Our Greatest Strength

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Moon; from the Haindl Rune Oracle, 'Ur/Uruz:'

          Twas the night of Winter Solstice and all through the garden, fairies dreamed while luna moths fluttered under the light of the moon. I spent most of the solstice night awake even after a cup of chamomile tea and a couple of melatonin. Just as the unconscious comes out in my dreams, it can also peek out in sheer exhaustion. My 'follow the rules,' rational brain will let the reins slip, allowing that shadowy horse to take off at a gallop. I've been trained by belt and cruelty not to cry, and even though I now know it's healthy, it's still hard for me. But my heart has been full lately, tender and raw from witnessing the suffering of others. And so on the darkest night of the year as I lay sleepless, I cried those tears I've been carefully holding in. The rune Ur/Uruz is translated as 'great ox,' and it implies great strength. I know intellectually that inner strength has nothing to do with outer toughness, yet my heart is still hesitant at times to take off its armor and be vulnerable. Perhaps tonight I will whisper Rumi's words to myself as I fall asleep: "Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart."

Abundant Resources

From the Tarot of Timeless Truth, the Six of Pentacles:

If you have a candle, the light won't glow any dimmer if I light yours off of mine.

~ Steven Tyler

One man from the forest trades deer antlers to a man with shells from the shore. Each man has something that is plentiful and common from his area, but not from the other region. They each have in abundance something the other needs. The sixes are about restoring harmony, through bartering or sharing with another. I may not have money to give, but I do have other gifts - my time, energy and creative ideas. This card reminds me not to discount or overlook what I have or can do, as someone else appreciate it. Of course I also need to remember the flip side of the coin - to ask if I find myself in need (without letting pride get in the way).

From the Rune Cards comes "Aurochs / Ur:"

The aurochs is determined and horned above

Fierce and bold this beast fights with horns

A mighty stepper over moors, it is a courageous creature.

~ Anglo-Saxon poem

The aurochs was once a European wild ox. It represents strength, but not the kind that dominated other people. Instead, Ur is a strength of determination and resourcefulness. To be resourceful means I deal with challenges with what I've got - my skills, my ideas and my assets. It may take some innovation and creative maneuvering (and possibly even some bartering), but I've got what I need to deal with what life demands of me.