Winning an Earthquake

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Knight of Clouds (Swords); from the A'HA Oracle, Unfurling:

You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.

~Jeannette Rankin

This armored knight looks like he's spoiling for a fight. Fierce, intellectual arguments that leave no room for listening are his strategy. He firmly believes he alone knows what is true and just. When others sputter to defend themselves or simply walk away, he feels he's won the battle. But did he actually change any minds or hearts? He might take some advice from MLK, Jr.: "Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon... which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals." Unfurling shows some ferns slowly unrolling new fronds. Transitions and growth take awareness, patience and effort. It's not just others who need to change, but ourselves as well. Perhaps if this knight would channel some of his energy toward self-reflection, he might evolve into a wise king.

Slowing Down

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Knight of Pentacles; from the A'HA Oracle, Unfurling:

Tasks can get done if I'm moving quickly, but tasks get done well when I'm moving mindfully. It's hard not to want to rush through and get to the next thing (which usually just has another next thing behind it). However, this Knight suggests I slow down, pay attention to detail and stay in the moment. Unfurling reminds me of those little ideas or potential solutions that tickle the back of the mind as I go through the day. Yet it it usually only when I'm about to drop off to sleep (or upon waking) - when I'm relaxed - that they come fully open. I can move at a moderate pace with plenty of pauses when there is no race to win or fire to put out. And by doing so, my mind and body can work together.

Take a walk with a turtle. And behold the world in pause. 

~Bruce Feiler

Freedom of Flexibility

From the Osho Zen Tarot, New Vision (Hanged Man); from the A'HA Oracle, 'Unfurling:'

          We rarely acknowledge our rigid thinking, controlling behavior and unskillful, habitual patterns until we have been brought to our knees like the figure at the bottom. We may feel like we're about to snap in two, which is a sure sign of just how fixed and narrow our perspective has become. The Hanged Man is the point at which we surrender our opinions and look at things from another viewpoint. The man above the figure on the ground illustrates just how freeing such flexible thinking can be. Our thimble of possibilities becomes enlarged to the size of the starry sky. The Unfurling card suggests a period of opening and expansion, leaving behind our fixed patterns. After being trapped in our thimble of opinions for so long, we may be eager to rush our new growth. Yet life moves at its own pace, regardless of our impatience or prodding. We just have to relax and give it the space and sustenance it needs to grow.