A Great Treasure

From the Tyldwick Tarot, the Hanged Man; from the Antiquarian Lenormand, House:

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. —Lao Tzu

The Oak King, a personification of summer and the growing season, has been "sacrificed" so that his counterpart, the Holly King (personification of winter and the fallow season) can take his turn in the seasonal cycle. The apparatus on the table in front of the Hanged Man is a Newton's cradle which demonstrates Newton's Third Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. At the moment, it shows no movement. It is natural that at times we all find ourselves suspended, unable to affect or control our outer circumstances. Yet that pause might help us see things we've been missing in our busyness. The Lenormand House in this pairing reminds me of waiting in anticipation - for repairs or renovations to be finished or perhaps for company to come (or leave). Stillness and patience are traits that are worthy of cultivating. 

Limbo

This week I'll be using the Roots of Asia Tarot, created by Amnart Klanprachar with Thaworn Boonyawan and published by AGM Müller. I'll also be using the Mah Jongg Oracle, created by Derek Walters and published by Thunder Bay Press. Today's cards are the Hanged Man and House:

          This fellow doesn't hang over solid ground, but an abyss. That is exactly how I feel when life has pulled the rug from underneath me, and I discover I can't control a situation. There is a sensation of being in limbo, with nothing to grab onto that is solid. Yet as the head he hangs from implies, the problem is not with external changing events (which is natural), but with my acceptance of them. The House, on the other hand, represents what is solid and tangible. It is a reminder of all the people, places and things that I use to define and identify the "me" that resides inside this flesh and bones. But because everything is impermanent, my roles and identifications can suddenly dissolve. What happens when a child leaves home, a spouse or parent dies, a job is terminated, a group disbands or the body begins to wear out? My "me" can go into panic mode, struggling to find firm footing where there is none. Buddhists use the term "no-self" as a way to let go; it allows me to recognize there is nothing permanent which I can call a self. Awareness can help me hang over the abyss without struggling.

After more than a century of looking for it, brain researchers have long since concluded that there is no conceivable place for a self to be located in the physical brain, and that it simply does not exist. – TIME Magazine

Separate but not Equal

This week I'll be using the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy, originally made for the publishing house of Ferdinando Gumppenberg in 1810 but now published by Lo Scarabeo. Lee Bursten's Marseille Tarot Companion will be my guide booklet. I'll also be using the Lenormand de Marseilles, created and self-published by Edmund Zebrowski. (As a side note, I will be reading this as an oracle rather than traditionally.) Today's draws are the Nine of Swords and "House:"

       Bursten assigns the Swords suit to the keyword "defending" and the number Nine to the phrase "you deserve it." Looking at the lone sword in between the other two groups, it does seem to be protecting one side from another. The "deserve" part is an encouragement to look at my thoughts and beliefs honestly and objectively. What is real and worth my concern, and what is pure speculation with no evidence to back it up? It appears that half those worries can be discarded.
       The House card represents family, home and safety. Ah, here's the root of my anxious ruminations. Life has been full of challenges lately in this regard, but those swords warn me to keep fact separated from fantasy. If I'm going to protect what I hold dear, I need to know the right place to focus my energy.