Three Extremes

From the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, Temperance; from the Heart of Faerie,  In Two Minds:

All extremes beget their opposites, and both are alike unprofitable. 

~ Venerable Ashin Thittila  

          If I label something as "wrong," I've automatically created a "right." As Thittila explains, one radical view will naturally create a second perspective at the other end of the spectrum. Temperance shows up as a reminder to balance myself like a tennis player waiting to return a ball. Leaning too heavily on the left foot may cause a stumble, when a ball is hit on that side and I must move quickly in that direction. A beginning stance of resting equally on the balls of both feet will enable me to easily transition from one side to the next, depending on what the situation calls for.
          In Two Minds has just the opposite problem. Instead of choosing one side or the other, he can't make a decision and doesn't move at all. He either doesn't want to deal with the responsibility of choosing or is worried about pleasing everyone. Yet rarely does doing nothing please anyone. It's like the tennis player who stands balanced on both feet yet never moves - he simply watches the balls go by. In some ways, that's an extreme too.

Inner Peace

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, created by Julia Jeffrey with Barbara Moore, and published by Llewellyn. I'll also be drawing from the Heart of Faerie Oracle created by Brian and Wendy Froud  and published by Abrams. Today's cards are the Four of Swords and the Hero:

          Moore writes that the stability of four creates a quiet resting place for the mind. In the chaos of yesterday, I didn't get a chance to do my regular sitting meditation or any journaling. It was a day when other matters took priority. But the butterflies around this young girl's head suggest I should keep things light today. There's no need for solutions to be found or ideas to be analyzed. My brain needs a break from being in stress mode. In the words of Harry Emerson Dosdick, "Peace is the gift not of volitional struggle but of spiritual hospitality."
          The title of the Faerie card seems to be at odds with the message of the Four of Swords. Yet the Hero is purposefully drawn as a young woman rather than a man to emphasize its feminine nature. Instead of seeing this card as representing the courage to fight, Froud recommends thinking of "love as a heroic force." I was reminded of another "hero," this one gray-haired and known as Peace Pilgrim. She constantly suggested checking to see if one's actions brought inner peace:

There is a criterion by which you can judge whether the thoughts you are thinking and the things you are doing are right for you. The criterion is: Have they brought you inner peace? If they have not, there is something wrong with them - so keep seeking! If what you do has brought you inner peace, stay with what you believe is right. ~ Peace Pilgrim

Not for the Faint-hearted

From the RochesTarot, the Lovers; from the Animal Shaman Vision Cards, the Mantis:

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

~ Jack Kornfield 

          Real love means looking for your partner's good points rather than focusing on the negative ones. It means realizing there will inevitably be hard times as well as good times, and being kind through them all. The mantis is known for its prayer-like posture and predatory quickness. In the same way, life can shift and move with surprising swiftness. The female mantis is known for occasionally cannibalizing her mate. Yet some studies have found that in these cases, such mating behavior can double the chance of fertilization - an ultimate sacrifice. I and my family have been up all night, as my MIL fell and broke her hip last night, and will now require surgery. Everyone is sleep-deprived and worried, held together only by love.

Getting Out of the Trap

From the RochesTarot, the Hanged Man; from the Animal Shaman Vision Cards, the Deer:

          The element associated with this card is water, and it represents a sort of old-time-religion baptism. What is "buried" (washed away) is the old way of doing things. Unfortunately this guy is still hanging upside down. He's having a hard time surrendering the situation, which would allow him to see without the constraints of his ego. I'm guessing he works for the city and is responsible for cleaning up the graffiti left in public areas. That task would be like shoveling the driveway in the middle of a blizzard. He will never get "finished," but why would he want to? There would be no job to fill. For now, he's being forced to examine how little external control he actually has; hopefully he'll consider other viewpoints so he can get on with life.
          Several months ago, I was taking a stroll on the river walk when I noticed a slight movement in the woody area on the slope above me. A group of deer had paused to watch and see what I would do; their big ears swiveled to pick up any sound I might make. These animals prefer to run rather than fight. And unlike the Hanged Man, who I'm sure has been loudly complaining to whomever will listen, the deer know that quietness will serve them much better. I suppose these qualities are why the deer is often associated with gentleness. When I'm struggling with letting go of a situation I can't control, tenderness and self-compassion (as opposed to self-indulgence or self-pity) can ease my tight grip.

Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns. ~ Tara Brach

Swarm Behavior

From the RochesTarot, Death; from the Animal Shaman Vision Cards, the Grasshopper:

          The outstretched, welcoming hand and the scorpion's tail on this figure of Death brought to mind a bible verse (1 Corinthians 15:55): "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The first two of the Four Reflections of Buddhism are constant reminders of this card. The first is that life is precious, and the second is that life is impermanent and death inevitable. Life doesn't set out to purposefully punish anyone with endings, that is just the natural order of things. It allows the space needed for new arrivals and beginnings. Humans rarely swallow this easily, except in such cases where pain and suffering overshadow all else.
          Grasshopper shows up with a message of what can happen when we react by desperately holding on instead of accepting the ebb and flow of life. In rainy periods, the grasshopper population explodes; occasionally this is followed by a drought and the disappearance of food sources. Massive populations get pushed into smaller and smaller areas. At a certain density point, serotonin is triggered in the grasshoppers, causing them to breed and inducing swarm behavior. They transform into locusts, rapidly stripping fields and damaging crops. Their behavior is how we often respond when we faced with good-byes or endings. But such grasping increases our suffering, extending our grief and making it unbearable instead of better.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. ~ Pema Chodron

Futility

From the RochesTarot, the Seven of Swords; from the Animal Shaman Vision Cards, the Mallard:

          The creator of the RochesTarot has painted a well-known picture of Aleister Crowley with himself on top. Thoth-based decks use the keyword "futility" to describe this card. Astrologically, it is connected with the Moon in Aquarius; this is a strange combination of intellect with passivity. Crowley describes this card as similar to "a rheumatic boxer trying to 'come back' after being out of the ring for years." The brain is trying to out-think a situation but ends up with nothing solid and useful. It does however produce a bedazzling slight of hand trick. This of course impresses no one, except the magician who considers himself a genius. In him there is a strong desire for achievement, yet he's unable to keep a firm footing in reality.
          The mallard is one of the most abundant and wide-ranging ducks on earth, even though it is also one of the most widely hunted. Among water birds, these ducks are known as a dabblers; typically they skim food from the surface or feed in the shallows by tipping forward to submerge their heads. Other waterfowl are divers, who propel themselves underwater to feed. These two ways of eating remind me of how easy it is to try to think something into happening without actually doing much. We don't want to go "all in" by following what we envision with action. But without any physical effort, we might as well be doing card tricks.

Strength Askew

From the RochesTarot, Strength; from the Animal Shaman Vision Cards, the Salmon:

          Something seems off-kilter in this Strength card. I get the feeling that the man is trying to suppress his feminine side. Is he afraid to appear gentle, tender and nurturing in front of his colleagues? Perhaps he's in a profession that looks down on such traits, believing it makes him appear too soft and passive. Particularly among religion and politics, I've to noticed a swing back to gender-specific roles lately, as if a person should only act one way if you're male or female. But while someone might have certain physical characteristics on the outside, all of us have feminine and masculine traits on the inside. I don't think it's healthy to try and repress those traits simply to impress someone or fit in with a group. Could a person be happy and content with such an arrangement? I think he'd have more luck trying to get that cat to jump through the ring of fire.
          Typically, most salmon are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. The term "salmon" comes from the Latin salmo, which in turn may have originated from salire, meaning "to leap." It is descriptive of the driving instincts of mature salmon to return to their spawning ground. Celtic mythology and poetry identifies the salmon as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. This card implies that acting from both our masculine or feminine sides is natural. And the Celtic element reminds me of the ancient Greek maxim to "Know thyself." Being true to oneself can be freeing:

I am larger, better than I thought; I did not know I held so much goodness. ~ Walt Whitman

Yet in dealing with others, kindness and respect will always have an important place:

 No man is free who cannot command himself. ~ Pythagoras