Getting Lucky

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Queen of Swords

I choose to see this sun as just rising and our queen is looking to her right, or the future.

I'm reminded by this card it is a new day, a new opportunity to get lucky on the sewing machine I want on Ebay, or even better, have one show up on Craigslist locally.

"Somebody was telling me about the French Army rifle that was being advertised on eBay the other day. The description was. "Never shot. Dropped once." ~ Roy Blunt 1950-






Yipee! Singer model 404, gorgeous straight stitch machine. Born 1960. This model was in most home economics class rooms across the whole country. Mine will go traveling with us in retirement. It only weighs 18 pounds. Paint me tickled pink and our Queen smiling. Craigslist, no shipping!

Nuances

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Chariot

Can you see the little boy astride the horse? This looks like the same family shown on the 10 of Coins. A far better pick might have been his Horses of Neptune but perhaps that kind of trump might not have blended well the the general sweetness and light of the deck.

I'm reminded by this card, victory, like everything else, has many nuances.

"Sometimes the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself." ~ Brandon Sanderson 1975-  The Way of Kings

Hero Qualifications

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Strength

Walter Crane became increasing Socialist in his views as the industrial revolution made rich men richer on the backs of the unrepresented poor, the dragon being the likely candidate to depict the robber barons.

I'm reminded by this card, it is easy to have a victim or bully boy when they aren't available to speak for themselves. The same thing seems to apply to heroes. Heroes seldom grow feet of clay posthumously . I expect in these times of tell all, show all, it will soon be hard to name a hero. Did we ever need them at all?

"I do not care what comes after; I have see the dragons on the wind of the morning." ~ Ursula K. Le Guin 1929-   The Farthest Shore

Never

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Ace of Swords

Boy, she's got some action going on here. Unfortunately, she appears to be in reverse.

I'm reminded by this card, we can never go back.

The Unlived Life

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Hanged Man

This card offers the concept of a 180 degree change of viewpoint. An opportunity to see a  situation as someone else does.

I'm reminded by this card while it opens life to new directions, it is likely that self-change will be disruptive to someone else. So here come the naysayers. Can't do it. Won't work. Why bother. Are you crazy. What will your parents say. What will your spouse say. Your friends won't like it. yadayadayada.
Try it...it isn't like you are cutting off an arm to see if it hurts. Why let fear of change run your life? Or hang there suspended...existing in the unlived life.

"New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common." ~ John Locke 1632-1704

Weigh and Measure

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ 4 of Coins

In a ruthless mood, I listed some items on Craigslist yesterday. At fire sale prices. All our bee equipment for instance. Rob was aghast at the price but when he opened the garage and saw all that empty space swept and clean he suddenly saw my point.

I'm reminded by this card, what doesn't serve our needs weighs us down both mentally and physically. Loosen that hag-like grip and just let go.

"Always look to the good stuff in your life, otherwise you're wasting what time you've been given here, sulking about the crap that in the end won't be anything to you." ~ unknown

Illusion

Daily Draw: Harmonious Tarot ~ Wheel

Lady constructs wreath while Cupid looks on.
Seems idyllic. But is it season related, advent, funeral, crown...and we are back to the Wheel.

I'm reminded by this card of the adage to be kind to everyone you meet, you can't know what burden they are carrying, where they are resting on the Wheel.

"An idyllic childhood is probably illusion." ~ Martha Grimes 1931-  The Lamorna Wink

Harmonious Tarot, Lo Scarabeo 2005, based on the art of Walter Crane.

Run Worm Run

Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggs-Pression

Magician: Gift: Focused Mind
                  Challenge: Right Use Of Power
All minds are magic to me. Even a worm has sense to run. And what makes my mind naturally smarter than someone else's, and my mind so much less than so  many others? Why do some minds turn left and others right?

MoonSnail: Pace  Evolve  Winding
I think the Oracle of Eggs-Pression has stumped me today, but speaking of evolving did you read about the newest biggest dinosaur find, in Argentina? Seven stories tall, 130 feet long. That would put my magic brain in run mode, right beside my worm friends. We'd have a level playing field wouldn't we?

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever." "And he has a brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that's why he never understands anything."
A.A. Milne 1882-1956 Winnie the Pooh

Timey Timelessness

Daily Draw:
Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggs-Pression

Judgment: Gift: Rebirth
                  Challenge: Hesitation
Do I believe in rebirth? I've seen it, often the result of ennui or a brush with death, followed by epiphany, followed by a new way of life.   Massive weight loss, maintained, is a good example. Sudden conversion of faith is another. Ex-smokers are often reborn, it is almost the only way to get off nicotine.
The Hesitation? Change is hard, often uncomfortable. We love our nests of routine we humans do.

