As Best As I Can

From the Middle Way Arcana, Temperance; from the Vertical Oracle, Reality Check:

The Buddha's message was simple but profound. Neither a life of self-indulgence nor one of self-mortification can bring happiness. Only a middle path, avoiding these two extremes, leads to peace of mind, wisdom, & complete liberation from the dissatisfactions of life.

~Henepola Gunaratana

Buddha began life as a pampered prince and later led a life of austerity as an ascetic. Neither approach led him to enlightenment and contentment. In our search for happiness and satisfaction, we often take an extreme approach, thinking it to be the fast track to our goal. But as Buddha found, it is a middle path between fundamentalism and excess that will light our way to liberation. Reality Check suggests that we have resorted to imbalance and need to find clarity. We might be trying to control a situation we have no influence over, demanding that things be different, and arguing with what are the facts. Instead, we might take the words of Vidyamala Burch to heart: "Out of acceptance grows a new phase, which I call flourishing. When you let go of the battle, let go of fighting with your spirit, then more energy will rise up. Let me love this life as best as I can."

  

Poison Antidote

From the Thoth Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Vertical Oracle, "Reality Check:"

          Against a background of sharp shards, golden poison rains down. As it connects with the swords, it turns into drops of blood. I can honestly say (even with my dysfunctional childhood), no one has been more cruel and damaging to me than myself. My disparaging thoughts and words have caused many a twist in the heart and gut. As writer Anne Lamott has said, my mind can be like a bad neighborhood that I shouldn't go in alone. The Reality Check card suggests that it is time to test my perceptions and see if I've mistaken one aspect of a situation for the whole story. What are the facts? What do the people I trust say? An objective assessment is the only antidote for the squirrels in my head.