Check in the Mirror

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Prince (Knight) of Swords; from the Master Tarot, Straw and Beam:

A well-educated fellow, the Prince of Swords has a never-ending supply of ideas and plans. He gets bored rather quickly, so he's likely to pawn off many of those plans on his cousin, the Knight of Pentacles. Like many intelligent people, he enjoys crossing swords, arguing and debating with others. Lacking in emotional sensitivity, he can easily determine and poke at people's sore spots. The Straw and Beam card offers a warning: before we point out another's shortcomings, we'd do better to look at our own.

I have learned that the hardest part of campaigning for tolerance and justice is encouraging people to look at their own selves, to examine their own identity and shortcomings. ~Roger Ross Williams

Temporarily Stable

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Four of Disks; from the Masters Tarot, the Straw and Beam:

One half of the world fears stagnation and the other half change.

― Marty Rubin

          The Thoth meaning of this Four is Power, the kind that comes from material stability and establishment. And while this seems comfy, its also a subtle warning not to get to attached to how things are. One thing Nature can teach us is that it continues to live, thrive and survive through change, whether seasonal or evolutional. I found the Straw and Beam card a strange pairing at first, as it suggests getting the beam out of one's on eye before pointing out the straw in another person's eye. In other words, don't judge anyone else unless you have no faults to work on. I can see a parallel with this and my husband's health. Now that I'm feeling better, I've been pushing him to see another back doctor. (His spine has been described as a nine car pile-up.) He finally did agree to see another fellow who has started a few new therapies in hopes of relieving some of his pain. But both these cards imply that just because my body is feeling good doesn't mean I should ignore it. I need to pay attention to its needs too.