Falls the Shadow

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Sun; from the Way of the Horse, False Self:

Between the idea

And the reality

Between the motion

And the act

Falls the Shadow

~T.S. Eliot 

The four compass points on this Sun remind me of a joke. An inebriated fellow was pulled over for greatly exceeding the speed limit. When the police officer asked him where he was going in such a hurry, the man answered, "I don't know, but I'm making damn good time!" The Sun suggests energy, but also a need for clarity. It doesn't matter how fast we're going if we don't know where we're headed. The False Self card looks at this idea from another angle. The false self is a mental construct of the ego that attempts to control our choices so that they coincide with socio-cultural norms and familial/peer expectations. It reins us in with a fear of missing out or a sense that we must fit in to belong. But this masked persona is not our true self and will never leave us feeling content and whole. With discernment, however, we can root out our people-pleasing behavior and instead turn toward our authentic self, making choices from our own core values and goals.

Embodying the Senses

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Page of Coins; from the Way of the Horse, Back to Grazing:

Mindfulness isn’t a thought. It’s a full-bodied sensory experience.

—Kate Johnson

This young man with a coin attached to his headband symbolizes what the quote above describes. The Page uses all of his senses to focus his attention and learn from his environment, which helps him stay grounded in reality. He knows how easy it is to get lost in the mind's labyrinth of winding hallways if he relies only on his thoughts. As the Back to Grazing card indicates, those stories of anger, fear and woe will keep us in a place of suffering rather than enjoying what is right in front of us. Just this.

Truth Telling

From the Hezicos Tarot, the King of Swords; from the Way of the Horse, Vigilance:

This King is pointy all over, from the top of his head to his spiky nose ring. It's pretty clear he's going to get to the point without any fluff or frippery. Though he won't intentionally hurt anyone with the truth, he does believe in being honest. Vigilance shows a horse with nostrils flared wide - a sign a alertness and adrenaline. When someone is honest with me about something I have done or said, I can have the same reaction, wanting to fight or flee. But as Josh Korda reminds me, "Without honesty there is no real bond between us, and without connection, nothing else really matters." Rarely does the other person want to make me feel bad, they just want to point out something that is standing in the way of a good relationship, whether as friends, family or a professional association. My self-worth isn't at stake, only the pillar my ego sits on.

Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.

—James E. Faust

Mindful in All Ways

From the Hezicos Tarot, the Two of Coins; from the Way of the Horse, Intuition:

When there are a lot of plates spinning in the air, it's easy to get discombobulated. Yesterday, I made a cup of coffee and forgot to put the cup under the Keurig spout. I'll blame a lack of sleep for that blooper. But having a lot of boxes to check off every day can make it easy to lose one's balance. Part of my daily intention in the morning helps me wake up: "May I move through each moment mindfully (pay attention!), lightly (hang on to humor), and with clarity (see what is, not what I wish it to be). Intuition brings in another way to pay attention. My longtime buddy who lives in Australia has a birthday this month, so I decided to send her a package this year. But I got a nudge to do this much earlier than it needed to be mailed. And although logic said there was plenty of time, my physical feelings told me to get a move on. Thankfully I listened; the package arrived early but Australia is now on the list of countries to which the USPS is not currently making deliveries.  

Whom Will You Serve?

This week I'll be using the Hezicos Tarot, created and self-published by Mary Griffin. Along with it I'll be using the Way of the Horse, an oracle deck and book set created by Linda Kohanov with Kim McElroy and published by New World Library. The two cards drawn for today are the Seven of Cups and Believe:

When I drew this card this morning, a quote from the book of Joshua came to mind: "Choose whom you will serve." Though it sounded a little strange at first, it dawned on me that in many ways the cup we focus on to fulfill us is indeed where we'll spend a great deal of time and energy. Will it be a worthy sacrifice? The Believe card suggests we put a hold on the ego's litany of what it thinks we need and listen to something within us that is less superficial: the ground of our being or luminous mind. In quietness and stillness we can find this part of us that looks at things without preference or prejudice, the part of us that is spacious, wise, compassionate and discerning. It might not point us toward what is always pleasurable, but it will guide us toward what is fulfilling and meaningful. 

Slowing Down

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Knight of Pentacles; from the A'HA Oracle, Unfurling:

Tasks can get done if I'm moving quickly, but tasks get done well when I'm moving mindfully. It's hard not to want to rush through and get to the next thing (which usually just has another next thing behind it). However, this Knight suggests I slow down, pay attention to detail and stay in the moment. Unfurling reminds me of those little ideas or potential solutions that tickle the back of the mind as I go through the day. Yet it it usually only when I'm about to drop off to sleep (or upon waking) - when I'm relaxed - that they come fully open. I can move at a moderate pace with plenty of pauses when there is no race to win or fire to put out. And by doing so, my mind and body can work together.

Take a walk with a turtle. And behold the world in pause. 

~Bruce Feiler

Our Blue Marble

From the Osho Zen Tarot, the Ten of Rainbows (Pentacles); from the A'HA Oracle, Snowflake:

Suddenly, from behind the rim of the Moon, in long, slow-motion moments of immense majesty, there emerges a sparkling blue and white jewel, a light, delicate sky-blue sphere laced with slowly swirling veils of white, rising gradually like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery. It takes more than a moment to fully realize this is Earth . . . home. ~Edgar Mitchell, Apollo Astronaut

It is insightful and humbling to see our little blue marble from space. It is impossible to see neighborhood fences and county lines. Even further out, when seen as a tiny speck, we fail to see boundaries between nations. As poet Archibald MacLeish described, "To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves a riders on the earth together." But the Snowflake card - a symbol of uniqueness - brings to mind those who demand their individualism and separation. Yet can't we still enjoy unity while celebrating our diversity? Unity doesn't mean we become a herd of sheep; our strength comes from unified diversity, not division. Our common bond is that we are all riding this fragile, blue marble together, like it or not.