Six of Pentacles - The Sparrows Don't Worry They Sing

This is the perfect card for me to have drawn today, as it reminds me to be grateful for all that I have, and to focus on the blessings and mercies that have been so freely given to me. The more of a gratitude list I have, the more harmony and happiness I can draw into my heart, and into my life, even when things get rough. It is especially during these lean times, I am reminded to have courage, faith and trust  to know that if the little sparrows don't worry about what they are going to wear or eat, and they are loved and cared for, surely I can do the same, as the sparrows don't worry, they sing, and I'd much rather sing than worry.

Sparrows Don't Worry They Sing

The Hanged Man - The Dark Night of The Soul

The Hanged Man always brings me back to the fist time I had a reading. My friend who was a very good reader, had used the Celtic Cross spread for my reading. I don't remember the placement of The Hanged Man, but I sure do remember my reaction to seeing this card. I was in a precarious relationship that would change my life, and was not going to end well, though I couldn't see it then. I had been and was going to continue to experience this kind of "dark night of the soul", that this card represents.

At this time, I knew nothing about Tarot, or the cards and their meanings. I couldn't begin to imagine what this one meant, but I was pretty convinced it couldn't be good, seeing this poor shackled soul, hanging from a rocky cliff, upside down, having next to no clothes on, with an Eagle seemingly in attack mode.

 The Greek myth is pretty gruesome about Prometheus. He defied the law of Zeus by stealing the fire of the gods to give to man. Prometheus means "foresight", and this Titan had the gift of prophecy. He had a profound sympathy and compassion for the plight of humankind.

The Hanged Man is a deeply relevant card for me. It is very much representative of what St John of the Cross talks about in his poem , The Dark Night of The Soul, and going into the unconsciousness of the psyche, experiencing great suffering and then coming out the other side transformed. Out of the darkness of the night, comes the light.

This poem illuminates the deepest kind of self-sacrificing love between the Lover and the Beloved, between humankind and God. I love this poem and Loreena McKennitt's interpretation is so touching and beautiful.

Loreena McKennitt - The dark night of the soul

Upon a darkened night
the flame of love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet rest
Shrouded by the night
and by the secret stair I quickly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
while all within lay quiet as the dead

Chorus
Oh night thou was my guide
oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
to the beloved one
transforming each of them into the other

Upon that misty night
in secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
than that which burned so deeply in my heart

That fire t'was led me on
and shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
it was a place where no one else could come

Chorus

Within my pounding heart
which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
beneath the cedars all my love I gave
And by the fortress walls
the wind would brush his hair against his brow
And with its smoothest hand
caressed my every sense it would allow

Chorus

I lost myself to him
and laid my face upon my lovers breast
And care and grief grew dim
as in the mornings mist became the light
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair

Seven of Swords - The Road Less Traveled

This dude carrying his seven swords, walks his own path, which has been a rough and rocky road. The road hasn't always been this way, living by his wits and paying a price for the choices made. This individual has benefited from many choices, he is street wise, and has applied his mental energy in a rather amoral way, and no doubt for a variety of reasons, that many are unaware of and don't fully understand. He may not even understand himself.

Like the Seven of Swords there are things we do that may cause us to feel our character is has been compromised. On the surface this cards encourages us to be tactful, diplomatic, and intelligent in our communications with others which will enable us to better cope with life, to survive and to thrive.

We may not agree with another individual's life style or the decisions they make. It is often easier to sit on the sidelines in judgement of another. Until we walk their path, and look beneath the surface, only then can we really understand. It is important to be more than just tolerant, but hopefully having more compassion toward another who we may not like, respect or love will help us understand them, ourselves, and to have gratitude.

Queen of Pentacles - The Happiness of Pursuit

This generous and gracious Queen of Pentacles is a great lover of the finer things in life and loves nothing more than  to share them. Not necessarily monetary possessions but the love and attachment to her environment and to the natural world around her.. This is kind of appreciation is the foundation of what is what is essential to her own personal happiness, much more so than physical things. It enables her deep spiritual connection that transcends, and transforms her into a better person of depth and character that is defined by who she is, not by what she possesses, or her status is society.

When I see the Queen of Pentacles today, I immediately think about how we can all get caught up in material possessions and acquiring things that we think will make us happy. We worry about how we are going to manage to either get ahead financially, while going deeper and deeper into debt, living in a culture where many of us live credit rich, and cash poor.

I think the Queen of Pentacles urges us to involve ourselves more in the happiness that comes from the happiness of the pursuit, instead of the pursuit of happiness.

" It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit. "
                                       - Denis Waitley

The Emperor - Is The World Unraveling?

The Emperor is the counter part to the Empress, though concerned with the inner world as opposed to the outer world. The Empress is the All-Mother, the Emperor is symbolic of the All-Father, creator of all the gods, a spiritual figure who concerns himself with high ideals, ethics and spiritual values.  He does have his dark side. Tyrannical authority can rear it's ugly head, where there is an abuse of power.

