Don't Just See, Watch

From the Tarot of Durer, the Queen of Batons; from the Philosopher's Stone, Skill:

We live our lives supposing things are as they appear to be when that is almost never the case.

― Richelle E. Goodrich

Don't judge a woman by her coverings. This Queen is nearly unrecognizable, but her cheekiness in showing a bare leg is a big hint, as is the crown on her baton and lion at her feet. We are geared to make assumptions about appearances, but we are wiser when we do not. The Stone card shows off its skill in levitating a stone over its head - sort of like us walking while balancing a book on our head. It suggests that we would do well to draw our conclusions from actions rather than how people look or what they say. Our house got hit hard by Hurricane Michael, and the flooding that ensued from it necessitated moving our HVAC unit, pulling all the mucky ductwork from under the house, and putting new ductwork in the attic. These repairs unfortunately left a huge hole where the unit had been with no bricks to fill the wall. After much searching, a friend recommended a fellow who agreed to find some bricks and do the job. This man was in his 80s, had only a few teeth, and couldn't speak well. But today, no one can tell where the old brickwork meets the new. Outer appearances can hide much.

Everyday Reality

From the Tarot of Durer, the Three of Swords; from the Philosopher's Stone, Skill:

Trust takes time to develop but can be destroyed in a moment. Our connections to others make us feel secure and accepted, but when severed can create a mental or emotional crisis. We tend to be sensitive about our ideas, opinions and sense of self; a joke at our expense, a dig at our viewpoints or a snarky comment about about anything we identify with can feel like a betrayal. Yet Skill hints at the ability to use our mind to cultivate clarity and wisdom, seeing what's beneath our reactions (rather than focusing on what someone else said). We may realize that we all want similar things (joy, companionship, etc.), but we all have different ways of getting there. Rather than accepting any abuse heaped on us, we can simply choose not to hate the other or be swamped by self-pity.

Happiness is not simply the abundance of pleasure in the absence of pain. Rather, it is to remain confident and optimistic in the face of everyday reality.

–Tricycle editors

Repeat or Replace

From the Tarot of Durer, the Nine of Swords:

The three swords over this fellow's head reminds me of the Three of Swords card.  Does he keep a constant reminder of a past pain around, physically or in his head?  He's polishing six other swords like he's preparing for battle.  Now I understand learning from the past so mistakes don't get repeated, but this seems to be more of a paranoid obsession.  Like the pouncing fox carved at the top of the column above his head, he seems sure that impending disaster will fall on his head at any time.  I don't want to ruin the joy in my life by waiting for the other shoe to drop; I need to stay out of the past and future and focus on the present.

From the Philosopher's Stone deck comes the card "Skill:"

Now here's a neat trick - instead of carrying something on his head, this stone person has learned to levitate a rock over it.  In combining this oracle card with the tarot card above, I see the need of letting thoughts and worries become lighter so I don't carry their load around.  I know I can't control what thoughts pop into my head, but I can replace them with something else when they arrive.  It's like a hotel manager turning the way potential guests because there are no rooms available.  But therein lies the solution; I must replace the worrisome thoughts with something else, leaving no room in my head.  A mantra, a gratitude list or even a grocery list will do, as long as I consciously place my focus on something else.  I'll repeat until I replace.