Not Victory, Progress

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Five of Air; from the Curious Oracle, Nazar:

The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. 

―Joseph Joubert

It is a common belief that crows collect shiny objects, yet this is a myth. While tame crows have been known to supply humans they trust with trinkets, they don't collect baubles for themselves. There are many personal stories of crows stealing things like golf balls, but this is usually because they mistake them for food (an egg). As the saying goes, an anecdote does not equal data. But the Five of Swords contender will argue about everything they believe, read and heard, even if it all came from social media or a personal (likely biased) experience. Fly away quickly from these folks; they don't want to discuss anything; they just want to be right. The Nazar is an amulet to ward off the evil eye, a curse caused by jealousy or envy. How do you protect yourself from intellectual contenders? Refuse to argue, as this is delectable ambrosia to them. 

Spending or Spent

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Four of Earth (Pentacles); from A Curious Oracle, 'Nazar:'

          Though most RWS versions of the Four of Pentacles show a miserly sort of fellow, the apple tree in this card suggests a healthy, common sense approach to my physical world. With one apple in her basket and the other three still hanging on the tree, the implication is not to spend all my time, energy or money in one area. As Black Friday looms in the near future with Christmas not far behind, I can see how this wisdom would apply. Though I'm not one to run up a credit card bill, I can overspend when it comes to energy and health. I can hear my chiropractor now, "Stop sitting on the floor when you wrap presents!" Nazar is an eye-shaped amulet believed to ward off injury or misfortune. The irony for me (because I don't believe in such things) is found in the name, which means 'attention' or 'surveillance.' When I'm in a hurry, focused on the future rather than what I'm doing at the moment, is when I'm most likely to make a mistake or hurt myself. Perhaps the real meaning of that eye is just to remind people to keep theirs wide open in the here and now.