Ill-Directed Mind

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Nine of Feathers (Swords); from the Elemental Dice, Volcano:

Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will. ~W. Clement Stone

In Petersen's painting, eyes open wide in terror, and a mouth screams silently. Yet it is our thoughts about things, not the actual things themselves that this card represents. The Dhammapada tells us, "Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself a greater harm." Just a seed of assumption, misinformation or projection is all it takes if we let the mind run amuck. Yet Volcano reminds us that we have a power within to help us meet the challenges we face. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, "You have power over your mind - not outside events." It is our responsibility to use this power, no one can do it for us.

Permission to Play

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Three of Cups; from the Elemental Dice, Volcano (Earth + Water):

The child-like drawings of people in this Three of Cups alludes to the playfulness and lightheartedness it symbolizes. Petersen suggests that sometimes it is hard to join a group because we have become comfortable in a partnership or our solitude. We forget that just as work can give us purpose, a celebratory group can give us the freedom to relax and set aside what weighs us down for a while. Volcano represents a dormant chamber that still has molten rock flowing within its chamber. It implies a gestating potential that may lead to expansion. One thing that 'letting down our hair' can do is allow inspirations and new perspectives to bubble up that a rigid 'got to solve this' mindset can keep us from. Concrete beliefs give way to possibility or acceptance. Nancy Collier describes it this way:

Surrendering to living in the questions feels like dropping through a trap door. Suddenly we are deposited into the present moment; we have permission to be here, to experience what life is like—now. We have permission to get interested in the experience of this reality and allow the answers to reveal themselves on their own timeline. Just for now, we don’t have to do it all ourselves, don’t have to push our way through with our mind, as we’ve been taught.

Cosmic Mixer

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, Mediatrix (Temperance); from the Elemental Dice, Fire + Earth (Volcano):

          Petersen writes that this "Cosmic Mixer" can change the "seven poisons into the seven wisdoms." My biblical upbringing made me think of the seven deadly sins and their corresponding seven heavenly virtues:

Lust  ~  Purity of Thought

Overindulgence  ~  Self-restraint

Greed  ~  Generosity

Laziness  ~  Diligence

Anger  ~  Patience

 Envy  ~  Kindness

Pride  ~  Humility

Contrary to the Church's teachings, I prefer thinking of the "sins" as natural human desires (though I agree they need to be tempered). As an example, if I see a bare-chested, athletic young man out for a jog, I can appreciate the beauty of his body without wanting to jump his bones. Labeling such desires as "sins" and making them seem unnatural can cause other problems in trying to pursue the other "perfected" extreme. For instance, how patient should I be when there is an injustice that needs to be set right? Sometimes anger is what can motivate action. Moderation - using discernment according to each situation - might be a saner choice.

          The Volcano combination from the dice this morning reminds me of passive-aggressiveness, that simmering anger that lurks beneath a calm exterior. Both card and dice made me think of the story of the prodigal son who spent his inheritance with wild living but was welcomed back by his father. But the other son, the one who had been virtuous, was extremely angry that his brother got "rewarded" even after his sinful ways. Perhaps the middle way might be more virtuous than rigid categories of right and wrong.