Feeling Like a Fool

Given that no one ever says “I feel like a fool” after an accomplishment, and certainly there is not much wisdom in taking a long walk off a short cliff, it may come as a surprise that I devote the entirety of this discourse to encouraging you to act like a fool. Foolish or not, that is precisely what I’m doing.

As some of you may know the first card of the Tarot (in most modern decks anyway) is the Fool, numbered 0. As shown above, the traditional depiction is of a naive young man (with nothing but the clothes on his back, a small bag carried over his shoulder on a stick, a flower, and his faithful k-9 companion) blissfully ignorant of the fact that his next step is quite the doozy.  In a reading, the fool can literally mean to be foolish. That is to mean, in the worldly, derogative sense. Or, (and this has been my experience, more often) is indicative of an exciting new undertaking or a fresh start.

So, what can you learn from our seemingly reckless friend? Even if you happen to be the model of consistency - one who has had the same job, friends, and neighbors for as long as you can remember and can’t recall a time when it may have been any different, the Fool can change your life. No, I’m not suggesting you quit your job, move to Vegas, and take the first dancer to say yes as your spouse. After all, such assuredness in one’s life is really what most individuals strive for. Just as the sun shines down on the back of the wandering Fool as he goes about his journey, it shines upon you to start each new day. With yesterday recorded in the annals of history, never to be lived again, and with tomorrow ever at a distance, just out of reach, it is today that is in your hands. While you can’t control others, or sometimes even your overall situation - your outlook, your attitude, and your disposition is entirely in your control. Before your feet leave the bed in the morning, remember the Fool and admire his relentless bravery and endless excitement with which he heads down the path set before him. Then take it as your own. Bring a new found energy to the same life you’ve been living and see how different it will seem.

Now, during the course of your day it may become difficult getting excited about the same Tuesday tuna salad sandwich which has graced your plate every week for years, but try sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on it and suddenly your sandwich gains a new attitude to match your own. Whatever helps bring a little extra excitement into your life, keeping you ever so slightly on your toes. Most importantly, make it habitual to handle any issue with a fresh perspective. Ask yourself, “How would the fool take on this conquest?” Whatever the task at hand, apply your newfound excitement to it and tackle any problems with a keen awareness that these little bumps on the road are nudging you along your life’s journey. And, you never know what might await you around the next bend. Now that’s something to get excited about.

To those of you who don’t have Tuesday tuna salad sandwiches and are already a bit like the fool, in that you have an adventurous nature and love for life, there are still lessons our seemingly ill fated friend can teach you, and that your stable counterparts can use as well.

At times, we all need a bit of a reminder to keep our chins up. For the travel-worn and life-weary, this is more times than most. The fool is not burdened with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Does he have responsibilities and duties? Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not. Either way, what the Fool brings us is the reminder that while the pressures of life may weigh upon the mind, the soul is as weightless as ever. Let not your spirits be broken, but may you lean on the abundant, divine energy which surrounds you to strengthen the soul and reinvigorate your journey. What other wisdom does the fool have to impart on his fellow travelers? Pack light.

I challenge you all, as well as myself, to keep up the happy, vibrant energy of the Fool over the next week and make note of how it affects your days. I look forward to hearing how the experiment goes for you.

Ashe,
  Reverend T.R. Toleri

Anger Management (as proposed through Tarotonic meditation)

           Fact: We are spiritual beings having a physical experience.
           Fact: Our soul craves positive energy like our bodies crave nutrients.
           Fact: It is hard to remember any of that when you’re pissed off!

Now that I have your attention, I’d like to say that this is not a mandated program. You don’t need to have a serious anger problem to appreciate what I have to share with you on this matter. The truth is that as humans we all get angry from time to time. Every now and then, on a particularly bad day, that anger might start to get the best of us and can severely hinder the typically reasonable decision making process that seems to set us apart from the rest of God’s beautiful creation (and of course there’s the thumbs, but let us not split hairs).

Typically I encourage the practice of building up energy, but anger is the wrong kind of energy in most circumstances. It acts like a grain of rice dropped into water, swelling to its maximum size. What to do with an angry rice bomb in your midsection? Get it out! The Magician encourages us to dispel that which cannot serve us and take in only that which will help us meet our goals and continue to blaze our own path. That negative energy has to go somewhere. It’s better that you release it in a controlled manner than have it burst out of you when you throw a vase at your in-laws or put a five inch oblong window in your bedroom door.

To get that negativity out of your body, where it may do serious damage to your spiritual equilibrium as well as to your physiological well-being, try this: Place your feet, bare is better, on the ground (outside is best if that is possible). Imagine that you are rooted to that spot. Clear your mind of everything except your breathing. Take slow, deep breaths while you visualize positive energy circulating throughout your body on the inhale and negative energy leaving your body on the exhale.

