From the Slow Tarot, the Four of Coins; from the ROAR Oracle, Octavia E. Butler:
What had been a perceived threat, a lien in a sense on future human behavior, was quickly reduced to a historical curiosity. — Arthur C. Clarke
When there is a perceived threat - a subjective assessment of danger, even if that threat is not real or imminent - harsh laws, lockdowns and big walls are often a consequence. If that perception involves our possessions, the result is a withholding of mercy and generosity. It's a reactive response that can become hard to break. Octavia Butler, a science fiction writer with many honors including the notable MacArthur Fellowship, was raised by a widowed mom who was a housemaid. The extremely shy Octavia found solace in reading and writing stories. Discovering the wide-open world of science fiction, she learned to create herself as well a story. She would tell us that expectations and assumptions may wound, but we don't have to let them fester within us. The spacious mind can recognize the nuance of the present moment rather than assuming it is just like what we've encountered before. Lockdown might not be necessary.
