Squared Away

This week I'll be using the Osho Zen Tarot, created by Ma Deva Padma and published by St. Martin's Press. I'll also be using the A'HA Oracle, created and self-published by Linnie Lambrechtsen. Today's draws are the King of Swords and Heart Urchin:

With his sharp, geometric angles, it's clear this King likes things squared away and sharply delineated. On the plus side, people know exactly what is expected. Yet seeing things in grayscale leaves no room for mercy or kindness. To reduce life to a monochrome photograph leaves out the dynamic, colorful causes and conditions that constantly shape people's decisions and actions. It might make judgments easier, but it certainly doesn't make them fair or appropriate. The Heart Urchin looks like a sea-dwelling hedgehog with its dense covering of small spines. But after death, the spines fall away, leaving the inner skeleton which has a slight heart shape. This card suggests we follow Walt Whitman's advice: "Be curious, not judgmental." Like glancing at the title and cover illustration of a book, we often assume we know what's inside. But behind each of us is a deep story; if we don't know it, we won't really know the other person.

Let Us Begin

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Six of Fire (Wands); from the A'HA Oracle, Heart Urchin:

          This woman is literally on top of the world, obviously celebrating a recent success. Yet Padma warns that her ticker-tape parade won't last forever. Enjoy the excitement and recognition of the moment, but don't cling to it. Just as the crest of the wave is followed by the valley afterward, so too moves the cycles of life. Which brings me to the next card, the Heart Urchin. This urchin is similar to a sand dollar, but it has a domed top and a slight indention that gives it a heart shape. Heart urchins are light brown or green and covered with thousands of short, delicate spines that look fur-like. The spines are used for movement and for burrowing in the sand. But what is seen in this card is not a living specimen, but a bleached skeleton. Both these cards reminded me of a song by Bruce Springsteen called "Glory Days." The lyrics tell stories of people trying to hold on to those wonderful moments:

I had a friend was a big baseball player

back in high school

He could throw that speedball by you

Make you look like a fool boy

Saw him the other night at this roadside bar

I was walking in, he was walking out

We went back inside sat down had a few drinks

but all he kept talking about was

Glory days well they'll pass you by

Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye

Glory days, glory days

If I'm focused on what was, I'm missing out on what is. In the words of Mother Teresa, "We have only today. Let us begin."

I Might Need a Shave...

This week I'll be using the Osho Zen Tarot, a deck and book set created by Deva Padma and published by St. Martins Press. I'll also be using the A'HA Oracle, created and self-published by Linnie Lambrechtsen. Linnie gave this deck to me as a part of her "pay it forward" philosophy, and it will always remind me of what loving-kindness in action looks like. Today's draws are the Three of Water (Cups) and the "Heart Urchin:"

These ladies are like a champagne bottle that's been uncorked. Their ebullience and joy can no longer be contained as they dance and laugh. The rain has no effect on their celebration; they splash in the puddles, unconcerned about their hair-dos and dresses. "Come join the party!" they shout at me. "You don't have to wait until everything in your life is perfect - revel in what is here in this present moment!"

Heart urchins are covered in flowing spines when they are alive and look much like hairy potatoes. The spines fall away when they die, leaving behind a fragile skeleton with a petal design. I am reminded by this unusual creature that there are appropriate people with whom I can shed the shield that covers and protects my heart. And when I do, I will be free to share a jubilant life without suffocating boundaries.