From Both Sides

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Ace of Cups; from the Diloggun Cards, Oshe (five mouths):

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

—David Viscott

The Ace of Cups is illustrated with a statue of Yemaya, goddess of the ocean and the mother of all living things. Like many mothers, she loves and protects with a fierceness that is stunning. She offers us a cup of tenderness and kindness - first to sip from, and then to take out into the world. Yet Oshe suggests we use our love wisely and with discernment:

Ifa: Unless we resort to caution and discretion, we will miss the blessings of prosperity.

Proverb: Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet.

We want to avoid a codependent relationship, feeling as if our happiness depends on another's contentment. But neither should we use love in a way that enables another, allowing them to bypass all responsibility for their actions. As the Buddha said, just as thought is the forerunner of action, so right thought (seeing things realistically) is the forerunner of right action.

Whipping Post

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Ten of Wands; from the Diloggun Cards, Oshe (5 mouths):

 Sometimes I feel

Like I've been tied

To the whipping post.

~ Allman Brothers

          The booklet describes this card as an altar of sacrifices. Whether we're working toward a goal or simply working toward a better life, we may feel like the Allman Brothers' song. But sometimes challenges help us grow. What may get sacrificed are character liabilities such as arrogance, closed-mindedness, selfishness or laziness. In this case, pushing ourselves beyond our normal comfort zone can help produce character assets.

          The cowrie throw of Oshe (five shells up) is associated with the following ethic and proverb:

Ifa: Unless we resort to caution and discretion, we will miss the blessings of prosperity.
Proverb: Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet.

Oshe suggests that what might get lost as we work are things of value - relationships with family and friends, hobbies, financial stability, common sense or ethical principles. Hard work is not the problem, but it needs to be undertaken with discernment.

Scratch Your Own Dirt

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Eight of Coins:

Aje Shaluga is the Orisha associated with health, abundance and prosperity. Sources I read differed in their opinion of this god's gender: it could be male, female or a combination of both. I rather like this idea; the female is a symbol of abundance, but the male represents the action needed to uncover it. In the image above, both the poor man and the wealthy man must turn the jump rope if they hope to advance (or maintain what they have). Cowries and coins are this Orisha's emblems, but Aje Shaluga is also connected to the humble chicken - an animal that scratches the dirt in search of food. The Eight of Coins reminds me that if I want good health, financial security and material pleasures in my life, I'm going to have to do some work to receive them.

From the Diloggun Cards comes "Oshe (15 mouths):"

Ifa: Unless we resort to caution and discretion, we will miss the blessings of prosperity.

Proverb: Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet.

There are peddlers of "special" herbs, books, crystals, prayer beads, statues etc. who promise a short-cut to those material blessings we humans seek. But Oshe warns that we would do well to check our facts before we take that leap. The only people who will be reaping rewards from such paraphernalia are the sellers themselves as they pocket our money.