Justice/Consequences

From The Bohemian Animal Tarot

Original Writing by Kathryn Ravenwood

In the above image we see a spider fortune teller sitting under the Scales of Justice. Fate has dealt a hand and the cards are on the table. She stares straight ahead, seeing the big picture while her fly visitor, entangled in the web, can see only a single card.

Our individual and collective lives are all woven together from the present, the past, and even the future. It is a tangled web indeed. Each of our lives is an individual web that is also a single strand on the Great Web of Life. We explore that Web with our human experiences and emotions. We experience setbacks, challenges, and triumphs along the way. When we hit a snag we can feel stuck, just like a fly caught in the spider’s web. When we persevere with right intention we find clarity and move forward from there. Justice has shown us the consequences our actions and hopefully we are more balanced and fair minded than before. The Scales of Justice remind us that when we take responsibility for our wrong doings we have the opportunity to make things right and restore some kind of balance.  The sword from which the scales hang reminds us that a higher truth always prevails. 

This Tarot card is associated with law, cosmic law, and Karma. Don’t we just love to think someone’s Karma will “get them” and that, surely, we will be redeemed by our own? The Great Web of Life is so vast and interconnected that we cannot possibly know who is due what. What we do know is that our actions create consequences. Our choices hold us accountable. Every intention, thought, and thing that we do builds our individual and collective Karma. Karma links us in the great chain of events that is constantly seeking divine balance and order. There are so many versions of truth; what seems fair for one is unjust to another. We all desire Justice and can be disappointed by its decisions. We have our prejudices and opinions about what we think is right. When Justice favors us we celebrate. When it goes against us we can experience anger and frustration. Each action contributes to a bigger result. It is all woven into the Great Web which abides by Cosmic Truth. 

Spider creates her web starting with intention released as a single strand of silk shooting into space to attach where she directs it. We create our own webs with intention, thoughts, motives, actions, even our subconscious awareness which weave the pattern and Karma of our life. Spider webs are beautiful, diverse and effective. Spiders catch prey in them, take them apart when they are damaged, and rebuild them all in graceful efficiency. How we navigate our web, and therefore the Great Web, is vital. Spider reminds us when we become entangled and trapped we can shoot out a new intention, take a different path, and make repairs to the existing pattern.

I would like to share a vision I have had on several occasions. It is not mine alone as I know others have seen the same thing.  A vast web reaches out across the universe to infinity - maybe it IS the universe. Each intersection of strands of the web is a junction. Some of them are lit with beautiful light of radiant colors. Some are dark. Each one of us holds a junction. It is our place in the grand order of life. It is up to us to turn on and maintain our light. When the entire web is lit, justice and unity will have been achieved.

May Justice and Truth guide you to weave your web well and may your light shine.

...Kathryn Ravenwood 11.24.2020

 

 

The Five of Arrows (Swords)

Frustration

The Wildwood Tarot, John Matthews and Mark Ryan

Original Writing by Kathryn Ravenwood

If you are not feeling frustrated these days then you are an exception. We are in unprecedented times of conflict as a country, our day-to-day living conditions, opinions between friends and even family members, as well as in our own thought processes. It seems every time we think we have some valid information to guide us it misses the mark and only brings up more questions and conflict. Is the latest news another lie or truth? Who can we trust? What can we believe? How many disappointments can we bear?

In the above image a large ram leaps off a cliff in full line of sight of the hunter whose arrows keep missing the supposed easy target. He is shooting his last arrow and the target is quickly moving out of range. Unless he takes a breath and is sure of his aim this arrow will also fall short. But if he takes that time, the ram will probably be gone, the opportunity missed. The hunter’s frustration is palpable. What made the experience so frustrating? Was he not expecting the ram to appear and so was surprised, caught off guard? Or has he already missed several other opportunities and this is his last chance?  It takes practiced skill to be a bow hunter.  How did he continue to miss the mark? Interestingly, the ram seems oblivious and simply sails through the air.

The Five of Arrows shows us how mental and verbal energy moves from negotiations and seeking win-win situations to frustration. An unstable mindset reflects in our thoughts and what we say. Old patterns no longer hold validity and as they come apart we are challenged to hold on to resolve them into some kind of new format that brings a new sense of truth and order. The dictionary defines frustration as a “deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs.”  The more frustrated we get the less we are focused. As we lose focus we are vulnerable to mental chaos and confusion and are down the road to making choices and decisions from unrealistic thoughts, ideas, and a lack of factual information. We might shoot off our mouth, spewing our frustration onto those around us.

The Five of Arrows reminds us to take aim on our thoughts and words. Do we want to contribute to the exasperation and aggravation or can we take a breath, focus, and redirect our words and thoughts to constructive results? Matters only get worse when people engage in shouting matches or indulgent name calling and accusations. We might be able to manage our own thoughts and words, but how do we handle the barrage of chaos around us? 

 We continue to await the results of the US Presidential Election results. Even if a winner is declared today the frustration will continue. We can expect challenges will be made in the courts and on the streets. Arrows will fly fast and furiously. While some may miss the mark, some will stick and cause pain and suffering. 

I encourage you all to stop, take a breath, and allow yourself to center amidst the swirling confusion. If you feel frustrated, well, you are not alone! Acknowledge it and remember that things will eventually settle out. The new patterns may not be to our liking but at least we may then know where we stand, can re-aim our focus on the present, and go forward with more clarity. 

Energy creates thoughts. Thoughts creates actions. Actions create events. May you create in harmony and peace.

...Kathryn Ravenwood  11-6-2020