights or individual rights, ethics versus religious creeds, conserving or spending, our lives are constantly bombarded with a push to choose one over the other. But the tower behind Justice's head reminds me of what is to come if I don't try to keep things equitable and unbiased. Imbalances will be addressed and corrected with or without my consent. Perhaps instead of "this or that," I can find a toggle switch that can slide to a position more towards the middle.

From the L'Oeil de Lotus comes "Gifts:"

At first I had a hard time understanding the connection between the blinding light of Justice and the warm, cozy feeling of this card. But then I read this line in the deck's booklet: "Some gifts come as a reward for being just." Being just can often cost me something - my opinions, favoritism and intolerance. But paying that price can result in getting more than I imagined; those gifts are priceless.