Web of Connections

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Rumi Cards, 'You'll only enjoy the city:'

I am inextricably woven into an ever-changing web of connections.

—Lauren Krauze

Krauze makes a good point - because we are interconnected, when things change elsewhere, it naturally has an impact on other places and people. Pema Chodron often talks about groundlessness, that feeling of limbo when the foundation of our lives shift and we can find no certainty or security. Our habitual patterns get upended, and we realize the false sense of protection they provided. Chodron suggests that instead of freaking out, we might attempt to stay in the present moment, giving it our full, compassionate attention without weaving a story around it. This direct experience, free of judgment and interpretation, helps us find equanimity in the midst of change. Rumi's card suggests that we can better learn to appreciate things when the Wheel spins us away from our comforts and pleasures. When we ride it around again, things can seem much clearer and sweeter. (Unless we think it's permanent!) 

Moss Gathering

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the King of Pentacles; from the Rumi Cards, 'Before you pierce:'

"A rolling stone gathers no moss" is attributed to  Publilius Syrus, and was the proverb that popped into my mind upon seeing this very green King of Pentacles. The saying was intended to mean that people who never settle down and forego all commitments and responsibilities have empty pockets. Yet this King seems to have gone to the other extreme; he's got the wealth but seems overgrown with the burden of duties and obligations. Rumi's quote comes from a composition that also says: "Each time that builders come to repair an old building, don't they begin by destroying what was there before?" To abdicate his position would be reckless, but he could begin to delegate and simplify to find sanity again. What could be cut away that is superfluous and expendable? 

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

~Hans Hofmann

Guttering Out

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, Death; from the Rumi Cards, 'Let the candles gutter out:'

In Savasana [corpse pose], we practice the death of the ego, death of grasping, and death of all aversion to reality as it is. ~Octavia Raheem

In her book Pause, Rest, Be, Octavia Raheem talks about beginning a yoga practice and hearing her instructor say that the corpse pose was the hardest pose. After an hour of twisting, bending and stretching her body, this seemed a ridiculous statement. But after she had a miscarriage, grieving the baby she had longed for, she understood. We are good at forcing, fixing, strategizing and manipulating as we try to make reality into what we want it to be. But at some point we realize the only thing we can do is accept what has happened and practice self-care and compassion. Rumi's card points out that we can focus so hard on the candles (our personal stories) that we forget the wider perspective and long view of things. Even in our grief, life still has beauty, wonder and goodness in it. It might take a while, but if we keep looking, we'll seem them again.

Egg Cracking

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the Rumi Cards, 'Egg of My Heart:'

We all have times when we act as if we're an expert. But when this idea of being an intellectual master becomes a habitual pattern, we begin digging a hole that we unknowingly are standing in. Hitting rock bottom is hard because we rarely see it coming (always thinking we have a strategy to outsmart anything). And if we blame others instead of our own actions for being in that place, we can stay there for a long time. But judging from the Surya Ravi Mudra ("seal of life") he's making with his right hand, he might be at a point of surrender. This mudra is said to help with balance, vitality and positive transformations. The Rumi Card suggests that compassion can often be the trigger that breaks through the intellectualism of another. If I tell someone what they need to do, they probably won't listen. But if I tell them of my own experience and how I coped, they just might. Such compassion is based on equal footing, rather than the offering of an expert to an imbecile. 

Remembering My Wings

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Five of Swords; from the Rumi Cards, 'The swan beats its wings':

It used to be that people knew how to civilly discuss topics - listening, asking questions, and forming thoughtful replies. Now it seems like any discussion turns into a debate. People demand to be the center of attention as they spout their opinions, trying to prove themselves right (and rarely listening). As the saying goes, "My way or the highway." But such a childish attitude decreases our knowledge and creates great division among people. There is no healing, only great harm. Yet Rumi's swan that rises with joy implies that we don't have to rigidly self-identify with the opinions we hold. If I were to look back at each decade of my life, I would readily see how much my ideas have changed. When I can take 'self' off the table (use my wings), I hear more clearly, and remember we are more than an unchanging box of opinions.

Bruised Places

From the Albano-Waite Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Rumi Cards, 'Fall Into:'

We all have tender or bruised places on our heart, places that when jabbed send us into a tailspin of deep grief or despair. The yellow on this card looks washed out compared to the bright yellow of the Fool's card drawn yesterday. Awareness of anything other than our pain gets dimmed; the rational side of the intellect is pushed aside. We may have a choice where to place our attention, but our pain will insist that we keep it there. The Rumi quote 'Fall into' suggests that we realize that human love is imperfect and fluctuating, no matter how strong it might be. Yet we treat it like a breeze we've opened our door to, thinking it will stay inside with us forever without changing. The poet Aeschylus wrote, "There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief. Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." We can't go back, we can only move forward, even if that movement is excruciatingly slow. 

Personal Agency

This week I'll be using the Albano Waite Tarot, a recolored version of the RWS created by Frankie Albano and published by U.S. Games. The oracle deck I'll be pairing with it is the Rumi Cards, created by Eryk Hanut and Michelle Wetherbee and published by Tuttle Publishing. Today's draws are the Fool and 'Don't Despair:'

What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change.

~ Madeleine Albright

I think the Fool often gets a bad rap. Yes, he has little experience in the world, but that bright yellow background is a hint that he's aware moving forward has unknown risks. Now the Fool could plant himself on that edge and curl up in a neurotic ball, imagining every worse case scenario. However, he understands that just staying on that cliff is to choose to be stuck. He doesn't want to abdicate his personal choice and pretend that life has left him no options. There are always options, though not all are fun and pleasurable. His landing won't be smooth or easy, but it will be an exciting adventure. The Rumi card is a reminder of impermanence, suggesting that the flow of life is dynamic and ever changing. Hard choices might bring hard landings, but even those won't remain the same unless we give up our personal agency.