Sword Pointing

From the Rosetta Tarot the Knight (King) of Swords; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, Cross:

Sharp-minded and analytical, the Knight of Swords loves to exercise his intellect by making logical judgments and attaining new realizations. Being Fire of Air, Meleen describes him as a rushing, violent windstorm. He is mad for knowledge and has a fountain of it, but he's not someone you'd want to get into an argument with. Questioning his ideas can easily turn him into a mocking, sarcastic meanie. The Cross represents hardship and sacrificial suffering. In the case of this fellow, who loves to lord his intellect and smite others with it, the outcome is being despised and seen as nothing more than an ego astride a horse. If he wants to be loved instead of just feared, he could sacrifice his ego and make amends, then attempt to be more careful with his words. As Anne Lamott says, "You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too."

Count to Ten (or One Hundred)

From the Rosetta Tarot, the Princess (Page) of Disks; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the Whip:

The Princess of Disks is the bearer of Spring; she strikes her rod against the earth to awaken it. She represents the physical world of making and growing, a new cycle of changes and new beginnings. The Whip represents discord and tension, which seems normal anytime multiple people are involved in any kind of development or change. Folks get tired, things don't go as planned, opinions differ, and tempers flare. But when those sparks become a bonfire, nothing gets accomplished because collaboration ends. It might be a good idea for me to heed Tim Gunn's words today: "Take the high road. No matter how much strife, and consternation, frustration and anger you might be confronted with - don't go to that level." We're back to hurricane reconstruction tomorrow, and I'm having to pack and move everything out of my kitchen and take down everything on the walls then find some place to store it in my small house for a week and a half. They've got to take out a wall (hopefully just one!) and will then rebuild and paint. In a three person, one cat household, I need to remember to pause and breathe deeply. 

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

From the Rosetta Tarot, the Eight of Disks; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, the Moon:

With a protective spread of her wings, an owl watches over the eight eggs in the nests below her. In Thoth-speak, the Eight of Disks is a caution to be prudent; patience, attention and care are needed at this point. The Lenormand Moon, however, signals positive recognition and honor for one's work, but those eggs haven't hatched yet. It would be easy to get distracted by fantasies, imagining all the good fortune that's about to come our way. Yet if we take our focus away from the task at hand, that future might not be very rosy at all. Apply oneself now, and the rewards will come later.

A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. ~Liberty Hyde Bailey

A Bit of Yeast

From the Rosetta Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the Day of the Dead Lenormand, Stars:

It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.

― Germany Kent

The Six of Cups restores the harmony lost by the disappointment and disillusion of the Five of Cups. Yet as Meleen points out, the cups are full but not overflowing. This state is not a wallowing in pleasure, but the ease and satisfaction felt after recovering from our loss. It is reinforced by the Lenormand's Stars, which indicates hope, inspiration, and progress. Andy Boroveshengra writes that it can indicate the mind as a whole, reflecting how happy and clear-sighted we are. Recognizing and remembering the good in our life is like adding yeast to dough, making our contentment double in size. 

Hollow as Bamboo

This week I'll be using the Rosetta Tarot along with its companion book The Book of Seshet. This set was created by M.M. Meleen and published by Atu House. The oracle deck I'll be using is the Day of the Dead Lenormand, created and self-published by Edmund Zebrowski. Today's draws are the Nine of Wands and Book:

Meleen describes this card as a steady force that cannot be diverted, a strength supported by a purity of will. Such a force can be formidable, but that 'purity of will' might need to be balanced with evidence and discernment.  Our emotions and opinions may lead us to follow an ideal or a leader that looks impressive on the outside but is as hollow as bamboo on the inside. We may be so gung-ho that we cannot be distracted by what others might see as questionable ethics or methods. The Lenormand Book symbolizes hidden knowledge and secrets and suggests we don't have the full story. To borrow a question from President Joe Biden, are we willing to live not by the light of truth but in the shadow of lies? 

Bowing to the Worker Bees

From the Sheridan Douglas Tarot, the Six of Batons; from the Pages of Shustah cards, Celestial Bees:

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.

– Harry Truman

Both these cards point to what creates success in groups or teams. In the Six of Batons, the laurel wreath surrounds all the wands, not just one. In the bee hierarchy, there are workers, drones and a queen; each division has different jobs, but they all work for a common goal. The best leader is one who is humble enough to give credit where credit is due. All the audacity, bravery and persistence won't lead to any lasting success if arrogant pride gets in the way. Those shoulders we lean on and backs we depend on need to feel they are an important part of something greater than any individual. I think the pandemic has been a wake-up call for some, as so many 'worker bees' who take care of the jobs no one thinks about have gotten sick, leaving a big hole in supplies and services. As Joni Mitchell sings, "you don't know what you've got til its gone." 

In your big mind, everything has the same value. ― Shunryu Suzuki

Practicing Patience

From the Sheridan Douglas Tarot, the Five of Cups; from the Pages of Shustah cards, Witch Hazel Tree:

This seems like an apt card to draw today. My daughter who works at the library got a call last night that a coworker has Covid, so we're all under quarantine while she waits for a Covid test on the 31st. I'm sad that we're still doing this over and over, but those two cups standing are reminders that we've all been vaccinated and boosted. Plus, our area will be dipping down into the twenties (F) the next couple of nights (temperatures for which folks here don't have the right clothes for), so staying in would be the sane thing to do anyway. The Witch Hazel Tree represents healing and pending improvements. I look forward to the day when this virus is treated like the flu with a yearly vaccination rather than viewed as such a deadly one that fills up our hospitals.

To lose patience is to lose the battle. — Mahatma Gandhi