Is There a Cure for Greed?

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, the Four of Coins; from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, Kauri:

The usurers perpetrate a vile trade

And prey upon the poor

Without heed, that in so doing

They starve the world.

~Das Narrenschiff

The only thing worse than a miserly person is one who is stingy and greedy. Usuers (a person who lends money at unreasonably high rates of interest) are getting rich while the poor get poorer. As a former bookkeeper for a business, I often had to deal with garnishing employee wages when someone couldn't pay back their loans. I remember telling one lender, who called to verify employment, not to give a person a loan because he would not be able to pay it back at such a high rate of interest. They gave it to him anyway. These companies create a debt treadmill that makes struggling families worse off than they were before - but they don't care because they are raking in money. Kauri is a huge tree with a trunk diameter big enough to rival Californian sequoias. The size and strength of kauri timber made it a popular wood for construction and ship building, but by 1900 less than 10 per cent of the original kauri survived. Balance is its message, and makes me wish for a cure for greed.

Avarice hoards itself poor; charity gives itself rich.

~German proverb

Be Filled with Wonder

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, the Stars; from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, 'Kauri:'

          The Fool and a young man look up at a night sky full of stars. In the companion booklet, Williams hints that when we lose hope, we also lose our ability to be awed. With wonder comes mystery; with mystery comes the realization that we don't know everything. After going through (or in the middle of) a painful situation, it's easy to lose hope when we think we know how things are going to turn out. These quotes from Pema Chodron give some guidance in line with the message of the Stars:

We sow the seeds of our future hells or happiness by the way we open or close our minds right now.

All you need to know is that the future is wide open and you are about to create it by what you do.

The Kauri is a coniferous tree found in the northern part of New Zealand. When the tree is damaged, it exudes a sap to close the wound. This conifer also sheds a great amount of bark and lower limbs to protect itself from parasitic plants and vines. The combination of these cards suggests that often the worst parasites damaging our hope for change is our own thoughts. Why not shed them and open up to the spaciousness and wonder of the night sky? 

Who's in Charge Here?

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, the Cart (Chariot); from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, "Kauri:"

Why is it I get the feeling that the donkey pulling the cart is the only one who has a clue about where this group is supposed to be headed? What a perfect example of the committee that rides around in my head. There's Mr. Fear of the Future wondering if they should be ducking for cover instead of moving. Behind him is Mr. Regret of the Past bringing up all those mistakes and misfortunes of days gone by. The rest of the wagon is filled with the Sense Family. I can hear one of them shouting "Oooo, pretty flowers! Can we stop here?" Another one declares he smells fresh biscuits baking and demands that they stop for breakfast (again). Somewhere in that madcap congregation Mr. Present Moment is sitting; I think he's the only one that is going to keep that cart progressing in the right direction.
Brailsford describes Kauri as the "Mother of the Trees." She is said to bring the gift of balance and reminds us to "focus on the greater purpose." What a fitting companion card for the Chariot. Yet while Kauri has her roots sunk deep into the earth, her branches reach for the sky. Her leaves flutter and dance in the breeze, while her trunk offers support. I do need to stay grounded and balanced if I am to grow and move toward my goals. However, I need time to play too. I doubt I'll reach any objective if I can't have a little fun along the way.