Checks and Balances

From the Urban Tarot, the Ten of Pentacles; from the Principles to Live By, Simplicity:

An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth - in short, materialism - does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited. 

—E. F. Schumacher

Scott has illustrated this card with clips from the New York Diamond Exchange. She writes, "With each of the four tens, we see what happens when one of the elements is allowed to completely dominate and blot out the other three." Nature has seasons to balance times of growth and abundance with times of rest and decay, but wealth unchecked can become blind greed that pushes for power. Simplicity, or living a life that is straightforward and uncomplicated, might seem an impossible partner with wealth. Yet billionaire Bill Gates - who decided with Melinda that living such wealth to their children would not be beneficial - explains: “I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars... But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger.” Instead, he now has a new focus: “There’s so much opportunity to do good in the world.”

Speak Up

From the Urban Tarot, the Four of Cups; from the Principles to Live By, Simplicity:

          Nothing says comfortable like hanging out in your tightie whities with your loved one. This Four is called 'Luxury' in Thoth decks, because things have gotten very stable from an emotional point of view. But there is a fine line between being stable and flat, like a soda that has lost its fizz. You could have a room full of sodas like that, and not want a sip from any of them. Have things moved from comfortable to complacent, creating an underlying feeling of discontent? Creating chaos might shake things up, but it doesn't lend itself to emotional satisfaction either. The tile Simplicity suggests living a life that is straightforward and uncomplicated. Do we crave stability to the point that we don't dare do or say anything that might disturb it? Hans Hofmann said, "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." The emotional foundation that looks secure on the outside might actually have a huge inner fracture that is gradually getting larger. Saying nothing and pretending it's not there won't make it go away.

Magpie Mentality

From the Golden Tarot, the Nine of Coins; from the Yantra Deck, "Simplicity:"

          It took me a few minutes to figure out why Black would have included the ewe in her card, but then I realized it balanced out the falcon. The falcon represents the assertive, disciplined side of the will; the sheep is the gentle, receptive side. This woman didn't get her financial security through corporate take-overs or hoodwinking her business partners and clients. She took the softer, kinder way (as shown in Strength) of honest and humane hard work. She has been blessed by her efforts with good health and financial stability; now is the time to enjoy life instead of simply adding to her larder.
          The Yantra of Simplicity is paired with a quote from Ernest Hemingway: "The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without." We humans try to ignore the inevitability of change and impermanence by using a smokescreen of accumulated stuff. Who can worry about death with a stack of boxes from Amazon to open? Yet as my body ages and more friends and family members die, this approach no longer works very well as a distraction. Life is transitory as the Buddha's words imply in the Diamond Sutra:

So you should view this fleeting world -

A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,

A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,

A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.

I've got plenty of people, experiences and beauty to enjoy right under my nose. I have no need to chase after the next bright, shiny object that crosses my field of vision. 

Little Room for Egos

From the Urban Tarot, the Five of Wands; from the Principles to Live By Oracle, "Simplicity:"

          Two baseball fans, one who pulls for the Yankees and one who cheers for the Red Sox, have an arm wrestling contest. I imagine it got started over a discussion of who had the best team. At least with sports, there is usually a championship game to decide the better team. But businesses and other group relationships require a discussion of strategies to decide the best way to reach an objective. The conflict can be as mundane as a husband and wife arguing over the best route to take on a trip, or as complex as a new advertising campaign for a company. Yet different suggestions and ideas can be a positive thing. If I take the time to think over each one as I sift through them, I might find a gem I hadn't even considered before.
          The square is a symbol for Simplicity; to be simple means living a life that is moderate and uncomplicated. Relationships have a hard time with this concept when there is a struggle over how, when and where to do things. As soon as we bump into an opinion opposite from our own, we want to trash the person and bring up any past mistakes they made. Unfortunately, this takes the focus off the issue at hand; often whoever screams the loudest or is the most denigrating gets the prize. But Simplicity reminds me to bring things back to the basics - what here is most important? As Albert Einstein once said, "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction."

Keeping It Simple

This week I'll be using the Golden Tarot, created by Kat Black and published by U.S. Games. The oracle I'll be using is the Yantra Deck, created by Karl Schaffner with Maya Deva Adjani and published by Vayu Publishing. Today's cards are the Knight of Coins and "Simplicity:"

The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more seriously without. ~ Ernest Hemingway

The knight looks out at the lay of the land before rushing into any endeavor. He is patient and methodical, rather than impulsive and haphazard. His dog (his instincts) has a muzzle on it as if to remind him to be careful not to bite off a large chunk of anything quite yet. The Simplicity yantra is fairly self-explanatory, suggesting I need to be fully present with what is under my nose rather than what is behind me or way ahead of me. Having just gotten home from my trip, my inclination is to try to catch up on the chores and what I've missed since I've been gone. Yet the only thing I absolutely must do is go grocery shopping. I'll opt for food, rest and sanity today.

My mom and I

A Biopsy and a Boulder

This week I'll be using the Legacy of the Divine, a deck and book set created by Ciro Marchetti and published by Llewellyn. Today's draw is the Chariot:

If you've ever been on the back of a runaway, frightened horse, you know how hard it is to get 1000 pounds of muscle under control. As I wait on news from a biopsy, it's easy for my emotions to run helter-skelter. My brain will believe the source of my fear is based on reality, even when it may not be. Just because I have a reaction to something, doesn't mean there is truth behind it. The Chariot encourages me not to let my emotions take the reins now, but to focus only on what is factual. The woman lights up a pathway for her harnessed team to follow. I too desire to see with clarity; I don't need to worry until there is something real to worry about.

The oracle I'll be using this week is Steps to Serenity, a deck I created based on the principles of 12 Step programs.  This morning's card is "Simplicity:"

"When we 'Keep It Simple,' we try to take things at face value, looking at what is actually happening rather than the fifty things that might or might not follow."
~ How Al-Anon Works

It's easy for our imaginative human minds to magnify a simple stone into a boulder. And not just any boulder, but a one that weighs a ton, is rolling down a hill at 100 mph, and is headed straight toward me. Why is it so easy to picture the worst case scenario but so hard to envision the best? I need to adopt Winnie the Pooh's philosophy he discussed with Piglet as they walked through the woods on a blustery day. Piglet asked, "What if a tree falls on us?"  To which Pooh replied, "But what if it doesn't?"