Lethologica

Daily Draw: Runic Tarot ~ 8 of Coins

Like pencils and tupperware, our mind is a product of sorts, and we spend from birth creating and shaping it.

I'm reminded by this card, and the keyword intensity, I worry a lot about my mind. This deck for instance. I have to read my cheat sheet every morning to see what season is which suit. Four seasons, four corner icons. Should be simple. But my mind isn't the steel trap it once was, it is a sieve in which only the oddest or most useless bits stick. I told Rob awhile back, if I even think I have the onset of dementia I'm putting a bullet in my traitorous brain. He looked at me like I had a carbuncle on my nose, turned and looked at his doggies, and said "We just won't tell her..."  I'm still laughing.

 "Transience: This is the tendency to forget facts or events over time. You are most likely to forget information soon after you learn it. However, memory has a use-it-or-lose-it quality: memories that are called up and used frequently are least likely to be forgotten. Although transience might seem like a sign of memory weakness, brain scientists regard it as beneficial because it clears the brain of unused memories, making way for newer, more useful ones."

Philosophy

Daily Draw: Runic Tarot ~ 9 of Swords

Huge subject. I answered a request for the Dictionary.com 2014 word of the year awhile back. I chose Doubt. My reasoning? World leaders seem adrift, unsure, at a loss truly, where/what/why/when next. Once they accept there is no winnable war anymore, perhaps over the course of the next 40 years or so, nations as a whole will be able to move on.  Once the backward thinking of the boomers and pre-boomers is history. We can learn from history, but we can't stand on it. Philosophy. Huge subject, 9 of Swords indeed.

I'm reminded by this card I certainly doubt anyone anywhere with any power is working for the whole...But that is the point of philosophy isn't it? Never accepting at a specific point we know the answer, but questing on further and further.

"If enough of the bravest among them ("bad guys" in militaryspeak) are killed, can this somehow be accomplished without creating a whole new crop of brave people who are even angrier about the killing of the last generation?" ~ Jay Barr  AntiWar.com  

Bittersweet

Daily Draw: Runic Tarot ~ 9 of Cups

Growth, expansion, and perhaps some excessive celebration...
I can get with that. Please.

I'm reminded by this card, yesterday we off-loaded my FIL's 1953 Jubilee edition Ford tractor with multiple implements and Rob can reclaim his garage space. Today mother's furniture goes and I can reclaim my living room space. A bittersweet celebration really.

"Eventually you realise they aren't a part of your world, you were just briefly visiting theirs." ~ Whimsical Enlightenment

The Runic Tarot includes a major arcana of 24 rune cards in a zodiac wheel broken down into three groups; workers, protectors, prayers, with traditional Norse significance.
This is coupled with a minor arcana of four suits of 13 cards each, based on the four seasons of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.
If the reader has additional interests in astrology and elementals this would be a excellent deck for doing readings that involve timing. The Runic Tarot kit includes 76 beautiful cards with art by Caroline Smith, and the 184 page companion book written by John Astrop. Published by St Martins Press 2003.

Win Lose Withdraw

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ 5 of Swords

Poole sees the 5 of Swords as a mindful discriminating attitude. Fight to the finish and be done with it, win or lose with grace, or release and walk away, knowing when to choose a battle that is worth the chance of losing.

I spent the last year living this card. Each day, each hour presented an unwinnable battle with mom's mindset based on dementia. There is no reasoning with dementia. I know I've said it before but it was the keystone to living with her. The battle was always with myself rather than her whether I recognized or admitted it in the moment. Release and walk away. How many times did I remember that? Maybe half.

"…wondering, not for the first time, if there was a kind of dark bliss built into dementia: an immunity from death and abandonment, a way of fixing a point in time so that nothing can change, nothing can be rewritten, no one can leave." ~ Jonathan Miles 1971-   Want Not

Vision

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ 8 of Swords

Visual sense barred, this figure is feeling his way through unfamiliar territory.

I'm reminded by this card sometimes we need to re-see what we take for granted, re-view the obvious.

"It's easy to see, hard to foresee." ~ Benjamin Franklin  1706-1790

Feels Like Murder

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ 9 of Coins

I don't feel like an earth mother. I feel like a murderer.
I had to put one of  my two goats down yesterday.
Last August I had to put both my cats, Conway and Jessie James, and my little constant companion Pembroke down. And before that, Trinity, Windsor, Morgan, Big Duke, Ike Clanton, Chanel, Goldie...

I'm reminded by this card this is part and parcel of responsible pet ownership. But it always feels like murder to me. They all lie just over the hill below me, in a grassy treelined glen where they are each buried with something they loved and part of my heart. But not me. Not yet.

