No Transcending

From the Middle Way Arcana, the World; from the Vertical Oracle, Outside Shock:

We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. ~Pema Chodron

We can sometimes fall under a delusion when attempting to live a spiritual life. We imagine that if we say enough prayers, donate generously to charity, and read sacred texts daily, we won't have to deal with the hard parts of life. We feel like we can generate a way to be untouched by the fray of life. Yet as Outside Shock implies, we still have to deal with long lines, unexpected bills, the side effects of aging, obnoxious people, and losing the things and people we love. A spiritual framework doesn't protect us from challenges, it just helps us respond to them appropriately. Used correctly, it helps us meet each one as it comes, with clarity, wisdom and compassion.

Discovery

From the Mary-El Tarot, the World; from the OH Cards, Companionship:

I did not know that I could only get the most out of life by giving myself up to it.

― Marion Milner

As we begin our lives, we step off into the landscape of the abyss, with wide open minds and hearts. Gradually we form beliefs and opinions, which serve to separate us from other people and things. Yet if we're attentive on this journey of pleasure and hard knocks, we'll discover that we are a small part of a magnificent whole - a glorious living entity. When we see the World as it is, we see its entirety and interconnection. It is a perspective changer - as Milner wrote, "let no one undertake such an experiment who is not prepared to find himself more of a fool than he thought." Companionship is an admonition to remember our relationship with everything. We can choose to act as a medicine or a poison; either way, we affect the World we live in.

Compared to the Similarities

From the New Liminal Tarot, Anima Mundi (World); from the State by State Cards, Pennsylvania (Three of Hearts):

The differences that separate human beings are nothing compared to the similarities that bond us together. —Sophie Gregoire Trudeau

Anima Mundi is Latin for soul of the world, an energy believed to connect all living beings and animate the cosmos. If we have our senses and minds open, our experiences as we live can teach us that while we look different and make different choices, our inner world of wanting to be safe, at ease and happy are the same. And we must all deal with constant change, loss, aging and death. To step through this spiritual portal is to recognize that we are not independent but connected.  The Pennsylvania Dutch painted designs on their barn doors; often called hexes, they were actually meaningful but not magical. This folk art was more a prayer for good rather than a wish for evil, as the list below shows. What if we expanded these wishes to all? It would be like the hand helping the blister on the foot...

• Distelfink: A stylized goldfinch that represents good luck, happiness, fertility, and abundance
• Heart: A common symbol of love and goodwill
• Tulip: Symbolizes faith and trust
• Dove: Represents peace and contentment
• Eagle: Represents good health, strength, and courage
• Pineapple: A symbol of hospitality
• Eight-pointed star: A symbol of regeneration or redemption

The Hive

From the Tarot de St. Croix, the World; from the Archetype Cards, Angel:

To understand just one life, you have to swallow the world.

–Salman Rushdie

The companion book states that the World speaks of wholeness and numinous revelation, showing us that we are connected to all that is. Regardless of outer appearances and the pride we take in our personal views, we are interdependent and thus connected. All things depend on other factors - causes and conditions - to exist. Pull one leg off of a table and it becomes unstable; remove another and it ceases to stand. To understand and embrace this connection is to step through a portal of awakening. Angel reminds us that kindness and a willingness to help those in need is a sane choice, not a weak one. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, "That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee."

The Balance of Success

From the Prairie Tarot, the World; from the Medicine Cards, Elk:

The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you've lost it.  –Anonymous

Attempts at forcing the world to submit to our whims and desires only create more challenges when we are trying to bring anything to completion. This wise tightrope walker has figured out what she can control, things she might influence, and situations she simply needs to accept to achieve her goal. Now, she finds herself having done what she set out to do. I'd bet she also took William Arthur Ward's words to heart: "A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life." Elk, knowing that our adrenaline rush of success will wear off soon, offers us the advice to pace ourselves if we want to maintain our stamina as we move from our present achievement to the next objective.

Well Used

From the Tarot of the Master, the World; from the Paracelsus Oracle, Acquisitio (gain):

Never rest on your laurels. Nothing wilts faster than a laurel sat upon. 

—Percy Bysshe Shelley 

We've overcome our trepidation, opened our mind to new ideas, and put our best foot forward. Finally, we've accomplished what we've worked so long and hard on. It's time to pause and appreciate the fruits of our efforts. Acquisitio points out all the new talents and traits we've acquired along the way: courage, commitment, perseverance, flexibility, self-discipline and the humility to ask for help when we need guidance. Such 'acquisitions' are like new tools - the more we use them, the more developed they'll become. Don't leave those tools out in the rain to rust - there are more adventures ahead!

Finding the Why

From the Tabula Mundi Colores, the Universe; from the Words of the Brehon, the Three Deaths Better Than Life:

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

 — Mark Twain

After trials and tribulations (some self-created), we have reached the pinnacle of this phase of our development. We have found our North star, what will guide us in our endeavors in the next chapter of our life. The Irish triad sounds a bit harsh - how could any death be better than life? But what it may be pointing at was that each fulfilled a purpose. The red salmon spawned to continue its species, and perhaps the fat pig fed a starving family. The horse thief's choices might serve as a lesson to others (like the Titanic). Even if it's not something awe-inspiring to the whole world, we all have a purpose. 

