Shadow Side of Nostalgia

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the A'HA Oracle, Shadow:

          Give my brain a few moments of intense pleasure, and that experience will be filed away for life. Then when I'm annoyed with my current partner, I'll pull up a memory of a beau from the past and think, "Now that's the way life should be." The problem is, I conveniently forget the other one thousand ways the guy from the past was a jerk. Nostalgia can be an enjoyable activity as long as it doesn't keep me from living in the present. The Shadow card suggests I look at the parts of my personality of which I might be ashamed or afraid. My shadow shows itself in my interactions and relationships with others; what frustrates and annoys me about others is likely a denied trait or mindset I have myself. Yet when I acknowledge and accept it, I can better understand and accept that same side in others. Then I won't have to go fishing in the past to find something more palatable than the present.

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. ~Carl Jung

There's No "I" in Team

This week I'll be using the John Bauer Tarot published by Lo Scarabeo; Bauer's art was edited by Pietro Alligo and the lwb written by Jaymi Elford. I'll also be drawing from the Arthur Rackham Oracle, created and self-published by Doug Thornsjo of Duck Soup. Today's cards are the Four of Wands (from The Troll's Ride) and 'Shadow' (from The Goose Girl)

          In a dark forest, a young man rides at full tilt with a smaller figure barely hanging on to the rump of the horse. If this were a rescue, the illustration might represent victory by the skin of one's teeth. The booklet suggests 'homecoming' as a keyword, implying a happy reunion. The Shadow card shows a woman herding geese with a shadow watching on the wall. Geese are notorious for being aggressive sentries, so for them to be oblivious to the shadowy presence says a lot. This card indicates something important (and harmful) is being overlooked. Together with the Four of Wands, it might be that one person is taking credit for a success that actually belongs to many people. It would more beneficial (and humble) to take Isaac Newton's attitude: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."