Receptive and Respectful

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 High Priestess and 'Respect:'

          A young Goth gal relaxes in an urban setting, sharing the night with other nocturnal creatures. A puddle beside her reflects the moon but is not the moon itself; it suggests that the heart of spiritual awakening lies in being with our experience rather than intellectual efforts (words are only a 'finger pointing at the moon'). Meditation allows her to watch her own thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them. Contemplation lets her ponder questions that open previously closed doors in her mind. The knowledge she receives from her look within will be written or drawn in her journals. The Respect card suits this rendition of the High Priestess well - how many people would judge and dismiss her simply because of her looks and youth? Hermann Hesse wrote, "We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's opposite and complement." No one grows beyond their comfortable cocoons without encountering someone who is different from them. Those who teach us best are generally those who can help us look at other viewpoints and consider ideas that diverge from our own.

On Empty

From the Norse Tarot, the Five of Discs; from the Wolf Pack, Respect:

          In this card, a man, woman and baby (under the woman's cloak) struggle against the wind and cold. I can't imagine living anywhere that has winters like this; I was born and raised in a climate that only drops below freezing a few weeks out of the year. Waking up to snow on the ground here would be akin to waking up in Dorothy's Oz. The kind of cold this family is enduring seems hellish, and it makes me pause and take stock of the physical side of my life. Finances are okay, and my body is definitely getting better. But my energy? The needle is definitely on the empty mark, mostly due to sleep issues. I'm avoiding what I know could cause insomnia (caffeine, blue screens, etc.), but things have been so hectic and busy that I haven't had time to pause and pursue a proactive approach. The Respect card suggests that I start being more serious about the care of my body. While the lack of sleep might not kill me, it surely can cause me to make choices that affect my finances and body in a negative manner. I wonder if Aretha Franklin ever made a song entitled R-E-S-T-N-O-W. I sure could use some instructions.

Emotional Intelligence

From the Tarot of the Radiant Path, the Five of Swords; from the Mirrors of the Heart, "Respect:"

          Judging by the collection of swords in front of him, this knight appears to have won his battles. His sharp wit (and tongue), extensive knowledge and wily words have allowed him to manipulate, trap and overcome his opponents. Which would be great if he were law school, but his skills are often a handicap when dealing with acquaintances, friends and family. Like the combination of liquids being poured next to him, those relationships have gone up in a puff of smoke. I'm sure he's telling himself they're just too sensitive and don't like being proved wrong. He's forgotten what all healthy relationships need to function well - respect. A debate is not a discussion. And agreeing to disagree doesn't mean he's lost. Respect is simply being kind and courteous no matter the degree of difference between his beliefs and another person's ideas. Perhaps the area of emotional intelligence should be added to his course of study.

Fictional Assumptions

This week I'll be using a Polish deck, the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, created by Alla Alicja Chrzanowska and Alina Konwinska.  Today's draw is the Nine of Swords:

A man sits forlornly in a chair with a book in his lap, swords beneath him, and floating bubbles above him.  Swords often represent thoughts, and this particular card reminds me how they can be beneficial or detrimental.  All of his worries and anxieties are represented by the bubbles drifting overhead; the book symbolizes the ways he's tried to find a solution to his problems.  But as Einstein wisely said, "Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."  What this fellow hasn't realized is that there is very little substance to those bubbles - they are just created by his expectations and assumptions.  If he would only pick up one of those swords (a new way of thinking), he could eliminate them by seeing they are not based in reality.

     The oracle deck I'll be using this week was created by Lily S. May using carved linocut prints.  This morning's card is "Respect:"

How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? ~ Steve Maraboli

Respect, to me, means being courteous while at the same time recognizing my ideas and ways of living may be quite different from others.  This difference doesn't mean I need to fear them, nor does it mean I need to try to forcefully impose my mindset on them; rather, I might see what I can learn from them.