Not a Matter of Intensity

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Two of Pentacles; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the Island of the Ancestors:

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.

- Thomas Merton

This card made me think of a seesaw today, with the person as the fulcrum. With the old seesaws, when a person got off the seat at the bottom and you were at the top, you would hit the ground and bruise your bum. When life gets chaotic as we try to balance our physical and material needs, we can forget to stay in the center. When we shift to one side - overdoing things in one area and forgetting the others - we'll eventually hit the ground with a thud. That pain is life's little warning. The Island of Ancestors shows a hermit who gradually built the island with pieces of sod and saplings that washed up. The birds that gathered there were souls that he gave a place to rest. This card suggests that we work steadily but sensibly, using our energy wisely and prudently. 

Firm Beneath My Feet

This week I'll be using the Transformational Tarot, created by Arnell Ando and published by U.S. Games.  Today's draw is the Six of Swords:

A knight rides away from a battle, carrying two children to safety.  The Six of Swords speaks of heading toward a place of refuge after a struggle of some sort.  Just from personal experience, I find that even when I leave a chaotic or traumatic time of my life, I sometimes take the ways of thinking that helped me survive with me.  That kind of mindset might have helped me through those hard times, but if I hold on to it, and it can prevent me from living a fulfilling life.  The rainbow in the card is a promise of a new start, and the hawk that flies overhead tells me I must look at the big picture now, not just a tiny piece of it.  There's baggage I need to leave behind to make this journey a lighter one...

The oracle deck I'll be using this week is the Celtic Book of the Dead published by Grange Books.  It was created by Caitlin Matthews and illustrated by Danuta Mayer.  This morning's card is the "Island of the Ancestors:"

In Maelduin's voyage to the Otherworld, he and his crew come to a small island inhabited by a hermit who had been shipwrecked years ago.  He created the island by laying down a piece of sod from his homeland; since then, the island had grown larger each year, supplying him with water and food.  The birds that roosted in the trees there were the spirits of his ancestors.  This card teaches the importance of the element of earth - how it can provide me with not only stability and security, but also a sense of belonging.  When I am adapting to new situations whether through loss or change, I need to find some simple, physical thing that can help ground me and keep the fears of "What's next? What now?" from overwhelming me.  Even some insignificant daily task can keep me tethered to the now instead of drifting into the past or future.  My walks have been helpful in this regard; no matter how the seasons change, the ground stays firm beneath my feet.