Find the Holes

From the Swietlistej Drogi, Death; from Mirrors of the Heart, 'Touch:'

          Against the backdrop of an eclipse, a woman breaks free of a body that seems to have been composed of dried clay. The ego death that Buddhism encourages is releasing the belief that our sense-of-self is a permanent, separate thing and understanding that it is simply a continually changing process. I'm struggling with this identification on the eve of the midterm elections. My opinions make me want to push others to vote as I do through whatever means I can. Yet Mark Epstein reminds me, "There are many things in life we can do nothing about—the circumstances of our childhoods; natural events in the outer world; the chaos and catastrophe of illness, accident, loss, and abuse—but there is one thing we can change. How we interact with our own egos is up to us." If I spew hatred and stir up fear, I'm no different than those I oppose. When I loosen my identity of who I think I am, it is easier to see my interconnection with all others. The Touch card seems to reinforce this loosening and makes me think of a quote from Sri Nisargadatta:

The real world is beyond our thoughts and ideas; we see it through the net of our desires, divided into pleasure and pain, right and wrong, inner and outer. To see the universe as it is, you must step beyond the net. It is not hard to do so, for the net is full of holes.  

Spilling Over

This week I'll be using the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot (Tarot of the Radiant Path),created by Alla Alicja Chrzanowska and published by Studio Astropsychologii. I'll also be drawing from the oracle Mirrors of the Heart, created and self-published by Lily S. May. Today's draws are Sun and "Touch:"

          Growth, warmth, energy and radiance are evident in this Sun card. Goodwill can also be seen in the way the man and woman reach out toward each other. Genuine gratitude and joy always seem to naturally spill over as generosity and kindness. Which leads seamlessly into the next card, "Touch." Michelangelo said, "To touch can be to give life." Research backs him up: premature infants who were massaged for 15 minutes three times a day gained weight 47 percent faster than others (though they didn't eat any more). But the positive effects are also true for adults, not just babies. Psychologist Dacher Keltner states, "touch signals safety and trust, it soothes. Basic warm touch calms cardiovascular stress. It activates the body’s vagus nerve, which is intimately involved with our compassionate response." As the sun begins to peek through the leaves of the sycamore tree, I feel a song coming on (via Diana Ross):

Take a little time out of your busy day

To give encouragement

To someone who's lost the way

Or would I be talking to a stone

If I asked you

To share a problem that's not your own

We can change things if we start giving

Why don't you

Reach out and touch

Somebody's hand

Make this world a better place

If you can