Attention is the Key

This week I'll be using the Wild Unknown Tarot, created and self-published by Kim Krans. I'll also be using the Pictish Oracle, researched and drawn by myself, then lasered onto wooden tiles by a friend. Today's draws are the Moon and Tongs:

This emphasis on the unconscious driving our behavior and influencing our judgements, decisions and choices has been vastly over-emphasized. —Ben Newell

The Moon shows a waning moon, suggesting a time for letting go of things. The evergreen trees (endurance) seem to have no ground showing beneath them. Such groundlessness is an apt description of the Moon, when things are confusing and unsettled. We might wonder why we feel or behave in particular ways around certain people or specific situations, or why we at times make impulsive decisions. It would be nice to blame this on our unconscious - a repository of information that can guide us. Yet current research indicates that we are more likely governed by conscious thinking than by our unconscious. Attention is the key. Conscious awareness is the broad, open space of perceiving, while attention is a focused beam. The Tongs - an instrument for handling hot metal safely - suggests we focus our attention on a specific thought, motive or feeling and look at it with curiosity rather than as truth. Though attention, insight can allow us to see things as they actually are. 

 

Cloudy Within

From the Stone Tarot, the Moon; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 19:256:

Darkness within clouds the world without.

―Anasazi Foundation

Our perception of reality is not an accurate reflection but a constructed interpretation. This subjective view is shaped by our prior experiences, expectations, cultural background, emotions, and physical states. If we're having a bad morning, we're likely going to view everything with the taint of negativity until that mood changes. The Moon reminds us that what we think is going on could be like the reflection of a fun house mirror. The Dhammapada verse reads: "One is not just who judges a case hastily." Be curious rather than rash and include for others' assessments. Clarity can be a complicated thing.

Quiet Work

From the Tyldwick Tarot, the Queen of Coins; from the Antiquarian Lenormand, the Moon:

No one sees the quiet work, but that’s where the change happens. Your best results will come from the habits no one claps for.  —Aishwarya Mani Tripathi

Being "Water of Earth," it is not surprising to find this queen's portrait in a water garden. She may not be outspoken (as the Queen of Swords), flamboyant (like the Queen of Wands), or deeply empathetic (as the Queen of Cups), but she is practical and resourceful. She believes in starting with basic needs then working outward; her actions of kindness are concrete and useful. While what she does is not flashy, people appreciate and are reassured by her nurturing. The Moon in Lenormand is unlike the Moon card in tarot. It represents recognition and honor, just as the sun shines on the moon and allows it to reflect light. Small things done can mean a lot to those who are in need.

Seeds

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Moon; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, the Priest of Aesculapius (a trimmed portion of A Sick Child brought into the Temple of Aesculapius):

For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. —Luke 8:17

A young woman stands between two statues as she stares at a crab. The statues mimic the pillars of the High Priestess, but here there is only confusion rather than wisdom. Sane Americans are feeling a bit looney right now, as if we are losing our sanity. But it's really a normal reaction to the antics of the Looney Tunes characters in Washington, D.C. Kat Black says of this card, "Nature's cycles always turn; that which is hidden will be revealed." May clarity soon find a foundation of action. Aesculapius, the Roman god of medicine, was revered for his ability to heal. With regards to our nation and its democracy, that healing must begin with us. As poet Dinos Christianopoulos reminds us, "They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds."

Absence of Stability

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, the Moon; from the Marseille Oracle, Well-being:

Intuition cannot be trusted in the absence of stable regularities in the environment.

—Daniel Kahneman

We are a pattern-seeking people - our brains evolved to recognize structure and order to aid learning, decision-making, and survival. But what happens when we find ourselves in continual chaos, when confusion becomes the only constant? Then we're on the path entre chien et loup, between a dog and wolf, when things are too ambiguous to see clearly and accurately. Rather than wander in the fog trying to fix things, Well-being suggests we sit ourselves down and focus within. We practice self-regulation, a method to help keep negative emotions in check and allow us to think before we react. Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral techniques are useful for this, and a much better use of our time than worrying or raging.

