Attention is the Key

This week I'll be using the Wild Unknown Tarot, created and self-published by Kim Krans. I'll also be using the Pictish Oracle, researched and drawn by myself, then lasered onto wooden tiles by a friend. Today's draws are the Moon and Tongs:

This emphasis on the unconscious driving our behavior and influencing our judgements, decisions and choices has been vastly over-emphasized. —Ben Newell

The Moon shows a waning moon, suggesting a time for letting go of things. The evergreen trees (endurance) seem to have no ground showing beneath them. Such groundlessness is an apt description of the Moon, when things are confusing and unsettled. We might wonder why we feel or behave in particular ways around certain people or specific situations, or why we at times make impulsive decisions. It would be nice to blame this on our unconscious - a repository of information that can guide us. Yet current research indicates that we are more likely governed by conscious thinking than by our unconscious. Attention is the key. Conscious awareness is the broad, open space of perceiving, while attention is a focused beam. The Tongs - an instrument for handling hot metal safely - suggests we focus our attention on a specific thought, motive or feeling and look at it with curiosity rather than as truth. Though attention, insight can allow us to see things as they actually are. 

 

Checking the Compass

From the Wild Unknown Tarot, the Hermit; from the Pictish Oracle, 'Tongs:'

All men should strive

to learn before they die

what they are running from, and to, and why.

~James Thurber

          While the Hermit does represent a time of solitude, it's not about rest and relaxation. Instead, it is a deep dive into our motives and behavior, the patterns we uncover and those we want to change. This self-inventory is not meant for self-denigration nor is its purpose to fertilize the ego. As Pema Chodron explains, "The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently."
          The Tongs symbol was often found on the stones that also had hammer and anvil incisions. This tool allowed the smith to safely grip red-hot metal in a forge and to move and rotate it while it was shaped. Its meaning has to do with detachment - being able to be objective and open-minded rather than getting 'burned' by preferences and prejudices. It takes some practice to be able to do look at oneself objectively and compare it to our personal spiritual compass. But the results are worth it. We may one day make the same discovery as Douglas Adams: "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."

Justice and Liberty

From the Wild Unknown Tarot, the Father (King) of Swords; from the Pictish Oracle, Tongs:

          I love Krans choice of a great horned owl for the King of Swords. These owls can swivel their heads over 180 degrees to look in any direction; their facial feathers are designed to direct sound waves to their ears. What a perfect representation of a person who is just and fair - able to see (and hear) all sides of a situation. The owl's sword and sharp talons symbolize the skill of objectivity that allow him to look past emotionalism, manipulative language and ignorance in order to uncover the truth. The Tongs tile was often seen on stones with other symbols of the smith, such as the hammer and anvil. This tool allowed the smith to safely move and rotate red-hot metal as it was shaped without being burned. Likewise this king's detachment gives him the ability to mediate disputes without being entangled by them. The owl's rainbow sword reminds me of the ongoing LGBT arguments here in the States. The true King of Swords won't be swayed by religious views, opinions or prejudice. A person's sexual orientation and gender identity should be included under the banner of civil rights; our pledge of "justice and liberty for all" shouldn't leave any citizen out without just cause.