A Whiny Edge

From the Ship of Fools Tarot, the Ten of Staves; from the Wisdom of the Four Winds, Obsidian:

You can only whine for so long. Then you need to get your life back. 

―Marya Hornbacher

This fool's body is in a strange position because he is twisting backward instead of looking forward. My guess is that he's looking for someone to complain to about the load he's carrying. Venting can help reduce our stress if we express what's bothering us (without going on and on). But Obsidian suggests we might take a sharper, reflective look to see if our complaining has taken on a whiny edge. Using this checklist may help us be aware if this habit is hurting rather than helping:

1. We feel even worse than before.
2. We resist every helpful suggestion or solution.
3. We ignore any silver linings.
4. We complain in a mean-spirited or catastrophic way.
5. We're starting to wear out our support system.

Burden of the Mind

This week I'll be using the Cosmic Tarot, created by Norbert Losche and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be drawing from L'Oeil de Lotus (Eye of the Lotus), created by Colette and Gérard Lougarre and published by Vox Arkhana. Today's cards are the Ten of Wands and Winter:

The burden in our minds is always heavier than the burdens on our shoulders.

― Mehmet Murat ildan

Intense pain, in some respects, is like an orgasm; it literally sweeps away every thought in the mind except for the physical sensation itself. We've all felt some degree of it, and usually battle it like an enemy, wanting the pain to go away and stop disrupting our busy lives. But these thoughts add to our pain. Rebecca Li defines suffering as an experience of the present moment to which we add vexations (craving, aversion, delusion). We want our health back, hate our infirmity, and believe it will last forever. But perhaps there is another way. The oracle card Winter depicts the season of cold and starkness - a fitting representation for pain (especially with the man using the cane). Yet this season will eventually pass, giving way to spring. Pain too can fluctuate, sometimes ebbing sometimes surging. It will not stay unchanged. Curiosity rather than anger may be a guide to less suffering. 

Enduring Courage

From the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Mirrors of the Heart, Courage:

Don't despair: despair suggests you are in total control and know what is coming. You don't – surrender to events with hope. – Alain de Botton

This is a new twist on the Ten of Wands; the heavy burden usually seen has now become the fuel for a bonfire. But when we're still in the middle of the struggle, it's easy to let our attitude sink into resentment or despondency. When the road ahead is long, it can help to make our goals small instead of focusing solely on the finish line. Then we can celebrate the small successes of each day. The Courage card is paired with a timepiece, suggesting that enduring courage will be needed for the long haul.  The words of Eleanor Roosevelt are an encouragement in this regard: "We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down."

The Way You Carry It

From the Tarot of the Secret Forest, the Ten of Wands; from the Faeries' Oracle, the Topsy Turvets:

It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.

― Lou Holtz

Snapping turtles hibernate during the winter months, and when they emerge, they sometimes unintentionally carry part of their winter home with them. Humans too can suddenly find such a weight on their shoulders, especially if they are in a caregiving role. Stress can show up in feelings of frustration, sadness, loneliness and anxiety as well as a strain on our physical health. It is important to realize that the caregiver needs care too. It also helps to remember: nothing lasts forever, humor can lighten the load, and we often find help when we ask others for it. The Topsie Turvets visit when we are in a mental muddle and give us a chance to see from a different viewpoint. They tell us to ask different questions and question our assumptions. There's always another side to every story.

When we cultivate mind in everyday life, we have to let go of everything we experience. We don’t need to add any more baggage. If you just keep letting go of everything and moving forward, you’ll reach the top of the mountain. –Daehaeng Kun Sunim

Laying Down the Load

From the Tarot of Durer, the Ten of Wands; from Philosopher's Stone, Light:

You can’t make radical changes in the pattern of your life until you see yourself exactly as you are now. As soon as you do that changes will flow naturally.

―Henepola Gunaratana

Look closely and you will see that what is being burned is not a real house but a painting of one. Sometimes we have to continue doing the same thing in the same way until it becomes a colossal failure. We often have to experience suffering to see beyond our blinders and find our way to relief. Light suggests clarity and the willingness to see reality as it is. Because of that vulnerable openness, we see what is clearly; truths are discovered and understanding is found. What a relief to lay down that load.

