Spreading It Thin

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the King of Wands; from the Secret Language of Color Cards, Sapphire:

          The King of Wands has a lot going on, but he knows direction and purpose will help sort things out and keep them on track until completed. Sapphire symbolizes rejuvenation, restoring what has been depleted or injured. The King must also be aware when his focus and energy are at their limits and either pause or delegate. As Ryder Carroll explains: "Inevitably we find ourselves tackling too many things at the same time, spreading our focus so thin that nothing gets the attention it deserves. This is commonly referred to as "being busy." Being busy, however, is not the same thing as being productive."

Will One Thing

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Page of Chalices; from the Secret Language of Color, 'Sapphire:'

Purity of heart is to will one thing. 

– Soren Kierkegaard

          This pure-hearted Page offers a bowl of clear, fresh water to the turgid river. Kierkegaard's quote suggests we live by a unifying principle (Good) that gives us meaning and purpose. It also requires that we don't divide our mind and hearts - what I wish for myself (happiness, peace, safety) is what I wish for everyone without exception. Without this 'one thing,' I will continually be in conflict and dissatisfied. The Good gives me a way to prioritize and make choices that won't add suffering to everyone's load (including my own). As Kierkegaard phrased it, "If it be possible for a man to will the Good in truth, then he must be at one with himself in willing to renounce all double-mindedness." Sapphire encourages regeneration, growing back what was lost or damaged. What has been damaged in humanity? Our love for one another has been replaced by division, separation, hatred, and distrust. I am not advocating giving everyone a pass for bad behavior (actions have consequences), but perhaps I could look at others through the lens of that unifying principle, realizing with compassion that we all operate under layers of ignorance and conditioning.

The Three Pure Precepts:

With purity of heart, I vow to refrain from ignorance.

With purity of heart, I vow to reveal beginner's mind.

With purity of heart, I vow to live, and be lived, for the benefit of all beings.

—Shunryu Suzuki

Healing from Trauma

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Star; from the Secret Language of Color, Sapphire:

          Look closely, and you will see the darkness of the night sky is the silhouette of a head with the neck in orange. Inside is the gray outline of a woman falling. According to the booklet, she has fallen from the Tower. The intellectual safety of her ideas have been exploded, and now she gets a wide view of life as it is. Lilies, often associated with death and resurrection, twine about her body. If she continues to fall, she will travel out of the head and into the watery body, a world of rawness and physicality. Awakening can be a shock, but the insights gleaned can be a life changing experience. The Star's association of healing and rejuvenation is reflected in the Sapphire, which is associated with regeneration of the body. To regenerate means to reform what has been lost; what is reformed may look the same, but it is different. Emotional trauma cuts us off from our bodies, and the key to healing lies in coming back to its physical sensations (and the present moment) within a cushion of safety. Patience and gentleness will be required as well as acceptance of feelings.

Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity. ~ Judith Lewis Herman