Laws of Nature

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Queen of Disks; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Sturt's Desert Pea:

Here is a Queen who doesn't spend her days on a throne; she's worked in the fields, prepared food, woven baskets, and gathered herbs to help the sick. She nurtures others by providing them with physical necessities and comforts. Yet through teaching others how to care and provide for themselves, she also helps them to help themselves, just as she was taught. Even when she passes on, her skills won't be lost. Sturt's Desert Pea tells the story of a young woman who ran off with a man from a different tribe though promised to a medicine man in her tribe. The medicine man tracked them down and killed not only them, but the whole tribe. Bright red flowers sprang up where the people died, and the Great Spirit sent a lightning bolt to kill the medicine man. Aware of nature's flow, the Queen of Disks knows that good things can grow, even where there is loss, but those who cause harm will eventually pay a price. 

We don't live in some kind of crazy, accidental universe. Things happen according to certain laws, laws of nature. Laws such as the law of karma, which teaches us that as a certain seed gets planted, so will that fruit be. ―Sharon Salzberg 

Intoxication and Detox

From the Nature Spirit Tarot, the Six of Pentacles; from the Australian Wildflower Reading Cards, Sturt's Desert Pea:

          The Pentacles suit is primarily represented by daffodils in this deck, also known as Narcissus. The genus name comes from the Greek language and means 'intoxicated.' I can't think of a better description for the physical world, especially in finding balance between what we need and what we simply desire. The giant silk moth (a cousin to the silkworm) are sometimes cultivated for the coarse silk from their cocoons. Likewise, with hard work, we can take our resources and generate even more. But what do we do with that extra when we have all we need and then some? The bamboo in the card suggests flexibility, the ability to not hold so tightly to any excess but to give to those in need. The unusual Sturt's Desert Pea is in the legume family, which means that although it takes nutrients and water from the soil, it also adds nitrogen back. The booklet suggests that in order to overcome, we must be willing to let go. It is interesting that of all the Buddhist paramitas ('far-reaching attitudes'), generosity is number one on the list. It involves compassionately giving in three ways: material things, protection or understanding. Generosity is the detox practice for grasping and clinging.

Greed is the salty water consumed by those who thirst for self-centered gratification. This kind of thirst can never be quenched and becomes the source of increasing torment. 

—Matthieu Ricard

Keeping Connected

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Three of Cups:

A large cup floats on a river with a lotus flower inside; two more lotus blooms rise from the water. Usually the Three of Cups shows a bunch of women in party mode, celebrating one thing or another. But here the cups are replaced by lotuses, plants that grow from the muck and mud until they tower over the top of the water. I have women in my life who've gotten me through turbulent and grief-stricken times; they have helped me rise out of the darkness and into the light. My "tribe" of women are much more than just people to party with.

From the Oracle of the Dreamtime comes "Sturt's Desert Pea:"

The tragic tale of this aboriginal story describes a family who fails to heed their intuition and ends up paying with their lives (and the lives of their tribe). From the ground where the people were slain, beautiful flowers emerged. Like these red blooms that suddenly appear in the barren desert, sometimes I have small flashes of insight or thoughts that nudge me in a certain direction. Lately, I have had a friend on my mind whom I've not heard from in quite a while. I feel I should to try to contact her, and this card seems to encourage me not to shelve that idea but act on it now.