In the Process

This week I'll be using the Deirdre of the Sorrows Tarot, a self-published set created by Deirdre O'Donoghue and illustrated by Wayne McGuire. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Victorian Flower Oracle, created by Alex Ukolov, Karen Mahony and Sheila Hamilton; it was published by Magic Realist Press. Today's draws are the Ten of Pentacles and Forget-Me-Not:

We’re all dying from the day that we’re born; we’re in the process of dying and once you have reconciled that with yourself, it opens up windows for you. 

—Kathy Stanwick

Three generations gather in a sitting room, yet the elder sits apart as if knowing his legacy will soon be passed on. As he gazes out the window, he reviews how he lived, how he used the resources he had and the money he made. He realizes that not only his assets will be passed on to his heirs. Did he teach them to be ethical, prudent and generous? Forget-Me-Not suggests the end of a phase and a letting go into the next stage. Do our words and actions reflect how we want to be remembered? Will we leave behind a legacy that helps, enables or hinders the next generation?

A Time to Appreciate, A Time to Plow

From the Le Veritable Tarot de Marseille, the Ten of Coins; from the Greek Alphabet Runes, "Tau:"

       Bursten's keyword and phrase for the Ten of Coins is "obtaining" and "enough already." What has been gained is more than expected and more than adequate. Instead of a single blooming rose, the center of the card shows one with a double bloom. It would be wise to enjoy and be grateful for what I have, rather than continuing to add to my pile of stuff. There's plenty to take care of and maintain already; having more might be more than I can handle.
       Tau is associated with the Tau Cross, a symbol of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony (a member of the Franciscan order). It has come to represent sacrifice and compassionate action as well as a renewed sense of purpose and hope. To misquote Ecclesiastes, there's a time to have and a time to give; a time of plenty and a time of absence. Eventually the flower on the Ten of Coins will fade, but it will leave seeds behind for sowing in the spring. At that point it's time to turn the focus to plowing and planting once again.