Tangled Up

From the Badgers Forest Tarot, the Hanged Man (Bird); from the Gemstone Oracle, Rhodonite:

I wanted the whole planet put into stasis until I could catch up.

― Anna Sheehan

This little sparrow has gotten tangled up in a catbrier vine. VanderHoeven describes this card as stasis, a state of inactivity due to powers beyond our control. It can be maddening when we have an agenda and are prevented from carrying it out. Thoughts like "This is what I want to do" or "This is what I want to prevent" swirl in our minds and make us more frustrated. But if we can relax and look at things simply as they are (without our agenda), we might instead ask, "What is possible for me to do now?" It might be that we need to be patient, or we might need to start freeing ourselves from our 'shoulds.' Rhodonite suggests gratitude, which often reminds us of the resources we have instead of focusing on those we don't have.

Ready List

From the Badgers Forest Tarot, the Five of Pentacles; from the Gemstone Oracle, Rhodonite:

If the only prayer you said was ‘thank you,’ that would be enough. 

~ Meister Eckhart

A crow sits on a fruitless branch, battered by a recent storm. We can all find ourselves experiencing unexpected hardships. Pride (or shame) may keep us from reaching out to others. People in the past might have offered help, but if we didn't hear back from them we might assume they weren't sincere. Yet people get distracted or busy; it's up to us to follow-up and be specific about our needs (no one is a mind reader). Being able to help, to make even a small difference, can give others a feel-good boost that they might need too. Rhodonite is a pink silicate mineral often characterized by veins of black manganese oxides - an appearance that seems to symbolize both abundance and need. Yet its metaphysical meaning is gratitude, finding the good in even simple things. It is a practice that can serve us well during challenging times; by seeing who and what we can be thankful for, we have a ready list of resources.