Modeling Job

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Universe (World); from the Mystic Glyphs, Leader:

The World/Universe represents wholeness, a place of completion at the end of a cycle. Yet it is also a place where we find our eyes and perhaps hearts have been opened wider, seeing from a perspective that understands our connection as diverse parts of a great organism. If only we could remember this viewpoint and our relationship with all when we begin a new cycle and go about our daily activities! The Leader glyph suggests we need not wait for everyone else to recognize this interconnection - we can model it ourselves. What might this look like? Frank Martela, a psychologist in Finland (the happiest country in the world) gives three things Finnish folks don't do that promote a high quality of life:

1) We don’t compare ourselves to our neighbors (forget trying to look successful).

2) We don’t overlook the benefits of nature (spending time outdoors increases well-being).

3) We don’t break the community circle of trust (respond with honesty, respect and integrity).

Lots of Loves

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Queen of Cups; from the Over the Moon Oracle, Leader (King of Clubs):

         Guinevere represents the Queen of Cups, a woman who loved a king for his kind heart yet also loved his best friend romantically. Several types of love are identified by the Greek philosophers:

1. Eros - sexual, passionate love
2. Philia - friendship
3. Storge - familial love, fondness for the familiar
4. Agape - universal love, unconditional altruism
5. Ludus - playful love with no strings attached
6. Pragma - practical love founded on duty
7. Philautia - self-love (which can be healthy or unhealthy)

I imagine all of us who've lived past the half century mark have experienced all of these. But the Leader card asks me which one of these loves motivates me and guides me. I'd like to say the Agape form, but I know too intimately my selfish, human nature. Still, it is a good intention to start my day with.

A Daydreaming Do-Nothing?

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Seven of Cups:

It's nice to dream and visualize about what we think might bring us emotional fulfillment. It's like going to a clothing store and trying on pants and shirts to see which ones fit and look good before actually buying anything. But if I don't ever purchase anything, then I end up with nothing to show for my time spent in the dressing room. My creative muse can keep me in this "trying on" cycle; I get a brief period of feeling good while my mind engages in all sorts of imaginings. Yet I end up with nothing tangible because I don't actually follow through on any of my ideas. Come on daydreamer, up and at'em.

From the Mystic Glyphs deck comes "Leader:"

In describing this glyph, Rogers uses the phrase "speak now or forever hold your peace." In other words, it's time to stop wishing and wanting someone else to act or open their mouth. Prachett's character Susan in the Hogfather explains it perfectly: “The phrase 'Someone ought to do something' was not, by itself, a helpful one. People who used it never added the rider 'and that someone is me'.”