Rider of Tigers

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Mother of Flames (Queen of Wands); from the Elemental Dice, Mountain (Light + Earth):

Take any challenge as a creative opportunity.

— Alexandra Watkins

Petersen describes this Queen as a "rider of tigers" who tears apart patterns that restrict her expression. She doesn't just meet challenges head on, she tackles them with creative flourish and flounce. It's no wonder that people soak up her presence like sun-worshipers at the beach. Mountain implies that her abilities are grounded in self-confidence, a belief in her own abilities. This trait, the Queen would tell us, must be nurtured within rather than dependent on external praise. Though we might make mistakes, she reminds us of their value because we can learn from them. She would agree with E.E. Cummings: "Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

Respect Runs Both Ways

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Empress; from the Elemental Dice, Earthquake (Darkness + Earth):

Devotion and creativity 

Are born in the center of the heart.

―Margarete Petersen

The Empress, with her split pomegranate and exposed flower's throat, personifies receptivity, deep emotion, and creativity. She brings warmth and beauty, love and acceptance, sensuality and connection to whatever she touches. Nature is her reflection. Unlike the Emperor, she has no filter on her devotion; she willingly breaks open her heart without considering any consequences. Earthquake suggests that energy has been building and will shake our foundations. It asks if we have been complacently disregarding our part in a situation in which we need wake up and be mindfully aware. Boundaries don't just help keep us sane and healthy, they help others become accountable and develop responsibility too. 

If you spend your life sparing people’s feelings and feeding their vanity, you get so you can’t distinguish what should be respected in them.

―F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

The Darkest Night

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Devil; from the Elemental Dice, Night (Darkness + Darkness):

Whatever concerns a man ultimately becomes god for him, and, conversely, it means that a man can be concerned ultimately only about that which is god for him. 

― Paul Tillich

We humans love the pleasures of the senses, which is a natural source of enjoyment. But sometimes we can become obsessed with things, convinced that what we desire will provide us with contentment and take away pain. We don't look at the long-term costs of such gratification and can end up trapped like the people in Petersen's shiny diamond. Night, the roll of the Elemental Dice, suggests a darkness in which we can't see a way out. We've used up our of our strategies and tricks with no relief; we are left only with confusion and despair. Hope may be found beyond our own approaches - we seek others who have successfully found a healthy way forward. As Harvard Associate Professor of Psychiatry John F. Kelly found: "The results suggest that social context factors are key; the people who associate with individuals attempting to begin recovery can be crucial to their likelihood of success.”

Destructive as a Twister

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Nine of Coins; from the Elemental Dice, Tornado (Air + Darkness):

He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.

― Socrates

In this Nine of Coins, a meditator sits gazing at a stone in a Zen garden. Generally this card is about financial stability and independence, giving us time to enjoy life rather than barely surviving from one paycheck to another. Petersen suggests we reflect on whether we live a life of gratitude for our blessings or a life constantly craving for what we don't have. Tornado, a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground, is a metaphor for those whose greed and envy outweigh their thankfulness. In the Buddhist Wheel of Samsara, the realm of the jealous gods is filled with people who have a good life but can't enjoy because they always envy those who have something more. They're stuck in a mindset of scarcity even though they live in abundance compared to so many other people. Such a psychological state is as destructive as any twister.

Envy and greed starve on a steady diet of thanksgiving.

―Billy Graham

The Work of Head and Heart

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, the Three of Coins; from the Elemental Dice, Dusk/Dawn (Darkness + Light):

The mark of all good art is not that the thing done is done exactly or finely, for machinery may do as much, but that it is worked out with the head and the workman's heart.

―Oscar Wilde

Petersen illustrates her Three of Coins with the symbol of Om, the primordial sound of creation from which all other vibrations are able to manifest. The footprint suggests making one's mark on the world, but the Om reminds us that excellence and complexity must start at the beginning. No one gets to jump to the head of the line without study and practice. Look closely at the artwork of AI; while it might be much faster and considered 'good,' it still seems to lack any heart or warmth. The Dusk/Dawn roll indicates a time of shifts and changes. Even if we don't receive outward acclaim, our efforts over time will be inwardly rewarded as we begin to see our progress. 

An Opening

From the Margarete Petersen Tarot, Renewal (Judgment); from the Elemental Dice, Sun (Light + Fire):

Giving up one’s own certainties can open up a door toward a deeper intimacy with things.

—Henry Shukman

Judgment illustrates a crack opening in our minds and hearts, a transforming experience that causes us to perceive life in a radically different way. The dice roll of Sun suggests warmth and clarity. Together they bring the message of being with reality in a new way - relaxing, releasing attachments, and resisting nothing. When we're not constantly in battle mode, we can respond with clear insight and compassion. We begin to see that even within chaos and heartache, there is still beauty, joy and kindness to be found if we're not focused in one direction. 

Checkup from the Neck Up

This week I'll be using the Margarete Petersen Tarot, created by M. Petersen and published by Königs Furt. The oracle I'll be using is the Elemental Dice. Today's card and dice roll are the Moon and Lightning (Air + Fire):

 We habitually jump to thoughts and feelings about what is being perceived. These thoughts and feelings, rooted in past experiences and conditioning, then influence the mood of our mind. 

—Ruth King

The woman on the left pillar is finally seeing that her free will is not very free at all. The unconscious is a mental file cabinet that immediately sends to the conscious mind any file remotely relevant to our current situation, yanking our chain according to past encounters. So much of what we think and feel is tied to our past and greatly influences how we respond. Yet Lightning, a massive electrostatic discharge from cloud to ground, suggests we find a way to pause and looks with discernment at what the mind tells us. I've found two tools that are helpful in this regard: a fearless inventory of my life and meditation. A inventory helps me become aware of patterns that have become habitual but are unskillful or harmful; awareness can aid in change. Meditation allows me to see just what is swirling around in my head so that I don't unconsciously react to it.

Before fixing what you're looking at, check what you're looking through.

—Mark Nepo