Thorns Have Roses

From the New Liminal Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the State By State playing cards, the Two of Spades - Illinois:

Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life.

–Joni Eareckson Tada

In this Ten of Wands, a man carries a heavy load while walking barefoot over hot coals. It's amazing how the mind can make our challenges larger than they are: our hardship can seem insurmountable and obstacles impassable. We don't need to undermine our difficulties, but neither do we need to allow them to mushroom into mountains. Abraham Lincoln illustrates the Two of Spades, and perhaps no other person has borne a weight greater than he. This quote illuminates his outlook, explaining how he could carry such a burden in reuniting our country: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Let Me Check My Schedule...

From the Victoria Regina Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Alchemist's Oracle, Fun:

I know some folks who easily delegate or sidestep responsibilities and duties without a care for how they might be judged. And then there are the rest of us who trudge along with our daily tasks and willingly take on what others offload onto our backs. It's time to take a look at our motives and the results of our choices. Are we helping or enabling? Are we breaking under a burden that should be shared by others? Do we think we must do something ourselves if we want it done right? The stress of being overworked will catch up with us mentally, physically and emotionally. We might think the answer lies in getting more rest, but the Fun card suggests that it is play that will help us truly unwind, relax and get some clarity. As the saying goes, "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Adulting

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the Ten of Sticks; from the Post Psychedelic Cyberpunk deck, Maze:

This card should be called 'adulting.' If we mature into responsible people with duties and obligations, we'll all have those days when life seems overwhelming. Requests and demands can seem like a list we never make a dent in: find, fix, pay, buy, solve, contact, clean, create, finish, etc. The Maze card indicates that lost feeling, when confusion, frustration and exhaustion leave us thinking there is no way out. But is this true? The to-do list might be real enough, but is it possible to delegate, ask for help or leave some things undone until there is less to do? Can we operate from needs rather than expectations?

The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. —Theodore Isaac Rubin

Oppressed Thinking

From the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Words of the Brehon Oracle, 'The laughing-stocks of the world:'

The Thoth keyword for the Ten of Wands is oppression. Indeed, with the heavy anvil atop the flask, it gives a feeling of being trapped, a cog in a machine that has no choice but to keep going. The hammer and pick in the card are often represent mining, and working in the dark far below ground is an appropriate symbol. Feeling as if we have no free will, it's easy to become frustrated and hopeless. The Brehon triad suggests that those who are angry, jealous or miserly become laughing-stocks. The irony is that these people feel self-righteous about their reaction to the situation, refusing to widen their view. Yet isn't there more to life than these moments that cause us to feel this way? We have the power to step out of such self-identities. We might not be able to choose what we experience, but we can choose how we respond. And that can include leaving behind old patterns that only serve us in detrimental ways. 

Nourishing Pause

This week I'll be using the Morgan Greer Tarot, created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using the Celtic Book of the Dead, published by Grange Books, created by Caitlin Matthews and illustrated by Danuta Mayer. Today's draws are the Ten of Wands and the Island of Plenteous Salmon:

The Ten of Wands represents an exhausting struggle to complete a task or reach a goal. Sometimes the hardship is self-created when we add too much to an already full load. But other times - such as in the aftermath of a hurricane, a devastating illness, or great loss - we can only play the cards dealt to us. We simply continue to take the next necessary step as best we can. The 'Plenteous Salmon' card is part of the myth of of Maelduin's voyage; it began as a quest for vengeance that was soon forgotten as the Otherworld was explored. Before arriving at this island, the voyagers had spent a week at sea with very little food. The hostel they discovered was empty but filled with food, drink and beds, as if the island itself was offering hospitality to the men. Together, these two cards encourage a nourishing pause that allows us to rest, recover, and proceed with clarity. 

