The Three Es

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Tattwa Cards, Water: Seed of Earth:

          Fortuna, the European goddess of fate and fortune, is a lot like La Santa Muerte; neither goddess cares about labels like good/evil, rich/poor, or famous/unknown. They deal the same cards of change and death to everyone. How are humans supposed to find contentment in such a world? Surely not externally, where all the impermanence is happening. So that leaves the mind, where three things can trip me up: emotional labels, expectations and entitlement. When I start sorting situations by label (awful, fantastic), it becomes easy to self-identify with the emotion attached to them. I can find myself chin-deep in a bog of feelings from which it seems I'll never climb out. Along with labeling, I can set myself up for disappointment when I assume that a certain action will lead to a specific result. Life doesn't work like math, and unfulfilled expectations can leave me disappointed and looking for someone to blame. The third 'E' could learn from today's Tattwa card, which is often given the keyword 'alliances.' Entitlement comes from self-cherishing, when I think my circumstances are more important above all else. I notice this when there is a major event that affects me - it always feels like the world should stop turning and pay attention. But what actually helps me is to realize that everyone without exception goes through similar experiences. I agree with Andrew Weil; instead of chasing pleasure and happiness, I should be working for contentment: "an inner sense of fulfillment that's relatively independent of external circumstances."

Taking What is Not Given

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Seven of Air (Swords); from the Tattwa Cards, Air: Seed of Earth:

          Laverna is the Roman goddess of thieves, con men, and rascals - basically anyone who succeeds through deceit. She delights in upsetting balances and creating confusion. I could see how such a goddess would be a good partner in battle, but not so much when trying to live peaceably. She would think that was way too boring. There are times when the status quo needs to be disrupted, such as when life has become unfair and oppressive for certain groups. But there are also folks who like to be rebels, yet they have no worthy cause. The bottom line is, 'Who benefits?' Is the result helpful to the whole or self-serving only? Air with a Seed of Earth suggests seeing the humane side of things and being able to perceive how one's ideas would play out realistically. It is easy to assume this pair of cards deals with taking things that are valuable to others. However, the second precept of Buddhism reminds me it involves more than just stuff: 'I vow not to take what is not given, but to practice generosity.' Do I selfishly take time away from others by always dumping my problems on them? Do I take over conversations because I think I have better knowledge to share? When I sit among others, so I use chairs for my personal belongings instead of allowing someone else to sit there? Time, energy and space can also be used with generosity or without.

Join the Dance

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, Death; from the Tattwa Cards, Air: Seed of Ether:

 Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don’t struggle

against it, we are in harmony with reality. – Pema Chodron

          La Santa Muerte (Our Lady of the Holy Death) is the patron saint of death in Mexican folk religion. Although the Church condemns the devotion of her followers as a “celebration of devastation and of hell,” her devotees say they are drawn to her by her non-judgmental nature (everyone has the same destiny).  Many who feel excluded by the Catholic Church welcome this Lady who accepts everyone just as they are. By embracing death (seeing it as natural as the change in seasons), Santa Muerte believers say they are free to live their lives without fear or anxiety. Air: Seed of Ether represents transformation that occurs because of a fresh perspective. It's like being shut up inside a tiny office with no windows all day, then suddenly finding yourself at the beach with a sea breeze blowing. We see things differently because we are able to understand them in a new way. La Santa Muerte isn't a demon, but an honest representation of life. She might not always symbolize what pleases us, but she's as real as it gets.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

― Alan W. Watts

Shifting Patterns

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Ten of Water; from the Tattwa Cards, Air: Seed of Air:

          Ixchel appears at times of great change - when a cycle begins and when it is completed. The water pot she pours from represents the rainy season of tropical climates when air quality improves, fresh water is available, and vegetation grows substantially. However it is also the period of floods, erosion and malaria. What is poured out is some both, just as it is in relationships. Though we may enjoy the bonds of love and friendship, these connections also engender times of anger, hurt and grief. There's no way to have one without dealing with the other. Air is one of the most invigorating of the elements. Yet we can become loopy with too much oxygen and faint with not enough. Air with a seed of Air represents the potential for great change. It must be monitored closely so as not to be caught off guard (like tracking a storm on the Weather Channel). The combination of these cards suggest pausing to pay attention to shifting emotional patterns in relationships. Someone might need a shoulder to lean on or a hand to guide them.