"Grief is the price we pay for love." ~ Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor 1926-

Cannibalism

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ Tower

The Tower as accomplishment. Now there's a thought. What can we break today?

I'm reminded by this card of breaking addictions; shopping, lying, tv/computer/phone, we can be addicted to anything. Only thing is we don't notice or count the ones we enjoy doing, just ignore the ramifications and results. Once away from that addiction, looking back, it is amazing how we fed it...fed it our mind and life.

 "Addictions started out like magical pets, pocket monsters. They did extraordinary tricks, showed you things you hadn't seen, were fun. But came, through some gradual dire alchemy, to make decisions for you. Eventually, they were making your most crucial life-decisions. And they were ... less intelligent than goldfish." ~ William Gibson 1948-

Retrograde

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ 10 of Wands

Her uprooted life and uphill battle weighs heavily on her mind.

I'm reminded by this card, life is seldom stationary.  We wouldn't be happy if it were.

"We cannot remain stationary; one either progresses or retrogrades." ~ Mme Du Deffand 1697-1780

Working Wall

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ King of Cups/Autumn

Our subconscious. Always in there working working while on top we think we already know it all.

I'm reminded by this card of the "working wall" of my mind. It is a quilter's term for a flannel wall where our projects take shape, often multiple versions, before we start sewing components together. My mind is just like that. If I have a knotty problem, I just stick in on my mental working wall and pretty soon I have three or four solutions or alternatives. Cool!

"I just kind of conjured them up out of my subconscious and put them in order of ascending peculiarity." ~ Edward Gorey 1925-2000

Leaps and Lurches

Daily Draw: Merryday Tarot ~ 4 of Wands

Completions and the rewards thereof.
Versatile adventures and new life dances.

I'm reminded by this card of the Julia Cameron book which had the task of writing down our life chapters in five year increments, a process I'd highly recommend to anyone.  As our chapters formed we could clearly see triggers and lurches and leaps, accidents and epiphanies leading to even odder or more rewarding life experiences.  A companion process with genealogy perhaps...

"We're all stories, in the end." ~ Steven Moffat 1961-

This week's deck is the Merryday Tarot, sometimes called Merry Day. Louisa Poole is the artist and author of the two part companion book, one half on personal numerology, the second half covers each card of the deck and why she renamed or revisioned some of the cards. The minors are based on the Wheel Year. Long out of print, but the deck is still reasonably priced on the secondary market, the book is another story.

Aced

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Ace of Coins

Daily harmony between our needs and our wants, our darker and lighter inner person, our plans and actualities. Another this is life Ace this week.

We spent yesterday uploading Craigslist ads. The reality of moving our wants on because our needs are different. We expected to be in Canada having fun this month, instead we are going to Mississippi shortly to be with a dying friend. The funds I've so carefully eked and clawed out for mothers final needs have to be spent, she isn't allowed to have more than $2000.00 dollars in assets. Aces aren't really lessons learned and then moving on, our Aces are always with us, leavening life.

Holding all the cards
Ace in the hole
Stacked deck
Jack of all trades
Play the hand we're dealt
Keep your cards close to the chest
It isn't in the cards
Don't get lost in the shuffle
What's the big deal

Politically Correct

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Ace of Cups

Feelings, above and below. We are working our way through the Martin Shaw mysteries George Gently. Set in 1964 what jumps out at us was the sheer amount of commonplace ingrained bigotry of the times. I'm sorry I'd forgotten, I was here in 1964 and it was awful. Unforgivable in thinking humans.

I'm reminded by this card the phrase politically correct takes a lot of ribbing, but we all know what it means, equality with zero color bars. I'm appalled there were Little Black Sambo restaurants, the whole early history of television was glaringly white, and the military was divided and there were seats and doors restricted by color. I sincerely hope we've come a long way baby. We'll never evolve if we haven't.

"Don't walk in my head with your dirty feet." ~ Leo Buscaglia 1924-1988 Living Loving and Learning

Nature Knows

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Knight/Knower of Wands

Pollack says this Knower is akin to the trees in nature. They know when to bud and when to shed, how to reach for the sun, and to be unconditional in their being.

I'm reminded by this card, we know too. When our actions aren't right. When love can't conquer all, when we are not enough. When making an effort doesn't cut it. We know and we each learn in our seasons what unconditional is.

"Note to self...BOOMERANG EFFECT." ~ Allan Rufus

Begin At The Beginning Again

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Ace of Wands

The old begin at the beginning again Ace of Wands. We've been retired for about two weeks now and every single day life has taken a 90 degree turn. Some serious, some funny, some sad.