Effort Isn't Stress

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Master Tarot, the Children:

But effort isn't stress! It's important to distinguish between them: what makes things stressful is when we hold negative emotions against them. –Dr. Rick Hanson

The Thoth version of the Ten of Wands indicates feeling oppressed and having our will thwarted. We want to do something, but are stuck doing something else. The Children card suggests having an open mind and heart, being curious rather then seeing in black and white. As Hanson explains in the quote above, it is our obsessive thinking about how awful or difficult something is that causes most of our stress, not the task or circumstance itself.  

Just an Ember

From the Waking the Wild Spirit Tarot, Glow/Ten of Fire (Wands); from the Saltwater Reading Cards, Sea Anemones:

All that zooming around, busy-as-a-bee lifestyle finally catches up with us in the Ten of Wands. Passion will either burn itself out or the container that carries it. So now is a time to step back, letting our body and all the mind's many plans rest. Trying to get back in the fast lane at this point will only bring an uninspired effort and a second-rate result. Beautiful Sea Anemones might look colorful and delicate, but they can inflict a mighty sting on anyone or thing that gets too close. They suggest that while we might have trained people to expect an unceasing output from us, we might need to retrain them to give us some space so we can restore our physical and mental capacities. In the words of Anne Lamott, "No" is a complete sentence."

Move the Job Along

From the Neuzeit Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from Rory's Story Dice, Music:

A robin feathering his nest

Has very little time to rest

While gathering his bits of twine and twig

Though quite intent in his pursuit

He has a merry tune to toot

He knows a song will move the job along

~from Mary Poppins

I look at all those people lined up like candles on a birthday cake, waiting for me to do the million and one things on my need-to-do list. I went to bed in a blue funk, had a sleepless night, and still find myself in one this morning. My list of duties and obligations seems to grow by the hour, but I'm tired, achy and feel paralyzed to do any of it. Yet the Music die reminds me that staying in this negative head space will neither help me get things done nor feel better. I need a distraction to get unhooked from my thoughts (which will likely help my mood as well). Music might just be the ticket. 

Untying My Own Knots

This week I'll be using the SKT: Revelation, created and self-published by Benebell Wen. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Empty Cup Oracle, created and self-published by Stasia Burrington. Today's draws are the Ten of Scepters (Wands) and Tangle:

Wen shows Atlas holding up the heavens as punishment for leading a rebellion against the Olympian gods. I want to ask him if it was worth it, but my guess is that he would say yes. Sometimes the beginning of change requires great sacrifice, but often it becomes a sacrifice for naught. The Burdened One suggests my willfulness in saying yes to everything wasn't taken with a dose of discernment. It's not that the tasks I've taken on aren't beneficial, but that I've taken on too much. There are others who could be responsible for many of these tasks. Yet Tangle illustrates the problem of being overly responsible for too long - people become habituated to someone always picking up the slack. It will take time to reeducate them on their obligations and duties, as the knots holding those burdens are slowly untied.

It is an art to know how much responsibility to take on yourself and how much to direct to each of the people you are working with so that each person feels challenged but not overwhelmed.

~Judy Lief

Feeding the Spark

From the Sun and Moon Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Jade Oracle, Tlaltecuhtli:

The Thoth keyword for the Ten of Wand is 'oppression,' suggesting our vital spark is being smothered by rigid standards. Perhaps our self-identity is so intertwined with what we do, we fear losing who we are if we lay down any of our staves. Decort encourages to learn to adapt and be flexible when we are overwhelmed rather than stubbornly sticking to what we think we should be doing. Tlaltecuhtli is the maw of life and death, the mouth that is womb and tomb. She who is the incarnation of the earth asks us, "What needs to die so that something else can flourish and live?" 

In the silence of love

you will find the spark of life

― Rumi

May Require Some Thought

From the New Liminal Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Inward Oracle, Closure:

          A man walks barefoot over hot coals carrying a heavy load while attempting to get to the burning tower in the distance. This card reminds me of the 9/11 First Responders as well as the EMTs, nurses and doctors dealing with the ongoing pandemic. In such cases, the motive to save a life can push us beyond exhaustion and hunger (and I bow with gratitude to all of these folks). Yet there are other times when we pick up the heavy load of others, taking on their obligations that should be their responsibility. This makes as much sense as trying to carry all the luggage we find at the airport carousel, even if the tags don't have our name on them. But do we have the right to take away the challenges of others that can help them learn to be responsible and accountable for themselves? The Closure card shows a seated twist, a pose said to energize the spine and improve posture. The booklet journal prompt asks: "What are you holding onto that is weighing you down? What would it feel like to put it down?" Stand up straight, take a deep breath, and just say 'No more.'