Ouroboros:  Self-sufficient  Perpetuate  Timeless
What seems old-timey to you? I think of 1890-1910. Shirts with paper collars, slim dresses to the ground, everyone in hats, horse and early car in uncomfortable tandem. Industrial revolution about to change everything. I expect for someone in their 20's today, a movie from the 1960's inspires the same 'wow, old fashioned!' feeling. A time to be unearthed, inspected, judged..and so the circle goes.

"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition." ~ Rod Sterling 1924-1976

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Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggs-Pression

Hermit: Gift: Solitude
             Challenge: Isolation
              I couldn't sum it up any better.

Rosebud: Beauty  Love  Thorns
I took my mother out for pie yesterday.
The Columbia Inn's roses have perfect buds perfect blossoms.
Mom couldn't chew the apples.

"Some people grumble roses have thorns;
I am grateful thorns have roses." ~ Alphonse Karr 1808-1890

Two Beetles With A Side of Ants

Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggs-pression

Hanged Man: Gift: New Perspective
                       Challenge: Patience

I wonder how long it took ancient man to move from herbivore to omnivore, or if the ability and desire were instinctual. Did you know two pounds of insects has more protein than two pounds of steak? Something to keep in mind when the world goes dark, while hiding from neighbors who still prefer meat.

Hobo Bindle: Simplicity Survive  Unattached

How much of my belongings would have to go out on the lawn before I reached the point of true simplicity with just enough on which to survive?
How much of my ability to survive would be dependant on not being alone?
How long would I make the effort to survive, without books?

The most abundant life-form on earth, insects are easily caught. Insects provide 65 to 80 percent protein compared to 20 percent for beef. This fact makes insects an important, if not overly appetizing, food source. Insects to avoid include all adults that sting or bite, hairy or brightly colored insects, and caterpillars and insects that have a pungent odor. Also avoid spiders and common disease carriers such as ticks, flies, and mosquitoes.  Wilderness Survival.net
                       

I'm The Key

Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggs-Pression

Temperance: Gift: Harmony
                       Challenge: Proper Response

Speaking of bossy, I learned it at my mother's knee. With the fracturing of her personality the bossy now has no buffering at all. Which brings us to Proper Response for seeking harmony. I have three.
Explain this isn't a facility, this is my home, there isn't an enormous staff. Works for as long as I'm talking then the knowledge is gone and the shouting for service begins again.
Give her the bent eye and leave the room. Stay away till no longer furious. Works for me, pointless for her.
Have a shouting match. Leaves me spent and remorseful, she has enjoyed a good shout, we've forgot what she wanted in the first place. These are my daily three doors...well, there is also just do it. Wot?

Key:  Safety  Lock/unlock  Responsible

For now I'm the Key.

 "No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys." ~ Douglas Horton 1891-1968

Violence Is Everywhere

Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot and Oracle of Eggspression

Hierophant:  Gift: Shared Wisdom
                     Challenge: Inflexibility

I might call it shared wisdom, but the advice I frequently share actually comes out as bossy. I know it, and like my hair trigger temper, I try to keep my foot to its neck as much as possible.
As to Inflexibility, to my credit I'm an info-junkie, soaking up new things which in turn, I'm probably sadly, bossy about...

Lightning: Inspiration  Excite  Disturbing

I seek inspiration across the spectrum, with the exception of violence.
Because my friend Eluned observes Lent, one year I decided to do the same, and give up violence.
Just try it, for an enormous eyeopener. And for me, a life-changer. Violence is everywhere...

"I get it," said the prisoner. "Good Cop, Bad Cop, eh?"
"If you like." said Vimes.
"But we're a bit short staffed here, so if would you mind kicking yourself in the teeth?" ~ Terry Pratchett 1948-   Night Watch

Safety As A Form Of Love

Daily Draw: Henny's Tarot/Oracle of Eggs-Pression
Empress and Wheel

Empress: Gift: Love of Life
                Challenge: Emotional Fluctuations

I'll be frank. I've spent the last 30 years avoiding my mother. A yearly visit of 2-4 hours was all I could take. I snail-mailed often for whatever that is worth. I was the black sheep, now I'm the only sheep. Consequently, emotional fluctuations are the order of the day here. But I do recognize the mother love I had as a child, and my responsibility to give the safety to my mother that she and dad gifted to me.

Wheel:     Hub, Connect, Movable

Yes, I ran from my mother. But because we had a mail relationship I could see her mind deteriorating long before my siblings would listen to me. There isn't much an early warning can do in the case of dementia. They don't see or believe there is a problem. Now mother remembers nothing of this place until she sees it. "Oh. Yes, I used this bathroom once before." "Oh, yes, we used this ramp once before, didn't we?".  So for mom, her mind is a simple wheel, taking in what is right before her, the rest of the spokes blank, except for her childhood. All I can give is safety.

I Can Wait

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ 8 of Coins

Those ancient windows.
And Hexagram 62, in times of great storms the wise bird returns to her nest and waits.