I'm reminded by this card, that's life.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." ~ Robert Frost 1874-1963

Playful

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Wheel

Pollack sees the wheel as the first half of life going up the Wheel and the second half as going down.  ?? That seems to indicate you know how long you'll live. Or that there is a real wheel somewhere that knows how long you'll live.

I'm reminded by this card I was a bit taken back when I turned sixty, felt I was at that point middled aged, then realized if sixty was the middle it meant I'd live to be one hundred twenty. So middle was way back when I thought I was young. The little secret no one young believes is our mind stays young, playful, silly, hopeful clear to the end.

"The secret of life is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm." ~ Aldous Huxley 1894-1963

Unacknowledged Uninvited Unrequited

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ 9 of Wands

What part of us is hidden even from ourselves? Unacknowledged, uninvited, unrequited. Inanna, the first mythical goddess planted and nourished the first tree, was both heartbroken and furious when others began to claim and home in it. But it wasn't until it was cut down and honed into her crown and bed that she could move on.

 I don't know the answer to this one, don't know if I have anything I don't acknowledge because I've continuously worked to bring myself forward via these cards, work the diamond mine in my own backyard, expose the stony bits and banish them. But what about the stump? We think if the tree is gone it is all over, but the stump and root wad is a big job in itself. I could have a big fat stump left, rotting or worse, producing shoots. I was thinking yesterday of that year of black rage...
 
"Have I cut down the tree, then used the stump as a place to stand and shout about conservation?" apologies to Adlai Stevenson 1900-1965

Round One. Reality.

Daily Draw: Shining Tribe Tarot ~ 7 of Cups

Pollack painted this card as our 7 of Cups fantasies floating cheek and jowl with reality.

I'm reminded by this card and Our New Life, one of the fantasies of of new retirees is travel and snowbirding. We went to a RV show Thursday with the thought of downsizing our enormous 5th wheel I lived in for three years while I cared for Rob's father, and getting a smaller one to poke around the country with. Reflecting on what we learned; sell the one we have and if we travel, use motels. We can get hundreds and hundreds of nice motel rooms and restaurant meals for the cost of an RV with no ongoing expenses of licensing, insurance, campground fees, and upkeep. Plus the fuel to haul it. Our pickup gets 13 miles to the diesel gallon. Our VW Passat gets 45 miles to the diesel gallon. Round One goes to reality.

"Regain your senses, call yourself back, and once again wake up. Now that you realize that only dreams were troubling you, view this 'reality' as you view your dreams." ~ Marcus Aurelius 120 AD-180 AD  Meditations

Shining Tribe Tarot (revised edition) deck, art and 330 page companion book by Rachel Pollack. Published by Llewellyn Worldwide 2001. The first edition was titled Shining Woman. Out of print, still easily found

The suits are elements: Trees/Wands, Rivers/Cups, Birds/Swords, and Stones/Coins.
The courts have been changed to Vision Cards: Place, Knower, Gift, Speaker, and refer to the readers or querents journey. Place enters the suit, Knower understands the suit, Gift is able to use the suit, Speaker shares the suit. A few of the majors have been renamed: Hierophant/Tradition, Wheel/Spiral, Judgment/Awakening, World/Shining Woman.

Destiny Chosen

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ Wheel

Is/was it destiny, or a curse, when a parent determines what a child will be?

In this country I wonder what the percentage is of children who join and run a family business vs. choose another field entirely vs. choosing to be rich bums? The ones we hear about in this apparently famous for being a famous mad country are the rich bums. All choices might be a poorly fitting wheel for a few years.

"The job is not the work." ~ Seth Godin 1960-   Linchpin:Are You Indispensable?

Not Hardly

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ 8 of Swords

I thought I'd had an epiphany unique to me when I first started reading the cards and realized this prison and binding is of her own choosing.

I'm reminded by this card isn't it funny that family and friends can see so clearly what we refuse to acknowledge. But do we listen? Not hardly.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive." ~ Suzanne Collins 1962- The Hunger Games

Enough Is Enough

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ Temperance

This is a card of positivity in every direction, yet the companion book shares five ancient stories of communities being overwhelmed by in-rushing sea or overflowing wells.

I'm reminded by this card 'too much of a good thing' is a good thing to remember.

"The faster our lives spin, the more things tend to fly apart." ~ Richard Paul Evans 1962-  Lost December

Ash

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ 5 of Cups

Today I go north to the cemetery where my baby sister is buried.

I'm reminded by this card I'll always be looking backward at this particular piece of my life because there is no forward no future, only empty cups and ash.