The oldest, shortest words— "yes" and "no"— are those which require the most thought.

― Pythagoras 

No Shortcuts

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Mystic Glyphs, Human Trail:

          Enthusiasm can at times make us overly optimistic, failing to see that we have neither the time nor the resources for what we take on. When we find ourselves with more burdens than we can carry, trying to hide from our obligations won't do any good; reality could care less that we're overwhelmed. But what might help is honesty - with ourselves and others. The Human Trail card shows a curvy path and a straight one. Humans generally want what is fastest and easiest, yet those curves in the trail that add time are precisely where we can also learn useful skills, add to our knowledge, and make contact with people who can be of assistance. However, we can make adjustments, correct our course, and try again. Just know that things won't get done by yesterday.

There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned.

~Harrison Salisbury

SOS

From the Stone Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 17:222:

Cracks showed through the new paint.

~Alison Stone

          To be a responsible adult involves taking on commitments, whether the duties are related to family ties, work obligations or volunteer services. Usually we can juggle these tasks, but sometimes the perfect storm arrives and we find ourselves floundering in a tsunami-sized sea of debris. To stay afloat, we may need to let go of some duties that aren't critical and ask for help in shouldering some of the load that we carry. There may even be a few things we've taken on that aren't really our responsibility. But above all, we need to find a few minutes of solitude to breathe. The Dhammapada quote speaks about an emotion that often accompanies such a tsunami: "The one who keeps anger in check as it arises, as one would a careening chariot, I call a charioteer. Others are merely rein-holders." If we want to find a way back to sanity and calm, lashing out in blame and anger won't be of help. Self-restraint will enable us to communicate an SOS without the drama attached, and perhaps get the support we need.

Overloads and Opposition

From the Brady Tarot, the Ten of Feathers (Wands); from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 38:

If you were valued primarily for your ability to excel, you may form an assumption that being average means you won’t be loved or valued. If you don’t perform according to a particular standard, you are a failure. ― Dennis Portnoy

          Wands people tend to be enthusiastic with a great desire to help. To steal a line from Adrian Monk, these traits are both a gift and a curse. Taking on too many causes and constantly offering assistance will create heavy, nearly impossible loads to bear. Hexagram 38 - Opposition - shows the outcome of such overloads. Things don't get done on time or done correctly while other tasks fall through the cracks. People who depended on another's follow-through get upset and conflict soon develops. But instead of blaming and excusing, we'd do better to lean in and listen. We may just uncover a deeper motive for wanting to help than simply altruism. As Edmund Burke said, "Our antagonist is our helper."

Overwhelmed

From the Tarocchi Celtici, the Ten of Fire (Wands); from the Art of Asia Oracle, "Maple Tree and Small Birds" by Ito Jakuchu:

The overwhelmed mind underestimates the scale of a human life and therefore over-calculates the ultimate importance of any particular problem. Don’t be fooled.

— David Cain

          These salamander elves look burned out, a sure sign the Ten of Wands is being carried on their backs. The mirror, a spiritual symbol of awareness and truth, lies face down on the ground under the feet of one elf. Another holds a neck torc, a symbol of power, but she does not wear it. When our energy is constantly channeled in many directions, whether by choice or obligation, the feeling of overwhelmed exhaustion is not far behind. After a while, it's easy to believe we are powerless over our lives and that we couldn't find our way out of a paper bag. The quote assigned to Jakuchu's painting was written by John Burroughs: "How beautifully the leaves grow old! They are giving back the light they have been absorbing from the sun all summer." Perhaps these elves could pause for a few minutes a look for what is beautiful around them and see how it is the nature of things to change. But until change comes, maybe they will realize that self-care is as important as any other priority.