A Powerful Addiction

From the Cosmic Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the L'Oeil de Lotus, Moon:

Judging mind is a very strong addiction, and you don’t step out so easily when you have a powerful addiction. —Corrado Pensa 

One of the most valuable assets we can own is a stable and discerning mind. This kind of mind is inclusive of all the information available and does not act or make choices without calming the emotions first. The judging mind is based solely on what it hates or wants to avoid, what it craves or doesn't want to lose, and ignores information that doesn't affect it directly. Problems arise when the winds of reality begin bending our ideas; rigidity is a danger, and can send us to a dark, frightening place. The Moon shows its phases and emphasizes that our mind needs to be able to change its views too. An open mind, calm reflection, and a willingness to shift our perceptions so they align with the facts can help us stay out of those deep holes.

Dreamworlds

From the Rider Marseille Tarot, the Moon; from the Ostinato Oracle, the Note:

There's something happening here

What it is ain't exactly clear

—Buffalo Springfield

The Moon has eclipsed the sun, creating a murky world of ambiguity. A crawfish - a symbol of the subconscious becoming conscious - begins to leave the water. Researchers believe our dreams help us process our emotions. The brain encodes and constructs memories of our feelings; what we see and experience in the dream isn't real, but the emotions attached to them are.  Our dreamworld is like therapy, taking the sting out of our emotional experiences, so that we can learn from them. A Note indicates both pitch (how high or low) and duration (how long) in music. It guides us, showing us what comes first, then next. Once we have identified our troubling emotion, we can learn to manage it, perhaps through journaling, identifying triggers, mindful breathing, or cognitive therapy. Just take the first step and see where it leads.

Seeing Both Sides

From the Druidcraft Tarot, the Moon; from the Druid Animal Oracle, the Frog:

This busy, grasping mind,

Always latching onto things,

Let it be given a break to recognize itself instead.

In that very moment of recognition,

This mind becomes wide open,

Free, and unconfined.

—Tsoknyi Rinpoche 

The French phrase "between a wolf and a dog" describes the time of day when it is hard to distinguish between friend and foe, the known or unknown. I begin jury duty tomorrow morning, and this card made me think that uncertainty can be a useful beginning. I wouldn't want someone to decide my character simply by my looks or because I was before a judge. Ambiguity can create more space and openness, allowing us to see more possibilities than the sole appraisal a narrow view might first land on. The Frog is semiaquatic, spending part of its time on land and part in the water. Those two places might symbolize both the hard facts of wisdom (land) and the humane lens of compassion (water). A sound judgment is a holistic and includes both. 

Detonation

From the Middle Way Arcana, the Moon; from the Vertical Oracle, Chaos:

Our perceptions carry with them all the errors of our subjectivity.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddhist psychology describes how our awareness is shaped and directed by an ocean of unconscious imprints. We first have a direct experience through our senses, followed by an immediate feeling tone – like, dislike or indifference. Mental and emotional reactions are triggered (conditioned by what’s already in our ‘ocean’) and are then trailed by interpretation and labeling. Based on these, we create a subjective story around the encounter and download our data to this ocean that Buddhists call ‘storehouse consciousness.’ With all of our individual imprints, it's no wonder people find it hard to perceive things in the same way. Chaos is what happens when those dusty imprints collide into situation that does not support them. Will we take the opportunity to detonate those outdated mental constructs and assumptions?

Not Defined By

From the Tarot of the Crone, the Moon; from the Wondering Traveler's Oracle, Push Through:

Your past may always remind you, but it does not have to define you. 

