Checkup from the Neck Up

This week I'll be using the Margarete Petersen Tarot, created by M. Petersen and published by Königs Furt. The oracle I'll be using is the Elemental Dice. Today's card and dice roll are the Moon and Lightning (Air + Fire):

 We habitually jump to thoughts and feelings about what is being perceived. These thoughts and feelings, rooted in past experiences and conditioning, then influence the mood of our mind. 

—Ruth King

The woman on the left pillar is finally seeing that her free will is not very free at all. The unconscious is a mental file cabinet that immediately sends to the conscious mind any file remotely relevant to our current situation, yanking our chain according to past encounters. So much of what we think and feel is tied to our past and greatly influences how we respond. Yet Lightning, a massive electrostatic discharge from cloud to ground, suggests we find a way to pause and looks with discernment at what the mind tells us. I've found two tools that are helpful in this regard: a fearless inventory of my life and meditation. A inventory helps me become aware of patterns that have become habitual but are unskillful or harmful; awareness can aid in change. Meditation allows me to see just what is swirling around in my head so that I don't unconsciously react to it.

Before fixing what you're looking at, check what you're looking through.

—Mark Nepo 

On the See-Saw

This week I'll be using the Ship of Fools Tarot created by Brian Williams and published by Llewellyn. Paired with it will be the Wisdom of the Four Winds created by Barry Brailsford, illustrated by Cecilie Okada and published by StonePrint Press. Today's draws are the Nine of Cups and Lightning:

A large group of fools seem to be celebrating one of their own; I can almost hear them singing "For he's a jolly good fellow." It's nice to get that pat on the back, but I can't help but think of Buddhism's Eight Worldly Concerns: gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and insignificance, and pleasure and pain. As Lightning appears, it reminds me that we never get to stay on the 'up' side of the see-saw for too long. Yet if we spend all of our time worrying and trying to avoid the negative side, we use up a lot of energy that could have been used for enjoying life. Life, like see-saws, will always move up and down.

 It's helpful to focus on the center of practice: Transforming reactivity and learning better how to respond skillfully in all parts of our lives. ~Donald Rothberg

A Third Option

From the Margarate Petersen Tarot, the Two of Flames (Wands); from the roll of the Elemental Dice, Lightning (Air + Fire):

          Between a Moon and a Sun, two figures embrace. The Twos are about choice; in this card, we choose the alliances and purpose that spur us to action. Will we be receptive like the Moon, or assertive like the Sun? Will we serve our own desires or consider those of others? In which direction will our drive and determination be steered? The Lightning roll implies an epiphany or inspiration - rather than either/or, it offers a third option.  In Buddhism, prajna (wisdom) is perceiving the true nature of reality. It's like looking everywhere for our glasses, then suddenly realizing they are on the top of our head. Such discernment helps eliminate the pull of emotions, opinions, and attachments in order to see what is needed.

Once we perceive, we habitually jump to thoughts and feelings about what is being perceived. These thoughts and feelings, rooted in past experiences and conditioning, then influence the mood of our mind. When perception, thoughts, and feelings are repeated or imprinted through experiences, they solidify into view or belief. —Ruth King

Truth or Agenda?

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Son of Feathers (Knight of Swords); from the Elemental Dice, Fire + Wind (Lightning):

          This young man seated on the ground (behind the feather) reminded me of an integral part of a Tibetan monk's training - debate. It is seen as a way to expand the mind, increase mental sharpness, develop analytical capacity, and gain internal clarity. The debate begins with an invocation to Manjushri, the boddhisattva of wisdom, as a reminder to the participants that the goal is truth, not winning. The challenger sets the topic of debate (whom I see as the dragon in this image), and the defender asserts a thesis. The challenger asks questions to see if he can get the defender to accept something contradictory to his thesis. The challenger's questions don't have to be based in truth; the defender attempts not to be trapped by errors and contradict himself. I can imagine the Knight of Swords/Feathers would relish this kind of intellectual exchange. The Elemental Dice show the side of this Knight when winning becomes more important than truth or compassion: Lightning. Like this electrical discharge that can cause so much damage, the tongue and mind combined must be carefully monitored. I need to be aware of my motives and any "emotional charge" I might carry. Is it truth and justice I'm seeking, or do I just want to push my agenda because I think I'm right?

Permeable Philosophy

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Six of Feathers (Swords):

Six feathers lie in a basket, the bottom of which has been woven so loosely it reminds in of a sieve.  This painting made me think back to how I was as a young adult - headstrong, argumentative, and sure I had all the answers to everything.  But life has a way of providing lessons unasked for, and those beliefs and opinions I held so dearly went through a sifting process, allowing me to let go of assumptions and illusions I had treated as facts.  The philosophy I live by today is fairly permeable, allowing ideas to come and go quite easily compared to my younger days.  Yet while the "beads" slide on and off as beliefs are held and released, there is a thread of truth stringing them together that I maintain.

From the roll of the Elemental Dice this morning comes "Fire with Air" representing "Lightning:"

Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge caused by unbalanced electric charges in the atmosphere.  For lightning to strike, the circuit must be complete or the energy will just keep moving without going anywhere or doing anything. To connect the circuit, lightning may strike in three places: intracloud, cloud to cloud, or cloud to ground. Adding this information to the card above, all the beliefs and opinions I have need to be grounded in reality, or like the electrical energy, they will keep me spinning in circles going nowhere.