Hobbies?

From the Hidden Realms Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Heart of Faerie, the Prince of Light:

If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values: they're hobbies.

―Jon Stewart

This fey looks to the heavens for guidance, wondering if he should bend the truth and ignore his values just this one time. But of course, it's never once, because it gets easier and easier to rationalize doing wrong after we do it the first time. Repeated actions can become habits, which form as the brain creates shortcuts, reducing the need for conscious thought. The Prince of Light holds an egg, representing a new beginning, while also shedding light on a situation. Is this who we want to become, someone who claims ethics and values but ignores them when it favors us?

Don't Feed the Egos

From the Tarot of the Abyss, the Five of Swords; from the Nature Mandala Cards, Hope:

Be aware of people that make an ocean from a glass of water.

― Alfredo Antequera

In every gathering, small or large, there's usually a person who dominates all conversation, effectively shutting down anyone who might ask questions. They are impressed with their own intelligence and feel their views are superior to any others. Then there are the trolls on forums, who get their jollies from making comments that twist people up into knots. In either case, the victims often feel like this trapped butterfly in the jar - no matter how much they push back, they never seem to make a dent in the conversation. Hope suggests that things might get better. Yet Wise Hope, rather than simply wishing for change, would encourage us to see how we might avoid getting sucked into such conversations. Sometimes the only influence we have is over our own thoughts and reactions, which can keep us sane and avoid feeding any egos.

In the Shadows

From the Tarot of the Abyss, the Seven of Swords; from the Nature Mandala Cards, Honor the Memory:

Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.

― André Malraux

Lying comes in many flavors: flat out dishonesty, hiding the truth or using half-truths while omitting the rest. Deception is tied to entitlement; we feel like it is our right to deceive in order to get what we think we deserve. Yet it should be plain that anything we must do in the shadows is an offense against our relationships with others. We can't whine about rights without accepting responsibilities as well. Honor the Memory suggests we remember our bonds, connections, promises and commitments. It's not always easy, but it will serve us in the long run. And if we can't, then let's be brave enough to be honest about it.

Looking Over One's Shoulder

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Kuan Yin Poems, Verse 11:

Stealing is basically taking what is not given, either without the knowledge or without the consent of the owner. ― Nathan Strait

How many times have we thought to ourselves, "I hope no one notices." It may have been when we stuck a handful of sweetener packs in our pocket at the cafe, switched a store sticker from a cheaper product to a more expensive one, let the cashier give us more change than we're owed, or borrowed someone's wisdom and claimed it as our own. We try to convince ourselves that it won't hurt anyone, yet it does. And it damages us as well, imprinting on us a habit that is hard to shake. The Kuan Yin verse reads:

It is strange to achieve something in the middle of a battle.

As if by magic, what seemed like bad luck turned to good.

Our mind often tells us things like, "No one will care or miss this. It's not a big deal." It can be a battle not to act on those thoughts, but when we avoid taking what is not given, we don't have to waste our life making excuses or looking over our shoulder all the time. There is freedom in that.

The Mind's Creation

This week I'll be using the Greenwood Tarot, created by Chesca Potter and published by Thorsons. The oracle I'll be using is the Rune Cards, created by Tony Linsell and Brian Partridge and published by Anglo-Saxon Books. Today's draws are the Seven of Arrows (Swords) and Homeland (Othila):

Our mind creates our world. An angry mind sees an angry world. A fearful mind sees a threatening world. But when mind is stable, we see a world as that world is. We see a world that is open, fluid, workable, moveable. —Tim Olmstead

Rather than the RWS version of someone stealing swords from another, Potter's illustration shows an insecure person letting her peace of mind be stolen. I recently corresponded with a friend to let them know what was going on with my husband and my fears surrounding his health crisis. I was looking for, in all honesty, support and encouragement. What I got was mostly a litany of all the bad things happening in their life. It felt more like a slap in the face than comfort. But the words of Olmstead and the rune Othila (native land) remind me that my true peace lies within the 'borders' of a stable mind, not any external source. As Charlotte Joko Beck bluntly put it: "Nothing in the world will ever protect us; not our partner not our life circumstances, not our children. After all people are busy protecting themselves. If we spend our life looking for the eye of the hurricane, we live a live a life that is fruitless."

