Persuasive Myth

From the Tarot of Durer, the Seven of Swords; from the Philosopher's Stone, Task:

           It looks like the fox has outsmarted the men hunting it, but will the fox's luck hold out the next time? Ask the addicted nurse who steals meds, the white-collar businessman who embezzles, or the teen who shoplifts how it feels to be cunning enough to beat the system, and they will likely describe it as a high. Yet the Task card shows how such deceptive behavior affects us over time - first it's fun and exciting, then it becomes a little worrying, and finally we're so stressed we feel like we're cracking up. Being honest and open isn't always easy, but it sure beats trying to keep up with the lies we tell.

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. ~John F. Kennedy

Hang Tight Without Shrinking

From the Tarot of Durer, the Hanged Man; from the Philosopher's Stone, Task:

          The phrase underneath this hanging man reads: "Many hidden dangers await the good." When you live with a tender and kind heart, there are many ways for it to be hurt. I don't know anyone who hasn't felt pain of some form. In the case of this card, it has come because he is powerless to stop or control a situation. Sometimes life is hard, and there's not a thing that can be done to change it. This fellow is yelling and flailing about to the extent that he's lost a shoe. I imagine the rooster is suggesting that he stop squawking; reality is not impressed or influenced by hysterics. The Task card shows three different way we can handle these kind of difficulties: with grace, with a sense of duty or with an attitude that life isn't fair. There is a line in a novel by Anita Shreve that says, "To be relieved of love, she thought, was to give up a terrible burden." Do you think of love as a burden, or is it the key that unlocks a new way of seeing?

Love is a willingness to stand in the fire of life and not shrink back.

~ Will Donnelly

Get Your Mind in the Game

The tarot deck I'll be using this week was created by Giacinto Gaudenzi and based on the engraving style of Albrecht Durer.  From the Tarot of Durer today comes the Chariot:

Those who are everywhere are nowhere.

Here's a family on their way to a festival or some other destination.  I can just hear the woman in the background telling her husband, "Can't you find a less bumpy road?"  The child (hidden in back) is asking over and over, "Are we there yet?  How much longer?"  And the poor man driving the wagon has his eye on the rat with a coin in his mouth; he is thinking, "I wonder how much this trip is going to cost me?"  All the occupants have their minds on something other than the scenic view on the way to their destination, making the trip seem even longer.  Today I will focus my energy on attaining my objective, rather than complaining about all the potholes along the way.

     The oracle deck I'll be using this week is the Philosopher's Stone, created by Austrian artist Dieter Schwertberger (aka DE ES).  This morning's card is "Task:"

Three stone people, each with a different expression, carry a large slab on their heads.  The shorter one seems to have the worst attitude, grumbling about the job the whole way.  The middle one isn't happy, but doesn't complain; he just wants to get the chore finished as quickly as possible.  The last guy seems to be content with just focusing on the task, not troubling himself with what he needs to do next.  I've got several responsibilities to fulfill today as well as several things I want to do.  The more I concentrate on what I want to do (instead of just doing what I need to do), the worse my attitude will be.  I will try instead to apply myself and my attention to what is in front of me.