Growth Stimulation

This week I'll be using the Dark Goddess Tarot, a deck created by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince and published by Arnell's Art. Along with it, I'll be using a digital set of Tattwas Cards. Today's draws are Witch (Queen) of Earth and Ether: Seed of Fire :

           Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of war as well as the arts and love. It sounds a bit contradictory, but the common denominator is stimulation. A seed kept in a glass vial will never sprout; it needs to be provoked and invigorated by the soil, sun and rain. I once had a boyfriend who was probably the nicest man I ever dated - he never argued with me or questioned anything I believed or wanted to do. But having him as a partner was similar to being protected like that seed; I would never grow beyond my own assumptions and opinions. Many people are content to carry their preferences and prejudices around in a little thimble. But what happens when this Fire is placed in the expansiveness of Ether? It can grow, but it must have fuel to burn just as the seed needs its own stimulation. Circular reasoning -  providing evidence for the validity of an assertion, which assumes the validity of the assertion - will only burn itself out. We all need to have our ideas challenged, so we can grow and develop beyond them.

Irma Update: Kudos to the city I live in for being prepared! Our city leaders had a fleet of utility trucks ready to roll as soon as the storm passed. Since the tornado (in January of this year), they've had trucks following every utility line in every neighborhood and radically cutting back any branches that overhung the lines. By the time Irma arrived, shelters were in place, emergency numbers and websites were given out, and all non-emergency businesses were closed. Today, almost everyone has had their power restored, except where huge trees fell on homes or transformer poles. We've got lots of debris (some I will need to use a chainsaw on), but everything else is okay at my little abode. Thanks for all the good thoughts sent this way!

Step to It!

From the Buckland Romani, the King of Koshes (Staves); from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, Mahpia (Cloud):

          The koshes/staves in this deck are all whips which seem to have a 'step to it' message. The King of Koshes is seen sitting on the back of a vardo carving a branch. I'm sure he has plenty of people who could carve them and turn them into a whip, yet he likes to keep his skills sharp that he learned as a young man. Many managers today know only how to supervise and have forgotten or don't know how to do what their employees do every day. Often they rely on others to keep up with new information and skills that develop. I think this king would call them arrogant idiots. Mahpi, or Cloud Spirit, implies that there are obsessions, addictions and habits that are casting a dark shadow and clouding the purpose or obligations of one's life. My latest obsession is reading novels, which I tell myself is a good stress buster (and it is). But often I neglect the things I need to be doing while telling myself I'm just taking care of me. I think if the King of Koshes heard such a rationalization, he would crack his whip and yell, "Step to it!"

Mistaken for Misconduct

From the Buckland Romani Tarot, the Five of Koshes (Staves); from the Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards, Ksa (Goddess of Water):

          Morris dancers perform in a field, while Romani vardos move on to another area. Their sticks suggest the bedlam form, which is loud and energetic. I read where many modern groups have had unexpected dances in public areas (like the flash mobs), only to have the police break it up because they were disturbing others. What seems fun and exciting to one group may feel like an invasion to another. Ksa, the spirit of water, symbolizes uncovering and transforming emotions. When I have a feeling of intense dislike, a sense that I want to push back at another's way of doing things, I need to take a deeper look. Perhaps it is simply that we do things differently; one way is not better or more proper than the other. If there's no harm done, what's the harm?

...equipped with righteous indignation and warmed by moral certitude. She threw great logs of 'I'm right, you're an unfeeling bastard' onto the fire and felt secure and comforted. 

― Louise Penny, Still Life