Layers

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Absurd, created and self-published by Jessica Rose Shanahan. I'll also be using another self-published deck, the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk by Masha Falkov. The draws for today are the Page of Blades and Matrioshka:

I understand how a first impression is often just that: a quick snapshot that, on its own merit, is meaningless. —Adriana Trigiani

This sly, saucy Page has a mind as quick as lightning and a tongue as sharp as her sword. She is full of knowledge and likes to surprise people with how much she knows. Though she understands and collects information, it amounts to one grain from all the world's beaches. She has not yet grasped that what she wields isn't wisdom; it will take time and experience to learn to use it well rather than as a weapon or as an arrogant display. Matrioshka, or Russian nesting dolls reminds us that first impressions may not accurately give us enough information to judge a situation or person. We all have had days when we were stressed and reacted badly, or in the past, when we were young and cocky. Given some time, a fuller picture can be revealed, good or bad.

Plodding Forward

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the Eight of Sticks; from the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk, Matrioshka:

          I must be honest and say that when I saw the sprinters in this card, I groaned. I'm exhausted this morning due to several emotional situations I'm trying to keep delicately balanced. Yet these women aren't blindly running through the woods - they are headed toward a goal line. They have kept a steady pace through the long miles, but now that the end is near, they are digging deep and focusing all the energy they have left to cross the finish line. Me? I'm the tortoise crawling along outside the frame of this card (steady but slow as molasses in the winter). The Matrioshka, or Russian nesting dolls, show about a dozen of a set with the tops taken off. These dolls remind me that there are layers beneath everything. A book is more than its cover, a person is more than his or her labels, and a situation is more than my initial reaction to it. Perhaps as I plod along, I can consider what I might not be seeing...

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, 

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. 

~ Shakespeare, "Hamlet"

A Closer Inspection

From the Tarot of the Absurd, Temperance; from the Post-Psychedelic Cyberpunk Deck, "Matrioshka:"

          These angels initially appeared to be mirror images, but upon closer inspection, I see the hair, wings, body shape and foot position are different. It is human nature to look for differences instead of commonalities, but this card suggests doing the opposite. Separation becomes combination; all or nothing becomes compromise. Rather than choosing one thing over another, a blend of the two creates something wonderful and beneficial.
          The Russian nesting dolls suggest looking much deeper than the surface to uncover the truth. I've never failed to be amazed by the layers underneath the normal exteriors of humans. Taking the time to get to know someone more than superficially makes it impossible to put them in a neatly labeled box. I was listening to a talk by Tara Brach the other day, and she had her listeners imagine coming across a cowering dog hiding among shrubbery. We talk softly to it and reach out to pet it, but the dog suddenly snaps and snarls. Immediately we might judge the dog for its behavior. But then we notice one of its legs is caught in a trap, and our hearts open with compassion because we now understand its response. The story was a good reminder not to rush to a verdict about someone because of their words or actions. You never know what inner injury lies behind outward behavior.