

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Joy, Energy, Insight

From the Ferret Tarot, the Sun; from Nature's Wisdom Oracle, 'Mushroom:'
          This ferret brought to mind the saying "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," meaning alert and full of energy and enthusiasm. Yet the Sun also brings clarity. I was watching Avatar the other night, and one of the sayings the Na'vi people used was "I see you." This expression didn't mean a physical seeing but a spiritual one. It conveyed that the person's heart and mind were open, and he or she were seeing the other as if for the first time. Everything looks very different from this perspective. Yet Mushroom pops up with a warning. Many mushrooms can't be judged as safe or poisonous simply by their appearance. Some require a microscopic examination of their spores. Such discernment applies to those having their moment in the Sun. Keep the joy and energy, but add the caution of perceptive insight. No need to leap off any cliffs if you don't have to.

~Marshall McLuhan

Monday, July 22, 2019

Hop to It

From the Ferret Tarot, the Seven of Pentacles; from the Nature's Wisdom Oracle, 'Frog:'

          Having found a cache of socks stuffed under the sofa, the ferrets are in high cotton. Socks are a hot commodity for them because they can be sniffed, cuddled, played with or tunneled in. Moertl's phrase for this card is, "You do the work, you reap the benefits." It amazes me how often we humans can't grasp this concept. We keep expecting to win the lottery, marry Superman or at least have someone tell us to take the month off and do whatever we want. My life changes when I start doing something different - the work that will bring the benefits. Frog suggests motion as well, underscoring the idea that passivity won't bring the outcome I desire. Dreaming and planning are not the same as doing; now is the time to take action.

 ―Arnold Glasow

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Enduring Alliance

This week I'll be using the Ferret Tarot, created and self-published by Elaine Moertl. Along with it, I'll be drawing from Nature's Wisdom Oracle, created by Mindy Lighthipe and published by Schiffer Books. The cards for today are the Two of Cups and 'Sea Turtle:'
          Nose to nose and paw to paw, these two ferrets are a partnership in the making. A partnership implies that two folks join together for a common purpose or interest. But the Sea Turtle, known for its long life and lengthy migrations, suggests that endurance requires more than just being fond of one another. Unmet expectations added to a lack of open and honest communication can cause an abrupt end. An alliance doesn't mean one person takes on the role of savior while the other becomes the saved; both must shoulder responsibilities based on each person's ability and knowledge (not just their wants). These duties will naturally shift over time as age becomes a factor or as unexpected circumstances arise. A willingness to compromise on the part of each partner can bolster the original heartfelt connection.

— Thomas Merton

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Leveling Factor

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Three of Swords; from the Soul Cards, 'Enlightenment:'
          This young lass seems surprised that she has been stabbed in the back. That emotion will likely give way to a mix of grief and anger. Feeling betrayed comes in a range of flavors, from someone taking advantage of us to the suicide of a person we loved. Yet the Swords suit is not about emotions but about our thoughts and how we express them. In this case, we first replay and analyze our memories of the past; we look for what we missed and could have done differently. When anger and grief come, we think of what has been wrested away from us - the trust and the hopes we held dear. Enlightenment, in Buddhism, means to wake up from the delusions caused by our misperceptions. As Charlotte Joko Beck explained, "Enlightenment is not something you achieve. It is the absence of something." Reality looks very different when we take away our preferences and prejudices. It places our feet firmly on the ground so that we can do what needs to be done. It reminds us that we are one of many who've had this same kind of experience. No one gets to bypass the sorrows of the world in favor of the joys. It is one of life's leveling factors.

Thursday, July 18, 2019


From the Sasuraibito Tarot, Justice; from the Soul Cards, 'Falling Leaves:'

The law of karma is that we sow the seeds and we reap the fruit. So when you find yourself in a dark place, you can think, "Maybe it's time to get a little golden spade and dig myself out of this place." ~Pema Chodron

          There is no doubt the sword of Justice has the attention of the person whose eye it hovers over. We humans can become so ingrained in our habits, we become numb to the unintended effects they often have. But this sword cuts through the illusion of excuses and blame. It's up to us how we use this life; we create our future with every thought, word, and action. And the consequences for what we do and say will fall in our laps only. The Falling Leaves card suggests a posture of relaxed acceptance. If we want to make sincere amends, we must not resort to explaining away our behavior, neither do we stop the other from the sometimes brutal expression of how our actions affected them. Yet we can walk away with a clearer understanding of how the choices we make can heal and nurture our relationships or destroy them.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019


From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Magician; from the Soul Cards, 'Bare Bones:'
 Abandoning any hope of fruition does not mean abandoning our projects and ambitions. Instead, it points to a way of going about things that is present-focused rather than fixated on results.
—Judy Lief
          This Magician literally has a lot of balls (and hands) in the air. Whatever he is trying to manifest, he's keeping his head down and staying focused on all the pieces in play. If he were to pause and stare off into space, those pieces would become scattered. The time for dreaming is past and the time for taking action is now. 'Bare Bones' suggests removing all that is extraneous to a situation, all the extras that don't really have anything to do with the task at hand. Adding emotional drama or information that is not pertinent does not create progress. If a problem arises, creative thinking for possible solutions will bring a quicker resolution than simply whining about the issue. "Focus on what's in front of you," the Magician would advise us.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Can We?

From the Sasuraibito Tarot, the Lovers; from the Soul Cards, 'Light and Darkness:'
          Can we embrace all of ourselves - the flaws and the talents, the assets and the liabilities? Can we see ourselves as an imperfectly whole human, one whose goal is to be decent rather than reach some ideal? We cannot change anything that we don't first acknowledge and accept; simply trying to stomp it out only strengthens it. Can we, as illustrated by the Light and Darkness card, befriend all our parts? Those parts stir our compassion when we realize that our imperfect pieces of humanness connect us to each other. Healing our fractured mind and heart is the first step in healing our fractured world.

Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by integration of the contraries. – Carl Jung