It’s October, the sun is in the air sign of Libra, we have turned the corner into autumn, change is in the air; it’s cooler & crisper, the wind is blowing more, the leaves are falling…
Air, we must have air for almost everything! The first thing we do when we leave the safety and security of ut mother’s womb is breathe in and the last thing we do when as we leave this body at the end of our lives is breathe out. It all begins and ends with Air. If night is the out breath of the planet, day is the in breath, if summer is the out breath then winter is the in breath...And as we breathe in and out we are connected to the present moment, to all of life that is right now. Matt Kahn speaks about breath and breathing in this great offering, All is WellIn the tarot, swords represent the element of air and the activity of thinking, there is a similar sharpness to the sword as there is to the crisp fall air. And fall, in the chinese meridian theory is represented by the metal element, the element of grief and letting go, of breathing out. This suit also holds some of what I find to be the most challenging cards. There are cards that represent cruel thoughts mostly inflicted on the self, and others that show how our thoughts keep us in despair and then there’s the one that shows the broken heart due to choices and decisions and finally the 10 of Swords shows us a situation so done we can’t even fit a fork in it, and need to take the lessons and move on…So while there are major arcana cards that scare most people (The Devil shows us to pay attention to the thoughts that trap us; the Tower brings powerful transformation to how we think and interpret the world; and Death brings with it Rebirth), Swords bring to light the dangers and challenges of over thinking and being too much in the head, and they also show us how to integrate our thinking and become more balanced. This has been a challenge for me; and yet I’ve learned that the more open I am to what is actually happening versus what THINK should be happening, the more I find myself able to feel everything and find peace with the capacity to breathe in and out with all of my life.
Keep breathing, It's the most important part.First you kick,And then you glide…It's all in the rhythmIt's all in the rhythmIt's all in the rhythm of the heart.
Swords aren’t all scary and intense, some are quite encouraging in helping us see that the battle is over, and we’re picking up the pieces, or we are unmasking ourself to the world and to ourself; and another that reminds us that we have all the information we need, within, to make the choice we are contemplating. Then there’s a card that lets us know it's time to take a rest from our thoughts so we can receive something we’ve been waiting for and another card that let’s us know we have achieved the capacity for integrated thought; including body mind and heart in our thinking process...and we’ll get into those individual cards later next year as we go through the numbers consecutively.The suit of swords is reminding us to honor our thinking faculties and to integrate them. As a product of the Western, industrialized “civilized” society, I’ve been raised to be a critical thinker, to reason and organize, label and separate and to plan and “think ahead”. And my time in Zululand reminded me that is only part of the story...People who are in an indigenous frame of mind are living more in the now, they (dare I say we) appear to be on the no plan plan. This is such a disparate perspective from the modern industrialized culture that it appears to not even be thoughtful...but I beg to differ. It is simply a different way of being.I LOVE TO REFRAME; I’ve found that I am often able to adjust my perspective, widen it out or include something foreign to me, I'm also able to re-frame the situation and find a way to bring it into a more positive light. I’m able to see how the situation might be serving me (rather than torturing me), although, most of the time it just doesn’t matter how much logic and reason I add to the subject, it doesn’t change the suffering. Seeing all sides of the story does not reduce the pain; I find that most of the time it is necessary to go all the way through the pain; follow it into the depths where I usually pick up a pearl to take with me back up to the surface of my peace. I love the metaphor of the pearl, an irritating piece of sand or grit that over time becomes a beautiful symbol of softness, tenderness, wisdom and treasure. I find when I can access an emotional reframe, feeling it from a different perspective, my thoughts about it change and I let go of the old story; replacing it with a new one, something softer and kinder and more supportive, more self loving.
If you want your children to be intelligent,read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
~Albert Einstein
There is so much healing in stories. These stories we tell ourselves and the stories we hear of others are a great deal of what the world is made up. What did we do before words? How did we get our thoughts across? As a Waldorf kindergarten teacher I would work with a story for three weeks with the children, usually for a therapeutic reason for the entire class or for a particular child, as we know, we are singular parts of the whole and one of us heals we all heal.Myths and fairy tales helps us back into our bodies, into the imaginal world, they re-attach our severed heads which have become separate via our need to think everything through. They have healing qualities that go beyond our conscious mind and help us to let go of reason and logic, they help us to get in touch with the unconscious. And since, according to some people, our conscious mind only makes about 3 percent of our decisions, it's a good idea to get in cozy with our unconscious.
Thou knowest that I sit waiting for the moon to turn back, that I may listen to all the people’s stories...For I am here - in a great city - I do not obtain stories - ...I do merely listen, watching for a story which I want to hear; that it may float into my ear...I will go to sit at my home that I may listen, turn my ears backwards to the heels of my feet on which I wait, so that I can feel that a story is in the wind.
~Testament of a Bushman convict,from the Introduction to A Story Like the Windby Laurens van der Post
Sometimes, though, we can get so caught up in “story” that we lose our way. Again the need to breathe...to be with what is happening rather than talk about it or understand it or get clarity. It’s important then to remember to think with our whole being, our body our mind and our heart. Sometimes we get caught up in loops of trauma or pain or fantasies that help us escape from our pain. But when we include our whole being in our experience of life, we are having more informed thoughts. Our bodies and hearts are equally as intelligent as our minds, and deserve the same respect; as we all work together, include our entire experience, we bring meaning into this life rather than look outside for meaning. Really we are only here for just a little bit of time, best to use our entire selves to discern and and love more. Now that is thinking and breathing and wielding a sword in a healthy way!I’ll be here at Paradise Found on Friday, October 27th (the 4th Friday), come by and let’s see what the Fall air breathes into your cards!
Life has no meaning.Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life.It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.
― Joseph Campbell
I close my eyes, only for a momentAnd the moment's goneAll my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosityDust in the windAll they are is dust in the windSame old song, just a drop of waterIn an endless seaAll we do crumbles to the groundThough we refuse to seeDust in the windAll we are is dust in the windOh, ho, hoNow, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and skyIt slips away, and all your money won't another minute buyDust in the windAll we are is dust in the wind Dust in the windEverything is dust in the wind The wind ~ Kansas, Dust in the Wind (LINKED)
