Giving Spirit

 From the Tarot of the Masters, the King of Coins; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Joker:

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. ~James Keller

Ricklef's drawing is based on John's Leech's The Ghost of Christmas Present, an illustration in Dicken's first edition of A Christmas Carol. This Christmas spirit was the personification of cheerfulness, hope and generosity. He has something in common with the King of Coins, who believes in sharing his good fortune with those in need. Yet his goal is not merely to fill the needs of others, but to lift them up so that they might be able to provide for themselves. The Joker is paired with the nursery rhyme of the spider inviting the fly into its parlor, an invitation which the fly smartly declines. This trickster reminds us there is a difference between giving without expectations and giving without strings attached. He also would caution us with the words of D.C. Hyden: "“Enabling is the mortal enemy of consequences.”

Paranoia to Possibility

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Fool; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Joker:

Rather than assuming you will know how people will act, take a deep breath and open yourself to the possibility that today is a new day. —Yael Shy

          The Fool asks us to move from distrust to charitable assumption, from paranoia to possibility. For anyone who's taken a beating from life, this may be hard advice to swallow. Survival mode is hard to replace with optimism. But perhaps we can try to be curious and open rather than absolutely sure Armageddon is on the horizon. The Joker card is paired with a verse by Mary Howitt about a spider attempting to trick a fly by inviting it into its parlor. The Joker warns that while we can be open-minded, we don't have to shelve our discernment. We must learn to listen and observe through an unfiltered lens. In the words of Kenneth Copeland, "Sometimes you can tell what something is by what is isn't."

Walk Humbly

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Masters, created and self-published by James Ricklef. (I'll also be referring to Ricklef's Tarot Affirmations book.) The oracle deck I'll be using is The Key to the Kingdom, a transformational cards and booklet set created by Tony Meeuwissen and published by Running Press. Today's draws are Justice and the 'Joker:'

          Lady Justice sits with the sword of truth and right action in one hand and the scales of balance and discernment in the other. Looking at this card, a verse from the prophet Micah popped into my head when he told the people what was expected of them: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Justice is balanced with mercy and humility. Part of being humble means I realize that it is nearly impossible not to let my beliefs and opinions influence any decisions I make. My stuff will always have an effect on how I perceive the world. Perhaps that's why we need mercy too. The Joker is paired with verses written by Mary Howitt. A spider invites a fly into its parlor in a friendly way, but the fly knows its motives and doesn't accept the invitation. Should the spider be punished? He only acted as nature created him after all. Both these cards remind me that if I know who I'm dealing with (and it is someone untrustworthy), I shouldn't want revenge if I get involved and then taken advantage of. Would the fly think it could outsmart the spider once it was in its web? My energy would be better used to warn others away and expose this person.

But the View is Lovely....

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Tower; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Joker:

          When I see this version of the Tower, I always think of a failed wedding cake. I believe it is Ricklef's take on the Tower of Babel. What in the world would make people arrogant enough to think they could actually build a tower to heaven? Power, money, prestige and knowledge would probably all be in the running for such egoic audacity. The Joker's verse is about the Spider who tries to entice the Fly into its parlor. The Fly has a good dose of common sense and replies:

To ask me is in vain;

For who goes up your winding stair

Can ne'er come down again. 

The 'winding stair' could be describing the tower's sides, a good analogy for how the ego can take us to the top. But then life pushes us off because our hearts and minds are closed to other opinions and ideas, and we fail to see reality as it is. May I hold on to common sense today while my mouth stays closed and my mind open.

Come Into My Parlor

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Hierophant:

I almost feel sorry for this guy, as I imagine he would like some peace and solitude. Constantly leaders are badgered for money, drilled for answers to unsolvable questions and forced to listen to people drone on and on about their problems. Whether a leader of a country, the head of a group or organization, the manager of a business, or the head of a family, there are nonstop decisions to make and flack to deal with once a choice has been made. I would love to ask Obama how he deals with the stress of his job and where he goes to clear his head. I think to be an efficient and successful leader, it is important to access what the Buddhist's call "beginner's mind," an objective place away from emotional opinions and preconceived ideas.

From the Key to the Kingdom comes the card "Joker:"

Will you walk into my parlor?

Said the Spider to the Fly

The spider in this nursery rhyme tries to tempt the fly by describing all the wonderful things he wants to show him. Of course the fly is no dummy and knows exactly what's up and declines the offer. I am reminded by this card to be discerning and investigate what someone tells me is the answer to the solution I'm seeking. There are spiders out there who have their own agenda and certainly aren't concerned with my welfare.

All That Glitters...

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Nine of Cups:

Here's the king of the manor sitting butt-naked (as we say in the South) in all his glory.  He and his family are doing their best to live up to the saying, "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die."  Now I'm all for having fun, but I do know that any kind excess is going to come back and bite me in the behind, whether it's an upset stomach or a credit card bill.  I can't help but think of the children's story The Emperor's New Clothes, where the king would rather believe a lie that made him feel "better than" rather than accept reality.  In the end though, he had no choice but to open his eyes.  So today I will enjoy myself, but I'll also keep in mind that if I overindulge, no one's going to pay the price but me.

     From the Key to the Kingdom deck comes the "Joker:"

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly, "tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy; the way into my parlor is up a winding stair, and I have many curious things to show when you are there."  "Oh, no, no," said the little Fly; "to ask me is in vain; for who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again." ~Mary Howitt

I wish I could say that was a wise fly who listened to her gut, but unfortunately the rest of the poem tells a different story.  The spider uses charm and flattery and eventually gets his meal.  This card reminds me to watch people's behavior and trust my intuition instead of just listening to silky-smooth words.  All that glitter and bling is rarely worth what you end up paying for it.