It Always Rolls Back

This week I'll be using the Somnia Tarot and its companion book, created and self-published by Nicholas Bruno. I'll also be using the Lojong for the Layperson deck, a set of cards based on the 59 Buddhist mind training slogans. Today's draws are the Six of Cups and Slogan 32 (Don't wait in ambush.):

An older family member pours water from the ancestral well into the bucket of a young woman. Instead of just sharing memories, helpful wisdom is offered about how to deal with life on life's terms. Perhaps one lesson contributed might be this lojong slogan: Don't wait in ambush. When we have been hurt in some way, we may seek revenge with the same concentrated focus as the ladybug seeks aphids. We can convince ourselves that retribution is only fair and will teach a lesson to the other person. Meanwhile, resentment locks us in a cycle of misery and any retributive action leads us to worry about a backlash. If history has shown us anything, it's is that acts of revenge never lead to peace. 

Revenge... is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion. ~Jeremy Taylor

Not a Battle

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Eight of Stones (Pentacles); from the Rune Cards, Weapon/Yr:

Deep within a cave with painted walls, a person chisels a wheel. Potter suggests this is a large project that requires concentration to complete. The Weapon/Yr rune poem describes the ax-hammer as a dependable tool for warriors. Together, these cards imply that the craftsperson might feel under attack as if they must finish by a certain time. In such cases, they are no longer simply working on a task, they're battling it. That is the perfect mindset for tension, stress and mistakes. It might be better to simply take a breath and be mindful of what they're doing rather than worrying about the finish line. The only war being waged is a figment of the imagination.

Revivifying

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Greenman (Emperor); from the Rune Cards, Hearth/Peordh:

The Greenman was an environmental guardian of forests and woods, a force with the ability to enrich and revivify nature. As a symbol of the Emperor, he reminds me of leaders who must bring their communities back to life after they have been decimated by war, storms, fires or floods. Such a leader's first task is to bring hope and comfort, and then he initiates a plan for rebuilding. The Hearth/Peordh rune emphasizes the need to balance the hard work of restoration with times of laughter, relaxation and play. These 'down times' can keep our spirits up and remind us of our connection so that cooperative attitudes will prevail.

Laughter, which is present in many kinds of playful activities, releases those same feel-good hormones. The act of simply laughing with others will also foster a sense of camaraderie and strengthen your relationships, too. ~NBC Today

Our Best Ally

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Archer (Chariot); from the Rune Cards, Water/Lagu:

To reach any goal we strive for, we must be mentally steady with a clear intention - just as this archer must maintain a steady, focused aim to hit her target. Our mental energy must not be distracted by unimportant things, no matter how attractive or unpleasant they might be. Any of the 'worldly winds' might affect our aim: joy or suffering, recognition or insignificance, praise or blame, and gain or loss. The Water/Lagu rune poem parallels the Chariot card as it describes those who voyage on the sea but must deal with the fact that "the sea-stallion heeds not its bridle." What can throw us off track quicker than anything is emotional intoxication with whatever is going on. But our mind, wisely used, can be our best ally.

Sobriety is to develop your own capacity to face yourself as you are—in all your vulnerability, pain, or anxiety. Most deeply, it can mean facing the impermanent nature of all of our states of being and the very limited control we have over what happens in our lives or comes up in our bodies and minds. It’s to cultivate resilience in the face of reality. —Matthew Gindin

 

A Matter of Balance

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Three of Wands; from the Rune Cards, Yew/Eoh:

There is something both exciting and satisfying when we take action on any creative inspiration. This fellow's third staff with intertwined snakes is that of Hermes; a symbol of commerce and negotiation, it balanced exchange and reciprocity. In other words, the Three of Wands is about expending and obtaining - each acts as a counterbalance. The unique shape of Eoh (Yew), with its two ends pointing in different directions, are like the traits of the tree. On one hand it is evergreen, long-lived and currently used in cancer treatments, while on the other hand many of its parts are poisonous and can be fatal. To borrow the words of Thomas Merton, the message today seems to be that it's "not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony."

Journey of Opening

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Guardian (Devil); from the Rune Cards, Sun/Sigel:

Potter's Devil shows the skeleton of an animated cave bear, a prehistoric species that became extinct about 24,000 years ago. He represents a guardian of the past and an initiator into its memories. He naturally elicits fear, but befriending him can help us face our past and heal. We all have 'skeletons' in our closet that we hide in shame, worrying that someone will discover them. But when we open that door and introduce them to someone trustworthy, we might find out that others have very similar beings dwelling in their closet. The Anglo-Saxon rune poem for Sigel (Sun) describes how welcome the sun is as seafarers make their way back to land. It represented both the clarity of light and well-being. It seems to emphasize that bringing our past to light (which often is an unconscious trigger for present day behavior) can help us be free of the chains that bind us.

On our journey of opening, we come to the boundaries of what is familiar or what is comfortable. It’s precisely at these boundaries that the deeply conditioned pattern of fear begins to emerge.That’s exactly the place we want to be, a place of further acceptance and opening. We need to learn how to work with this fear. Otherwise, our lives become fragmented; we split off from parts of ourselves, from parts of what is true in experience. ~Joseph Goldstein

Wiser Than Before

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Eight of Cups; from the Rune Cards, Birch/Beorc:

We are the old people we are the new people

We are the same people wiser than before

~"Cauldron of Changes" chant

Potter's Eight of Cups includes the cauldron of transformation, a chance to pour all of the elements of oneself into the vessel in order to be changed for the better. This is not simply a geographical cure or trading in an old set of companions for some new ones. It is the realization that internal changes need to be made so that we no longer react to life in our usual habitual ways. Birch trees produce winged seeds that lack a hard outer shell, allowing them to germinate easily and quickly. For this reason it is a pioneer species, one of the first trees to 'rebirth' a land that has been disturbed by fire or storms. When we remove the hard shell of our mindset, we are able to see from a wider perspective and respond in more skillful and wholesome ways. A transformation truly takes place.