Modeling Job

From the World Spirit Tarot, the Universe (World); from the Mystic Glyphs, Leader:

The World/Universe represents wholeness, a place of completion at the end of a cycle. Yet it is also a place where we find our eyes and perhaps hearts have been opened wider, seeing from a perspective that understands our connection as diverse parts of a great organism. If only we could remember this viewpoint and our relationship with all when we begin a new cycle and go about our daily activities! The Leader glyph suggests we need not wait for everyone else to recognize this interconnection - we can model it ourselves. What might this look like? Frank Martela, a psychologist in Finland (the happiest country in the world) gives three things Finnish folks don't do that promote a high quality of life:

1) We don’t compare ourselves to our neighbors (forget trying to look successful).

2) We don’t overlook the benefits of nature (spending time outdoors increases well-being).

3) We don’t break the community circle of trust (respond with honesty, respect and integrity).

Destination Unknown

From the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot, the Universe; from the Words of the Brehon Oracle, 'Three preparations of a good man's house:'

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.

~Martin Buber

While a pilgrim journeys to a particular place, spiritual travelers know not where they're headed, only that they must go. Leaving behind what is known, they travel lightly with an open heart and mind. Yet in that vulnerable openness, reality is seen with clarity; truths are discovered and understanding is found. Here the Fool exits her portal, wiser than when she entered. Now there is a sacred pause to assimilate what she's learned and experienced. The Irish triad indicates that something must be built, a foundation for what must not be forgotten. This is not meant to be dogma (as things change and there is more to learn), but guideposts can help us maintain a path of wisdom. As Robert Aitken wrote, without such a guide our path "tends to become a hobby, made to fit the ego."

The View from Here

From the Tarot of the Sidhe, the World; from the Green Man Tree Oracle, Beech:

"You all know," said the Guide, "that security is mortals' greatest enemy."

― C.S. Lewis

The spiral in this World card suggests that not only have we completed a circuit in our life, but that we should be able to see from a higher, wider view than when we first started. Though we may pause and reflect on what we've learned and experienced, there are more circuits to travel. Beech has been linked with wisdom as it was used to write upon before the development of books. In The Bach Flower Remedies, it is used against mental rigidity, fault finding, intolerance, and arrogance. Standing still, clinging to what we've learned, will not serve us well. There is always more to learn. 

A Passing Memory

From the Somnia Tarot, the World; from the Lojong for the Layperson deck, Slogan 2 (Regard all experiences as dreams.):

The fool's journey has come to a temporary end, and she spends time reflecting on her journey. Dramas and chaos, insights and transformations are all described in her journal. But she shouldn't get to comfy in that bed-chair. This is just one complete turn of the spiral; she will take what she's learned as she begins a second, wider and higher turn. Slogan 2 doesn't mean everything is literally a dream, but that our thoughts and emotions as well as external things are constantly in flux and changing. We'd like to believe things are stable and solid (as this gives us a feeling of security), but that is not how the real world operates. The wise fool knows she can't stay in her nest forever because she will need to add more tools and knowledge as she adapts to this ever-changing world.

Every situation is a passing memory.

~Pema Chodron

Airing Out the Rooms

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the World; from the Secret Language of Color Cards, Violet:

Eads' World card depicts a swirl of many of the previous major arcana cards. It's almost as if the eye in the center looks back on all these past experiences and realizes how it got to this place in time. The darker times can cause us to question beliefs and change direction while the sunnier times can keep us enthusiastic, hopeful and tenacious. It's all a jumble of jigsaw pieces until this point when we see how things fit together. Yet while there may be a pause, this isn't an end. Which is why Violet encourages us to have a balanced life. It's easy to get very enthused about one thing and let other important parts of one's life fall to the wayside. It's helpful to remember the words of Rumer Godden:

There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual . Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.

A Part of a Great Whole

From the Songs for the Journey Home Tarot, the Homecoming (World); from the Magic Neko deck, the Nine of Hearts:

The amazing thing is that every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. 

― Lawrence M. Krauss

The Homecoming/World is an embodied understanding that we are more than the shells we inhabit. Each of us, everything in this world, contains the spiritual as well as the material, like a string that connects and runs through all. When we grasp this idea, it is easier not to take everything so personally. And as the Nine of Hearts suggests, we develop a give-and-take attitude that lets us live in balance, with love and with a lightness of heart.

He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale, they were, and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does. ― Neil Gaiman

Sharing the Shine

From the Sheridan Douglas Tarot, the World; from the Pages of Shustah, the Lord of Benevolence:

As she steps through the wreath, the dancer of the World card signals that one cycle has ended and another begun. Her two fiery batons suggest creation based on dissolution and construction - sometimes things must be left behind down in order to make space for something to grow and develop. The fixed zodiac signs surrounding the dancer symbolize the focus, stamina and determination to see things through to completion. They give her a nod in recognition of her accomplishment but also a wink to remind her that there is more to come. The Lord of Benevolence reminds me not to pull any muscles patting myself on the back for what I've achieved because my success is often guided and supported (subtly or overtly) by many others. They too need to be honored for helping me shine in this moment.