Then, picture in your mind the source of universal energy. This is different for everybody so whatever comes to mind embrace it, if that is what feels right. Imagine that a beam of pure white light shoots from the center of this place and through the top of your head. This light fills up your head and extends down through your body, forcing the existing energy down further, eventually filling your entire body and forcing all that negative energy out through the bottom of your feet. This works to expel and neutralize the build-up of negative impulses created by the stagnation of harmful energies. This simple exercise will leave you feeling renewed and at peace. Your mind and body may even feel lighter due to the cleansing powers of the Universal Light Energy. When this is achieved, visualize the beam of white light dispersing slowly into all directions, filling the area around you with positive, healing energy.  Imagine that as the light disperses, the area of your crown chakra (the top of your head) is capped and protected as well. Uproot yourself and go about your day, rejuvenated by the Loving Source Energy that has filled and surrounded you.

     Of course this is only step one. Now that you feel better, it is time to address the cause of the anger so that it is prevented from overtaking you again. There are some situations where it is best not to put yourself back into the fray. You will need to use your best judgment on this issue as you alone know if more damage will be done by trying to resolve the issue or by doing nothing. In most cases, especially among people you interact with on a regular basis, it is best to clear the air. The Two of Cups recommends a calm heart to heart where everything is laid on the table and a productive conversation can boost the healing process. Good communication can do wonders in preventing future conflicts. State your point calmly and in an understanding manner. If it is appropriate, offer an apology for any rash actions or words ushered out of anger and afford the other party the opportunity to respond. Most of the time they will respond back with the same sincerity, inspired to do so by your attempt to make amends. At this point all parties can chalk it up as a learning experience and continue their relationship with a mutual respect. One should never underestimate the power of kind words.

     Anger managed and relationships repaired - thats a wrap, right? Not quite. The Nine of Wands has a message of caution to bestow. While every person should be treated with basic respect, it is a sad fact that not every person will return that common courtesy. In situations where a person continually has a negative affect on your emotional state and who shows no sign of ceasing this pattern, it is not advised to continue allowing them to abuse you in such a fashion.  Be careful to avoid future mistreatment when possible so that you can focus on progressing down your spiritual path instead of making up lost ground.

Ashe,
 Reverend T.R. Toleri

Best Laid Plans

It has long been one of the well established tasks assigned to the man of the house to remove the sack of waste from the inside bin and relocate it to a secondary bin outside to await further relocation. it was this simple task which I set out to do one night that brought me to a spiritual understanding.

Having accomplished the task of relocating my garbage outdoors and on my way to the warmth inside, I noticed a set of eyes in yet another outside trash can. The life form staring at me was either a small mouse or tiny rat, there is still some debate in my mind as to which.

Thinking of my kids playing just beyond the wall where a rat (it might be) studies the structure, planning to get in and sink its diseased teeth into them put me into the mindset that this threat had to be neutralized. Not a problem for a self respecting provider and protector of a beloved family.

Grabbing a handy, heavy crescent wrench and a flashlight, I set to the carefully constructed, elaborate plan I had devised which if flawlessly executed would see a well lit rodent bludgeoned to death with a common tool.

What could thwart this ingenious plan? I had size, strength, and intellect on my side (although some who know me well would say that the latter wad debatable). Also it didn't hurt my cause that the critter was seemingly imprisoned in the bottom of a trash receptacle.

However, when I illuminated the tiny being what I saw was a soul in a miniscule shell, frightened and uncertain as to my intention (although I surmise the creature to be of sufficient intelligence to at least hypothesize that a large being wielding a piece of metal overhead didn't bode well for it). Peering into his eyes I beheld life, a life which I had arbitrarily made the decision  to destroy. I thought about the barbaric nature of what I had intended to do while Mr. Mouse took advantage of my change of heart and made a hasty exit (not so imprisoned after all). It occurred to me that mistreatment and murder of another soul is frighteningly easy when we fail to see it as such. Now, would I kill an animal or person to protect my family or myself? Of course, without hesitation, if the situation warranted. I also support the death penalty for those individuals who have robbed other souls of their sacred right to continue their lives. Such a punishment seems fitting as karmic justice.

But either scenario requires that someone make the same mistake I did, which was fail to see the divine soul of life and respect it. The world would heal as a result of individuals healing themselves spiritually. Heaven on Earth is a reality brought about by a population who experiences heaven within themselves. Such a thing won't happen overnight, but it can't happen without you.

Albert Einstein noted that problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that created them in the first place. With a world seemingly bent on its own destruction I urge all who read this to consider if you could be a more spiritually healthy person. Remember to see the daily world as an extension of spiritual existence and see where the path takes you from there. Together we as individuals can change the world just by changing our understanding of it.

Ashe,
 Reverend T.R. Toleri