Whistle While You Work

This week I'll be using the Hezicos Tarot, created and self-published by Mary Griffin. Along with it I'll be using the Way of the Horse, an oracle deck and book set created by Linda Kohanov with Kim McElroy and published by New World Library. The two cards drawn for today are the Nine of Coins and the Language of the Breath:

          Sitting on a mound of gathered fruit, this orchard fairy welcomes a ladybug and butterfly. Though these insects could care less about the fruit, they were compensated by the plants that needed them for aphid extermination and pollination. It seems that all three of these winged beings worked hard according to their abilities and were justly rewarded for their efforts. There's no sense of entitlement here - everyone does their fair share.
          When there's a task to be done, it's easy for me to reside in my head. I might be doing the job, but my mind is hours ahead thinking about what I'm going to be doing when I finish. Very little attention is paid to what is going on in the moment, particularly if it is some kind of menial chore. The gift associated with this horse is: "When you use your entire body as an organ of perception, you embrace the world and sense your place in it more deeply." My five senses can connect me to the joy of the moment, drowning out my whiny ego when it complains that the work is boring or thankless.

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from. ~ Seth Godin

Nonverbal Communication

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the Way of the Horse Oracle, the "Language of the Breath:"

The children playing at the beach bring back memories of my childhood for me. Whenever I choose the Six of Cups card, I generally look to see what from my past can be integrated into my present. For a while I was stumped as I looked at this card, but then I remembered that for the past several nights I've dreamed about my Grandfather Garrison. I lived with my grandparents from birth until about age five, a time period I am very grateful for now. My grandfather was a quiet, kind and gentle man. He grew up on a farm in Kentucky, and I often wondered if spending so much time outdoors early in life was why he liked to take long walks every day in the evening. Once, when he had become quite elderly, he didn't come home from his walk. My grandmother was in a panic and about to send out the cavalry, when he showed up. He apologized for the worry; he had gotten tired, sat down on a park bench and had fallen asleep.
My first reaction to the horse card was to notice how it appears to be taking a look back - quite appropriate paired with the Six of Cups. The Language of the Breath emphasizes nonverbal communication, something I most definitely see with my grandfather. He had a way of just being with people without saying much, a way of making them feel supported and listened to without ever trying to fix them in any way. I think his message is a timely one for me, and I would do well to heed it.

Connection

  From the Hezicos Tarot comes another major arcana card, the Lovers:

  

A couple, surrounded by the prolific growth of Virginia creeper, gaze into each others eyes.  In the South, this woody vine grows up everything - trees, fences, houses and telephone poles.  Wherever there is a support, it will thrive.  I am reminded by this particular card of how opposites can not only attract, but can complement each other.  My husband and I are an example; he's a procrastinator, and I'm the one who wants things finished by yesterday.  He's more of a spontaneous, "go with the flow" type guy, and I'm the one known as "the organizer."  Like the yin and yang, we balance each other by being respectful of the others opinion, thus allowing our relationship to flourish.

     The card drawn from the Way of the Horse deck today is "Language of the Breath:"

The warm breath of a horse makes a mist in the cold morning air.  The gift of this card is the ability to use one's entire body to perceive; the challenge is in learning to see with the heart.  Watch a group of horses when one picks up something is "off" - the whole herd suddenly becomes alert.  Most animals use their whole bodies as sensing and perceiving devices, not just their eyesight or their minds.  When I notice my breath coming faster, my heart rate accelerating, and my gut twisting in a knot, my body is trying to tell me to pay attention.  This response can come in other ways, such as an ache in my chest when I am around someone who is hurting.  If I try to logically sort out these "vibes," I'll probably just ignore them.  But they are my antennae into another realm of awareness if I will use them...