Cloud of Discontent

From the Ferret Tarot, the Four of Cups; from the Nature's Wisdom Oracle, Pansy:

HUMAN BEINGS MAKE LIFE SO INTERESTING. DO YOU KNOW, THAT IN A UNIVERSE SO FULL OF WONDERS, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO INVENT BOREDOM. (Death)

― Terry Pratchett

This little ferret is under the cloud of discontent, a feeling of dullness and restlessness with no obvious outlet. Humans live a good portion of their lives bouncing between dissatisfaction or indifference. Somewhere along our evolution, we fell for the fantasy that entertainment, pleasure and joy should constantly be found on our doorstep with little effort on our part. Pansy's name is derived from the French word pensée ('thought') and was regarded as a symbol of remembrance. Legend says that says that the face of a loved one can be seen in the face of this flower. If I had a case of the moody blues, that face would probably quote Pratchett's quote from Death above. Humor helps.

A Bit of Muck

From the Deirdre of the Sorrows Tarot, the Knight of Cups; from the Victorian Flower Oracle, Pansy:

All knights are on the move, seeking to find or create what motivates them. With the Knight of Cups, that would be love and beauty. Yet does he fall for an ideal or the actual person or thing of beauty? I fear that his attraction is based on an inner model of perfection, which will last only as long as the glamour holds him in sway. Then this Knight will take Tennessee Williams advice: "There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go." Pansy seems to live in the same fantasy world as he does. In Victorian times, this flower represented forbidden love between secret lovers (not something that is likely to end well). They both might learn something from the lotus; it spends time in the muck and mud as a seed and over time rises through the water to eventually bloom in the sun. Genuine love goes through the same cycles.

A Work in Progress

From the Deirdre of Sorrows Tarot, the Four of Wands; from the Victorian Flower Oracle, Pansy:

          A young couple have just been married, and are now about to enter the house that will become their home. It is a celebratory moment, but the courtship and wedding ceremony were simply the foundation of a building still under construction. Now this couple have to live together and figure out how to share the television and the bills, how to deal with each other's in-laws and annoying habits, and how to meet the challenges and changes that will come. Forget the three-tiered frosted cake; real life is not always so fluffy and sweet. Now if Pansy's advice is followed (Wishful Thinking), that couple is going to crash from their pink cloud of excitement into a brick wall. Reliving the past or fantasizing about the future is not going to help anyone deal with reality in the present. Sure things may not be perfect, but with awareness and curiosity there will be plenty of good to experience and be grateful for right now.

We are all capable of becoming fundamentalists because we get 

addicted to other people’s wrongness.

~~~

We can learn to rejoice in even the smallest blessings our life holds. It is easy to miss our own good fortune; often happiness comes in ways we don’t even notice.

Pema Chodron

Resting in an Aura of Love and Light

From the Deirdre of Sorrows Tarot, the Knight of Cups:

This Knight of Cups, who carries a stringed instrument on his back, has stopped to listen to the sound of the stream and enjoy the beauty of the lotus in bloom. What he's oblivious to is his pocket that has turned inside out, allowing his coins to spill out. He's probably singing along with the Kinks in his head, "I'm a lover, not a fighter," but what he surely isn't is practical or realistic. While it's nice to relax and dream while surrounded by a glowing aura of light and love, I still need to take care of my mundane duties.

From the Victorian Flower Oracle comes "Pansy:"

In Hamlet, Ophelia makes the remark, "There's pansies, that's for thoughts" In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare refers to the wild pansy as "love-in-idleness." The pansy woman is likely dreaming of the knight above, who's fantasizing about who-knows-what. So what's the difference between positive thinking and wishful thinking? I imagine the distinction would be that the first would involve taking action, while with wishful thinking you could just sit on your bottom and sigh a lot. I'm beginning to think I'd better make a priority list and get moving as soon as possible.