—Andy Stanley 

Ellen describes the Moon as "She who rules the ghosts of your own past." Indeed, our subconscious stores memories, beliefs, and past experiences; it's a hidden realm of mental activity that shapes how we think, feel, and act, often without even realizing it. Meditation, journaling, therapy or simply becoming aware of our behavioral patterns can give us insight into these 'ghosts' that influence us. Push Through encourages us not to get stuck in habits that aren't beneficial. We may not be able to wipe the past from our minds, but we can make the effort to change its impact. Doing new things in different ways can create new rooms in the mind.

Turning Towards

This week I'll be using the Light Seer's Tarot, created by Chris-Anne Donnelly and published by Hay House. The other deck I'll be drawing from is the Tapestry Oracle, created and self-published by Kendall Eifler. Today's draws are the Moon and Nurture:

We turn away from the difficult, we turn away from freedom.

—Anshin Devin Ashwood

Emotions that we thought had been tamped down, stuffed into our subconscious mind, have a way of reappearing and pulling us under. Grief, anger or fear can wrap us in their tentacles. Father's Day has this effect on me, after having three dads - one that abandoned, one that abused, and one that loved but died unexpectantly. Yet emotions don't want to hurt us, we just need to feel them without attaching any stories. As the discomfort fills our body, we allow their intensity to crest, then fall away. Nurture reminds us to offer ourselves the warmth of unconditional kindness when these emotions knock us off our feet. As Anne Lamott reminds us, "“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."

Muddy Reading

From the Idiosyncradeck Tarot, the Moon; from the Mixed Emotions Cards, Vulnerable:

Suspicion comes out of the unrenewed mind; discernment comes out of the renewed spirit.

―Joyce Meyer

"Don't make any major decisions for a year" is advice often heard in the rooms of recovery. It usually takes that long for the brain to recover and come back online so that we see and understand reality clearly. The Moon suggests a pause as well, either because we are physically exhausted, emotionally drained, or currently in the middle of drama or chaos. Vulnerable suggests we are unprotected because of a lack of discernment. We're not processing information and facts accurately at the moment, and should heed Lao Tzu's question: "Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?"

But Actually...

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Moon; from the Way of the Horse, Transformation:

But even when the moon looks like it's waning... it's actually never changing shape. 

―Ai Yazawa

A small child might think someone took a big bite out of the moon when it's in crescent form, not realizing the rest of it is just in shadow. People often do the same with bits of information - they make assumptions without realizing they aren't seeing the full picture. There are generally three outlooks: the optimist, who sees the bright side and expects a positive outcome to situations; the pessimist, who anticipates negative outcomes and sees challenges as insurmountable; and the realist, who neither sugarcoats nor catastrophizes circumstances, but looks for evidence and solutions. The optimist can be overconfident and ignore protocols, the pessimist can live with anxiety and take no risks, and the realist can suffer from over-analysis and emotional detachment. If we want a balanced outlook, we'll take a healthy part from all three. Transformation illustrates letting go of habits and beliefs that constrain us, realizing they are costing us our freedom. As Pema Chodron explained, "Renunciation is realizing that our nostalgia for wanting to stay in a protected, limited, petty world is insane."

Uncompromising to Clarity

This week I'll be using the RainShadow Tarot, created and self-published by Claire Mack. I'll also be using the Liminal Spirits Oracle, created by Laura Tempest Zakroff and published by Llewellyn. Today's draws are the Moon and Oak:

One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.

― Aldous Huxley

B.F. Skinner taught that we are conditioned through reward or punishment for certain ideas and actions. Soon our responses become channeled automatically. But when regularly fed new information and evidence, a part of our mind might rebel - showing up in random thoughts, dreams, or slips of the tongue. We may feel confused about what to do as we consider other options. The woman who believed it was sinful to leave her emotionally abusive husband begins googling divorce attorneys. No longer submerged, we seek to hitch our wagon to our own star. The Oak's wood is known for its strength and durability. When we begin a course change, fear and guilt may cause us to question our decision. Oak reminds us that our inner wisdom is deeply rooted and worth the price of following.

