Every day, a new horror. Having had a father who regularly put his own welfare before the needs of family, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by what we are seeing. But when the inhumanity is this shocking and on such a large scale, one feels, oneself, so flattened. So incapable of normalcy. And it is even more shocking to remember that it is not only one person pushing the buttons and pulling the triggers; there are many thousands. Whether they share an indiscriminate bloodlust, or are operating out of fear, we may never know.
Yesterday, I drew three cards, not two, to meditate on. I don't know why, I just felt led to. And I'm still processing them.
The first, from my "Wildwood" deck, is Major Arcana #15, "The Guardian" (in traditional Tarot decks, "The Devil"). In this deck, the illustration is the skeleton of a bear, guarding a dark cave. The emphasis isn't on "evil", but rather the facing of our own fears and our inner darkness (and that of society). Facing hard truths. Moving beyond fear.
The second card, from the "Mystical Shaman Oracle" deck (#52 "Standstill"), shows a figure meditating in lotus position under an arched doorway. Behind him or her, a sunrise or sunset. It is about turning within, and stopping serious action to simply be in the moment. Sort of, allowing the world to whirl around you until you are ready to jump back into it.
The third card is also from "Wildwood": Ten of Vessels (Cups), "Happiness". The possibility of "true and lasting" happiness, arriving at a place of love and safety and joy.
It's interesting. I see this reading as relevant on two levels. The first is as a suggested way of literally getting through the day in traumatizing times. Aligning as best we can with our own sense of the divine, we look with clear eyes at this conflict, facing our own fears of where it will lead, and what it may mean about ourselves -- both our darkest dark and lightest light. Every day, there is at least the possibility that this war may have a "better" outcome than we can imagine...or a "worse" one. If we can summon up the courage, and spend some moments early in the day in stillness or meditation, we may have the strength to do something later in the day that promotes happiness, joy, fulfillment, and love. We don't have to save the entire world. We might simply contact a sick friend, or water thirsty plants, or open the door to the springlike 38 degree air! Simply "doing no harm" takes a lot of energy in this moment, yet it helps the world immeasurably.
But I also see this as a roadmap, of sorts, for the next few decades. As earth's spiritual and physical energies rise, people not operating on the higher frequency may "wig out". Old paradigms and institutions may simply run out of steam, and the changes may be so substantial that later this century, life as we lived it now will be unrecognizable. If we can literally keep hold of our own inner calm center, and know that we are entering a more love-focused future, these changes will be bearable. Remember, there is ultimately no such thing as "death". All of us chose to be here at this transitional moment, to play an important role, then exit the stage. More than ever, how long we live (on this earth plane, in this lifetime) is less important than how lovingly we live.