Don't let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone. ~Stephen King

Another Day Completed

From the Idiosyncradeck, the World; from the Mixed Emotions deck, Vulnerable:

The sun is setting as a day is coming to completion. Did I learn something new today? Did I do something purposeful? Was I kind and compassionate toward others? Whatever my answer, if I have the chance to enjoy another morning, I can try again. 'Vulnerable' suggest being at the mercy of someone or something. Such an experience can leave me with a desire to stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head in an effort to protect myself. Yet when I suffer, it is only when I offer tenderness and openness to myself that I can appreciate and understand the rest of the world. As Pema Chodron explained, a heart without armor "is a heart that is willing to be touched by pain and remain present." Sounds like compassion to me.

Outside the Porthole

From the Slow Tarot, the World; from the ROAR Oracle, Gertrude Ederle:

Bryant illustrates her World card with the World Tree surrounded by four planets. She reasons that once we've experienced life beyond our comfortable little porthole, we can't unsee or unhear that experience. Our perception and understanding of reality widens considerably, and we become accountable with this new knowledge. We can't pretend any longer that we don't know. But how do we deal with the hard, difficult parts of that reality? Gertrude Ederle was an Olympic swimming champion and became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. She explained, "To me the sea is like a person... when I swim in the sea I talk to it. I never feel alone when I'm out there." Ederle would encourage us to see that we have a relationship with every challenge we meet. We can treat it like a friend, an enemy, or someone we could get to know better. The nature of our relationship will determine how we deal with it - through anger and resentment or through curiosity and openness.

Begin Again

From the Sun and Moon Tarot, the Universe; from the Jade Oracle, Chalchiuhtlicue:

Decort uses a take on the Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), a form of the Hindu god Shiva. The person underfoot represents spiritual ignorance. Shiva is known as The Destroyer; he tears down in order to build again. I have a friend who is a retired Episcopal priest who explained to me that when a priest retires, he is supposed to attend another church rather than the one he has served. This is so that when the new priest comes, he or she doesn't feel like they are standing in anyone's shadow - everyone starts afresh. While it seemed harsh at first, it began to make sense. When I complete something, I don't continue turning back to add final touches. I move on, taking what I've learned with me. Chalchiuhtlicue - She of the Jade Skirt - is the guardian of terrestrial waters who sustains and cleanses. She was present in rituals performed by midwives who washed newborns, and thus symbolizes a time for me wash away the old and embrace the new that awaits. 

Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily.  —Maya Angelou

Clean Slate

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the World; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 58:

We've all found ourselves at some stage of completion - the graduate, the couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, or the retiree. It is a time to celebrate but also a time to reflect and consider what has been learned before we move on to the next stage. Hexagram 58 is formed by the symbols "lake over lake," which imply depth and clarity. Its keywords range from Joy to Truth, both of which fit someone with a deep understanding and a wide perception. Standing at the World's gateway, it's a good time to drop any beliefs or ideas we've been dragging behind us that lack usefulness and only distract us from what's important. Step out with a clean slate.

I love the big fresh starts, the clean slates like birthdays and new years, but I also really like the idea that we can get up every morning and start over. ~Kristin Armstrong

Lighting a Fire

From the Tarot de St. Croix, the World; from the Archetype Cards, Teacher:

This world is indeed a living being endowed with a soul and intelligence … a single visible living entity containing all other living entities, which by their nature are all related.

―Plato

          Lisa based her World figure on the Anima Mundi, or World Soul, explaining that at this point we have had a revelation of our wholeness. Rather than struggling to declare ourselves independent and separate, we see our interconnection and reliance on the other beings who are a part of the world too. If we can see from this perspective, we will naturally be compassionate toward all beings, with a desire to relieve their pain and suffering. As the sage Shantideva stated, "How wonderful will it be when all beings experience each other as limbs on the one body of life!" The Teacher archetype suggests sharing our skills, knowledge and wisdom with others. But there should be a caveat for this: offer but don't force any teachings on anyone and don't try to impress - just share what we know and have experienced. 

Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.

―W.B. Yeats

Part Of

From the Granny Jones Australian Tarot, the World; from the Button Oracle, Teddy Bear:

Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are. ―Anne Lamott

          Granny's version of the World reminds me of the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Rather than narrowly focusing on his immediate worries, the main character gets a chance to see the big picture of his life. Were we to have such an opportunity, what would we discover with such a wide perspective? Yet today starts a new chapter, one that we will write by how we respond to the day. Teddy Bear's keyword is 'comfort;' first responders often give these toys to children in a crisis to help calm them. Life can seem too big and overwhelming at times. Yet as Yuri Kochiyama reminds us, we have company on this journey: "Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another."