Investment Returns

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Seven of Cups; from the Kuan Yin Oracle, Verse 5:

Happiness is not a goal. It’s a by-product of a life well lived.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

          People go from therapists to fortune tellers trying to know what will make them happy and fulfilled. The irony is that the answer is not 'out there' but inside ourselves, in the way we choose to relate to the world. If our attitude and outlook are dismal, no perfect mate, job or recognition will ever be enough. The Kuan Yin verse reads, "To find a spring, dig deep beneath the grassy surface. Without effort, you will not win the prize." What we seek lies where we stand in this moment. As the saying goes, "Nature can only return to you what you plant."

The Offering of Friendship

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Two of Cups; from the Kuan Yin Oracle, Verse 57:

          A young man offers a flower to a young woman, suggesting the beginning of a relationship of some kind. Friendship is the offering of an open and vulnerable heart; it requires time, effort energy and attention to someone other than oneself. I feel so sorry for those who think friendship is based on a number on Facebook. It is something much deeper and more meaningful than that platform even begins to touch. The 57th verse reads:

Destiny is giving you abundance,

Go on your way

with happiness and success as companions.

Leave the cares and sorrows of the past behind.

So many of my most cherished friendships are those that occurred when random paths crossed and connections were made. But it can be easy to sabotage budding friendships if I assume that people in my present will be just like those in my past. All those labels can damage and destroy any chance of allowing a new relationship to flower. It is imperative that I keep my heart in the present if I want to enjoy the presence of another.

Cautious Communication

From the Daniloff Tarot, the Ace of Swords; from the Kuan Yin Oracle, Verse 8:

Don't Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

          The inclusion of the skull in this Ace of Swords suggests a memento mori ("remember you die) warning. Am I mindful of my tone, choice of words and timing when I communicate with others? Do I listen more than I speak? Am I curious enough to ask questions or do I simply dole out my opinions and judgments? The Kuan Yin verse reads:

Pine and cypress grow and flourish,

Rain, snow and frost cannot harm them.

One day, people will use their wood.

They are the beams and pillars of our world.

With my words, I plant seeds that will grow and produce effects long after they've been spoken. Will these words create harmony and provide encouragement, or will they cause hostility, shame, or harm? I would do well to pause and consider my motive before communicating, choosing to be silent rather than speak unskillfully.

Self-Will Run Riot

This week I'll be using the Daniloff Tarot, created and self-published by Alexander Daniloff. I'll also be using a set of Kuan Yin Sticks with the corresponding verses from Stephen Karcher's book The Kuan Yin Oracle as well as from www.kuanshihyin.net. Today's draws are the Magician and Verse 3:

Kuan Yin Painting by Tilly Campbell-Allen

          With the mask hiding half his face, this Magician sends up an immediate red flag. He has accumulated knowledge that he's turned into some amazing skills, but he gives off a vibe that he's hiding some criminal motives behind his cloak and table cloth. It always amazes me how people with such talent choose to use their gifts in nefarious ways (the recent corporation hackers are a good example). Recovery folks use the phrase "self-will run riot" to describe those who use their volition in self-centered and selfish ways without regard to those they hurt in the process. The Kuan Yin verse describes a swallow that returns to her nest during a storm only to find that it has fallen apart. The only solution is to begin again, having learned something from the experience. When I'm on the receiving end of the 'con wand,' revenge and hatred will only keep me in a whirlpool that doesn't allow any forward progress. Instead I can take the swallow's example, focusing on what's important; I can rebuild, being more discerning instead of an easy mark.

Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of.

― Aaron B. Powell

Seeing the Blue

From the Golden Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Yantra Deck, Love:

Love is space. It is developing our own capacity for spaciousness within ourselves to allow others to be as they are. That is love. And that doesn’t mean that we don’t have hopes or wishes that things are changed or shifted, but that to come from a place of love is to be in acceptance of what is, even in the face of moving it towards something that is more whole, more just, more spacious for all of us.

—Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams

          A woman sits with her journal, consulting it to discover the 'why' behind her pain. "Why did she betray me?" "Why did he leave me?" "Why was what I loved taken from me?" She will find no answers that heal, only create more thoughts that hurt her. Instead, she might ask, "What now?" Love means being vulnerable, exposing the soft sides of our hearts. When we are hurt, it is easy to constrict our minds and hearts to only the situation or person that triggered our suffering. But our hearts and minds are much more spacious than that. If given the chance to look at the whole rather than one small part, we might find the blue sky behind the clouds.

Action and Acceptance

From the Golden Tarot, the Six of Wands; from the Yantra Deck, Nonresistance:

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

          There is a time to take action and a time to accept. It helps to remember the words of Reinhold Niebuhr: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice. ~Maya Angelou 

Purposeful Giving and Receiving

From the Golden Tarot, the Six of Coins; from the Yantra Deck, Support:

Purposeful giving is not as apt to deplete one’s resources; it belongs to that natural order of giving that seems to renew itself even in the act of depletion. 

—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

          The rich man in this card seems a bit detached as he doles out his coins to the poor. I doubt they care about his attitude, as filling their bellies and staying out of the elements are their primary concern. How sad though, that this man allows himself no joy in his giving. Amy S. Grant suggests there is a reason: "...our obligation is borne out of guilt and we don’t like to feel guilt, so we hide it and call it something else entirely." The Support card indicates that we all rely on others in a variety of ways, even if we have never met these people. The coffee I'm now drinking came from beans grown, harvested, and packaged by many others. Even Nature herself provides gifts to support and sustain us. Such thoughts can be humbling, making it easier to give and receive with a light heart. As Lindbergh writes, exchanging resources is part of the natural order that can help prevent the extremes of excess and scarcity.

Go to your fields and your gardens, and you shall learn that it is the pleasure of the bee to gather honey of the flower,

But it is also the pleasure of the flower to yield its honey to the bee.

― Khalil Gibran