The Page of Pentacles-the original thanksgiving turkey

The page of Pentacles is an interesting card to have pulled so close to the Holidays.  The flash of meaning I got immediately is that it speaks of youthful dreams and nostolgic-based future creation.
Here's what I mean by that:
The Pages carry messages for others, they don't themselves know who they will be when they grow up.  They are only just coming to understand their own power to create the life they will live.  They are apprentices, really, and their creations are youthful ones, full of idealism and promise. 
They hold the past in their hands (the disc) as a tool to anticipate and create the future, i.e. they create an idea of life based on the dreams and examples of their parents, the boasts of their peer group, the demands and expectations of the educational system, the heros and mores of their culture, etc. 
Their life experiences are limited, fresh and uninformed, and their ideas on how to live are based on what others have told them.  They know what to fear, what to love, what to expect, what to hold dear, what is pleasurable, what is right and what is wrong because their elders and teachers have told them these things.  They have not yet experimented with these concepts and learned how THEY feel about these issues.
Our past can define our present and influence our future in an unconscious way that might not serve the person we have become; for we are not our past.  I think this is one of the most important messages from the universe, that we need to sort out who we are from what we think, what we've been, and what we've done. How do we do that?  I believe that if we feel bad, then what we are doing is not the right thing for us. If we feel good, then we are in alignment with who we are.  Our emotions tell us who we are and who we are not all the time. Using our emotions a our guide, we can discover our true nature.
A friend of mine spoke of a civics teacher who taught him how to think critically.  He had worked very hard on an essay that basically rubber-stamped his parent's beliefs.  After laboring over it, he reread it with his newly aquired critical eye and realized with a shock that he really didn't believe anything he had written.  His life as a Page was over, no longer was he interested in carrying his parent's messages into the world.  It was time for him to move away from his parent's ideas and form his own views in order to live a more authentic life.
Thanksgiving and the winter holidays can be stressful times.
Because of their repetative nature, they allow us to see and feel the split between who we are NOW and who we were then so much more clearly.  If the split is percieved as a painful wound seperating you from yourself and your loved ones, the holidays are a miserable affair.  If the split is understood as a record of your growth on your journey toward your authentic self, then you will be able to see and celebrate how far you've come.  When looked at in this way, the holidays can be a true time of enjoyment. 
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kristine
I mys

Temperance

For some reason, I am reluctant to analize this card.  It feels like too much to me, so that is a sure sign that this is a card I need to look at.

An angel with red wings pours water from one goblet into another.  She stands with one foot on the land and one in the water.  In the background a path over the foohills and into the mountains leads to a shinning crown.  Three yellow lillies grow on her left, one bud and two in full flower.

The red wings are interesting.  Red is the color of passion, and passion and angels just don't seem to go together.  Passion and temperance don't seem to go together either, so perhaps the red wings indicate that passion is what lifts and motivates us out of our everyday cares and woes and into more inspirational and inspiring activities.  That idea feels pretty good.
 
The feet placed both on land and in the water indicate  the willingness to be rooted in "reality" (i.e. accept what is) and at the same time the willingness to accept change and flow in one's life and to be guided by one's emotional nature.
 
The water being poured from one cup to another tell us that despite our perspective on any subject, there is no duality, no good or bad, victim or vicimizer; all is truly one if we have the wisdom to let go of our ridgid constructs and let life flow.

Lillies symbolize purity, chastity, and innocence. Yellow lilies represent the pure joy of the spirit that show us our own beauty and creative importance in this world of ours. The flowers are our current blessings, and the bud indicates the growth of more in our lives if we cultivate our ability to appreciate what we have.

The path shows us the way towards enlightenment (the crown representing the crown chakra).  Sometimes the path is gentle, sometimes hard and rocky, but, as O Sensei said , "There are many roads to the top of Mt. Fuji, but the summit is always love."

Temperance, the title of the card, reminds me of the old Greek adage, "Everything in moderation".  It reminds us to take things slow, be patient, and allow life to show us the way.  Don't try to force anything, even spiritual growth.  Trust yourself, trust life, and all will be well with you.

Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I guess the lesson is to trust what's in front of me, begin the enquiry, be patient, and new understandings will emerge easily and naturally.  This is just the message from the universe that I need.  I hope you benefit from it too.
Love, Kristine

Translating Daily-ness Into Happiness

This morning I dropped my daughter off at the BART station. She was heading into the city for her first day of the Spring semester at Acadamy Art. I went on to my Tai Chi class in Berkeley, found the perfect parking spot, and turned to the back seat to locate my purse. What I found there was my daughter's art supplies.

Oh Oh.

Only one thing to do. I headed for the freeway to San Francisco. It was jam-packed at the toll bridge. Even with a fast pass it took me 30 minutes to get through it. While I was waiting, I connected with my daughter (I love cell phones) and arranged a spot to meet her and called my husband for advice on how to get to the meeting place.

Then I was off! Crossing the bridge, I felt the tension in my body. Why was I so anxious? True, driving to and in the city can be a nightmare, but it could also be fun. Kelsey might be a little late for her class, but at least she'd get there with what she needed to participate.

I was already, in my unconscous mind, rehearsing having a bad experience. I recognized that that was what I was doing by feeling the rapid beating of my heart and seeing my white knuckles gripping the black steering wheel.

I decided to let what might happen go and focus on what was happening.

I was on an adventure and a mission of mercy. I was slipping out of the ordinary groove of my Tuesday morning and taking an unexpected trip to the city instead. I was helping my daughter out of an uncomfortable spot and felt really grateful that I had the flexibility to do that. The day was pleasent, the other drivers seemed to know what they were doing, I took a few wrong turns, righted myself, and showed up on the corner of Howard and Montgomery almost by accident and quicker than I expected.

All was well. My girl was a bit late for class, but at least she had her materials. I headed back across the bridge feeling much better.

Mission accomplished.

On the way home I heard a quote from Chekov: "A crisis is easy to weather. It's the daily grind that wears you down."

I guess so. This minor crisis did wear on me, though, but it also made me realize how hard it is for me to relax when I go off the beaten path of my regular life.

There is some comfort in following your schedule instead of your heart, but there can be a stagnancy to life if one is too vested in doing so.

I guess what I want is for it to be all good: both the doing of my usual routine and the handling of something unexpected that takes me out of it. Both add up to my life. Why not enjoy them and trust that, even if it feels like you're off the path, there's no way you can be off YOUR path.

This is my life journey. I'm going to walk it with joy. It's all there is.