In Haindl-speak this card suggests pondering what we know and using what we have. Stop struggling for ten minutes and just appreciate where you are and what you've achieved. I can live with that.

"I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes." ~ Steven Wright 1955

Useless Death

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ 7 of Swords

This is a section of a much larger painting of the death (murder) of a unicorn. 5 of Swords show the unicorn, the 7 shows the observers, in Haindl's mind the useless old men who gleefully throw the world into turmoil with their ongoing manipulation.

I'm reminded by this card, they've always known what they've done, but they've never been able to see the whole picture or care about the consequences, only that throwing the public a bone quiets the masses.

"Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches as to conceive how others can be in want." ~ Jonathan Swift 1677-1745

The Word

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ 10 of Coins

Success. Yesterday afternoon I got the word yes. My arms are still shaky and my tummy is still lurched.

I'm reminded by this card this has been a seven month project while I tackled the rock of impossibility from every direction.

I-Ching 46, combined earth and wind
Activity grounded in truth
Brings progress and good fortune.

Realization

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ Son/Page of Cups

Parsival's astonishment at beholding the grail cup is exceeded only by his sudden recognition of the duty and responsibility it brings.

My first babysitting job
My first day of paid as an adult employment
My first car wreck
The first time I realized how fragile a marriage is
My first house
My first dog

"It's a question of discipline," the little prince told me later on. "When you've finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1900-1944  The Little Prince

Too Busy Doing Nada

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ Hermit

What a glorious Hermit image. Yes he has gone to his mountain top to be alone, away from the temporal world but he isn't hunkered over the cold candle of what he already knows and avoids, our Hermit here has his arms spread wide to welcome knowledge and experience in any form.

I want to be like this Hermit. My mind often seems at a loss to recognize new ideas; and the closed loop my days circle shouldn't be the excuse.
My besty friends are waiting me on Facebook by my suggestion, good-bye clunky yahoogroups...they are all there now.
I'm sitting here like that last moment when the dentist says open wide and the mouth doesn't obey. I hurry by the computer, as if I'm too busy, sorry, later...

"The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anyone who has one." ~ Brooks Atkinson 1894-1984

Vanity Constructions

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ Tower

Haindl had a narrowish focus for his tower, regarding technology used by man to create bigger and bigger with no regard for reason. I see a little American flag taking a flying leap there on the mid-left.

I'm reminded by this card the first deck printing was 1988. I don't doubt the US was a major contributor to that kind of thinking at the time. These days not so much, America is broke and other nations have picked up the banner for bigger newer shinier. Good, better them than us. Where money flows freely there will always be vanity constructions of questionable reason and limited use. Tower events for me these days consist of leaky plumbing and hard to start lawnmowers. Life is good.

"We expect too much of new buildings, and too little of ourselves." ~ Jane Jacobs 1916-2006  Death and Life of Great American Cities

Middle Road?

Daily Draw: Haindl Tarot ~ Temperance/Alchemy

Enthusiasm and Dejection.
Hate and Love.
Fear and Oblivious.
Manic and Rage.

I'm reminded by this card we can't know the one without having known the other, and how difficult the balancing act often is. I wonder if there ever is a middle road outside death?

"The say possessions own you. Not so. Loved ones own you. You are forever held hostage once you care so much." ~ Harlan Coben 1964-  Hold Tight

The Haindl Tarot, published by US Games Systems 1990, art by Hermann Haindl. The suits are labeled Wands, Cups, Swords, Stones. Wands represents Indian Hindu, Cups Celtic, Swords Egypt, Stones Native American. The minors include I-Ching, the majors include runes, Arabic numbers, zodiac sign, and Hebrew letters; the Haindl is one of my top ten favorite decks.

Persisting

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom Tarot ~ Knight of Coins/Diamonds

No matter how hard or how  long...I'm not sure that pure persistence should be an admirable goal.

I'm reminded by this card we start a lot of things that seem like excellent ideas at the time. Sometimes they aren't. And sometimes attitudes or circumstances change and there is a better idea. Open minded persistence might be a better goal.

"My strength lies solely in my tenacity." ~ Louis Pasteur 1822-1895

Self Trap

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom ~ 8 of Swords/Spades

We aren't trapped in the prison of swords we usually see in this 8, it's a buffer we've built for ourself, and as this card shows, we have the power to leave the self-trap at any time.

I'm reminded by this card to be aware of this behavior pattern. It is easy to wake up and be oh so surprised, oh dear, what is this all about, I'm only an innocent observer.  Hardly...complacency leads to all kinds of sticky wickets of our own devising.

"...because wherever I sat, on the deck of a ship or at a street cafe in Paris or Bangkok, I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air." ~ Sylvia Plath 1931-1963  The Bell Jar

Answers Lie Within

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom Tarot ~ Hermit

Today's advice hits home. It has only been as I work on myself that I recognized I was broken and why I was drawn to others who mirrored me. I couldn't see it then, only that I apparently felt I could fix others.

