I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Monday, March 2, 2015

Spraying Napalm

From the Revised New Art Tarot, Force (Strength); from the Viking Lenormand, "Man:"
          This definitely isn't someone's pet lion - look at all those broken bones around his feet. When was the last time your anger became rage, burning everything around like napalm? I remember clearly; it makes me physically ill to dwell on it. Like the lion, I left metaphorical bones in my wake too. There were no wrongs made right, no defenseless person protected and no acts of valor - just destruction. The Force card reminds me that this power can be contained and channeled to help rather than hurt, but only if the situation is viewed through eyes of compassion. 
          The Man card made me think of an excerpt I read of Robert Augustus Masters' book, To Be a Man, on Spirituality & Health. He lists the factors our society uses to identify manliness: "Showing no weakness; emotional stoicism; aggressiveness; holding it together and not losing face, no matter what’s going on; sucking it up." But the irony is that today's women in the West are taught these same ideals, particularly if they want to be successful. Show any female cop, lawyer, politician or soldier that list, and they would probably recognize themselves in it. I surely do. Masters suggests how to redefine masculinity in order to make it healthy: "True masculine power is rooted in this dynamic blend of 'soft' and 'hard' attributes — showing up as a potent alignment of head, heart, and guts. When head (thinking, rationality, analysis), heart (caring, compassion, love), and guts (resolve, resilience, bravery) all inform each other and work together."

9 comments:

  1. I see a lot of men who aren't afraid anymore to show their softer side. Maybe one day we won't be so gender biased and everybody is allowed to really be themselves
    I wish I could be angry and dare to lash out but instead, most of time, my anger is turned inwards feeding the lion which must be there somewhere :D

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    1. I think turning anger inward (repressing it) can be just as dangerous as uncontrolled rage. We hurt ourselves by keeping it stuffed inside.

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  2. I've noticed on television that a lot of women characters are very butchy, like grim-faced marionettes, even down to their masculine body language. Not losing face but having no facial expression at all--pretty unrealistic.

    These caricatures are not only unrealistic but boring. I have tried to watch a few new shows in the last few years but I always drift off when the female lead becomes this parody of a female human.

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    1. I agree; I would much rather see women characters express (as Masters put it) a blend of hard and soft attributes, no matter what role they're playing. If this is where young women are finding their role models... I shudder to think of it.

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  3. I see a menage a trois here. He he. Seriously though, the lion for me is the mediating factor between the man, who seems clueless and unaware of the woman, and the woman who's tuned in to both the lion and secondarily the man in her body turning towards him. Isn't that how we, as women, operate though, multi-tasking, tending as best we can to all the areas in our lives. And not 'doing' things but moving from one realm to the other--the heart, the laundry, the kissing of booboos.

    The man has the luxury of meditating on whatever is at hand but that's not so available to women. Whether that's from instinct or function is unclear but likely the two inform each other in a kind of seamless back and forth.

    Oy, it's been that kind of day. Takeaway message here for me is Love and Will.

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    1. You're a hoot Rose :D. I do like the takeaway messages you come up with. My husband is now almost full-time taking care of his very ill, 94 yr. old mother. Our roles have completely reversed in many ways.

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  4. I remember last time I felt rage. It was debilitating and rendered me powerless, because I was unable to channel my energy for good. Forgave myself for that after considering the circumstance. I don't feel rage any more thank goodness but I do feel anger and it's just a feeling, but I still need to channel it for good.

    An insightful post Bev.

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    1. Rage does initially feel good (all that righteous indignation), which is why it is so addictive. It feels powerful instead of powerless (as with fear). But it is like stepping in dog poo then trying to burn it off with a blow torch - not very effective and with results of long-lasting harm.

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    2. Oh, real good dog poo analogy Bev! lol

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