Gull Mentality

This week I'll be drawing from the Everyday Enchantment Tarot, a set created by Poppy Palin and published by Red Feather. The oracle I'll be using is MentorSpirit, created by Kathy Tyler with Joy Drake and published by InnerLinks Associates. Today's cards are the Four of Coins and 'Peace:'

          The gull in Palin's card reminded me of the gulls in the movie Finding Nemo, constantly screaming "mine, mine, mine" over and over. I imagine if you were to toss a bottle of hand sanitizer, face masks, and disposable gloves into a store right now, humans would react much the same. Where is the line between looking after our own needs (so someone else doesn't have to do it) and becoming selfish, self-centered hoarders? When what I value is reduced to only my concerns without considering that of others, I've developed a gull mentality. The Peace card offers another slant: if I am hyper-focused on guarding what I have and getting what I desire, I will find no serenity. As Queen Elizabeth stated, "The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load."

Consideration of Self

From the Gill Tarot, the Lovers; from The Circle, Peace:

           This card shows the different pulls on my time and energy I've felt this past month. One tug is from the physical world that says take care of yourself and have some fun. The other is from the spiritual side that says to be of help to others. The problem is that I've felt overwhelmed from dealing with those others (whose problems for the most part are not of their own making but from life's whammies). I actually left town this past weekend to get a break from all of it. Of course when I came back, it was all waiting on me, but it was nice to have that space with room to breathe. The Circle's companion booklet gives a suggestion for the Peace card: "Consideration of those around you is preventing you from acting in your own best interest. Stop struggling to please everyone." Sounds like it is time to start listening with a compassionate heart to my own needs too.

The problem for caregivers is that when we’re in the presence of suffering, we feel it in our own bodies....we need to generate lots of compassion — for both ourselves and the person we’re caring for — in order to remain in the presence of suffering without being overwhelmed. In fact, sometimes we may need to spend the bulk of our attention on giving ourselves compassion so that we have enough emotional stability to be there for others. ~ Kristin Neff

Challenges Met

From the Tarot of the Radiant Path, the Six of Wands; from Mirrors of the Heart, Peace:

          This is an unusual Six of Wands card with a family watching the mom sew while a warm fire blazes in the fireplace. But when I think of the many refugees who are struggling in the camps or trying to find their footing in another country, it makes sense. The Peace card reminds me that just as our fingers are all connected to the palm, so we are all connected to each other. It is only humane to help each other as we face our challenges. Below is a poem written by Brian Bilstone. It is written to be read the usual way first, and then from the bottom up.

REFUGEES

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

We need to see them for who they really are

Chancers and scroungers

Layabouts and loungers

With bombs up their sleeves

Cut-throats and thieves

They are not

Welcome here

We should make them

Go back to where they came from

They cannot

Share our food

Share our homes

Share our countries

Instead let us

Build a wall to keep them out

It is not okay to say

These are people just like us

A place should only belong to those who are born there

Do not be so stupid to think that

The world can be looked at another way

(now read from bottom to top) 

Timing is Everything

From the Golden Tarot, the Ace of Swords:

I got up this morning thinking about how I could communicate with a few people for whose presence in my life I am grateful but rarely take the time to tell them.  I had an idea how I could do this (if I can find some spare time) that would have my creative stamp on it.  When I drew this particular card I couldn't help but laugh.  The sword indicates the potential of my idea and the sprig of greenery symbolizes the creative side of things.  The tiny crown around the blade reminds me of those charms people put on glasses at parties to show who's drink is who's - and just happens to perfectly represent the signature of my last name.  The wit and timing of tarot cards can be amusing.

From the Yantra Deck comes "Peace - being surrendered:"

Surrendering means something completely different to me than simply giving up.  It shows the wisdom of knowing what I have control over and what I don't.  I can waste time, energy, and peace of mind trying to change people or situations that won't change through any effort of mine, or I can accept what is and move on.  Today I feel that push to get many things done - fulfill needs and obligations as well as doing what will fulfill me.  As the winter solstice approaches, when all the rest of nature begins slowing down, it seems like I speed up preparing for the holidays.  Since the earth has been around much longer than me, maybe I should take a few hints from her.

Fairytale Assumptions

From the Fairytale Tarot, the Six of Coins:

The tale of the Golden Goose reaffirms the adage that "generosity has its own rewards."  A village learns the hard way that selfishness and appropriation without consent has consequences.  The boy who was thought to be simple and foolish, on the other hand,  is the one repaid for his kindness and openhandedness.  This card made me focus on a mindset I often find myself stuck in when I need assistance.  I mistakenly assume other people should somehow know what I need without my asking them.  The charitable assumption would be that they are doing the best they can handling their own worries, and if I need their help I am going to have to ask for it directly.  Nine times out of ten I'll get the support needed when I request it without having to worry about a lingering resentment later.

From the Tao Oracle comes "Peace:"

This is a scene that makes me sigh and wish I was there.  Lately I've been on an emotional see-saw, sliding from one end to the other, wishing I could just stay in the balanced center forever.  In her book, Ma Deva Padma writes: "the child in us wants to believe that everything is finally as it's supposed to be and should stay that way forever, as in a fairy tale.  But nothing stays the same forever; life is an ongoing journey..."  I need to let go of things I can't control, stop obsessing over the details, and embrace the big picture.  Nothing lasts forever, regardless of any "good" or "bad" label I put on it.

Cups of Companionship, Cups of Peace

  From the Touchstone Tarot, the Three of Cups:

Three women are sequestered in a back room enjoying time together.  The Three of Cups often shows a celebration of dancing, drinking, and partying in general, but this image reminds me that intimate, relaxed get-togethers can be just as fun.  In fact, it is the small groups where I find more of a connection and share more openly with others.  The company of a few is infinitely more fulfilling to me than a crowd.

     From the Oracle of the Grail Code comes "Peace:"

This is another painting by Evelyn De Morgan called Lux in Tenebris, or "Light in Darkness."  That title reminds me that if I look hard enough, I will find something good in my life no matter what else is going on.  And gratitude is a game changer, because with it comes serenity.  Then the peace I have can spill out of my full cup to those around me...