Hard Choices

This week I'll be using Tarot by Caro, created and self-published by Caroline Clarke. The oracle I'll be drawing from is the I Ching, illustrated by Klaus Holitzka with instructions by Marlies Holitzka; it is published by AGM Urania. Today's cards are the Seven of Cups and Hexagram 17:

Your life is determined by the sum of the choices that YOU make.

―Frank Sonnenberg

Ask anyone what brings them pleasure, and they'll surely have a ready list. Yet ask what brings them fulfillment and contentment, and that's likely to cause a pause in the conversation. We're constantly making choices based on whether something will require struggle and challenge or if we'll receive instant pleasure and gratification from it. But sometimes what involves effort brings us the greatest joy and what seems easy bring boredom and restlessness. The hexagram 'Following' indicates moving smoothly and willingly with reality - in other words, adapting. Flowing down the river of life brings boulders we must go around, eddies to get unstuck from, and fast-moving rapids we must navigate. But those difficulties often teach us what we're good at, what excites us, and what might bring us emotional fulfillment. 

Seeing the Whole

From Tarot by Caro, the Hanged Man; from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 17:

Humans see what they want to see.

― Rick Riordan

The Hanged Man's position forces him into seeing from a new perspective. There's nothing wrong with having a personal viewpoint - unless we refuse to see it as just a view from one point and not the whole picture. Such a constricted mindset is out of balance with reality. It often takes being  in a position of helplessness, unable to change a situation, to understand that we humans don't direct the flow life. Hexagram 17 is generally called Adapting. It refers to hanging onto our principles and ethics, but adjusting our sails when the wind changes. We don't need to waste our energy battling reality, but if we adjust to it, we will likely see what is helpful for us to do.

Candle Carrier

From the Japaridze Tarot, the Queen of Fire (Wands); from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 17:

          This woman's candle lights the way for herself and others. The flame represents her passion and enthusiasm - what inspires and moves her to action. Yet because she is a queen, she is also a nurturer who wants others to find their flames too. Buddha stated: "It is like a lighted torch whose flame can be distributed to ever so many other torches which people may bring along; and therewith they will cook food and dispel darkness, while the original torch itself remains burning ever the same." The Queen knows sharing will create more light, not less. Hexagram 17 is often entitled 'Adapting,' and refers to being flexible enough to happily be a guide or a follower. The point is not who gets to be the leader, but making progress without the interference of the ego. When there's no personal ladder to climb, everyone benefits.