3.17.2020 Tarot Musings
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The Wild Unknown Tarot deck [/caption]
Body, Mind, Spirit
The Universe is pulling no punches with me. This is not the Card of the Day. This is my own personal practice pull: three cards--Body, Mind, Spirit. I’m sharing it here because it helps me to. It’s hard to hold things alone sometimes, and I hope my sharing here encourages you to share and reach out.
Body: V of Pentacles. A card of grief, mourning, hardship. It’s also an image of utter naturalness. This is what happens to all living things, roses included. This is the reality before our eyes: impermanence. Old age, sickness and death. And while they may be the most fundamental natural laws of the universe, they cause us so much suffering. Seeing clearly into the empty nature of self and other does not (should not) eliminate our grief. Our grief is a sign of our love for life. The extent to which we can let ourselves feel all of the things--with support and resources--is the extent to which we get to feel fully alive before we die. Life is beautiful and terrible. We lose everything, including everyone we love and our own lives. This has been true for every single human being throughout space and time. Let it all in, but don’t do it alone. CONNECT
Mind: III of Swords. How fast the mind can get twisted and tight with the sound of an incoming text message, a news alert, a phone call. The swords rule the mind, but our mind generates feelings in our body which influence our behavior (notice how the suits/elements interact with each other). The state this card depicts isn’t wrong or a mistake. It’s a facet of human life. When this comes--our anxiety, our trembling, our spinning out--how can we get regulated? How can we feel supported and resourced? Phone a friend. Send me a message; I’ll get back to you. Wherever you’re sitting, feel your back and bottom supported by the chair. That felt support is available in every moment. Take care of your mind. Make a study of things that make you feel settled and grounded (I’ll be sharing this later), safe and at ease. Write them down. Share them. Ask others for their suggestions. Build your own toolkit of practices and strategies for meeting moments that look and feel like this. FEEL, WITH WISDOM
Spirit: Ace of Wands. Pure potential, with no moral component yet. This is the life force energy--creative, spiritual, relational--that is our birthright. We come fully endowed with it and when we tap into it, we feel fully alive and aligned. It’s just potential though--a brilliant spark that must be protected, nurtured, fed, grown, and activated through our intentions, words and behavior. One way to work with this energy is to observe what makes it grow (for me: connection to friends/community, creative practice, liturgy, study, spiritual practice) and what dims it (anxiety, too much screen time, being around people who drain my energy, urgency, rushing, tension). We’re allowed to take care of ourselves and set boundaries to keep this energy bright. We’re allowed—called--to feed it so that it can grow. It’s imperative, actually, because we can’t help ourselves or anyone else if our tank is on E. NURTURE POTENTIAL
