What is Given

From the Gill Tarot, Death; from the Circle Cards, Surrender:

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

― J.R.R. Tolkien

Intellectually, we all know that we will die, that we will lose the things and people we love one day. But knowing it doesn't mean our hearts will embrace it. Lemony Snicket wrote that it is always a surprise when it happens: "It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things." The Hanged Man tries to prepare us for those moments, giving us a chance to feel our powerlessness over certain situations. Thus, the Surrender card advises we need to stop fighting reality and accept it. If and when we do, we'll know to tread with more care and attention.

What We Leave Behind

From the Tarot of the Abyss, the Ten of Pentacles; from the Nature Mandala Meditation Cards, Surrender:

Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.

—Peter Strople

A gnarled hand gently touches a younger one, a simple symbol of passing a legacy to the next generation. As I get older, I'm beginning to see that the wisdom we pass on to others is as great a resource as land, a business, or other material possessions. My peers and I (and those before us) have been so busy procuring that we've not given enough thought to caring for and sustaining the earthly foundation that supports us. We've lost sight of our interdependence with other beings. The Surrender card is a reminder that we can't tell the next generation how to handle their affairs. But we can admit our mistakes and plant some seeds of wisdom that perhaps might grow. As Chuck Palahniuk said, "The goal isn’t to live forever, but to leave behind something that will." Hopefully that will be something more beneficial and longer lasting than material goods. 

Cracked Coverings

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Tower; from the Soul Cards, Surrender:

Most people in my area have had a tree struck by lightning on their property at one time or another. None of the trees that took a direct strike survived the massive jolt of electrical current. In the same way, the Tower reflects a moment when one of the ego's mental constructs comes crashing down. The 'protective' delusion it created might have lulled us into feeling safe and secure, but it actually served to keep us separated from reality. When the shock and numbness wear off, we may feel grief, anger or fear. We demand our old life back, now. We may blame, manipulate and try to control the situation, but this tends to have the same effect as banging our head on a tree trunk. Imagine a person prostrating themselves in the leafy litter under that struck tree, with forehead and palms pressed to the ground. If one took a picture from beneath the earth, this Soul Card image is what it might look like. While a prostration might show reverence or respect, it is also the physical embodiment of surrendering the ego. It is a way to acknowledge that like it or not, we all live according to the natural laws of life. Yet as the quote Burrington includes for the Tower card suggests, surrender can also bring a certain kind of freedom and growth:

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely

undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes.

To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete

destruction. ~ Cynthia Occelli 

Ego Protection

From the Ellis Deck, the Five of Swords; from the Brownies Oracle, Surrender:

Birdman is the one left holding the swords after this battle, but he is left standing alone. Those piles of feathers beneath his feet represent just how cutting and damaging his words were. I don't see him doing a victory dance, probably because the reality of what he lost in order to win is sinking in. Ellis suggests learning from our mistakes when we find ourselves in this situation. Being right might feel good in the moment, but the fallout sucks. Surrender is something people in recovery know well, mostly because of the struggle we put up beforehand. We blame, we justify and we rationalize - anything to prevent us from admitting the truth. The longer we play this mental game with ourselves, the more prolonged and intense is the suffering that follows. Many prefer to die rather than admit their wrongs and ask for guidance from another. Is protecting the ego worth all that?

Change only happens when the pain of holding on is greater than the fear of letting go.

~ Anonymous