Turn the Mind to the Moment

From the Tarot of Hidden Realms, the Star; from the Heart of Faerie Oracle, Prick Up Your Ears:

It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.

― G.K. Chesterton

This young faerie was following fireflies into the woods when he suddenly realized that he had lost his bearings. Nothing look familiar, and he suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable. But right before panic set in, he noticed an iridescent moth. Knowing it would lead him to the lights of home, he followed it. Prick Up Your Ears is a reminder that while our senses are constantly taking in information, our mind is rarely attending to any of it unless it is something dangerous. We may be in a (metaphorical) dark hole, but we're so busy wallowing in our predicament, we miss the ropes or hands offered to help us out. We need to turn our mind to the moment and the information it brings. As Mark Nepo said, "When feeling miserable, we must look wider than what hurts."

Seeing and Hearing Clearly

The last few days here have been gray and rainy, so the card I drew today from the Margarete Petersen was quite welcome - the Sun:

Under the overwhelming brightness of the sun, two figures embrace.  Here is part of what Petersen writes about this card:

Illuminating the dark and light parts of the world
None more attractive than the other
You see what happens far away and deep inside

I wonder what would happen if this light, for just a few moments, lit up our world with such intensity that it allowed everyone to see past their fears, anger, sadness and pain.  What would we see?  Could we describe such beauty?  Would we realize our connection?  I have a feeling there would no longer be a reason to hang on to our fear, anger and pain.

     From the Heart of Faerie deck this morning comes the card "Prick Up Your Ears:"

This card encourages me to listen with clarity.   Many times I hear only part of what has been said, and I make assumptions on the small bit I heard instead of the full story.  Other times, I'm so busy mentally preparing what I'm going to say when the other person stops talking, that I don't really hear what they are trying to help me understand.  And when things are hectic and chaotic, as the holidays seem to be, I'm too busy to listen at all.  It's time to stop multitasking and pay attention.