Covered Eyes, Plugged Ears

This week I'll be using the Prairie Tarot, created and self-published by Robin Ator. Paired with it will be the Medicine Cards, a deck and book set published by St. Martin's Press and created by David Carson and Jamie Sams. Today's cards are Judgment and Opossum:

...most people do not want to change. They hold fast to their ideas of themselves, to their interpretations of how things are, to their grievances, their anxieties, their identities, and their pain. ~Mark Epstein

          In a weedy, overgrown cemetery, an angel waits to see who has heard the call to rise and live their life differently. All is still and quiet. These people do not want to shed their their pain or opinions because they fear being an empty shell with no identity. And so they 'play possum,' pretending not to hear or see the evidence around them as they trudge through life. Yet ignorance (or delusion) is not bliss. As Pema Chodron explains, "When we resist change, it’s called suffering." Come on, angel, play that trumpet just one more time.

To become a different kind of person is to experience the world in a different way. When your mind changes, the world changes. And when we respond differently to the world, the world responds differently to us. —David Loy

Teetering Collection

From the PetraK Tarot, the Ten of Cups; from the Astrodice, Jupiter-Cancer-7th House:

Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.

– Walt Whitman

          I had an unexpected, wonderful day this past week, full of love and laughter. It was a perfect Ten of Cups day, filling me with contentment and happiness. But like the teetering collection of cups stacked up on Petra's card, such days aren't meant to be fixed. A lot of causes and conditions come together to make those kind of days, and no cause or condition remains unchanging. Jupiter in Cancer suggests wisdom that comes from our emotional interactions, and in the 7th House, a mutual nurturing and nourishing in our relationships. The conundrum this draw and roll represents is in the way humans think. In the words of Milan Kundera: "Human time does not turn in a circle; it runs ahead in a straight line. That is why man cannot be happy: [the human idea of] happiness is the longing for repetition." Emotional maturity requires that we enjoy our perfect days and remember them fondly, but avoid comparing them with the present moment. Wishing we were somewhere else does not bring contentment or acceptance to where we currently find our feet.

Flourishing Together

From the PetraK Tarot, the Six of Discs (Pentacles); from the Astrodice, Moon-Scorpio-6th House:

Humanity as a whole flourishes best when we all flourish together.

—Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

          The term 'trickle-down' economics originated as a joke by Will Rogers to criticize policies designed to favor the wealthy and privileged while framed as good for the average citizen. The truth is that we all lean on each other. Just let the shipping and waste industries go on strike for a couple of months and see what happens to the giant corporations. If anyone has enjoyed success, it is only through the unseen hard work of others that supported it. The Moon in Scorpio suggests intense emotional reactions and insecurity that can feel overwhelming. Yet the 11th House - the collective or House of Companions - is a reminder that there is emotional support available. But added to the Six of Discs, the question becomes: "Do we in turn reach out to others and ask them what they need, or are we too wrapped up in ourselves?"

I Want It That Way

From the PetraK Tarot, the Eight of Swords; from the Astrodice, Mercury-Sagittarius-12th House:

I want it that way. ~Backstreet Boys

          Four swords that are trying to move upward are blocked by four swords pointing downward. But is there really nowhere else to go? It seems that by backing off, the other swords could go in other directions; perhaps with enough distance, they could go around and get back on track. How easy it is for our minds to convince us that we're trapped when actually we're only blocked from going the way we want to go. Our rigid opinions, preferences and prejudices make it seem like this is the only alternative. (e.g. "Masks must still be worn even if vaccinated." "But it's Spring, and I'm tired of wearing them!") Mercury in Sagittarius is a fiery force to be reckoned with and often emphatic about their views. Yet they are open to learning. The 12th House represents the unconscious, suggesting there's a clue to why we cling rabidly to our ideas if we look at our deeper motives. Seeing the fears that drive us may take some of the power and energy away from them, allowing us to see with a wider perspective.

Being Recognized

From the PetraK Tarot, the Lovers; from the Astrodice, Pluto-Gemini-10th House:

I once had a dream in which someone asked me, "Why do we love people?" I answered, "Because they recognize us." I think this is true. ~Sharon Salzberg

          While the Two of Cups implies a partnership that may be emotional, intellectual, physical or financial, the Lovers point to a deeper, spiritual commitment. Such love reaches beyond what is external and temporary and sees instead what is on the inside. As Salzberg writes, "When someone recognizes a basic goodness within us, beyond our habits and conditioning, when someone recognizes who we fundamentally are, it is the most important thing that can happen to us, and we respond with great love." The 7th House emphasizes relationships; Gemini prefers a partner that stimulates the mind and has varied interests. But Pluto represents that unseen pothole that throws off the balance in relationships. What happens when one person loses their job or their physical or mental health? Such changes can test the depths of unions, the willingness to sit with the other's pain without running or hiding. Yet when we recognize that we could easily be the one needing care, such challenges can produce inner strength and a love that promotes dignity.

At the Core

From the PetraK Tarot, the Two of Cups; from the Astrodice, Mars-Taurus-8th House:

Core values are principles or beliefs that you hold most dear and that are of central importance in your life. When everything around you is changing, when the world is difficult to understand, and when you are riding up and down the emotion roller-coaster, your core values will always be there for you.

~Daniel Riley

          The cups in Petra's painting are connected, yet each has enough space left over for filling with its own selection. The best partnership, in my opinion, is that which shares a meaningful part of life but allows each individual to develop and learn on their own. Such a pair will have different experiences and thus different perspectives, giving rise to the saying, "Two heads are better than one." The Mars-Taurus combination is a pair of opposites - the fearlessness and impulsiveness of Mars bumps into the practical conservative nature of Taurus. Yet the 8th House (philosophy and meaning of life) offers a table where both can comfortably sit. Any partnership, no matter how differently each person may think or do things, can stay connected if they share similar core values.

Feeling Tones

From the PetraK Tarot, the Knight of Cups; from the AstroDice, South Node-Scorpio-10th House:

Feeling tones can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. It is the feeling tone keeps us hooked into our conditioning behavior of craving and aversion. –Alpesh Parikh

          The Knight of Cups in this depiction literally lives inside his feelings, filtering all thoughts through his emotions. He understands that we are in a relationship with every person, place or thing we come into contact with. Yet before there is a relationship, there is a 'feeling tone' - an immediate reaction to what we experience. Stimuli that are pleasant, we want more of; those that are unpleasant, we try to avoid or get rid of; and those that are neutral we simply ignore. The South Node, Scorpio and 10th House combination suggests that patterns have been created in the past that affect not only our emotional intensity, but also our reputation. When we are rewarded by a reaction (whether it involves getting, getting rid of, or disregarding), we tend to repeat that action until it becomes a habitual pattern. How others might describe us (hothead, peacemaker, judgmental, open-minded, etc.) might give us a clue about whether we should work on changing some of those ingrained patterns.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. –Dr. Seuss