From Color to Black and White

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Empress; from the Rumi Cards, The Moon kisses secretly:

          I looked at this Empress and thought, "Something's wrong." Then I realized it was her gown; instead of having bright red pomegranates, hers is gray and black. All around her is vibrant color and abundance, but she's in that gray place, where it feels like the joy has been sucked from the marrow. She is supposed to be a generous and open spirit, a Creatrix, a tender nurturer and a lover of the sensual. Yet this Empress is only going through the motions, doing what she is supposed to do, while her glowing light fades. The Rumi card hints at what may gently push her back to technicolor again - gratitude. But it's extremely hard to feel genuinely grateful when you don't feel great. Tell someone in the gray zone to write down what they appreciate about life, and you'd better duck because a journal might suddenly fly at your head. Affirmations may poke the conscious mind, but don't make a dent in the unconscious. A 2010 study in Psychological Science found that individuals were more likely to successfully complete an action if they phrased their affirmation as a question.  Clinical psychologist Sophie Henshaw suggests that using interrogative self-talk instead of declarative statements can help make the unconscious our ally. Questions can probe for answers, activate our curiosity and remind us of our resources (gratitude!). Our inquisitiveness can help us look at ourselves objectively and honestly without battling our thoughts and feelings. When we’re relaxed and open with what we find, a better attitude and positive behavior will more likely follow.

Scenic Drives

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Lovers; from the Rumi Cards, "moon kisses:"

       Instead of thinking of love when I saw this card, I thought about choice. The man looks at the woman, who focuses on the angel, who looks down on both. Most RWS interpretations speak of an equal partnership between people, but today this feels different. The partnership is in the way I balance the sacred and mundane. No matter how spiritual I'd like to be, I still have to take care of the basics in the real world. Yet the angel seems to say that both of these parts of life are holy and woven together; neither one is better than the other.
       The Rumi card reminds me that what I love is what I give my attention to and what I spend time doing. Whether dealing with the sacred or mundane, am I mindful or mindless? Churning out thoughts doesn't mean I'm consciously aware of what I'm doing. The New Yorker had a cartoon that illustrates how most of us (including myself!) go through our days:

Meditation teacher Tara Brach says that 98% of our thoughts are a repetition from the days before. Tedious indeed! If I want to connect on a deep level instead of a surface one, I need to try and choose awareness instead of thinking, "as soon as I get through this, I can go do..." Love is a verb and requires that I drive through life wide awake no matter what the scenery looks like.