Give Me the Good News

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Two of Coins; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Nine of Hearts:

You gotta dance with the one that brought you.

~ Shania Twain

Ricklef's rendition of The Star by Edgar Degas brings to mind a line from Twain's song. Sometimes we don't have a choice about the many obligations we must juggle. Yet wouldn't it be better to dance with them rather than being disgruntled and sullen? To be resilient means we are flexible as a dancer, able to rebound instead of curling around our resentment. The nursery rhyme associated with the Nine of Hearts is:

What's the news of the day,

Good neighbor, I pray?

They say a balloon

Is gone up to the moon.

Humans have a cognitive bias toward what is negative. We must balance out this tendency if we want to relieve our stress and anxiety. Instead, we can note: what made us laugh or smile, what touched our hearts, or what made us pause in awe or wonder.

Everyday Occurrence

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Eight of Wands; from the Key to the Kingdom, the Nine of Hearts:

Ricklef's rendering of this card is from Pierre-Auguste Cot's painting "The Storm." The couple aren't in any real danger, but they're about to take a soaking if they don't find cover soon. It makes me wonder if they were so wrapped up in each other that they failed to see the dark clouds rolling in. Focus is a good thing except when it keeps us from noticing things that need noticing. The Nine of Hearts' verse begins, "What's the news of the day, good neighbor I pray?" Like the couple in the previous card, we may looking through a straw and fail to notice all the other things around us. What if I told you today nine good things were going to come your way - something that warmed your heart, piqued your curiosity, made you pause in awe and wonder, or made you laugh? It's true, but the caveat is you must be paying attention to catch them (because this is an everyday occurrence). 

A Part of a Great Whole

From the Songs for the Journey Home Tarot, the Homecoming (World); from the Magic Neko deck, the Nine of Hearts:

The amazing thing is that every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. 

― Lawrence M. Krauss

The Homecoming/World is an embodied understanding that we are more than the shells we inhabit. Each of us, everything in this world, contains the spiritual as well as the material, like a string that connects and runs through all. When we grasp this idea, it is easier not to take everything so personally. And as the Nine of Hearts suggests, we develop a give-and-take attitude that lets us live in balance, with love and with a lightness of heart.

He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale, they were, and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does. ― Neil Gaiman

Which Side of the Window?

From the Fey Tarot, the Five of Pentacles:

The Fey's rendition of the Five of Pentacles is most interesting. It offers two perspectives: one of simple abundance and the other of perceived scarcity. On which side of the window do I see myself? I've been without a job now for a couple of years; our area is severely, economically depressed, with a higher than average unemployment rate (no jobs available). It's easy to look at how other people live and wish for more. Yet at the same time, we do have a modest income from the sale of our business. By living very simply, we're paying our bills with a tiny bit left for fun. Today I choose to be grateful and warm myself by the fire of simple abundance.

This morning's draw from the I Misteri della Sibilla is "Loyalty / Nine of Hearts:"

The hunter's faithful dog stands by his side ready to assist him in whatever way he can. They are actually a team that supports each other. The dog holds a downed bird gently in his mouth, knowing his master will share food with him later. There is a sense of protection felt in this card as well. The Nine of Hearts suggests I remember the network of friends and family I am a part of; the love we have for each other means we maintain a balance of giving and receiving. Together we make a firm foundation.