Floating Leaf

Today I want to share a link to a fascinating article. Yes, another one of Charles Eisenstein's essays; I'm afraid I may have become a bit of a fan. ;-P This is a brand new one, though, and it gave me some valuable insights into the huge ideological "war" that seems to be raging across the US (and global, to some extent) media and the entire cultural landscape these days. Because I am somewhat allergic to politics, I tend to feel lost in the nuances of various popular controversies, puzzling over why on earth some people say or believe the things they do. So I am always grateful for a balanced, detached, thought-provoking explanation. And Charles seems to be really good at that. That's what drew me to his writing in the first place. His ability to step back from the polarization and offer a different perspective: not from "somewhere in the middle", but from OUTSIDE the entire dichotomy. Seeing the flaws, the blind spots and the "hidden gems" on either side. As well as delivering a hopeful message at the end, despite some really uncomfortable conclusions along the way. He really gave me a lot to process... and so I feel the need to quote a few choice bits. But first, here's he entire text:

https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/from-qanons-dark-mirror-hope/

Now for the uncomfortable conclusions. He basically starts out with a rather grim vision of the future that seems inevitable - unless we, as a society, collectively take a breath and examine the sources of our respective convictions, seeing the humanity in our apparent "enemies" and honestly searching for common ground. Here are the two "grim possibilities" he envisions: (1) In a few years a new and more formidable demagogue will arise to channel the repressed forces [= Trump supporters and other right wing groups] toward a fascist coup. (2) A neoliberal corporatocracy, costumed in the garb of progressive values, will consolidate its already well-developed powers of surveillance, censorship, and control to establish a techno-totalitarian state that will attempt to repress those forces forever. But then he also says this: (1) I believe that the blind spots both sides share are more significant, and more dangerous, than their disagreements, and (2) Beneath the conflict is a hidden unity that will emerge when all parties humbly try to understand the other.

So I've been chewing on that. ( Read more... )

I finally received that OTHER Tarot deck I ordered a few weeks ago. Tarot of the Hidden Realm by Julia Jeffrey. It took a while before it even shipped... and then it got lost on the way, so I had to request a replacement. But now it's here. And I totally understand what people mean when they say that different card decks speak to them on different levels. My other two Tarot decks are somewhat similar: both feature very stylized, aesthetic images that are somewhat subdued in their emotional expression. This one is a total opposite: raw, visceral and immediate, evoking emotion without the need to understand the symbols. In fact, most of the cards don't even include the traditional accessories associated with their particular suits or ranks. They are mostly close-ups of human faces, suffused with feeling - and the feeling tells you all you need to know about what the card means. Well, they're not technically human - they're supposed to be "the fairy folk", and there are a few animals thrown into the mix as well - but the close-ups are so intimate they just grip you by the gut. I actually had tears in my eyes while sorting through this deck; not because of its beauty (from a purely aesthetic standpoint, the Shadowscapes Tarot, which I posted about earlier, is more beautifully designed), but because of how "real" it feels. Love and fear, joy and heartbreak, longing and wisdom and regret... it's all there, on those faces. Which makes it, I now realize, a better deck to learn the Tarot from than all those more technical, sophisticated ones. You can read up on the symbols later. The simple, intimate images really activate your intuition. I did a few simple spreads, and I found I didn't even feel like checking the companion booklet for meanings; and even when I did, the meanings in the booklet seemed less clear to me than my own instinctual response to the cards was. This is totally new, as I am very much used to processing everything on an intellectual level before I can even access the emotion behind it. Which, of course, makes you constantly question your interpretations. With this deck, I wasn't questioning, or arguing with my own brain; I was talking to the cards, saying, "OK, so you're telling me THIS, and I know exactly why you'd say it... and this other card is showing a different perspective on it, but I can relate to that as well, because I see how the two energies complement one another in my life, and in this current situation". It was as if I suddenly got "plugged in" to the actual wisdom of the universe.;-D Who knew. *blinks*

Anyway... let me show you a few examples of what I'm talking about. ( Read more... )