Uncorking the Bottle

From the Tarocchi Celtici, the Queen of Water (Cups); from the Art of Asia Oracle, "Octopus and Fish" by Ito Jakuchu:

          This shy but wise Queen of Water with seashells in her hair has sent her frog hopping. She knows that inner healing and harmony (the ogham Ngetal and Reed) won't happen if emotions are bottled up and sat on. Stuffed-down anger may appear as depression and hidden depression can leak out as anger. Yet the Octopus painting offers a warning in the words of H. Jackson Brown, Jr.: "Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." Letting out suppressed emotions must be done carefully. Many years ago, one therapist had me beat a pillow with a bat. While it did bring up a lot of rage, it just made me want to use that bat on some other people. After having a go at kickboxing with a freestanding bag, I discovered violence does not heal violence. Yoga, Tai Chi, and walks in natural settings were a much better way to find my emotional balance.

Mastery through Discipline

From the Tarrochi Celtici, the Nine of Air; from the Art of Asia Oracle, Ito Jakuchu's "Octopus and Fish:"

          While one pixie stands on a holly leaf and sounds a call to action, two other pixies struggle with swords that seem to be stuck. The holly represents intensity - that feeling of needing to do something that will create positive action NOW. Imaginative people and intellectuals can get stuck much like those swords; they easily imagine everything that can go wrong and often overwhelm themselves with too much information. The ogham for this card is Tinne, suggesting mastery (in this case, of the mind). As Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard explains, "You stop being always projected outside. You start looking in and seeing how your mind works, and you change your mind, thought by thought." The quote paired with Jakuchu's work is from H. Jackson Brown, Jr.: "Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." Just as people can get physically fit through training, so too can the mind be trained.