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From the Buckland Romani Tarot, the Eight of Koshes (Staves); from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, Great Spirit:

You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.

What mood is that? Last-minute panic.

― Bill Watterson

Under an oak, someone has started setting up a 'bender' tent, or a temporary shelter. Judging by the leafless trees, the temperatures are probably dropping along with the sunlight. Best to get a move on if that shelter is going to be set up before evening. The Great Spirit is All That Is, residing in and surrounding everything, including us. We have a connection to this creative power of the universe that we can plug into for inspiration when we open our heart. Doing so makes space for more than just our struggles. As Curtis Mayfield sang in Keep On Keeping On, "Continue to give, continue to live."

When You Know for Yourself

From the Buckland Romani Tarot, the Page of Bolers/Wheels (Pentacles); from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, 'Great Spirit:'

There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin'. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

~ attributed to Will Rogers 

          I'll always be grateful for Ginny Hunt pairing this quote with the Page of Pentacles - it describes him so well! I learn by all three methods, but like the Page, I learn best by doing. In my head and on paper, there are no mistakes made. But in the material world, all kinds of unexpected snafus can appear. Part of learning is figuring out how to handle those challenges and learning to think on one's feet to solve them. The description for the Great Spirit card reads: "You are being reminded that within you is the source of all your peace and joy." That makes it much easier to find than seeking all over the world, reading every book, and trying to find the right priest or guru. I suppose both these cards sum up why I am a Buddhist; nothing needs to be believed until you experience for yourself.

When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness’ — then you should enter and remain in them.

~Kalama Sutta