Cutting Strings

This week I'll be using Songs for the Journey Home, a deck and book set created and self-published by Catherine Cook and Dwariko von Sommaruga. I'll also be using the Raven Cards, an oracle created by Gabi Bucker and published by AG Muller. Today's draws are the Seven of Flames (Wands) and 'Wellspring:'

Right this very instant, when you’re

Under the spell of mistaken perception

You’ve got to watch out.

~Patrul Rinpoche

          This fellow cuts the strings that have pulled his mind and emotions to and fro. While it would be easy to assume other people and circumstances are the causes of our defensive posture, often it is simply the committee in our head. We've all been shaped and conditioned through our experiences, resulting in a mental steering committee that is constantly telling us what is good or bad and what we should or should not be doing. But is this a skewed perception of reality? The Wellspring card suggests there is a place in our mind that doesn't cling to preferences and prejudices but opens to possibilities instead. We find this spaciousness when we relax and let things be, allowing our mind to observe instead of judge. This unconditioned mind enjoys equanimity, without any strings to jerk it around.

Wellspring

From the Songs for the Journey Home Tarot, the Ten of Waves (Cups); from the Raven Cards, 'Wellspring:'

          The eggs and the succession of swan pairs made me think of karma. Karma in the mainstream is generally thought to be something negative - be mean and it will boomerang back to you. My understanding is that karma is the process by which our past intentional actions influence what we experience and do in the present, and how in the present they influence our future. These karmic seeds (habits) produce karmic fruit, such as connection and kindness or separation and cruelty. If we become aware of our tendencies that aren't beneficial or positive, we can change them and our future. Yet our intentional actions also affect generations to come. We can leave a legacy of love for others to follow or a heritage of hate for others to endure. Our habits can be passed on even easier than an inheritance. The Raven card suggests that we 'go to the wellspring' - a source of continual supply. This is not something external but internal that is much wiser and more compassionate than our ego. It fills us with a beneficial living water that we can share.

What we all need to do is find the wellspring that keeps us going, that gives us the strength and patience to keep up this struggle for a long time. ~Winona LaDuke

Refilling Tanks

From the Songs for the Journey Home, the Four of Flame Songs (Wands); from the Raven Cards, "Wellspring:"

          When I start an enjoyable project, I have a tendency to become like a high-speed, wind-up toy. My frenetic, non-stop activity will eventually cause me to collapse; the minds and bodies of humans aren't meant for such unrelenting pursuits. The creators of the SJH deck suggest we pause and pay attention to our natural energy levels. As the levels wane, we can rest and enjoy what's been accomplished so far. When the levels begin to rise again, we can jump back in with renewed vitality.
          The Raven Card speaks of a wellspring waiting to flow. A wellspring is the source of a river or stream from which the water flows. Everyone has such a source that replenishes and refills them. For some it may be nature, for others it may be art or a spiritual practice like meditation. But when I am in the middle of that frenetic activity, it seems counterproductive to stop. Yet if I was driving around town running errands, I wouldn't allow my car to run out of gas, so why would I let my human self do so?