His Own Petard

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Hanged Man; from the Diloggun Cards, Obara (six mouths):

For ’tis the sport to have the engineer

Hoist with his own petard;

—William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

The fourth king of Oya attempted to bring his divided kingdom together with sorcery but ended up burning everything to a crisp. Oba-kosa ("he sits on the flashes of lightning which are thrown") then hung himself. But his people liked the king in spite of his mistake and prayed for his return. He did in the form of Chango, the orisha of passion, fire, thunder and lightning. We might have to hang in limbo awhile, but people usually do forget our mistakes, especially if no harm was intended. The ifa and proverb of Obara (six mouths) read:

Ifa: One must be uplifted from poverty-stricken acceptance and state of mind. There is no virtue in being in poverty. Be industrious and accomplish your desires.

Proverb: Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can.

Self-pity and clinging to the hope that history will somehow change won't help anything. Instead, we can learn from our past missteps, making restitution and amends for any harm done while making more mindful choices. 

Power of the Mindset

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Fool; from the Diloggun Oracle, Obara (six mouths):

The Fool is represented by the Orisha Eleggua, depicted as either a child or an old man. He represents the beginning and end of life, and the opening and closing of paths in life. In this card, he appears as an elder about to step off the cliff that will transform him. He seems to ask if we're ready to let go of any old, rigid ideas and embrace a fresh outlook and attitude. Getting out of our comfort zone always feels risky; it will take some courage. Obara (six mouths) parallels this card:

Ifa: One must be uplifted from poverty-stricken acceptance and state of mind. There is no virtue in being in poverty. Be industrious and accomplish your desires.

Proverb: Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can.

A mindset can power us up or shut us down. We either see potential and possibilities or none at all.

Poisons of the Heart

This week I'll be using the Tarot Lukumi, a deck created by Caelum Rainieri, Ivory Andersen and Raphael Montoliu. It is published by Dal Negro and the artwork was done by Luigi Scapini. The oracle deck I'll be using this week is the Diloggun Cards, a digital set created through the use of art by Mase Lobe. Each card is associated with an Ifa ethic as well as a proverb, with information from a book by Ifa Karade called The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts. Today's draws are the Five of Cups and Obara (six mouths):

Shattered legs may heal in time, but some betrayals fester and poison the soul.

― George R.R. Martin

          A man grieves for those who have been poisoned by seeds from a fruit he gave them; his attempts at using sorcery to heal them failed. Humans have different ways their hearts get poisoned, such as loss or resentment. But nothing seems to close a heart quicker than betrayal. Everything in the injured party's life seems to revolves around revenge or swearing off relationships altogether. The ethic and proverb for Obara read:

Ifa: One must be uplifted from poverty-stricken acceptance and state of mind. There is no virtue in being in poverty. Be industrious and accomplish your desires.

Proverb: Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can.

Clearly the Diloggun reading exhorts those who have been hurt to avoid self-pity. The past cannot be changed, but we can look to see what action might be taken that may help us heal rather than give up or rage against ghosts of the past. We may even find a new appreciation for others and life itself. As August Strindberg put it, "There are poisons that blind you, and poisons that open your eyes."

Pull in that Pout

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Empress:

This sensual Orisha of love and abundance shows up again after seeing her in the Ten of Cups yesterday. I discovered she is also associated with "flowing waters," which I find hysterically (not so) funny after spending the early hours of my morning mopping up an overflowing toilet and washing machine when the sewage line backed up. Oshun, like the Empress, tends to be very emotional - as opposed to her partner, the logical Emperor. She has a temperamental side when she's out of balance, and those feelings can easily turn into raging flood waters. I'm sure this facet of her was quite recognizable in me as I cursed while cleaning up the mess.

The draw from the Diloggun Cards this morning was "Obara (7 mouths):"

Ifa: One must be uplifted from poverty-stricken acceptance and state of mind. There is no virtue in being in poverty. Be industrious and accomplish your desires.
Proverb: Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can.

This cowrie shell throw offers me a bit of tough love, implying that I need to get off my pity pot and do what I can instead of whining. Which probably translates into keeping the plumber's number on redial until he answers, so I can get some professional help. Life if full of surprises, good and bad, but it's not personal. Time to pull in that pout and get busy.