On this
Summer Solstice day, which happens to be illuminated by a full moon tonight, I
drew Justice from the Gaian Tarot. Among other things this card is also all
about finding balance in our daily life. An aspect which is a lot on my mind
lately. In the tarot community we often talk about the need for balance; how to find it and
even more urgent in today’s world, how to keep it. This suggests that balance
is something you can hold on to tightly so when you’ve finally found it you won’t lose it ever
again. For me however a sense of balance is as fleeting as happiness or joy. And
also the more we strive for it, the more elusive it gets. For me balance is a
verb. A constant movement between experiencing it and losing it and a continuous
checking in with ourselves how we are feeling
and if we are still walking our path. So whenever we feel balanced we are a aware of it and whenever we lose it we know we have to adjust our ways.
What can help
us to stay on the path towards a balanced and mindful life: the Child of Earth.
We couldn’t have hoped for a better teacher than this child. With his little rabbit
as a companion, his curiosity for the world
around him keeps him in the present moment. He experiences life withal his
senses. Suddenly I am wondering how his apple would smell, taste and feel and it makes my mouth water. This kind
of awareness of the abundance all around us, will help us to achieve a balanced
life.
I totally agree that balance is a verb! I love Emily Carding's version of Justice, which shows that very well. And yes, the Child of Earth is the perfect helper for this: I often associate it with yoga, too, which helps you find balance on lots of levels, all based in the body :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I do appreciate her Justice card a lot. (The whole deck is awesome)
Deleteit just happened that I was talking with M yesterday about doing some Yoga exercises for beginners :)
It helps me to remember that there is no set point for balance; it continually shifts and moves to adjust to each moment and situation. Hope your Solstice was a sunny, happy one!
ReplyDeleteIt was a good day but it was raining cats and dogs all day yesterday and today it still is :)
DeleteHugs
I think balance is a everyday thing. Something we continually strive for, perfectly said - in constant movement. And when we go out of balance something as simple as a child's smile, an apple, or a bunny in the yard can bring us back to the present and there is where one can find balance.
ReplyDeleteIt is so simple if we can (as Bev stated) let go of all expectations :)
DeleteYes! Balance is an ever-moving state of adjustment. It's not possible to be balanced all of the time - as they say, "Everything in moderation, including moderation." I always thought that the words from the U.S. Declaration of Independence - that we have the right to the "pursuit of happiness" - always sounded a bit strange. Happiness isn't a distant goal we hope to achieve, and it's not dependent on our material wealth, or social status, etc. And, even "happy people" experience sadness, frustration, and conflict. The more we focus on it, the more nebulous it becomes. Even mindfulness contains ebb and flow. Lovely post <3
ReplyDeleteThanks Olivia. I'm sure you'll remember this story about chasing happiness:
Delete"Once there was this kitten that was chasing its tail. It just chased it and chased. An older wiser cat came along and he watched this kitten. The cat watched the kitten for a long time. Then he asked the kitten, “Kitten, why do you chase your tail?” The kitten replied, “Because I will find happiness in my tail.” The old cat watched for a time longer then he said, “I, too, used to chase my tail because I thought I would find happiness there. But I realized that I didn’t need to chase my tail for wherever I went it seemed to follow.”
Ha! Aw! That is actually a new one for me - but it is lovely and so appropriate. Thanks for sharing that!
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