A Little of Both

From the Gill Tarot, the Princess (Page) of Swords; from the Circle Deck, Trust:

The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know… We know truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart. ― Blaise Pascal

Having a lot of knowledge and the intellect to wield it can be a dangerous thing if there is no kindness to balance it. Such intelligence has need of an ethical counterbalance (think of Sherlock's Watson). Whether we are weighted on the heart side or the logic side, the Trust card encourages us to give the other end of the seesaw some leeway. Our well-being and that of others depends on both.

Capable

This week I'll be using the Gill Tarot, created by Elizabeth Gill and published by U.S. Games. The oracle deck I'll be using with it is The Circle, created by D.R. Taylor and published by Versation Publishing. Today's draws are the Ace of Wands and Trust:

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.

–Thomas Edison

This fiery Ace of Wands is given the keyword 'potency' - the measure of a thing's strength and effect. When we are given an opportunity to create or do something incredible and wonderful, our first reaction might be, "Wow, I'm honored but I think this is more than I can handle." We doubt ourselves and our abilities, envisioning a failure before we've even begun. Yet Trust suggests that not only do we have what it takes, we also have people who will be there to help us. We have more available resources than we originally thought.

 

Legacies and Letting Be

This week I'll be using the New Liminal Tarot, created by Penelope Cline and self-published through Make Playing Cards. I'll also be using the Inward Oracle, created and self-published by Rayna Graham.  Today's draws are the Ten of Discs and Trust:

That is your legacy on this Earth when you leave this Earth: how many hearts you touched.

—Patti Davis

          Cline's card shows an elderly couple alone on their estate. Perhaps they have no children or are empty-nesters. But if you were to walk inside their home, I'm sure you would see pictures of friends and loved ones on their mantel. They have learned to live mindfully - appreciating what they have - but also feeling a deep gratitude for those who've shared the journey with them. When they die, they may leave money and goods to others, but more importantly they will leave hearts that are full and brimming too. In the Trust card, a woman stands on her head, elevating her heart about her head. When I worry, my mind busily churns out thoughts about a future that I am trying to outmaneuver as if it will arrive just as I imagine it. What might be a better option is to feel my emotions without feeding them (imagining the worst) and being tender and gentle with myself. Clarity needs two wings to fly, compassion and wisdom.

When we open to our feelings as they arise, we create the causes and conditions of mental and physical health. This is what acceptance-based inner awareness entails; it is not a practice to put off, any more than breathing, sleeping, or consuming nourishment.

― Josh Korda

Deep Sea Diving

From the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, the Knight of Cups:

This knight dives deep to find treasures down below. He's not afraid of the depths of the ocean, and neither is he afraid of the depths of emotion. I've always felt everyone needs an anam chara, or "soul friend." John O'Donohue suggests that all true friendship or love is "an act of recognition." When I cease to be afraid to open up to another, and he or she does the same with me, we can see our commonalities. We see the broken and painful places in each other, as well as the places suffused with joy.  The Knight of Cups encourages me not to be afraid to be vulnerable, because there are plenty of treasures to be uncovered if I do.

From the Mirrors of the Heart comes the card "Trust:"

Ah... here is where the door to my heart gets stuck. I have grown up believing (and experiencing) that emotions could be used against a person; only anger could be beneficial and powerful. But that is a very lonely way to live. Trust is like this image - you have to accept a bit of vagueness instead of certainty. I don't get a legal document signed and notarized as proof. I have learned as I've gotten older to test people with small amounts of personal information. If they handle it respectfully, I feel I can trust them with more. It's an ongoing but slow process for me.

Walking on Rainbows

From the Swietlistej Drogi Tarot, the Fool:

"...the child has not yet become a slave of the expectations of habit... He comes utterly without preconceived opinions... The child perceives the world as it is, without putting more into things than he experiences” ~ Jostein Gaarder

There are days when I am world-weary and days when I delight in wonder.  I wish it were as easy to turn off my expectations and preconceptions as it were a light switch.  In the image above, the snake that sheds its skin and the butterflies that have changed from caterpillars remind me what worlds can open up - how I can be transformed - when I stay in the moment and trust the process.  And while my logic tells me that kid is trying to walk on something that isn't solid, another part of me knows that this chair I'm sitting on isn't either...

     From the Mirrors of the Heart deck comes "Trust:"

When I first saw this card, I didn't like it, but not because it is so simple.  I wanted to understand what I was looking at.  Is it a shadow on a stone?  Is it a figure under a sheet?  I wanted to know, yet I couldn't, as there is no booklet that comes with this deck.  I am a naturally curious person who likes to observe, make notes, analyze, and figure things out.  And if I can't decipher it myself, then surely there must be a book or something on the internet that will inform me...  Trusting in what I can't see or know is a tough one.  But I know it is in that place of unknowing, that place of mystery, where I will find serenity and beauty.