Vulnerable to Illusions

From the Out of Hand Tarot, the Moon; from the Seashells Playing Cards, the American Stiff Pen:

Cognitive psychology tells us that the unaided human mind is vulnerable to many fallacies and illusions because of its reliance on its memory... ―Steven Pinker

A hand holds a mirror that shows another hand holding the moon. What is real and what is illusion? Our minds have tripwires for anything in the present that even slightly resembles something or someone from our past. Once those wires have been triggered, our mind doesn't bother to register all the facts in front of us, it just fills in the blanks from our old memories. Strong emotions - good or bad - are often a hint that we are relying on unconscious information. The American Siff Pen anchors itself to the sandy seabed using a bundle of silky fibers called a byssus. This clam also can heal small holes or breaks in its shell. It suggests we ground ourselves while curiously examining what is factual and what is pure assumption. Then we can repair these 'holes' with the evidence we find. 

What is Precious

From the Legacy of the Divine Tarot, the Ten of Cups; from the Tea Leaf Reading Cards, Moon:

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.

—Thomas Jefferson

As the Cups arc to the Ten, a shift takes place among those who are older and wiser. Contentment no longer comes with a big price tag - having the latest smartphone, a huge house, a fancy car, thousands of Facebook friends and eye candy on your arm. Now, deep satisfaction and gratitude come from the simpler, more basic things like a few close companions, a full belly and a safe, warm home. As Willie and Merle sang, "We're lookin' for a homelife and clean smellin' sheets and all the soft places to fall." The Moon suggests cycles and phases, a nod to the limited time we have left to embrace life's joys. Even the resentments, regrets and jealousies we carried for years suddenly seem unimportant as we realize how precious time can be when we love and are loved. 

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 

Calm is Contagious

From the Neuzeit Tarot, the Moon; from Rory's Story Cubes, Phone:

There is a maxim that Navy SEALs pass from officer to officer, man to man. In the midst of chaos, even in the fog of war, their battle-tested advice is this: “Calm is contagious.”

The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday

When the body is running on empty and emotions are running high, the ability to see with clarity is skewed. Things that are inconsequential suddenly mushroom into dire situations; projections and assumptions are taken as fact. It's easy to fall back into old habits that damage our well-being. In recovery, it is suggested that folks collect some phone numbers of sane and centered people to call - their groundedness can help anchor others until they can rest and find peace once again.

A Lack of Definition

From the Tarot of the Abyss, the Moon; from the Nature Mandala Meditation Oracle, Inspiration:

Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.

―Alan Watts

The Moon's light softens all the harsh, sharp edges. The details and specifics of things dissolve, leaving a lack of definition, empty of 'this, not that'. The night invites us to relax and let go of our meticulous and selective nature. We become a part of rather than apart from. In this spacious place with its lack of boundaries, Inspiration is free to arrive. Without any preset limitations, we discover the words of Maya Angelou to be true: "You can't use up creativity."

Simple Awareness

This week I'll be using the Daniloff Tarot, created and self-published by Alexander Daniloff. I'll also be using a set of Kuan Yin Sticks with the corresponding verses from Stephen Karcher's book The Kuan Yin Oracle. Today's draws are the Moon and 'Candlelight and Shadows' (verse 97):

The literal translation for the French phrase “Entre Chien et Loup” is Between Dog and Wolf.  A French linguist would describe this as that time of day when the light is such that is becomes difficult to distinguish between a dog and a wolf, between friend and foe, between known and unknown.

~Loftartists.org

The Moon represents those times when we are pulled like ocean waves - by our emotions, memories and subconscious. Just as high tide is not the best time for swimming, neither are these 'moon times' the sanest moments for making decisions or thinking in absolutes. The mind's illusions will eventually ebb if we don't add chum to the waters. The 97th verse for the Kuan Yin Oracle reads:

 

The candlelight throws shadows

that dance on the wind,

like flowers

scattered on green fields. 

Rather than focusing on flickering shadows, we might take the advice of Eckhart Tolle: "Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them."