Wisdom for the Heart

This week I'll be using the Wheel of Change Tarot, a deck and book set created by Alexandra Genetti and published by Inner Traditions. The second deck I'll be drawing from is the Oracle of the Dreamtime, a compilation of Australian Aboriginal art and Dreamings by Donni Hakanson; this deck and book set was published by Journey Editions. Today's cards are the Prince (Knight) of Cups and Gray Owl:

Genetti suggests the Knight/Prince of Cups represents a journey into the complex realm of human relationships. Like the food and supplies carried in his boat, we each carry lessons learned from close friends and family when we move beyond our circle of origin. Some of that wisdom may serve us well, while other bits may end up as flotsam and jetsam in our new environment. Gray Owl tells the story of a gentle man with no skills in hunting or fighting, but who did have extremely keen hearing. This trait saved his tribe on many occasions, so when he died, they performed a sacred ceremony in his honor that night. As the smoke from the fire billowed up, they heard a loud call and saw his spirit rise as an owl, warning his people of an attack. The Gray Owl implies that we need to be alert rather than careless. And some of the wisdom from our elders that we tossed overboard might be more useful than we thought.

Keen Awareness

This week I'll be using the Wheel of Change Tarot, a deck and book set created by Alexandra Genetti and published by Inner Traditions. The second deck I'll be drawing from is the Oracle of the Dreamtime, a compilation of Australian Aboriginal art and Dreamings by Donni Hakanson; this deck and book set was published by Journey Editions. Today's cards are the Six of Swords and 'Gray Owl:'

          A caribou lies dying in the snow while Canada geese begin their migration southward. Some of us would rather beat a dead caribou than change our minds about anything. Yet, as James Ricklef reminds us, "Changing your attitude and perspective is more effective than changing your circumstances." Why? Because usually the problem is not an external one but has its root in the way we think about the situation. When we widen our perspective, change seems to magically appear.
          According to Aboriginal legend, there was once a member of the tribe who didn't have the heart to hunt animals or be a warrior. Yet he had the most acute hearing of any human known, and he often alerted his people to danger in the middle of the night when they would have been killed otherwise. When he died, the people mourned. Yet his spirit was soon found in the gray owl that awakened them at night as before. This story suggests that it is our alertness that protects us. In adding its meaning to the Six of Swords, the combination implies that being aware of our mindset can help us determine when a beneficial change is needed.

In the beginning, meditation was an attempt to alleviate my suffering. In a regular dose, repeated again and again and again, it was an antidote to confusion and a troubled heart. I think it worked, but not like I expected. It didn’t take away the pain but taught me to sit quietly with it. It eliminated the unnecessary fretting and showed me the beauty of how things come and go—empty, as the masters would say. It showed me that there is more to life than my thoughts about it, that my feelings weren’t the full truth, and that existence is vast and interconnected, including far more than I imagined. 

—Diane Musho Hamilton