"The dead have nothing except the memory they've left." ~  Ferenc Molnár 1878-1952

Determination

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ Strength

Retrieving the comb razor scissors which lie between Twrch Trwyth the boar's ears is just one of multiple tasks set for Kilhwch in order to win the hand of Olwen the giant's daughter.

I'm reminded by this card, sometimes the effort expended greatly exceeds the value of the goal, one of humankind's endearing features in my book. Like me pushing that pea up the mountain for ten months, trying to get mother, with no money, a refuge and home in a top class memory care facility. Today is the day we let go of the pea and claim our success, and she and we can move forward for the next adventure.

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." ~ Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519

Wishful Thinking

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ Judgement

Many legends speak of mighty warriors, asleep in caves and cairns for hundreds of years, waiting for the signal their country is in need of them again.

I'm reminded by this card of wishful thinking. Waiting/begging/praying for someone else to 'fix it'.
Yesterday's saviors are dust, karma is for dreamers and drama is for sissies. Anything ever to be, is up to us, today.

"It's these small differences in people's karma that determine if we get up or remain lying on the ground." ~ Peter Høeg 1957  The Quiet Girl

Little Miracles

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ 9 of Coins

My life is complete...a nine of coins day~
We have five baby chicks!

"Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959

Healed and Restored

Daily Draw: Llewellyn Tarot ~ Sun

What more could we hope for?

"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophies." ~ Friedrich Nietzshe 1884-1900

The beautiful 2006 Llewellyn Tarot is my deck choice this week. Commissioned art and 264 page companion book by Anna-Marie Ferguson. Published by Llewellyn Worldwide as part of their celebration of the life of Welshman Llewellyn George, the founder. The majors follow the story line of the Welsh Mabinogion.

Wake Up!

Daily Draw: Sacred Sites Tarot ~ Hermit

This view, which is what we think of when Petra comes to mind, doesn't even begin to show the extensive buildings here going back to 300 BC, and the area was in use by farmers and as part of the trading route thousands of years before that. Being part of the trading route and using an extensive and complicated water saving system brought residents to this prosperous city and those two things reversed were what caused the city to be abandoned.

I'm reminded by this figure identified as the Hermit, of how often we don't see what we are accustomed to, don't honor what we deem as commonplace. So dumbed down minds and unseeing eyes continue on thinking of ourselves as kings in a dull and common world.

"But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!

Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;

Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;

But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn" ~ John William Burgon 1813-1888

Entitlement

Daily Draw: Sacred Sites Tarot ~ 3 of Wands

The Fortress of Alamut, built circa 250-600 AD. Without any real records of note, the history of this "assassins eagle's nest" is iffy. The only real probability is it was built against incursions in the time immemorial political/religious upheavals of the Iranian region which it occupied before being demolished in the mid-1200's.

How to connect it with it's place as 3 of Wands?
The sense of entitlement of many rulers and leaders?
I'm better than you, bring me your sheaves and tithes?
I've made the effort, I await for what is due me?
Isolated, I miss all the fun and what is right in front of my nose?

"Entitlement corrupts." ~ Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale 1923-2005

Amazing

Daily Draw: Sacred Sites Tarot ~ Chariot

Santiago de Compostela, eighty square mile landlocked autonomous pilgrimage site in upper west Spain.  Where a shepherd, guided by a star at night, found in his field the remains of St James, first of the apostles to be martyred, got the seal of approval from the Pope, numerous miracles followed, a shrine then a cathedral arose, tourism dollars provided by supplicants and pilgrims flowed in. Thus strengthening the city population  during the christian crusades against the Moors.

The biggest miracle is the body of St. James the fisherman making it's way to Santiago de Compostela from Israel, a distance of 2495 miles. To be discovered by a shepherd guided by a bright star in 813. Amazing.

"A miracle is an event which creates faith. That is the purpose and nature of miracles. Frauds deceive. An event which creates faith does not deceive; therefore it is not a fraud, but a miracle." ~ George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

Faith and Intellect

Daily Draw: Sacred Sites Tarot ~ Judgement

The walls of Jericho take a mickey in favor of the Israelites.
I expect there are many stories like this one in every religion, some provable, some faith based.

As I often do, I took to the web to find some archaeological yea or nay on the subject. One not so hysterical and seemingly fairly balanced was here. I don't know about walls tumbling down, but am amazed that I didn't know the populated city of Jericho dates back ten thousand years and is the lowest city on the planet. I'm reminded by this card sheer staying power would give it a place in this deck and sometimes faith and intellect make friends.

"We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect." ~  Carl Gustav Jung 1875-1961