Cohesion

From the Brady Tarot, the Three of Horns (Cups); from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 8:

          After a long migrational journey, snow geese gather. When people are under stress for an extended period and then get out from under it, they often want to reach out to others and share their joy. The relief and release felt seem to require others to witness and share in it, to make it real. Compassion builds from this place of sharing, as we realize that while life makes demands of all of us, we are not alone. The 8th hexagram suggests cohesion, a diverse gathering that comes together as a united whole for a common purpose. Cups raised that the States of America will one day find their way back to being united, even while maintaining their diversity.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

 – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Turn of Events

From the Brady Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune; from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 64:

We have to surrender to reality. ~Sharon Salzberg

          Pollack describes the Wheel as a 'turn of events.' Being a part of the web of life means things are constantly changing. We usually react to these turns in three ways: we find them pleasant and grasp them tightly to make things stay this way; we find things unpleasant and attempt to fight or flee; or, we're ignorant of what's going on with a bag over our heads. The 61st hexagram is given the title of 'inner truth' and implies that we should know ourselves well enough (our preferences and prejudices) to be aware of how we feel about certain changes. Without such knowledge, we are chained to our likes and dislikes and have no freedom to act without distorting reality. Discernment might not be able to create the world we want, but it will better equip us to deal with the world we have.

Not Reactive Sideswipes

From the Brady Tarot, the Three of Arrows (Swords); from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 43:

          Western scrub jays mourn one of their own. I too, am in mourning. This election (and current administration) has divided friends, families and the nation. I've removed myself from groups and friends who have gleefully posted online or stated openly things that were untrue, hateful and filled with venom. I don't mind if people have a different religion or political party from what I've chosen. But I do mind when they react aggressively and vindictively in an attempt to assassinate another person's character simply because they don't like that person. Hexagram 43 is titled Breakthrough, a suggestion to find equilibrium without polarizing a situation. I can find new friends and groups without denigrating those I've left behind. I can act, as Timothy Morton put it, with "proactive choices, not reactive sideswipes."

Be the Soil

From the Brady Tarot, the Six of Horns (Cups); from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 1:

          Do you remember the last time you had a belly laugh or played just for the sheer joy of it? It seems happiness has been a struggle for many people lately (for good reason). However, it also might be because we look on happiness as a destination we reach when our train pulls into the station - when the right candidate is elected, when the check comes in the mail, etc. Once it leaves again, we feel empty. But that's actually a misunderstanding; our 'train' is where we'll find joy, not the station. Every moment we can choose to be content or discontent if we take the time to check the labels and stories we're wrapping around it. Hexagram One is often called The Receptive or The Creative, which suggests a creative force that works with what it receives. It is akin to a seed that falls to the ground, and the soil that nourishes it regardless of what type of seed it is. In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, "If you are aware that you are alive, that you have twenty-four hours to create new joy, this would be enough to make yourself happy and the people around you happy." 

Streaming into Daylight

This week I'll be using the Brady Tarot, created and self-published by Emi Brady with a companion booklet by Rachel Pollack. The oracle I'll be drawing from is the I Ching, illustrated by Klaus Holitzka with instructions by Marlies Holitzka; it is published by AGM Urania. Today's draws are Judgment and Hexagram 7:

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. —Terry Pratchett

          A golden eagle holding a viper wakes a colony of brown bats and sends them streaming into the daylight. Judgment is a card of summoning, yet not in the sense of dividing the sheep from the goats, but in awakening us from our personal viewpoints and from the many opinions with which we are constantly bombarded. Once we see the stark nakedness of reality, we are called to act from a new and wiser understanding. Hexagram Seven is given the title 'Collective Force;' while it may refer to a group, in this case it likely involves the many parts of a person working as a coordinated whole. Living from reality instead of an opinion requires the integrity of one's physical, mental and emotional being. It can be tempting to avoid acting if we're afraid we might upset someone. In such a case, it might be best to take the words of Philip K. Dick to heart: "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

Counter with Integrity

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Queen of Wands; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Ophelia:

          Kat Black describes this Queen as confident and passionate, a woman who has the ability to draw others in (like a moth to a flame). Watching the U.S. this past election year, I've seen people lose their common sense and their common decency. It would serve us well to reflect on our strong attraction to certain people and what that magnetic pull says about our character. As Matthew Gindin stated, "There is an essential connection between truthfulness and personal integrity. If one goes, so will the other." Ophelia is depicted right before she drowns (either by a broken willow branch or by her own choice). Scholar Tina Packer argued that this dutiful daughter was trapped in a world of noblemen, and the only way she could escape was to lose her mind (and eventually her life). Yet we all have a choice, even when those around us try to tell us otherwise. 

Complacency is countered by integrity, which is an unswerving love of the truth and a willingness to live it. —Jack Kornfield

Uncalculated Risks

From the Touchstone Tarot, the Fool; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Juliet:

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

          This Fool has paused from playing his flute and appears to be listening. Is he listening to something outside of himself or the music in his own head? Hopefully before he walks off that cliff he's done both. It never hurts to hear from those who have some life lived behind them. Yet the young can lack discernment and prudence, such as Waterhouse's Juliet shows. But did she believe she had no other choice but to take such great a risk? When she refused to marry the man her father chose for her, Lord Capulet threatened to let her become a street urchin, says he will allow her to rot in prison, and states that he and his wife had one too many children. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote, "Every man has the right to risk his own life in order to preserve it. Has it ever been said that a man who throws himself out the window to escape from a fire is guilty of suicide?" People who have their backs shoved to the wall often take uncalculated risks.