I'm reminded by this card it never worked of course. Eventually I was pulled down rather than me lifting them up. No one can fix what we can't or won't identify. May those people have also discovered their truth, within.

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey no one can spare us." ~ Marcel Proust 1871-1922

Too Much Information

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom ~ 7 of Wands

My weight has edged up some, again, as I've been sitting around with mother. It happened in 2010 when I was doing home hospice for Rob's dad too.Then I joined SparkPeople and used their tools and support groups to get back in the groove. Now I'm using MyFitnessPal, using their software to track calories.

I'm reminded by this card, FitnessPal and SparkPeople are at base the same, but the behavioral difference in five years in the communitys is beyond different. Is it because so many are sharing so much on facebook? Is there now nothing people will not show and share? I'm struggling on, but not with the community; too much information... what I was looking for perhaps no longer exists.

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." ~ Frederick Douglass ?-1885

More Lessons Grasshopper

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom Tarot ~ Empress

While yes, I'm nurturing my mother, no, I'm not making some of the mistakes I made while I spent three years caring for Rob's dad.

I'm reminded by this card of what was left of myself after Gene died. No wonder I was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter. Like many of life's lessons, grasshopper, I have learned.

"Once this storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure if the storm is really over. But when you come out of it you won't be the same person who walked in." ~ Haruki Murakami 1949-

Exposure

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom ~ 4 of Cups/Hearts

I have a handmade flute and drum.
I haven't a single shred of musical talent.
Exposure seeded the need
Which in the end was simply want.
I need to look closer in the mirror of my heart.

"Let your home be your mast and not your anchor."
Gibran Khalil Gibran 1883-1931

Apprehensive About Apprehension

Daily Draw: Guardians of Wisdom ~ 5 of Coins/Diamonds

In aid of keeping my thought patterns positive bound, if I feel apprehension about something seeping in I can stop it by bringing it forward and facing it. The boogeymen we see are so much less scary than the ones in our mental closet.

I'm reminded by this card it wasn't  easy because you actually need to think about the thing your worried about. You can't let that drivers test, or surgery, or dangerous trip just float in the back of your mind coloring everything grey. Bring it forward. Face it. Then knock it out of the ballpark.

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt." ~ Jane Addams 1860-1935

Guardians of Wisdom, subtitled Universal Power Cards is the deck this week. Art by Emy Ledbetter, words by Todd Hershey, no companion book with this set but it comes with seven extra cards, four with the story behind the deck and three with spreads suggested for use with the deck. The entire deck is designed to use both upright and reversed card positions. Printed by Carta Mundi, 2000. The suits are as follow:
Swords as spades, under the Ancient Asian group
Cups as hearts, under the Goddess category
Wands as clubs, in the Angel category
Coins as diamonds, in the Native American category
Majors are marked with a triangle and are the Universal Guardians group.

Fiddle-de-de

Daily Draw: Greenwood Tarot ~ 3 of Coins/Stones

Gateway to creativity.

Mine is a bit stunted, but I have a large pile of four inch selvedge string blocks made. Don't have to concentrate and they come out so cute!  Like Scarlett, fiddle-de-de, I'll be creative another day, when I'm able to think.

"It may be thought by the uninitiated that the subject of selvedges does not call for any special remarks. But not so by the successful manufacturer. He knows from costly experience that the selling value of a piece of cloth is enhanced by an elegant selvedge."  ~ The Textile American, volume 13, 1910

Deadwood

Daily Draw: Greenwood Tarot ~ 10 of Wands

Unless you have the option to stand back and look from afar, it is often difficult to see the line between dedication and martyrdom.

I'm reminded by this card, if we were to drop dead, the world would go right on without us. Someone picks up the load and throws away the deadwood we didn't need to be carrying anyway.

"Overly dedicated is just another word for masturbation." ~ Pramoedya Ananta Toer 1925-2006

Breath Of Beltane In The Air?

Daily Draw: Greenwood Tarot ~ Ace of Swords/Arrows

The Uffington horse appears in this deck five times, here as the head, offering breath and renewal of life.

In small ways this spring I can feel my own life coming back from that black dead place I've inhabited for four years, after reaching the bottom last summer.
I've worn earrings a few times, yesterday I wore a necklace, and I have two rings on. That is a long way from normal, but still..a little life.
I  have six quilt tops sent out to long arm quilters, soon to be back home, definite forward progress.
I've flung two boxes of decks onto Amazon a few weeks ago, at least half are gone.
I may make it out alive yet.

"There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street
and being the noise.
Drink all your passion
and be a disgrace.
Close both eyes
and see with the other eye" ~ Rumi 1207-1273