It Tends to Stick

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Manipulation:

Beached under the spumy blooms, we lie sea-sick and fever-dry.

―Sylvia Plath

It's not just our own rigid beliefs that can beach us; being manipulated by the lies or half-truths of another can do the same. Why do we believe what is false? Prefactuals - information we hear before facts are known is a key. Our expectations can override the evidence we are presented with later (climate change is a hoax, for example). Researchers have also found that misinformation is likely to stick when it conforms to our pre-existing political, religious, or social point of view. In other words, we prefer the bonds of our tribe to the truth. But wouldn't it be better to row alone, away from a sinking ship?

Keep the Questions Coming

From the Alchemical Tarot Renewed, the Nine of Swords; from the Oracle of the Radiant Sun, Manipulation (Jupiter in Scorpio):

Life is a whole journey of meeting your edge again and again. That’s where you’re challenged; that’s where, if you’re a person who wants to live, you start to ask yourself questions like, “Now, why am I so scared? What is it that I don’t want to see? Why can’t I go any further than this?”

― Pema Chödrön

This fellow has met his edge; either he will become overwhelmed and give up, or he will start questioning those thoughts fueled by intense emotions. If he's curious, he might discover those swords are hanging over him but pose no immediate threat. Manipulation (Jupiter in Scorpio) takes away people's freedom to choose - people are told what to think instead of how to think. It is another edge, one that we might notice if we realize a particular viewpoint is being shoved at us. Apply Albert Einstein's words to the situation: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” If you've ever been asked 'why' a million times in an hour by a preschooler, you know the power of the question!