Fidelity

From the Wayfarer's Tarot, the Queen of Air (Swords); from the Curious Oracle, the Orange Grove:

When I was a kid, I longed for my own set of World Book Encyclopedias. In my young mind, I imagined those books contained all the knowledge in the world. I had no idea that each set had to be reprinted each year to include new and updated information. This Queen of Air/Swords feeds her crows, a symbol of the way she feeds her own intellect and understanding in order to stay abreast of changes and discoveries. The Orange Grove represents fidelity, meaning (in this case) accuracy and exactness. An orange tree will not produce apples or cherries. In the same way, a rigid, obsolete understanding of the world is like an outdated, dusty set of encyclopedias. We may be comfortably attached to our ideas, but to live a useful life requires being fully aware of reality, not just the parts we prefer.

Ride Your Own Wheel

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from A Curious Oracle, 'Orange Grove:'

"The inventory was ours, not the other man's," says the Big Book on page 67. On the other hand, it is a time-honored axiom that we often see the faults in others that we ourselves have, so perhaps when we take someone else's inventory, we are really taking our own. ~ AA Grapevine

          The chaotic color and design outside this Wheel made me think of how often I focus on other people rather than attend to my own thoughts and actions. If I'm frustrated or unhappy, I often look outside myself to find someone else or a situation to blame it on. Yet these experiences may be mirrors that simply offer a reflection of me. For instance, I might judge someone as opinionated and inflexible, but an honest look within will show that I have issues that I'm just as stubborn about too. The Orange Grove has been assigned the keyword 'fidelity;' oranges have long been a symbol of love and marriage. Renaissance paintings of couples, such as Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, sometimes have oranges placed discreetly in the background. This card suggests that I be true to myself by paying attention to what motivates me to think and act the way I do. That's enough of a job without worrying about why other people are the way they are.

The Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen accidentally. —Ajahn Sumedho

Happy Thanksgiving to All!