Swinging Through Time

From the New Era Elements Tarot, the Six of Water (Cups); from the Tao Oracle, Hexagram 66:

My mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.

―Elizabeth Gilbert

Have you ever been lost in a memory, reminiscing about a time that brought joy, only to have a less than enjoyable thought seep in? Evolution has shaped our minds so that we remember the negative much easier than the positive. As Rick Hanson put it: "The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones." Hexagram 44 is traditionally called Unexpected Encounter, but Padma has titled it Attraction of Opposites. Both fit the way our good thoughts can be seduced by the bad ones, pulling our attention in their direction. Peace comes when we learn to retrain our brain (over and over) by changing the channel; instead, we make the effort to refocus on the kindhearted, the funny, the beautiful, the wondrous and the beloved.

Stay in the Hub

From the New Era Elements Tarot, the Nine of Earth (Pentacles); from the Tao Oracle, Hexagram 29 (the Abysmal):

A stable mind is like the hub of a wheel. The world may spin around you, but the mind is steady.

—B.K.S. Iyengar

The rough, dirty hands in this card illustrate that good fortune doesn't usually float down out of the sky like a feather. Contentment and stability aren't just about getting something but knowing how to sustain it when disruptive challenges come. If we don't put in the work, we won't have any skills to rely on later (think of those who inherit a chunk of money only to squander it away). Hexagram 29, The Abysmal, warns of a deluge of problems headed our way. To steer through the storm, we need a firm hold on our mind and our conduct. Letting our emotions take over will only feed panic and confusion; we need to stay grounded in the present and centered on what is important. As Iyengar stated, "When stability becomes a habit, maturity and clarity follow."

Wholeness

From the New Era Elements Tarot, the Universe; from the Tao Oracle, Hexagram 26 (Taming Power):

Perhaps ultimately, spiritual simply means experiencing wholeness and interconnectedness directly, a seeing that individuality and the totality are interwoven, that nothing is separate or extraneous. 

—Jon Kabat-Zinn

To recognize that what we label as good and bad is simply a part of the complete whole is wisdom. To view life from a point of wholeness rather than separation is holy. To act from the understanding of connection is sacred. It's not easy, because all of our opinions and judgments get in the way. Yet as Seng-Ts'an reminds us, "The great Way has no impediments; it does not pick and choose. When you abandon attachment and aversion, you see it plainly." When we are tempted to slice and dice the world into categories, Hexagram 26 (Taming Power) encourages us to apply restraint. Instead, can we remain mindful, holding onto our ethics and integrity, while we face challenges. Ideas that divide may seem to grant security, but they are actually a big part of the problem.

Fulcrum of Friendship

This week I'll be using the New Era Elements Tarot, created by Eleonore Pieper and published by U.S. Games. I'll also be using the Tao Oracle, created by Ma Deva Padma and published by St. Martin's Press. Today's draws are Ace of Water and Grace (Hexagram 22):

We all come to the table with our own life experiences and relationships.

―Alisyn Camerota

Water is a fundamental necessity for all living things. But now scientists are discovering that emotional connections (that water can symbolize) are just as important. Positive relationships are crucial for physical and mental health, leading to greater happiness, a longer life, and better health outcomes. Our well-being rests on the fulcrum of friendships. Yet Hexagram 22 takes this a step further, encouraging us relate to all of our experiences with grace and humility. Rather than seeing only what is wrong with things, we move through our days noticing the good, the beautiful and the awe-inspiring. Depending on whether our hearts stay open or shut down in these daily encounters, we are shaped accordingly. What kind of friend are we shaping up to be?

The Choice and the Duty

 From the Rohrig Tarot, the Seven of Cups; from the Master Tarot (Oracle), the Moralist:

The power to make a choice goes with the duty of accepting the responsibility of the outcome of the choice. ―Michael Eneyo

This Seven of Cups card warns that we need to look carefully at our underlying motives when it comes to emotional fulfillment. What might bring a tidbit of pleasure can pull a caboose that carries a ton of pain. The intoxicating wish to escape reality and live in a fantasy is understandable but a fallacy in our physical world. The Moralist is someone who knows laws and ethics well. Yet his attitude of superiority and pretense of righteousness keep him on a pedestal, judging others while justifying his own flawed actions. Regardless of how we may sculpt our choices to look rational and acceptable, we just can't outrun reality.

Manual Driving

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Hanged Man; from the Master Tarot (Oracle), No Clothes:

Man is largely a creature of habit, and many of his activities are more or less automatic reflexes from the stimuli of his environment. 

―G. Stanley Hall

As we become adults, we begin to develop certain proclivities in the way we think and act. Our styles may tend toward the "que sera sera" laidback type, the "pass the buck" type, or the bulldozer type. Over time, these habits become set like concrete. Unfortunately, life doesn't follow a set pattern, so when we continue to react unconsciously, it occasionally jerks us out of autopilot and demands we do things manually and mindfully. Our usual loses its usefulness. No Clothes suggests we drop our pretentious roles and simply be fully human - prone to making mistakes, but also capable of learning from them. 

Daily Devotion

From the Rohrig Tarot, the Two of Swords; from the Master Tarot (Oracle), Twice Born:

More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.

–Francois Gautier

When we're mired in the muck of a situation, it is nearly impossible to see the issues clearly. Only when we rise above it can we gain perspective, seeing objectively without emotional attachment. It's not about being right - it is clarity that will help us move out of the muck and make appropriate choices. Twice Born shows Lazarus, who was thought to be dead but was brought back to life. It suggests that we must also awaken, leaving behind our fears and our agenda, in order to see reality just as it is. In the words of Ian Brady, “One should try to be honest with oneself almost as a daily devotion.”