Look for the Scales

From the Mystical Moments Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Inner Eye Oracle, the Jack of Hearts:

People will reveal who they are if you just pay attention.

― Germany Kent  

There are those who treat others like a tissue - they use them then toss them in the trash. As with the serpent girl stealing bird eggs, it's not always easy to see the scales of those in whom we place our trust. People make mistakes, but blunders are different from breaking someone's trust. Such a fracture involves betrayal and deception; the intention behind the action is completely self-serving without consideration of the other. The Jack of Hearts represents the Lover. The swan that drapes itself around his neck symbolizes devotion and loyalty. Loyalty, this Jack would tell us, is about protecting those we love. It doesn't mean we are always in agreement with our beloved, but our actions are motivated by care and concern. If that's not the case, peek under their appeal and you'll probably find scales.

 

What Isn't Ours

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Secret Language of Color Cards, Coral:

Some people steal to stay alive, and some steal to feel alive. Simple as that.

― V.E. Schwab

When is it okay to steal what isn't ours to take? If someone has more than us, are we entitled to take some of theirs? There is a growing problem with people stealing and selling intellectual property these days (creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, etc.), made easier via the internet. I've unintentionally bought a tarot deck from Etsy and an oracle deck from Amazon that were pirated. But the big companies do little more than offer a refund, which seems a heartless response to the artists and writers. Simply because someone's work is popular and well-known doesn't mean they're rich; they are likely just trying to make a living like the rest of us. Coral suggests we allow for flow and synchronicity in our lives. Yet if we are too busy being envious of what others have, we'll never notice the openings and opportunities that float past us. When we are grateful for what we do have, we can more easily spot our resources as well.

What We Hide

From the Legacy of the Divine, the Seven of Swords; from the Tea Leaf Reading Cards, the Mask:

Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.

― André Malraux

Both of the cards today point at betrayal and deception. There is a big difference between being honest (not telling a lie) and being truthful (revealing a full, 360 degree view of the matter). One part may seem to be insignificant and of little concern, but seeing the whole truth paints a much different picture. "I was inspired to write this essay," sounds nice; "I copied and pasted most of it from something I found online" does not. Most of us are driven to get ahead and to look good. But we can't do either of those genuinely if we are lying to ourselves and others - we have no tangible starting point for making changes or real progress. When our actions agree with our words we grant ourselves integrity, and our relationships become based in trustworthiness.

Taken, Not Given

From the Nigel Jackson Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Wolf Pack, Lessons:

Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you? ―Walt Whitman

Various cultures have seen the fox as a guide or a trickster; those who raise chickens see them as a threat. Their ability to outsmart humans has earned them a reputation for cunning and resourcefulness. Jackson describes this card as 'evasive cunning,' suggesting that this fox is being hunted. He seems to be treading carefully, as if looking for traps. The Wolf pack card shows a pup learning how to hunt.. He's likely to make many mistakes before he actually captures any prey, but the older wolf will show him over and over again how to do it. In both cards, lessons are learned - the hard way in the first and an easier way in the second. Either way, the responsibility falls on the student. As Cesare Pavese wrote, "Lessons are not given, they are taken."

A Small Rock

From the Neuzeit Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from Rory's Story Cubes, Plane:

You bend the rules a little bit and then it's a slippery slope.

~Thomas Peterffy

A few lies make it easier to tell more; a few carefully hidden motives make it easier to cover up more. Without a doubt, we'll get away with some of our deceit. But that big eye at the top of this card is a reminder that someone will eventually get wise to what's going on and the truth will come out. Is being at the pinnacle of the mountain worth the fall we'll take from its cliff? Is our desperation really creating a solution or just a bigger problem? The Plane suggests seeing things from above, from a more expansive view. It parallels the words of Za Choeje Rinpoche:

You can just pull your mind out of the situation and let your mind be like a sky, looking at the situation above, not from underneath. It’s like you have a small rock in your hand, and you’re bringing it so close to your eyes that it feels like you are under a big, huge rock when actually, it is just a small rock. It’s just perspective. We tend to look at the situation from underneath and so close that we exaggerate the situation, and then we make that situation so big. Then we think, “This is what my life is; I am just crushed by this.” In reality, if you look at it from above, it’s not a big, big thing. It’s just a small rock.

