Fix the Ladder

This week I'll be using the Tarot of Timeless Truth, a book and deck set created and self-published by Leila Vey. The oracle I'll be using is the Rune Cards, created by Tony Linsell and Brian Partridge and published by Anglo-Saxon Books. Today's draws are the Four of Wands and "Haegl/Hagalaz:"

          Instead of people dancing around four decorated staffs, here's a guy who just landed on a beach. I imagine him to have left his homeland in search of a more peaceful place with more opportunities. He literally has nothing but the shirt on his back, but the fact that he's made the long journey across the ocean in one piece is reason enough for celebration. Yet he'll have to find food and shelter soon, especially with the next card, Hagalaz. The Anglo-Saxon poem for this rune reads:

Hail is the whitest of grains.

It descends from heaven's air

and swirls in the wind.

Soon it returns to water.

Right in the middle of your happy dance comes a jolt that even the Weather Channel couldn't predict. Indeed the rune itself looks like a ladder whose rungs have broken. And that's what it feels like - climbing the ladder to success only to find yourself sliding back to the ground. But the last part of the poem is important - "soon it returns to water." This is only a setback, not the end. Unless I give up, sit on the beach and fill my boots with tears. No, I think I'd rather find some nails and fix that ladder.

Gift of Giving

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Queen of Pentacles; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Gift:"

          Morrison's queen is Maid Marian, a resourceful noblewoman who joins forces with the "Prince of Thieves" to fight the current leadership of the kingdom. She proves to offer as much help to Robin and his men as they do to her. Which brings up the OTM card, Gift (Six of Diamonds). I like to give, but I have a hard time accepting gifts. As soon as someone offers me anything, I start making "I am not worthy" noises. Yet psychologists have shown it is more often the giver than the receiver who reaps the most from the exchange. Ellen J. Langer, a Harvard psychology professor, points out, "You do people a disservice by not giving them the gift of giving." She explains that gifts can reinforce the bond between people and make the giver feel effective and caring. Looking at it from this viewpoint, it doesn't seem fair that I should take away that kind of feeling from anyone.

Good Plans and Bad

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Five of Swords; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Family:"

          The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the story behind the Five of Swords. Hired by the town to lure the rats away with his magic flute, the piper retaliated by luring the children away when the citizens refused to pay him. I'm sure the townspeople thought they were smart to trick the piper - until their offspring disappeared. Trying to outfox someone might be a good plan in a chess game, but living life with this mindset can lead to disastrous relationships (individual or group). Contrast this card with the Family card (Ten of Hearts). Can you imagine trying to out-love another person instead of outsmart them? As Louis Armstrong sang, "What a wonderful world."

Make a Difference

From the Whimsical Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Restriction:"

          Morrison has chosen Robin Hood to represent the King of Pentacles. Legend has it that the outlaw and his band of men robbed the rich to give to the poor (which I imagine included Robin and his men). I recently discovered another Robin Hood, a New York organization founded to improve the lives of those living in poverty by providing food, housing, education and job-training programs. Their goal is to assist folks so they can eventually stand on their own. I think the King of Pents would fully back such an approach.
          When I first saw the Restriction card, I thought the girl was being punished in "time out." But then I noticed the cobweb under the shelf and decided this was self-imposed due to stagnant thinking. Thoughts have great power. If we think something for long enough, it becomes a belief. If we believe something for long enough, it becomes a fact. Yet these "facts" aren't reality, we just operate as if they are. If you've ever volunteered to help the less fortunate (animals, people or environment), I'm sure you've heard the naysayers complain such help is a waste of time and resources. This kind of pessimistic thinking reminds me of the starfish story. A young boy was walking along the beach early one morning, tossing starfish that had been washed up and stranded by the high tide during the night. An older gentleman came along, and seeing the hundreds of dying starfish said, "You know you can't save them all. You can't make a difference - there's just too many." The boy held up a starfish before tossing it into the ocean and said, "But it makes a difference to this one."    

Spinning Wheel

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Congratulations:"

          Morrison uses the story of "The Flax" to represent the Wheel. Flax knew it was destined to be used for something important, so it was happy to be spun into thread and used for a linen tablecloth. But the tablecloth wore out after several years, and it was cut and used first for ladies' bloomers then for men's handkerchiefs. It wasn't too pleased in these roles, but finally it was employed by a book binder. It was content once again, but when the book fell apart after much handling, it was tossed in the fireplace. Flax was crestfallen until its ashes came to rest in the field where other flax plants grew. Then it realized its importance in fertilizing the soil for the next generation of plants. What a wonderful story to illustrate impermanence and change. It reminds me of a quote from Pema Chodron:

We think that the point is to pass the test or 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. 

          The Congratulations (Nine of Diamonds) card shows a woman being admired and acknowledged by her friends for her gardening efforts. This is one of the joyful times on the Wheel when things are going well. It is a time to soak up the deliciousness of the moment, but without expectation or hope that it will last forever. Things will change. But that same philosophy will be a balm when times are tough, knowing they won't last forever either.

Not Fair?

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Hanged One; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Tears:"

          Grimm's story of the fishwife tells of a fisherman who catches an enchanted prince in fish form. The man releases the fish prince and later tells his wife about it. She becomes angry and demands he go ask the fish prince for a reward for his release. Her first request is for a cottage instead of a shack, which is granted. But over the course of several days, her demands become outrageous as she requests a castle, to be king, to be emperor and to be the pope. All these desires the prince fish allowed except for her last wish - to become like God. She immediately found herself back in her original hovel. So how does she represent the Hanged One? She thought she was in control, pulling all the strings and arranging all the props. But she had no real power like the fish prince. Unfortunately she had to lose everything to see through her delusion of grandeur. I can see how the Tears card (Nine of Spades) fits with this recognition. The poor girl is upset because a boy has stolen her toy. "It's not fair!," she cries. But (to borrow a verse from Matthew), the sun rises on those who are good and evil, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Life doles out both honey and bee stings and no one gets a pass; the only sane thing to do is accept, adapt and move on.

Cupful of Mercy

From the Whimsical Tarot, the Knight of Cups; from the Over the Moon Oracle, "Forgiveness:"

           The Whimsical's knight is Sir Lancelot of the Round Table. The tales of Lancelot, champion of King Arthur, could supply enough material for psychologists to write multiple books. Kind and courageous, he was flawed when it came to tamping down his desire for Guinevere. Many blamed his affair with the king's wife as the crack in Camelot that would lead to its destruction. After Arthur's death, Guinevere became a nun and Lancelot a priest as a way of penitence. Which leads to the next card, Forgiveness. What price does someone have to pay to receive a pardon? I think most people want the impossible: for history to be rewritten so the act never happened. Whether I am the deceiver or the deceived, a person's whole identity can suddenly become the awful deed itself. I must look outside the story to find mercy, actively look for other more compassionate and loving acts beyond that story. Surely no one has only one chapter in their life.