A Ruffled Mind

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the 'Sun:'

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. ~ Charlotte Bronte

          This could have been a snapshot of me last night. Part of my sleeplessness was because of intermittent fireworks going off until the wee hours of the morning (folks here don't want to waste the truckload they bought for the Fourth). But the chess set pieces around this woman tell the real tale: she is too busy planning and creating strategies to sleep. It dawned on me (in between pyrotechnic explosions) that I had forgotten to put together a topic for a meeting this Sunday. Yet even after getting my ducks in a row, my collection of mindfulness techniques couldn't slow it down enough for sleep to take over. The Sun from the Lenormand has a hopeful message that things will work out successfully. Daylight also helps to see things clearer - those worries that seemed so important last night never seem quite as critical when the sun is shining brightly. We see that in the place that totters between reality and the fantasy of dreams, all is not as solid as we thought.

Find Your Purpose

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Seven of Cups; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, 'Letter:'

          I've been reading a book by Dr. Partha Nandi about his five steps to leading a life of joy and well-being. Surprisingly, the very first step is 'Find Your Purpose.' There has been much research done on happiness, health, and longevity, and all of it suggests having a purpose - actions that give our life meaning beyond the daily grind - makes a huge difference in our quality of life. Nandi writes: "Happiness comes and goes, but a sense of purpose transcends the fleeting joys and disappointments of everyday life. You have a higher road to walk and a way to put the ups and downs of life in perspective." The mind (ego) is generally convinced that fulfillment = getting something good in return for whatever we do. But to truly find our purpose, we must listen to the heart instead. The Lenormand's Letter card is based on communication of some kind. Together with the Seven of Cups, it suggests listening or reading with the heart engaged to uncover what will fulfill us emotionally. Rather than a 'how can this help me' focus, it turns into a 'how can I help another' foundation for living.

A Feminine Touch

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Five of Wands; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the 'Woman:'

          The Five of Wands is about competitive squabbling in which people have different ideas about how things should be done. Notice the conkers (a children's toy) in the middle of the drawing; this debate is not meant to be taken personally. It is simply a way to see the strong and weak sides of each argument. When disagreements make us feel we are being criticized or attacked (rather than our viewpoint), it's time to remember the words of Elizabeth Thornton: "If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that sometimes our assumptions and preconceived notions are wrong, and therefore, our interpretation of events is incorrect. This causes us to overreact, to take things personally, or to judge people unfairly." The Woman from the Lenormand deck represents the feminine archetype - receptive rather than closed-minded, inclusive rather than exclusive, and cooperative rather than aggressive. What a difference her mindset can make in any heated discussion, especially since she would plow calmly ahead and refuse to escalate any heated argument.

Start with the Side Pieces

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Star; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the 'Tree:'

          The stars are best seen in complete darkness, which is a good analogy for those times in life when things seem hopeless. Where do we turn when our spirits are crushed, intuition has disappeared and the truths we believed in are turned to dust? Yet it may be that such darkness is what gets our attention and opens our mind to the tiny, flickering light we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. It gets us past the idea that life should be a certain way so that we can deal with it at ground level. We gain enough light to see the next step, but not enough to see the whole path. The Tree card from the Lenormand deck shows a skeleton whose bones make up the roots, trunk, and branches of a tree. It represents health - both mental and physical. Taking care of one's health when life has been turned upside down may seem unhelpful. But such a focus is like beginning a jigsaw puzzle by putting together the side pieces first; it gives us a framework that can help us heal before we jump into the thick of things.

Known and Unknown

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Seven of Wands; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the 'Stork:'

           This young fellow looks weary standing up for himself. Instead of simply protecting his boundaries - his rights - could he also be trying to convince others to think like he does? That is an impossible task, one that could waste energy that might be put to better uses. Agreeing to disagree and accepting their differences rather than seeing each other as adversaries might give them all a chance to breathe. There's no need to push on someone else's boundaries, just defend our own. The Stork card from the Lenormand deck represents change and transformation. Together with the Seven of Wands, it asks us to reconsider our motives and viewpoints. Has our thinking and ways of doing things become as rigid as the people we are fighting against? Is there information we think we understand, yet don't have the knowledge of experience that goes with it?

In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between them, there are doors. ― William Blake 

Pause, Adjust

From the Bonefire Tarot, the Nine of Wands; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, 'Lily:'

          Angus-West describes this Nine of Wands as a brief respite that allows us to gather our energy and clear our heads in order to press on to the finish line. This is prudent perseverance rather than the kind of tenacity that attempts to bulldoze over every mountain that is encountered. Lily from the Lenormand deck suggests wisdom and inner peace. Together with the Nine, it implies that our brief pause can be a time to reconsider our strategy and think about a sane way to complete our objective. Pride can be a huge roadblock to such wisdom, urging us to push through at any cost. Making adaptions or adjustments isn't a failure but a shrewd and sensible use of our intelligence.

Garden of the Soul

This week I'll be using two self-published decks: The Bonefire Tarot by Gabrielle Angus-West (now released by Schiffer) and the Day of the Dead Lenormand by Edmund Zebrowski. Today's draws are the Queen of Cups and 'Mice:'

          In the past, I've looked at the Queen of Cups as a mush muffin - too emotional and sensitive for my tastes. Today, I'd be willing to vote her in as President of the United States. She is what balances cold-hearted logic with intuition, callousness with kindness, and ambition with compassion. Her softness is not a vice but a virtue. The Queen of Cups reminds us that the purpose of life is not to collect the most toys and 'win,' but to evolve humanity by helping each other. The Mice card from the Lenormand deck generally means a gradual loss that is being gnawed away. With the Queen's draw, I suspect this 'gnawing away' has less to do with material things and more to do with the heart. Harboring and feeding anger and fear does not change what is external. In the words of Oscar Wilde, it simply sows "thorns in the garden of one's soul."