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| Page of Wands ~ Knight of Cups ~ Tarot de St. Croix |
A quick afternoon tea break with a new fave tea, Da Xue Shan Ancient Tree--a raw puer, as the rain continues its dance. I've been reflecting on the two cards I pulled this morning, the Page of Wands and the Knight of Cups from the Tarot de St. Croix. This deck takes me unusual places, speaks to a such a different interpretive lens than I'm used to.
Looking at this pair, the Page directing his Wand skyward, the Knight receiving the universe in his Cup, what immediately came to mind was doing the practice of 'tonglen' today, a Tibetan word that means literally giving and receiving. Through the use of the breath one alternately takes in the suffering of others through the inhalation, holds the 'other' in the heart and then breathes out compassion, succor and recognition.
You can be as general or specific as you like with 'other'. I might do a mini on-the-spot version of this if I find myself feeling particularly happy, well-cared for, loved. Just a simple pause to soak up all that good feeling, really acknowledge it and then on the outbreath ask that it be dispersed wherever it might be needed. And sometimes when I'm with my family and we're feeling particularly connected I pause, feel, give thanks and then imagine somewhere in the world where a child is experiencing the inverse of this, pain, abuse, a lack of love. On the out breath I consciously direct it there asking that it be received by that kind of need.
It enlarges me, reminds me of our interdependence and has the effect of creating a kind of inner spaciousness that helps me feel the truth of my place within the larger cosmos. Mary Oliver's words come to mind here,
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
What great insight to connect the receptiveness of the Knight and the action of the Page with tonglen! It is such a wonderful practice that connects us to people we commonly think of as "other, not me." I tend to do it more often when I'm feeling full of self-pity. I was sitting in an examination room the other day (swollen and itchy) feeling sorry for myself when I heard the most body-wracking, nonstop coughing coming from the room next to me. It was a good reminder to practice tonglen, and allowed me to transform my self-pity into compassion.
ReplyDeleteThe body language and energy of the particular depiction in these cards inspired the Tonglen connection, not something I think I'd correlate in the RWS deck. Hoping your swelling and itch has given you a reprieve. xo
DeleteAt first I imagined it to be a scary and overwhelming practice, not something I could ever see myself doing: purposely breathing in the sorrow of others. But after I tried it for the first time I smiled because I hadn't drowned but instead I was filled with compassion
ReplyDeleteIt's quite freeing isn't it, enlarging. Of course we Americans have the perfect opportunity to practice this now which means that by the end of four years we should all be bodhisattvas ;)
DeleteI love this practice of "tonglen." So simple, and yet so potent, and so beautiful. Also, this is one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems! (I suspect it's a favorite for many!)
ReplyDeleteYes, this particular poem speaks to something deep in the collective soul, that sense of home, of belonging.
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