Wakey Wakey

From the Tarot of the Absurd, the Sun; from the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk Deck, The Virus:

To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.

—George Orwell

While the Sun represents warmth and energy, it also implies clarity - which is hard to achieve with our eyes closed. When we're oblivious in our cocoons, it can take the jaws of life to free us from it. The Virus only needs a receptive host and then can spread to others; like computers, our minds need an antivirus program. We may only see what we expect or want to see. Because a truth is inconvenient or upsetting, we may refuse to acknowledge it. If we're a part of a group with a strong belief system, we may feel like we have reasons not to believe. But if we want our antivirus system to work, we must begin with doubt. This is not cynical doubt (rooted in agendas and self-protection) but questioning doubt that notices what we usually ignore and then investigating it.

Rationally Consider the Irrational

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Absurd, created and self-published by Jessica Rose Shanahan. I'll also be using another self-published deck, the Post-psychedelic Cyberpunk by Masha Falkov. The draws for today are The Moon and 'The Virus:'

          A mother eating her child is a disturbing image, although in the world of animals it happens frequently. Often the baby is sick and won't live, or the mother is undernourished and can't nurse it. Yet this isn't real life, but the unconscious sending up a signal through symbolism. The Moon's message is never literal because that is not the language it speaks. The Cyberpunk card shows a virus - a tiny bit of genetic material inside an encapsulating shell. It just sits there until it finds a suitable host, and then they infect and take over cells like pirates raiding a ship. There are similar 'viruses of the mind,' thoughts just waiting for a person to invite them in (like opening an infected link in a computer). Instead of inviting in paranoia, I need to rationally consider the irrational. Whatever is playing out in my dreams likely has an emotional base that my unconscious has written a story around. The story isn't true, but the feelings are valid.

The general function of dreams is to try to restore our psychological balance by producing dream material that re-establishes, in a subtle way, the total psychic equilibrium.

~ Carl Jung