One Pocketful of Experiences

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Page of Coins; from the Way of the Horse Oracle, 'Rivalry:'

          The Page of Coins is a student of all the Earth; he wants to understand everything from how a seed develops into a plant to why humans make the choices they do. But he's not content to learn things from a book - he has to test things for himself to see if they are true. There's a quote attributed to Will Rogers that describes him well: "There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by readin’. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." This Page's personal experiences can create a solid foundation of knowledge and skill, but he must be careful not to think his experiments can be generalized to cover all. The Rivalry card illustrates competition, which is not always a bad thing. If each side is determined to best the other, they may grow and develop in ways they might not otherwise have done. Yet if each side simply struts about declaring it has all the answers and knows the right way to do things, nothing concrete or helpful gets accomplished. I am reminded by these cards that my experiences and knowledge allow me to see one tiny facet of the world. There are other timelines, places and circumstances in which I have relatively little factual information. I'd do better to keep an open mind (and add to what I've learned) than declare that I have a greater depth of understanding than someone else.

Common Sense isn't Common

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Knight of Swords:

The tiny sword that hangs from a choker around this man's neck let's me know he is gifted when it comes to communication.  He can sway you with sweetness or slice and dice any difference of opinion.  His helmet shows that he is both literally and figuratively "sharp as a tack."  Those points represent the many standards he holds and the strategies he plans on putting into action.  The problem is that his helmet is as hard as his head; it covers his ears and keeps out suggestions that might be beneficial.  Common sense isn't very common in his intellectual world.  This knight reminds me that no matter how much book knowledge I have, I would do well to heed the words of wisdom that come from the experience of others.

From the Way of the Horse deck comes "Rivalry:"

The airy drawing of these horses tell me this battle is not physical, but a mental and emotional one.  The author indicates this aggression stems from fear - fear of losing something or failing to attain something.  There's nothing wrong with putting up protective boundaries when necessary.  But often when dealing with issues in the mental/emotional realm there is a difference between perception and reality.  Instead of making assumptions, I need to ask and investigate to find what is fact and what is fallacy.  Such actions would be a better use of my time instead of getting hyped up about something that only exists in my head.