Airing Out the Shed

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, Waratah:

          An old potting shed is filled with tools, pots, soil and a few herbs hanging to dry. But a peek out the door will prove that we're not in Kansas anymore. The landscape has changed from an earthy environment to a cosmic one. All those implements that were once so helpful aren't very useful now. The law of impermanence would suggest that the thinking that originally solved problems and created solutions may need to be tweaked or completely tossed out. Just try to talk to a grown son or daughter like you did when they were two years old ("Go sit in the time-out chair!"), and you'll understand what I mean. I don't necessarily have to toss my values and ethics, but my ideas need some major renovations. The Dreamtime story of the Waratah tells of how this flower became red. A wonga pigeon risked flying above the protection of the tree canopy in search of her mate and was killed by an eagle. Had the pigeon not given in to her fear (which made her act unwisely), she could have searched the whole forest for her partner who was still there. When I am afraid, it is easy to want to double-down on what has worked before. Yet it may be wiser to try new logic than to continue to use what no longer works.

Writing Fiction

From the Wheel of Change Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the Oracle of the Dreamtime, the "Waratah:"

          Not too far from a Pueblo village, a collection of pots sit out in the rain. All of them have cracks or broken sections, so they're no longer useful. Yet I imagine the person who placed them there has a sentimental attachment to them. Perhaps a favorite aunt, grandmother or sister made them years ago. They remind me of the file cabinet of memories stored away in my head.
          The Waratah is a flower; the legend is that a bird looking for its mate flew above the tree canopy and into the clutches of a hawk. Even as she was dying, moving from flower to flower, she called out for her missing mate. Did the bird have a previous mate who was killed, and assumed it had happened again? Hakanson says this myth speaks of devotion, yet to me it also implies letting emotions outweigh common sense and logic. When I add the meaning of the broken pots, I see how influential the past can be on my present. Yet like the broken pots that don't retain water well, my memories aren't always complete or true. Though I can learn from the past, it is the present in which I need to be living.

When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction. ― Stephen King