"T minus 7" - Point of Reflection # 3 - The Gaian Tarot

I'm never disappointed by how amazingly spot-on the guidance I receive is; that is, when I remember to ask for it.  That doesn't mean I'm not disappointed with what I'm being told, though.  Sometimes it feels as though the Universe, God, Goddess, Spirit, whatever you want to call that Essence that is greater than all of us and somehow both holds and IS the matrix that creates everything, is picking on me. 

I do not feel picked on today.

I feel amazed, awed, and humbled.

Again, I settled myself in my space and grounded myself and my thoughts.  I got quiet and still.  I opened my heart and asked for a message, something that would speak to our hearts - all of our hearts - as we struggle to maintain our balance in these chaotic, heart-rending times.

"What do we need to hear?  What do we need to "get" as we move toward this momentous Winter Solstice?" I asked, with deepest sincerity.

The cards of the Gaian Tarot (affiliate link), a lovely, earth-based, beautifully wrought "modern" tarot deck, created by Joanna Powell Colbert, shuffled effortlessly in my hands.  I stopped when I sensed the card to choose was on top.

Our card for Reflection, Contemplation, Celebration, and Connection today?

Justice - Karmic balance

I encourage you to follow the link, above, to read the excerpt pertaining to this card that is provided by the author on her website.  Simply examining the image, however, one can sense the essential message being conveyed to us.

How does this card apply to each of us?

In order to deepen our understanding of how the Justice card applies to us today, we might want to reflect upon the following concepts and how they are, remarkably, swirling around in and infringing upon our collective reality in a myriad of ways, particularly as a result of the tragedy in Newtown, CT.  These themes are, quite literally DEMANDING our attention:

• Karma                                      Justice
• Truth                                        Right order
• Social justice                         Cause and effect
• Responsibility                       Legal issues
• Actions and consequences

It is becoming increasingly obvious that we cannot continue along the path we've been trodding without encountering profound consequences.  Indeed, we are reaping them in this very moment.  The question is whether we will choose to take responsibility  - now - for the imbalances that are becoming apparent, in both our own lives and our society, and work together to achieve a new sense of equanimity.

We are in this together.

"T minus 9" - Point of Reflection #1: Medicine Cards

 

The first point of self-reflection I'm offering for your consideration focuses on the use of Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson (affiliate link).

These cards are a staple in my life.  As I've written many times over the years, in a variety of venues, it is an extremely rare day that goes by that Karl and I don't "pick a card" on our day as we sit and have coffee together each morning. 

I sat quietly this evening, centered myself, and asked Spirit for guidance for myself and whomever chooses to embark upon this journey with me:  "The 9 Days of (Winter) Solstice."  Planting my feet firmly on the floor in front of me, I asked what card would be the perfect start for us in this time of Connection, Celebration, Reflection, and Contemplation.

The card I chose?  Grouse.                         

To me, the choice is a lovely one.  I urge you to read the full text of Grouse provided above, and consider what Spirit is telling each one of us.

Could it be that we are precisely at the beginning of a nine day Vision Quest (without, luckily for us, the requirement of fasting)?  The symbol of the spiral, which is associated with Grouse Medicine, is a metaphor for the very human endeavor of going within in order to gain personal power and enlightenment. 

If that is not an "invitation to the dance," an encouragement for all of us to make a commitment to ourselves to engage in at least half an hour of internal reflection per day over the next nine days, I don't know what is. 

Read the card.  Allow it to speak to you.  Let it form a basis for some reflection tonight - and tomorrow - (until I post the next Point of Reflection!).  Perhaps this is a message giving you a strategy (movement) for connecting to what's important.  Maybe taking a walk outside and really paying attention to nature would help your process.  Use your imagination.  Listen.