Seeds of the Past

From the Sheridan-Douglas Tarot, the Wheel of Change; from the Pages of Shustah, Mammoth:

Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac

A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back, you can never look back."

—Don Henley

I see a lot of posts on Facebook by people who seem to think the past was so much better than today. Psychologists have even named the cognitive biases for this: rosy retrospection (recalling the past more positively than it was actually experienced) and declinism (viewing the past more favorably and the future more negatively). Sure, some things were simpler and slower in the past, but life was also hard and distressing - for instance, having limited medical tools and knowledge. I don't agree with Henley that we should never look back, but I do think there's no going back. Mammoth shows up to tell us that we all carry seeds of our past. If we want a better present and future, it's time to take a look at them and see if they are worth cultivating or not.

Kilroy was Here

From the Sheridan Douglas Tarot, the King of Wands:

 

 

This king looks like he's ready to hit one out of the ballpark because of the way he's holding the staff.  He is green - from head to toe - telling me that he's all about making progress toward his goals.  Action is fine, as long as you're purposefully moving forward.  But look at the design and cut at the top of his tunic; it reminds me of the "Kilroy was here" graffiti that started in World War II and continued popping up everywhere as a joke.  So it's not that the King of Wands doesn't want me to have fun, he just suggests I get my work done first.

From the Pages of Shustah deck comes the "Mammoth:"

 

This extinct mammal was a good choice to represent the past.  It hints that I might need to reflect on how the past is affecting my present.  If I'm moving in circles and not making progress (as the King of Wands above would demand), then I need to see if habitual thoughts or behaviors are the cause.  The green of the mammoth mirrors the green of the king, and indicates that if progress is going to be made then changes must be made as well.