Our Security?

From the Tarot of the Cat People, the Six of Swords; from the Insectorum Divinorum, the Queen:

Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.

―Jiddu Krishnamurti

These swords seem to be balanced upright between rocks rather than embedded into the earth, implying ideas not grounded in fact. This traveler suggests she has seen through the traditions of her culture and clan. Long-held customs and practices make it easier to believe we're supposed to hate this group or do things only this way. But traditions aren't truth. It takes a strong will and a brave heart to separate from them, because it often means leaving behind people we've known a long time. The Queen bee represents heavy responsibilities, which fits with standing up for truth rather than tradition, yet it opens us to learning more about the world and all its inhabitants.

Rightful Place

This week I'll be using the Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, created by Caitlin Matthews and published by Connections. Along with it, I'll be drawing from a self-published oracle created by Esmeralda Rupp-Spangle called the Insectorum Divinorum. Today's cards are the Nine of Earth (Pentacles) and Queen Bee:

Occupy a rightful space, neither too much nor too little. Focus neither on your own virtues nor the faults of others. ~ Alan Morinis

          The dimmi (or questions) for the Nine of Earth are: Where is your rightful place? What is the necessary attitude to take here? I think Mussar (the Jewish practice of ethics) would base the answer to both questions on its definition of humility. Humility is defined as “limiting oneself to an appropriate space while leaving room for others.” This space includes not just the physical, but also what is emotional, verbal, or even metaphorical. The right amount of space can be situational; a judge might hold a larger space in a courtroom, but at a parent-teacher meeting his or her space would be much smaller. While arrogance can make us take us too much space, fear can cause us to take up too little (which is not true humility). Sometimes there may be a space that needs to be occupied by us, and we must stretch ourselves to fill it. The Queen Bee card implies the burden of responsibility (stretching to fill our role). With more skill and experience, more obligations accumulate. To state this biblically, to whom much is given, much will be required. Yet Rupp-Spangle cautions that such a weight can become unbearable, and thus we must not forget to step back and recuperate. It's good to give up our seat occasionally, even if it is only temporary.