Cup of Kindness

From the Restored Order Tarot, the Knight of Cups; from the Oracle of Kabbalah, Pei:

 Pei painting by Dani Antman

          This Knight always takes a little ribbing because he's so romantic and sappy. But right now, I think we all could use a cup of kindness. Pei fits right in with this idea; it means 'mouth' and refers to communication. In several mythologies, the world is spoken into being. Lately, I've been reminded by how much words affect my personal world. No matter how pleasant my day, all it takes is one cutting remark for me to forget my joy. Perhaps if I can remember how it feels when I'm on the receiving end, I'll be more careful with my words, whether verbal or written. Right (Wise) speech in Buddhism encourages me to say only what is true, to speak in ways that promote harmony, to use a gentle tone, and to speak mindfully so that what I say is useful. Or, in the words of Otis Redding, "try a little tenderness."

Flows and Stoppages

From the Restored Order Tarot, the Six of Pentacles; from the Oracle of Kabbalah, "Pei:"

           A well dressed man shares his wealth with two beggars. His scale indicates fairness and a return to balance. Sharing resources is much more than just handing out money, it involves time and energy too. After an agonizing visit at the hospital, listening to my mother-in-law in great pain, I feel unnerved and worn-out. But as I watched my husband's tenderness and patience with her, I was awed by his compassion (which literally means "to suffer with"). I used to think it only meant being kind, like giving someone a gift card or sending them flowers with a nice note. This type of sharing is on a whole other level; it is a resource that no amount of money can buy.
          The Hebrew letter Pei means "mouth" and refers to speech and communication. Together with the Six of Pentacles, I am reminded of the phrase "put your money where your mouth is." Words, no matter how sweet and eloquent, mean very little without action behind them. The page on which I found Kristina's illustrations labeled this fruit as "prunes," though they appear as golden plums here. Now while they are high in nutrients, most folks eat prunes for another reason entirely. That health benefit made me think of something Greer said in his book Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth about the 'Law of Flow':

 Everything that exists is created and sustained by flows of matter, energy, and information that came from the whole system to which it belongs and that return to that whole system.  Participating in these flows, without interfering with them, brings health and wholeness; blocking them, in an attempt to turn flows into accumulations, causes suffering and disruption to the whole system and all its parts.

The Key is Compassion

From the Restored Order Tarot, the Two of Cups:

Many readers see this card as a romantic encounter, but because of what is going on in my life right now, my focus is on the caduceus between these two people.  Today I choose to see it as a battle within myself that needs to be reconciled.  My inbox had this tongue-in-cheek (but timely) message from tut.com this morning:

One of the most stringent conditions all angels must meet, other than double-advanced harp playing and skydiving abilities (not necessarily at the same time), is that they must not allow themselves to feel hurt or rejected by the choices made by others, no matter how much they've done for them nor how great their love.

And therein lies the difficulty - to learn to allow people to make their own choices and their own mistakes without feeling guilt or resentment.  And not only that, but to love them in spite of it all.

     From the Oracle of the Kabbalah today comes the letter "Pei:"

Pei means "mouth," and its form is said to be a mouth with teeth.  In explaining this letter, Rabbi Ginsburgh said, "Expression of wisdom proceeds from the inner eye of the heart to the mouth."  In other words, if I want my speech to be creative rather than destructive, it needs to come from a compassionate place.  Robert Aitken, a Zen teacher and one of the founders of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, wrote: "Noble, upright speech arises from clear understanding that none of us will be here very long and it behooves us to be kind to one another while we can."  Aitken was an activist who advocated social justice for gays, women and native Hawaiians his entire life.  He was a living example of speaking out, but doing it "from the inner eye of the heart to the mouth."