Culling

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Ten of Disks; from the Master Tarot, No Clothes:

I like Carl Rohrig's collection of things that might be found in a junk drawer or under a seat cushion. This assortment is symbolic of all the material items - big and small - that we buy or accumulate over the years. I've noticed that the older I get, the more I want to give away things that are nice but are no longer used or have meaning for me. I don't seem to be alone in this culling, though some people might have the opposite reaction. No Clothes is an encouragement to lose our pretensions, those vain self-images designed to look like we've got it all together. The stuff we collect can sometimes be just a trophy on the shelf to make us look smart, with-it, or cultured. But if it really isn't who we are, and it has no use or sentimental attachment, why not leave it with someone who might actually need or appreciate it?

Most of us are moving through such an undergrowth of excess that we cannot sense the shape of ourselves any more. ― John O'Donohue

Cliff Jumping

This week I'll be using the Rohrig Tarot, created by Carl W. Rohrig and published by Sirio. I also have a companion book written by the artist and Francesca Marzano-Fritz and published by Bluestar Communications. The other deck I'll be drawing from is called a tarot, but I'll be using it as an oracle: the Master Tarot. It was created by Amerigo Folchi and Mario Montano and published by AG Muller. Today's cards are the Seven of Wands and 'No Clothes:'

          Watching the silhouette of a man leap from one cliff to another, it's easy to see why the Thoth keyword for this card is Valor. It implies a courageous struggle, facing formidable situations and dealing with them head-on. A friend who tried to recover from alcoholism was buried this week. Anyone who has ever tried to break a pattern of behavior that had been used habitually to deal with fear, anger, pain or grief knows that it's like leaping across a chasm. It's terrifying. Fighting the urge when triggered is like being willing to stand in the middle of a fire. As Pema Chodron explains, "when habitual reactions are strong and long-standing, it’s difficult to choose intelligently. We don’t intentionally choose pain; we just do what’s familiar, which isn’t always the best idea." The No Clothes card shows a naked duo who have shed not only their clothing but their masks as well. NA states that the insanity of addiction (of any kind) embraces the belief that we can take some thing outside of ourselves to fix what’s wrong inside of us: our feelings. Yet this bare look at ourselves has nothing to do with shame and humiliation. As Chodron writes, "It is said that we can’t attain enlightenment, let alone feel contentment and joy, without seeing who we are and what we do, without seeing our patterns and habits.  This is called maitri—developing loving-kindness and an unconditional friendship with ourselves."