Brain and Brawn

From the Spiral Tarot, the Nine of Wands; from the Sacred Journey Cards, Perseverance:

          This guy looks more like a ringmaster for a circus than a warrior making a last stand. It made me think of distracting the enemy, which is why I just spent half an hour reading about Patton's Ghost Army in WWII. It was a nice reminder that the brain can be as useful as brawn when defending oneself. The SJ card neatly underscores the necessity of fortitude and discipline when standing up for oneself. It helps to prepare in advance (the brainy part), yet it still comes down to the actual 'showing up and doing' part if one hopes to succeed.

We do have to use our minds as far as they will take us, yet acknowledge that they cannot take us all the way. ― Madeleine L'Engle

Speed of Sanity

From the Spiral Tarot, the Two of Pentacles; from the Sacred Journey Cards, Love:

          On one side of this jester, the lake is stirred up and a flower has wilted; on the other side, the lake is calm and and the flower fully open. There are times when life must be lived wide open, and there are times it moves at a snail's pace. But living at either extreme all the time will harm the body. Yesterday I was at Lowes with my husband, and he asked me not to walk so fast as we were shopping. I rush without thinking (even when there's no need). I get in a hurry to finish what I'm doing and move on to the next task. When someone slows me down I feel frustrated, which makes me want to go at an even faster pace. That kind of behavior is just what the Two of Pentacles warns against. I need to be just as mindful of how I spend my energy as I do my money. The Sacred Journey card reminds me what often gets sacrificed when I am moving at top speed. I can get irritated with anyone or anything I think is slowing me down and lose my compassion. But these speed bumps are a chance to pause and ask what I'm sacrificing in the name of a few extra minutes. Love reminds me that there is always time to be kind and patient, not only with others but also myself. I can make progress and move at the speed of sanity.

Workable Solutions

This week I'll be using the Spiral Tarot, a book and deck set created by Kay Steventon and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be drawing from the Sacred Journey Cards, a set created by Cheryl Thiele and published by Pomegranate. Today's draws are the Queen of Pentacles and Change:

          This Queen is known for being practical, resourceful and sensual. She feels her purpose is to be of service to others (whether offering comfort with a physical gift or teaching them how to use their resources). Yet the Queen realizes those who serve need time to recharge; she does it by relaxing and enjoying the outdoors. Her idea of comfort involves bare feet, the open sky and the lushness of the natural world around her. Change would seem to be something the Queen of Pentacles would be at ease with, because she is so tuned in to the ever-changing natural world. Yet being human, I imagine the closer that change is to her personal life, the more she might resist. For instance, what if the King told her he was passing a law that no one was allowed to go barefoot anymore? The booklet asks: what action can you take to release resistance to change? Being such a creative woman, I'm sure her answer would be to find a workable solution instead of wasting time fuming about the issue. She's probably the one who came up with the idea for flip-flops.

Clarifying Impermanence

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, Death; from the Secret Language of Color Cards, Yellow:

          As the skeletal hand around the rose implies, loss and change are inevitable. Yet humans continue to believe we are not a part of this natural cycle; we think it is abnormal when it happens to us. We cling tightly to what we like and want, to what brings us pleasure. Yet we open our hands to find only ashes anyway. And then our suffering is doubled: first because of the actual loss and secondly because we refuse to accept it. Yellow has been given the keyword 'purification' - a way to remove any elements that debase or contaminate something. Age tends to increase one's losses - the physical decline of the body, the deaths of family members (furry and human) as well as the wear and tear of material things. But if my memories are focused only on how this loss affects me (clinging to what was), I have no space left to celebrate what has been, what is and is to come. I've polluted the gift with my self-centeredness. Impermanence can bring a sharp clarity; we don't really own anything, we just have a chance to appreciate it while it's here.

Healing from Trauma

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Star; from the Secret Language of Color, Sapphire:

          Look closely, and you will see the darkness of the night sky is the silhouette of a head with the neck in orange. Inside is the gray outline of a woman falling. According to the booklet, she has fallen from the Tower. The intellectual safety of her ideas have been exploded, and now she gets a wide view of life as it is. Lilies, often associated with death and resurrection, twine about her body. If she continues to fall, she will travel out of the head and into the watery body, a world of rawness and physicality. Awakening can be a shock, but the insights gleaned can be a life changing experience. The Star's association of healing and rejuvenation is reflected in the Sapphire, which is associated with regeneration of the body. To regenerate means to reform what has been lost; what is reformed may look the same, but it is different. Emotional trauma cuts us off from our bodies, and the key to healing lies in coming back to its physical sensations (and the present moment) within a cushion of safety. Patience and gentleness will be required as well as acceptance of feelings.

Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity. ~ Judith Lewis Herman

Discerning Fact from Fiction

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Queen of Swords; from the Secret Language of Color, Coral:

          Oh ho, look what the Queen has done to the big, scary bird! The booklet encourages us to use our intelligence and love of truth to conquer what plagues us. This Queen demands that we examine our thoughts for any fluff, sensationalism or manipulative untruths (she has an excellent bullshit detector). We discover them when we realize they have no concrete evidence, only "what ifs" and exaggerated claims as their foundation. Coral's message is to "allow the flow." What blocks this flow is our rigid ideas, a singular viewpoint that sorts everything into right or wrong categories. This rigidity is the opposite extreme of believing everything (what the Queen warned against); such a perspective only believes what is comfortable and reassuring. The 'flow' asks us to stand on the riverbank and observe; we don't have to pick up every stick and leaf that floats by, but we do get a much wider view than if we cling tightly to only what we wish to be real.

They ran their heads very hard against wrong ideas, and persisted in trying to fit the circumstances to the ideas instead of trying to extract ideas from the circumstances.

― Charles Dickens

Stand Still, Then Get Moving

From the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Secret Language of Color Cards, Ruby:

          This young fellow looks rooted to the ground as an avian beast opens its huge, toothed beak right over his head. My first thought was "Run!" But perhaps he is doing exactly what he needs to do. It is much easier to deny one's fears or distract oneself from taking a closer look at them. But instead, he is facing his anxious thoughts squarely without looking away. Will he find his worries are mostly an illusion? Perhaps he will see what is real and needs to be dealt with rather than ignored. Either way, he has courageously chosen the healthier alternative. Ruby, a color of courage and vitality, has been assigned the phrase 'Rejuvenate your body.' Worry has a way of draining one's energy which only adds to feelings of hopelessness. But moving the body can get the blood flowing, helping to clear the mind and boost confidence. I've been dealing with some orthopedic and nerve issues, which has made it impossible for me to keep up with my normal exercise routine (which has always been a stress buster). But there are gentler options I can choose, like long walks; any movement is better than sitting with a lap full of worry.