Finding the Light

This week I'll be using the Sun and Moon Tarot, created by Vanessa Decort and published through U.S. Games. Paired with it is the mini Jade Oracle, created by Ramona Teo (illustrator),Veronica Iglesias and Anne Key; it was published through Goddess Ink. Today's draws are the Eight of Cups and Xiuhcoatl:

Anyone who's ever had a garden hose with a hole in it can understand an energy leak. The slit diminishes the water pressure, causing it to just dribble out of the nozzle. In human terms, such a leak creates a weary lethargy that can easily lead to a life of stagnation. In such cases, it is imperative not to think of ourselves as a victim, which could lead to the delusion that we are powerless to act. Our leak often occurs because the choices we want aren't on the table, and we conclude we have none. But this is not true - there are other choices (just not our preferred ones). Xiuhcoatl, the Turquoise Serpent, represents a lightning bolt, something to wake us up and help us crawl out of our box of gloom. We don't have to believe our thoughts, the nasty comments of others, or the media. It's time to move away, toward ideas, actions or people who will help us find the sun again.

Hold your face up to the light, even though for the moment you do not see.

~Bill Wilson

Moody Moon

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Moon; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 9:

Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.

~Mark Twain

The unconscious stores all the memories of our experiences, some of which we've forgotten and others which have been suppressed (voluntary) or repressed (involuntary). Yet sometimes when we're exhausted or stressed, pieces slip out. Alternatively, an opening may be triggered by something we see or hear which unlocks the vault. We then suddenly find ourselves moody and out of sorts, often unaware that the past is affecting our present. Hexagram 9 is the combined trigrams of wind over dragon, suggesting a wind stroking the back of a mighty dragon and lulling him to sleep. It represents a time for patience and restraint, which fits well with the moodiness of the Moon. As Ajahn Chah explains "The mind gets lost, carried away by these moods with no idea what's happening. And as a result, we experience pleasure and pain accordingly, because the mind has not been trained yet." If the animal of the mind isn't fed, it will soon wander off on its own.

Clean Slate

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the World; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 58:

We've all found ourselves at some stage of completion - the graduate, the couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, or the retiree. It is a time to celebrate but also a time to reflect and consider what has been learned before we move on to the next stage. Hexagram 58 is formed by the symbols "lake over lake," which imply depth and clarity. Its keywords range from Joy to Truth, both of which fit someone with a deep understanding and a wide perception. Standing at the World's gateway, it's a good time to drop any beliefs or ideas we've been dragging behind us that lack usefulness and only distract us from what's important. Step out with a clean slate.

I love the big fresh starts, the clean slates like birthdays and new years, but I also really like the idea that we can get up every morning and start over. ~Kristin Armstrong

Smirking or Smiling?

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Nine of Cups; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 42:

The RWS version of the Nine of Cups, with its over-stuffed, arms crossed fellow, always strikes me as smug contentment rather than authentic joy. With his cups above him like trophies, he seems to be bragging about how much happiness he's accumulated. But I tend to agree with Nietzsche: "The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness." This guy seems to be trying to fill up a hole in his soul rather than fully appreciating his experiences. It's like someone going on an international tour with their focus centered on taking selfies and photos to put on Facebook. There's no need to prove how happy you are; genuine people tend to glow with it. The Hexagram 42 - 'reduction' - gives the example of the mountain shedding its snow and replenishing the lakes below it. Likewise, personal emotional fulfillment often comes when we selflessly give to others, sharing our blessings rather than hoarding or advertising them.

Searching for Refuge

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, Judgment; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 56:

These two cards, Judgment and the Wanderer (Hexagram 56), illuminate the dilemma of humans. We find ourselves in an unstable world, and we want something that will give us security. We jump in the first box we see that promises us certainty and control, only to find that it does neither. We hear the trumpet to awaken (realizing our error), climb out of our boxes, then go in search of another box that will give us the 'right' solution. It seems an endless, cyclic activity. What we search for is not found in any philosophical concept or organized religion, but within our own heart and mind, in learning to come to terms with the uncertainty of life.

A spiritual practice can be an island, a place where opening to uncertainty and doubt can lead us to a refuge of truth. —Joan Halifax

Flying Low

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 62:

Like a bird, do not fly too high or attempt too much because this will lead to disaster. ~Diana F. Hook

Though battered from his encounters with life, this guy is still standing with an expression that says "Bring it." He knows that getting knocked down is not an issue as long as you're willing to get back up and learn from your experience. Yet Hexagram 62 - Safety in Smallness - suggests a bit of humility is essential. It is good to be confident, which can give us the courage to act. But when we are overconfident, we lose our alertness and willingness to learn, falling easily into complacency.   

Pandemic of Paranoia

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Ten of Swords; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 34:

Our mind creates our world. An angry mind sees an angry world. A fearful mind sees a threatening world. But when mind is stable, we see a world as that world is. We see a world that is open, fluid, workable, movable. ~Tim Olmstead

I woke up in the middle of the night with the realization that our world has been infected by something more horrific than the coronavirus. We are in the middle of a pandemic of paranoia, an undercurrent of belief that others are 'out there' waiting to destroy what we love. It seeps out of us in the form of anger and aggression or depression and hopelessness; it separates families, neighbors, and nations. The only cure for this disease is discernment - realizing that much of what we think is true is actually misinformation created by our emotional and opinionated mindsets. While I can't change another person's mind, I can certainly take a closer look at what thoughts I'm allowing free rent in my own head. The 34th hexagram's key phrase is 'great power,' and I can't think of a power more influential than that of the mind. As neuroscientist Rick Hanson explains: "What you think and feel, enjoy and suffer, is changing your brain." Yet, he offers some good news: "Neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that each one of us has the power to use the mind to change the brain to change the mind for the better. To benefit oneself and other beings."