Mind Shift

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, the Six of Swords; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the Wheel:

Life's true wonders unfold when we dare to shift our minds and embrace the transformative dance of paradigm change. ―Itayi Garande

Our personal paradigms, or patterns of thinking that create our worldview and affect our actions, are mostly unconscious. Some of us suffer from paradigm paralysis. But occasionally, the universe gives us a head slap that forces us to see facts we can no longer ignore. Our old defense mechanisms - denial and rationalization - cease to work. As Garande describes, we experience "a shift in our perception of reality, a change in our beliefs and assumptions, and a new way of looking at the world around us." We willingly move towards other shores. The Celtic Wheel represents turnings and changes. It asks us if what we've learned and experienced in the past is helping us make better choices in the present. If not, perhaps we need a paradigm change.

Readied Position

From the Morgan Greer Tarot, Justice; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the Wheel:

In all the years that I've used this deck, I don't think I've ever noticed Justice's foot peeking out from the bottom of her robe. It reminds me of the paintings and statues of  Green Tara that show one foot loosed from the lotus position - ready to take compassionate, wise action. We can have eons of intellectual discussions about what is fair, equitable and just, but nothing changes until these ideas are put into practice. The Wheel, with its emphasis on changing course, underscores this understanding. In the words of Barack Obama, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

The Lion's Roar

From the Sacred India Tarot, the Wheel; from the Land Sky Oracle, Ahimsa:

Can you imagine opening without resistance to the aliveness, change and loss that is inherent in this existence?  Can you imagine opening in this very moment to the pleasantness and pain, the changing flow of life?  ~Tara Brach 

          In Buddhism, the Lion's Roar is the confidence and faith to be with whatever comes next, knowing we can work with it. Rather than repeat our reactive patterns according to what pleases or displeases us, it gives us the equanimity to be okay with life as it unfolds. This is not something that can be purchased; it develops through an ongoing practice of moment-to-moment mindfulness. [The deer often symbolizes the Buddha's first teaching in Deer Park, and the elephant represents training the mind.] Ahimsa means non-harming, or in other words, to be tender and kind with oneself and others. As we attempt to cultivate equanimity, it will help our progress if we use gentleness and compassion as our guardrails rather than self-pity or self-hatred. As the oracle's guidebook encourages us, we can be reflective rather than reactive in difficult circumstances. 

Turn, Turn, Turn

From the Legacy of the Divine, the Wheel; from the Tea Leaf Reading Cards, the Snail:

          Sudden change can make us feel like we've been tossed into a tumultuous sea; underwater and confused, we have a hard time telling which way is up. Other times the change we seek is achingly slow, either as we anticipate the end of pain or worry about what we see coming on the horizon. How are we to maintain sanity and serenity through the turns of life? The Snail implies that we stay grounded and move at the pace of guidance. Being grounded suggests staying in the moment as much as possible. Guidance through spiritual intentions can provide a compass when things get topsy-turvy. For me, that is the Five Precepts I recite every day (the word 'vow' simply means what I aspire to and does not imply a commandment):

• I vow not to harm but to nurture all of life.
• I vow not to take what is not given but to practice generosity.
• I vow not to misuse my relationships but to treat every person with respect.
• I vow not to engage in false speech but to listen an speak from the heart.
• I vow not to intoxicate body or mind but to cultivate a mind that sees clearly.

Spinning Wheels

From the Transformational Tarot, the Eight of Coins; from the Celtic Book of the Dead, the 'Wheel:'

Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.

~ Horace Mann

          A woman spins her wool into yarn then will use it for weaving it like the spider. Spinning and weaving are skills that take patience and practice in order to become skillful. Like life in general, a lot of blunders will be made along the way. The Wheel is a symbol of cycles and changes. The booklet asks the question, "How can you use what you have learned in the past to good advantage now?" A few months ago I spotted a newly hatched, spiny orb-weaver starting a web. It had strung its threads in an area where people would cross, so I knew the web wouldn't last long. Yet the next day, it had moved and spun a new web in an area with less traffic. Making mistakes isn't the problem; the challenge is in learning from them rather than continuing to repeat them while thinking we are making progress.

Just One Drop

From the Spiral Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Sacred Journey Cards, "Compassion:"

          The Three Fates on the Wheel of Fortune represent the natural cycles of life: birth and beginnings, expansion and growth, decline and death. This cycle appears not only in the physical realm, but in our ambitions, relationships and conceptual ideas as well. The change and impermanence of things is often labeled "good" or "bad" depending on how they benefit us, but that's like labeling gravity as evil because we fell off a ladder. These cycles are just a part of life. It's better to accept them as best we can, as Alan Watts suggests: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

          The "dissolve differences" phrase on the SJ card reminds me of a song on the PBS show Sesame Street:

One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn't belong,

Can you tell which thing is not like the others

By the time I finish my song?

Now if the point is to teach a child the difference between a lowercase "b" and "d," it can be useful. But when the concept moves into relationships with people, it can be damaging. When we focus only on differences, it drives a wedge between us. The Wheel reminds us how quickly windows of opportunity come and go. Chances to make compassionate connections won't last forever, so choose to look for commonalities now. Who knows, that one drop of compassion could grow into something beautiful.