Not Much of a Protection

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Seven of Winter (Swords); from the Haindl Rune Cards, Ingwaz:

Other thieves merely stole everything that was not nailed down, but this thief stole the nails as well.

― Terry Pratchett

A rogue fairy and his companion have stolen from the communal commissary that supplies the winter needs of all the fairies. Greed is never content with what is needed; it always wants more, seeing only what it doesn't have rather than what it does. What this fellow doesn't realize is that taking what is not given won't expand his world, it will shrink it. There is the isolation of feeling others have what he wants, and the paranoia of being caught when he takes it. The rune Ingwaz refers to the harvest and fertility god Freyr, who gave up his great sword in order to marry the giantess Gerd. It suggests that what we think is helping and protecting us is actually keeping us from being content and happy. 

What We Plant

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the SoulCards, Teaching:

Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.

~André Malraux

This intense young lady reminds me of Keri Russell in the spy TV series, The Americans. Is she stealing secrets, ideas or plans?  While there may be an extraordinary circumstance that requires subterfuge to stay safe from those who would do us harm, deception generally only creates more problems. It can easily become a fixed pattern of behavior, resulting in us resembling Malraux's words above. The Teaching card shows a man attempting to explain how the seeds we plant today become the meadow of our life in the future. Acts motivated by greed, hatred or delusion sow a field of suffering; those generated by generosity, kindness or wisdom create gardens of joy. Check the label on those seed packets.

Avoiding Quakes

From the Fey Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the I Misteri della Sibilla, Servant (Jack of Clubs):

Most RWS style decks show the Seven of Swords as someone carrying off things that belong to others. This Fey, however, has only one large sword and seems to be blending into the masonry. Together with the Sibilla's Servant card (and the fact that the holidays are upon us), my thoughts go in a different direction than usual. This combination might suggest I could be of better service by keeping some of my opinions to myself, especially when airing them only serve my ego. If someone comments about a great book they finished and it's one I've also read, I don't have to rain on their joy by telling them I would have preferred more character development and less flowery descriptions. As Voltaire wrote: "Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes."

Pick Your Battles Wisely

From the Badgers Forest Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Gemstone Oracle, Tiger's Eye:

A badger has decided to claim as his own the burrow of two ground squirrels. In Buddhism, this would fall under the second precept, which is "I vow not to take what is not given." This precept embraces much more than simply not stealing physical things. For instance, we can take over a conversation and not leave space for anyone else to speak. Or we can claim an idea that isn't ours to take. Tiger's Eye is a quartz stone with a golden shimmer due to crocidolite, a form of asbestos. It represents courage and personal freedom, which in the case of the Seven of Swords seems to imply that we're to fight back. Yet the asbestos in this stone - which is hazardous - offers a strong caution. We don't need to be a doormat, but we should pick our battles wisely by choosing those that are truly important and necessary. As with the ground squirrels, they can create another burrow - which would be much preferable to be eaten.

  

Stolen Property

From the Victorian Romantic Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Dreaming in Color Deck, Chaos:

The backwards glance on this man's face can be easily read: "Have I been found out?" Yet we may take something more costly than anything material. Secrets told in confidence, snippets of gossip, an act observed without knowing the context - these can all be stolen goods when we share them with another. Chaos implies that some of us enjoy stirring the pot simply because we love the turbulent excitement and drama it brings. Thoughts of how the fallout might hurt others never occur. But every choice and action has a consequence - that we can't run away from.

No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues. 

