Eloquence

 From the Swietlistej Drogi, the Ace of Swords; from the Mirrors of the Heart Openness:

Eloquence is a painting of the thoughts.

—Blaise Pascal

I've had teachers who were incredibly smart and well educated, yet they did not know how to explain ideas to others. That kind of teaching results in rote learning without understanding. But then I've also had teachers (and writers) who could paint a picture with their words, illustrating the most complex concepts. Those eloquent communicators are a treasure because they offer insight. Openness suggests that the responsibility is not just on the speaker, but also the listener. As Elena Brower expresses, "Asking more questions and practicing sitting quietly strips certainty away and allows a freshness to emerge, a bright curiosity. Concepts and narratives can fall away, we can venture out beyond self and other, beyond yes and no, dead and alive, right and wrong."

Unexpected Returns

From the Swietlistej Drogi, the King of Pentacles; from the Mirrors of the Heart, Openness:

This King of Pentacles tosses some coins into a wheat field; it brings to mind the term 'seed money.' There is a sense that something old yet worthy could be shored up or something new created with his investment. In the real world, this investment might also include using our resources of time and energy besides just money. Sure, some of these applied resources may not provide a return (they get eaten by the birds), but Openness reminds us not to fold our hand too quickly. We probably won't get the result we visualized, but we still might see an unexpected positive return on our investment.

Untangling Kite Strings

This week I'll be using the colorful Bonefire Tarot, created and self-published by Gabi Angus West. Today's draw is the Page of Wands:

"Red sky at night, sailors delight..." I have no doubt this young Page could explain that this means the light is shining through an atmosphere full of dust and moisture; at sunset, this would indicate high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Nothing is more exciting to her than information that gets her mental gears turning, enabling her to learn and make connections. Unfortunately, her lack of maturity can cause her to make associations that someone with more experience would see as faulty logic. This tendency might explain why she's up in a tree trying to untangle some kite strings. In the process, she's slipped off a limb and is now about to get a rather hard lesson on gravity. But no worries here - her young bones aren't brittle like someone much older. Unlike many adults, she's flexible enough to learn from her mistakes so she doesn't have to continually repeat them.

The oracle deck I'll be using this week is MentorSpirit, created by Kathy Tyler and Joy Drake and published by Inner Links Associates.  This morning's draw is "Openness:"

I generally use free association with these word cards, and the image that came to mind with this one was an open hand. A palm with fingers extended can both give and receive. It works the same way with a heart or mind too. When there is an open channel, there is no stagnation, allowing growth and renewal to occur. As the Page above reminds me, it's good to develop flexibility in more than just my body.

Opposing Points

  From the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, the Two of Swords:

Two people sit over a book of scriptures, each trying to make their point in an argument.  Do I think one will ever convince the other that his ideas are right?  Doubtful.  We humans tend to wear our opinions like badges - "say it loud, say it proud" is our motto.  Just look at the proliferation of sects and denominations of religions we have.  I don't mind listening to another person's thoughts about something, but I'd prefer not to have their opinion shoved down my throat.  Manners, people, manners...

     From the Mirrors of the Heart comes "Openness:"

What a great image to illustrate this concept.  The light shining above the woman's head and the shining heart on her chest let me know she is open to ideas and her feelings (no prejudgments).  The two birds, one black and one white, tell me that she doesn't see in dualities - all or nothing, black or white.  She sees everything on a continuum, so she doesn't need a lot of labels like good/bad or right/wrong.  Yet her feet are firmly rooted in the earth, so I know she's not going to run off to every new seminar or join the latest group that she hears about.  Just because she's open doesn't mean she leaves her common sense behind.