Just Keep at It

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Seven of Wands; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Horseradish:

Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while working.

— Henri Matisse

Sometimes the only way to silence the cynics is to keep our heads down and continue working rather than trying to explain things or win them over. The first blush of success (as with this stem bursting with blooms) can often turn their loud growls of disapproval down to low mutterings. If we're waiting on validation from others, we'll probably never have the confidence to keep going. Horseradish makes every sauce and condiment bracing with its biting flavor. In herbal medicine, it is used for sinus issues, like cold and flu, because its pungency helps to relieve congestion. It reminds us that no matter what our accomplishments, we're going to need to spice up our projects when the usual becomes stale. It can be challenging to move away what was favored and try something new, but even if it falls flat, doing something different can shift our imagination in new directions.  

I've been volunteering at the library for about 5 years now, creating artwork for the display case in the foyer and for the children's bulletin board. (These were for our summer reading program this year.) I have to rely on Maya Angelou's wisdom: “You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

If Bitterness Prevails

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Hanged Man; from the Nature's Pharmacy deck, Horseradish:

It is hardly possible to build anything if frustration, bitterness and a mood of helplessness prevail. ―Lech Walesa

The male black widow (much smaller and different in appearance from the female) gives his life when he mates. In some cases, he offers himself as food to the female; in other species, he simply dies after mating. His sacrificial death enables the species to continue. The Hanged Man asks us to make a sacrifice, often a surrender to how life is rather than how we demand it to be. Such a surrender doesn't mean folding our hand. Instead, it gives us the clarity to see what we can't control and what we might influence so that we can respond more skillfully. Horseradish's root has a biting, spicy flavor when eaten, yet its eye-watering flavor only lasts a few moments. Likewise, allowing life to flow without spending all of our time fighting it can let our bitterness pass instead of us becoming stuck in it.  

Get Some Sleep

From the Anima Mundi Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Nature's Pharmacy deck, Horseradish:

Wyreweden illustrates her Nine of Swords with a turkey vulture, a scavenger that feeds almost exclusively on recently dead carrion. Having a particularly large olfactory lobe, it is able to search high above the treetops by picking up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. Likewise, we humans have a tendency to sniff out trouble, even if it is irrelevant or imagined. Horseradish is known for its root, which makes is used to make pungent, eye-watering condiments. Its distinctive taste comes from allyl isothiocyanate (mustard oil), a compound released when the root is crushed. Yet once exposed to air or heat, grated or chopped horseradish loses its pungency. These cards imply that before I spin out about something, I should expose what I'm worried or angry about to a little air and heat (solid evidence). Is this something that actually has to do with me (is it even my business)? Is this in the future, something that may or may not happen, something that I don't have enough information on at present to make a wise judgment on? It would be smarter to let it go and get a good night's sleep.

Redirect, Your Honor

From the Via Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, Horseradish:

          This guy has nine swords protruding from his mind, each held by a skeletal hand. At the top is an inset of two figures, one who appears to be casting the other into a vortex of doom. People can truly be pissers sometimes, but no one does cruelty like we can do to ourselves. Give the mind a little resentment or fear to chew on, and it can do wondrous (and horrible) things with them. Do it long enough, and you end up as a victim with a terrible case of analysis paralysis. What does the Pharmacy deck produce for an antidote? Horseradish. This herb's common name comes from its coarse leaves and thick root (sturdy like a horse) and for its pungent taste (radish). I know of it mostly as a sauce - the condiment with the kick of a horse. We used often at oyster roasts when I was in college (it covered the taste for me, until I got drunk enough not to care). Both these cards brought back a memory of my mom right after the love of her life died. She told me she could get up every morning as long as she had a purpose, something to look forward to. I think this guy would be wise to redirect his mind to a positive focus that he could get excited about and anticipate too.