Move the Job Along

From the Neuzeit Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from Rory's Story Dice, Music:

A robin feathering his nest

Has very little time to rest

While gathering his bits of twine and twig

Though quite intent in his pursuit

He has a merry tune to toot

He knows a song will move the job along

~from Mary Poppins

I look at all those people lined up like candles on a birthday cake, waiting for me to do the million and one things on my need-to-do list. I went to bed in a blue funk, had a sleepless night, and still find myself in one this morning. My list of duties and obligations seems to grow by the hour, but I'm tired, achy and feel paralyzed to do any of it. Yet the Music die reminds me that staying in this negative head space will neither help me get things done nor feel better. I need a distraction to get unhooked from my thoughts (which will likely help my mood as well). Music might just be the ticket. 

Reality Check

From the Granny Jones Tarot, the Moon; from the Button Oracle, Music:

          Granny uses Edward Lear's tale of "The Owl and the Pussycat" to illustrate the Moon. Supposedly, the owl and cat fall in love and sail away to be married. Now opposites do attract, but it's doubtful a feline and a bird could resist the roles of prey and predator (as Granny's drawing suggests). Yet many lonely hearts end up with someone they don't want to be with because they've fallen under a delusion they think is love. The Music button's keyword is 'mood,' and the quote for it is an African proverb: "When the music changes, so does the dance." Moods, those subtle emotions wrapped in a tangle of unfounded thoughts, go hand-in-hand with the Moon. Under their influence, the world can appear in the form of pink clouds and unicorns or as a dark chasm filled with evil. Either way, the owl would tell us it's time for a reality check.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

~Marcus Aurelius

Language of the Heart

From the Mary-El Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the OH Cards, Music/Naked:

          The angel in this card appears to be changing into a crustacean. In the Thoth tradition, the Six of Cups represents a return to pleasure and harmony after experiencing great depths of despair. Such depth of emotion can't help but transform us, hopefully making us grateful but also giving us a new perspective. It is like holding one's breath underwater beyond the point of comfort and suddenly coming up for air. In the words of Pema Chodron, "The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy." The OH Cards combination of Music and Naked suggest a way to keep the heart open and tender (though I can think of a few song choices that might have the opposite effect!). Music speaks the language of the heart. It can help us identify those emotions swirling within us and connect with them on a physical level. As Victor Hugo wrote, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."