~Bertrand Russell

Dot of Light

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, created by Julia Jeffrey with Barbara Moore, and published by Llewellyn. I'll also be drawing from the Heart of Faerie Oracle created by Brian and Wendy Froud and published by Abrams. Today's cards are the Seven of Swords and Bright Spark:

A young warrior pauses to look to the stars for guidance before deciding to engage in battle. Who will his actions benefit ― himself, a select few, or all? What might the long-term consequences be? Is he being driven by his own passionate views or led by the frenzy of the group? The choice he makes can alter his future. Bright Spark symbolizes those small moments of inspiration or illumination that we may miss because our minds are so busy trying to out-think and out-maneuver what lies before us. Yet in the stillness and quiet, spiritual nudges may come from the luminous mind (the non-egoic wisdom within). Follow that inner light. 

May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.

― J.R.R. Tolkien

Melting Snow

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Seven of Winter/Swords; from the Haindl Rune Oracle, Eoh/Eihwaz:

A fairy and his rat henchman have broken into a family's store of food for the winter. The Seven of Swords brings up the question of ethics: Can a wrong ever be considered right if it is done to correct an unfair imbalance? We all have a moral code that influences our conduct, but we often judge others by it as well. Stealing is never okay in my code, but neither is hoarding or a lack of generosity. Yet still I harbor a subtle "Is he or she deserving?" in my mind. The rune Eoh/Eihwaz relates to the yew tree, a plant that is evergreen and also poisonous. Its symbolism of both death and life points to an initiation that brings transformation and illumination. Such an initiation is not for the faint of heart; it requires that we "die before we die," a process of stripping ourselves of our pet concepts and opinions as well as our preferences and prejudices. It is only when our ego relinquishes control that we can see the world with clear vision.

Be melting snow.

Wash yourself of yourself.

~Rumi

Spinning and Letting Go

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Seven of Air (Swords); from the Curious Oracle, Prayer Wheel:

When the snake decided to go straight, he didn't get anywhere.

~William Stafford

The deceit and disaffection of the Seven of Swords is shown by a crow's nest being invaded by snakes that eat her eggs. It is hard not to feel sorry for the bird, though a naturalist might remind me that it is a snake's nature to eat where there is opportunity. I recently posted on a forum in a few threads where I don't often venture. There is one member, known for her snarky comments (just shy of getting booted), who replied with snide and condescending remarks. Now I've got Al Wilson singing in my head: "You knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in." I don't like to label people, but neither do I like to be someone's whoopie cushion. The Prayer Wheel is spun while saying a mantra, and is said to help develop wisdom and compassion in the practitioner. Forgiveness is necessary in this case, but not because she deserves a pass for her behavior (which she likely doesn't see anything wrong with). I need to let go of any bitterness so that it doesn't poison me.

Temptations of the Mind

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Soul Cards, Nothing to Hide:

Rise above the deceptions and temptations of the mind. This is your duty.

― Sivananda

          This young lady represents defiant deception; we've all experienced it in one form or another. It begins when our mind tells us things like: "They have more than enough and I am in need, therefore I have the right to take from them" or "He's often maligned my character simply out of meanness. I have the right to do the same." Yet as Friedrich Nietzsche said, "The most common sort of lie is that by which a man deceives himself." What we use to convince ourselves that we're taking righteous action is like a dandelion seedhead on a windy day. It's cannot stand up to scrutiny or the truth. Even worse, deceptive actions are seeds on the breeze; once planted, they bring a crop of similar behaviors. Nothing to Hide suggests considering how our reasoning would look to others if it were laid bare before all. It's easy to rationalize in our own mind, but it can look very different when we say it out loud to other people.

Solid Information

From the Fey Tarot, the Seven of Swords; from the I Misteri Sibilla, Messaggero (Jack of Diamonds):

          This translucent Fey is camouflaged to blend into her surroundings. She isn't interested in a heist but information; she's an undercover operative. Dealing with a big problem by meeting them head-on isn't always prudent or wise. There are times when we need to quietly and skillfully collect evidence. Messaggero (Messenger) is an intermediary who arrives with useful information. While his news is helpful in putting all the puzzle pieces together, the facts the Fey collects will be paramount in making a case. Hearsay should not be confused with certainty.

For any reputable person or organization to be successful, that person's or organization's actions must be based on solid information, not conspiracy theories, not hearsay, not rumors, and certainly not fear mongering. ― Mike Klepper