Under Construction

From the Gill Tarot, the Prince (Knight) of Discs; from The Circle deck, Responsibility:

          The Prince of Discs represents Air in the element of Earth, making him a person who is thoughtful and innovative as well as dependable and industrious. While his earthy side might make him slower than some, it allows his contemplative side to be aware of necessary steps to be taken rather than skipped over. Thorough in his work, he takes things one step or stage at a time. Responsibility suggests being aware of one's own strengths and weaknesses and having the integrity not to pretend otherwise. The University of Zurich suggested five types of strengths:

1. Interpersonal - leadership, teamwork, kindness, forgiveness fairness
2. Intellectual - love of learning, creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness
3. Emotional - zest, hope, courage
4. Restraint - prudence, self-regulation, honesty
5. Spiritual - faith, gratitude, appreciation of beauty

Hopefully this Prince will realize there's more under construction than just that wheel.

More Doing

From the Gill Tarot, the Queen of Discs; from The Circle, "Responsibility:"

          All the queens nurture in their own way. The Queen of Cups will let you express your feelings and offer comfort; the Queen of Swords can give an objective view and come up with a strategy; and the Queen of Wands will help keep you motivated along the way. But the Queen of Discs is where practical reality lies. Home Depot (a store for home improvement and construction supplies) has a catch phrase that says, "More Saving. More Doing." This queen would change that to "Less whining, thinking and cheering. More doing." She's got a lot of oyster shells at her feet, and she had to open each one in order to find that pearl in her lap. All that time spent in emotional, mental and inspirational effort now needs to be redirected into creating something concrete.
          Americans tend to be fired up about rights, but when someone mentions the other 'R' word (responsibility), we scurry off like cockroaches in a bright light. Our first inclination is to say we're too busy; our second it to try to pay someone else to do it. If we are warned that we need to change our habits, we wait until the inevitable has already happened and then expect someone else to fix the problem. But responsibility reminds me that I am the one who is accountable for my actions. I can't blame or offload the work that needs to be done on anyone else. More Doing indeed.

Gas Lights and Dandelion Seeds

From the Tabula Mundi Tarot, the Seven of Cups; from the Alchemist's Oracle, "Responsibility:"

          The Thoth tradition describes this card as "Debauch," or excessive indulgence. It's not the celebratory kind of indulgence, but a wish to escape reality and live in a fantasy world. Choices are based on what feels good in the moment, rather than on what is the right thing to do. Meleen has drawn gas light bubbles (will 'o wisps) that float over a drying swamp. Caused by the breakdown of organic material in wet areas, these floating balls appear to follow someone who moves away from them and move away from someone who moves closer to them. Yet like the meaning of the Seven of Cups, it is only an illusion (caused by the movement of air that shifts the gas bubbles). There's no such thing as a perfect life, but I sure can make matters worse by trying to pretend I don't see what's right in front of me.
          The dandelion seeds being blown from the seed ball remind me of the Buddhist idea of karma. Karma is a natural law of cause and effect that has nothing to do with justice, reward or punishment. Actions will produce results; intentions are like seeds that have the potential to produce fruit. A Chinese Buddhist text describes these seeds: “From intention springs the deed, from the deed springs the habits. From the habits grow the character, from character develops destiny.” Each moment I have a choice about how my heart and mind will respond to my situation. My freedom lies in accepting responsibility for my decisions, not in attempting to hide from it.

Practical Responsibility

  From the Tarot of Dreams, the Queen of Pentacles:

This queen wears a pentacle inside a pentagon around her neck.  According to some sources, the pentagram was a symbol of the Pythagorean Order and was given the name "health."  This woman knows her body, mind and spirit are at their best when she is out in nature, involved in a creative project, or paying attention with all five senses.  She's practical, down-to-earth and resourceful, yet she's loves and appreciates things that are beautiful.  She nurtures those around her with physical gifts - a shoulder massage, a bouquet of flowers she grew, or assistance with planting a vegetable garden.  I would call her the "salt of the earth," but she wouldn't like that description, because plants can't grow in salted ground.

     From the MentorSpirit deck comes "Responsibility:"

 

In combining this card with the queen above, I think of how often society chooses to replace something they own rather than take care of what they have.  Whatever the latest shoe style, car, cell phone or computer is, they must have it.  We've become a throw-away society, but that stuff we throw away doesn't magically change into stardust.  We've got piles of this garbage everywhere, and eventually we're going to run out of places where we can hide it.  My grandparents, who raised me as a young child, lived by the saying, "use it up, wear it out; make it do, or do without."  At this point, it's not just about living frugally but being environmentally responsible.