When I reflect on the very positive characteristics of the Emperor, he is a kind of the ideal of what men should be in this world. Unfortunately this is seldom the case, but there are some men that I can think of who set the bar high, and are men of integrity, great kindness, with a deep faith and belief in what is true and good. They stand for right, are defined by the courage of their deep spiritual convictions, to love their fellow human beings, and they set an example for others.

The world as we know it, can really seem like it is unraveling. I sure felt this way over the past few days watching the news, and it has not been the first time, nor the last time I am sure, I will feel the same way in the future.

 I could easily ask myself, where is God in all of this? What kind of a God allows for such tragic events to happen, and why is there such inhumanity toward humanity, and all living things?

It is difficult to make sense of it all, or to find some kind of resolution. My own personal experience is that sometimes the only resolution there is, is to accept that there is no resolution. I know this may sound hopeless and rather dissolute, and I might agree in some instances. It isn't the way I choose to think, in spite of what is going on around me in the world, because there is hope and that means a lot. Having hope is where acceptance enters our lives in knowing what we can and cannot change, and having the wisdom to know the difference, that is stated in the Serenity Prayer.

I am certainly not a Pollyanna, although I do love her. Rather pessimism, desolation and discouragement it is simply not a luxury I can afford, being a person in recovery from a disease of the emotions, alcoholism.

Today I recognize the things that upset me, and so I try hard to live by the law of spiritual progress, not perfection. I don't allow myself to be discouraged. I expect better things ahead, and try to be a part of the cure toward the world's ills, rather than be part of contributing to this malaise, and to be a force for good, much like a good mother and good father should be.

The Emperor - Egg Tempera on Porcelain Tile 12"x12" 2015, Catherine Meyers

Two of Swords - The Supernatural Mind

I haven't a supernatural mind, although in the past I've deluded myself into thinking I could be a superwoman. But that sure didn't work out right.

I thought Supernatural Mind would be a good title for my post after drawing the Two of Swords. This card was not menacing or threatening like some in the suit of Swords I have drawn over the past two days.

Here we see Orestes in between his mother, Queen Clytemnestra (now there's a handle) and his father, King Agamemnon, another wild one.This pair are more than troublesome on so many levels. Both are murderers and have their own selfish agenda reflecting their destructive, grandiose egos. Orestes does not want to listen, or engage with either of them, though he does need to make a decision to act which is indicated in the Two of Swords, in order to find some kind of peace and serenity within this horrendous storm. This may mean walking away, finding a healthy balance between his mind and his heart, or between reason and faith.

These two symbolic Greek figures cause me to reflect on the balance between the mind (reason) and the supernatural (faith). Agamemnon's downfall was to put his ego and pride before anything, which eventually resulted in his death at the hands of Artemis, the best Huntress and by his own vengeful wife, Clytemnestra, who wants revenge on her husband for sacrificing their daughter.

Reason and faith may seem diametrically opposed, but they are not. They work best in conjunction with one another, and balanced. I cannot solely rely on my own reason,or  mind to provide all the answers to my questions. I also need to hold my ego in check and remember to practice humility.

I've learned that I cannot blindly follow any doctrine without question, but at some point I needed and continue to need faith and trust in a power greater than myself, were reason can no longer provide explanation. I need to trust and have confidence in myself as well.

The path of least resistance is not always the best way to make a decision in order to avoid the fall out, or to keep the status quo, as there are going to be repercussions regardless. It is better to fish or cut bait.

Ten of Swords - " For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Drawing the Ten of Swords today, after drawing the Nine of Swords yesterday, made perfect sense to me as we see Orestes beaten down and overcome by the torment of the Furies. Athene the goddess of Justice has come to put a stop to this ancient curse with clarity and vision.

I was also having my own continuing battle with the Furies again, but I took time for impartial reflection, and saw the end of a difficult situation, which this card represents.

Finally with some patience, my hacked pay pal and bank account issues are straightened out, and over. I really didn't want to have to make the calls, listening to muszac and being put on hold for long lengths of time, but if I knew didn't, I'd end up in another kind of mess.

When human beings have their feet to the fire, then and only then it seems, do we get the motivation to take action. Sadly this sometimes can feel too little to late. It's why those wise adages, proverbs and sayings exist, like, "Why put off tomorrow what you can do today?'

If you choose to maintain hope, fight a good fight, and come out the other side, you feel triumphant and proud that you've see things through to their conclusion. Many of us are good at beginnings and endings, but are unable to follow through with the middle bits, and we give up.

 If we didn't have struggles we couldn't feel the triumph that comes from overcoming. If we didn't have the darkness, we'd never be able to experience the warmth and light of the sun. Darkness is good, as is light.

What makes you weak should make you strong, when you can follow through and overcome.
Like Orestes, I think I need a nap!