Not Worthy of Hysterics

This week I'll be using the Morgan Greer Tarot, created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using the Celtic Book of the Dead, published by Grange Books, created by Caitlin Matthews and illustrated by Danuta Mayer. Today's draws are the Ace of Swords and the Sea of Mists:

Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than your own mind untamed. And who is your friend? Mind is your friend. No one can help you more than your own mind, wisely trained — not even your own mother and father. 

—Dhammapada

The booklet gives the keywords "glorious conquest, power and strength" for the Ace of Swords. But this is not a description of a king or warrior, it is the might of a disciplined mind. Our mind is a constant flow of thoughts that tell us all kinds of things, many of them untrue or unfounded. The problem is that it generally focuses on the past it knows, rather than just seeing things objectively. The seafarers who traveled to the Celtic Otherworld found themselves struggling with this when they suddenly found themselves floating on water that became like a mist. They could even see a monster stealing cattle below them. When our mind is confused, it runs to old memory files of what it knows of the world. In this case, clouds can't support a boat, so it's time to freak out. Yet the objective, logical mind would ask, "What is actually happening, what evidence do you see?" In their case, something wondrous and mind-bending, but not worthy of hysterics.

Pillars of Support

From the Transformational Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the Sea of Mist:

       This woman has a metaphorical head full of snakes, as she dreams about a murder. It's ironic that I drew this card when I got only a few hours of sleep last night, though not due to nightmares (rather the insomnia of menopause). However there's nothing like the dead of night - when everything is still and quiet - to give the mind free rein. I've had quite a few women drop by or call this week, wanting to discuss the difficulties going on in their lives. Add to that mix my own family's drama, and it gives my mind a mental ball of clay to play around with in those wee hours. But the emotions stirred up by my thoughts are nearly always the result of pure conjecture. Like elements of a bad dream, very little have anything to do with reality.
          The Celtic voyagers come to the Sea of Mist in which they can see a horror show taking place right below their boat. In the same way, new challenges can often be confusing and disorienting, and fear is a typical reaction. My mind is always looking for creative solutions when presented with a problem. But what if it's something totally out of my league, a situation completely foreign to me? The book suggests, "At times of instability we must learn to trust the constants of our life, for they give us support." Thankfully I do have a few practices and people I can lean on.