exerpts taken from the diary of a broken soul

[shadowdancer]

Well said there Ash

A being who is not disillusioned at some time in their life would not have a true awareness of balance of what is within or without. It would show we haven't used free will to decide what we accept and what we reject. The thought of accepting everything would blow me apart in some ways. And there is so much in this world we have every right to be disillusioned with, just as there is a lot we should be embracing and welcoming with open arms.



So, the 7 of cups...mmm wonder which way they are bobbing? What have they left and what are they heading towards? And you know what? I am racking my brain here to try and figure out why they are bobbing in the position they are in. Something tells me this would not be possible, so will spend some time and really dive in to what my brain is trying to tell me. (Got someone arriving in a few mins so can't do it right now, but this is intriguing)

Davina

 

[shadowdancer]

Well, I have had another look (and will keep going back for further reflection - your cards always seem to have that pull with me)
and one thought was....

I can picture myself standing to the side of this channel with one of those fairground hooks you have. You know, where you have to hook a duck and when you turn it over, it tells you what you may (or probabably didn't) win?

I feel I want to get one of those chalices out before it moves away from me, just to see what is inside, if anything. They are all bowl downwards, and that to me shows I just HAVE to find a way of turning one over to have a look. If one had been upright, I may not have felt that level of curiosity. However, my imagination has been piqued. As I said already, it seems against the laws of physics or something, the way they are all bowl downwards. I just could not let that go unexamined.

The other option is to follow them, and just see where they go. Not sure I would have the patience for that - the water looks on the surface anyways, to be rather slow moving.

This is just my first thought... I know more will come.



Davina

 

[sacredashes]

The cups will flow according to the tides; its course lie beyond our control. If in Jahanam, what appears to the naked eye seems to defy reality as we know it, perhaps it is because what we know as reality may in fact be the illussion we accept as reality.

I have a friend who is living a heartbreak even as I write. Plagued by nightmares where monsters come to life; it is my heartbreak to know another feels such pain.

So I wrote her a message and sent it on butterfly wings; so it may reach her and sooth the wound where the heart once resided.

I told her that sometimes what we cannot accept in reality, we live out in our dreams;

Our psyche is trying to protect itself so we process our pain through our dreams;

And numbness is a painkiller that shields us from our heartbreak;

For what is pain but beauty disguised within our human experience;

'Tis a pity we cannot bear to feel the touch of beauty in all its horrible glory;

Instead we shrink in denial and we cower behind the petals of illusion hoping for salvation that will never come;

Until we stare the sacred beast in the eye.

**Send a prayer out to my friend if you can; that she may heal from this experience a stronger person.**


Ash

 

[flying black kat]

Dearest Ash:

Beautiful and elgent as always.

Be at Peace with Yourself.

Kathy

 

[shadowdancer]

Ash, you are obviously very empathic and naturally so. That is a terrific thing to have in a friend.
Read your words twice and sent out focussed thoughts for her when doing so.
That sort of journey is not one that can always be shared or fully understood, and from what I have witnessed in others, it is sometimes a painfully long road to travel.

take care

Davina

 

[sacredashes]

Kathy, to you always.

Davina, wise words spoken by an old soul trapped in a mortal shell.

I did not ask the sender's permission to post this here but I think the person would not mind very much if I did share what she wrote...

... I really enjoy reading Darvina's posts about your deck....

I must say I agree with this statement. Your insights have been valuable; as with many others who have visited me here. to you as well.

Ash

 

[sacredashes]

3 of Cups

I have come to believe that our greatest pleasure is derived from our relationships with each other yet our greatest source of despair also springs from the same source.

There is no need to mend anything when there is enough laughter and merriment to go around. All is good; all is well. But it is when we are at our lowest that we will come to know who would suffer our weakneses as they would love our strengths.

So I went looking for what this card meant; seen through different lenses:

Excerpt taken from the Gospel of Barnabas

"...But the friend is a singular thing, that is not easily found, but is easily lost. For the friend will not suffer contradiction against him whom he supremely loveth. Beware, be ye cautious, and choose not for friend one who loveth not him whom ye love. Know ye what friend meaneth? Friend meaneth naught but physician of the soul. And so, just as one rarely findeth a good physician who knoweth the sicknesses and understandeth to apply the medicines thereto, so also are friends rare who know the faults and understand how to guide unto good. But herein is an evil, that there are many who have friends that feign not to see the faults of their friend; others excuse them; others defend them under earthly pretext; and, what is worse, there are friends who invite and aid their friend to err, whose end shall be like unto their villainy. Beware that ye receive not such men for friends, for that in truth they are enemies and slayers of the soul...."

More insights can be found here. Knock yourself out

Henri Nouwen:

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh:

If one is estranged from oneself, then one is estranged from others too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others.

Epicurus:

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us. 3rd century BCE

Ash

 

[shadowdancer]

well, I can say hand on heart I have learned something on a personal level this morning having read your description and seen the card - my definition of a true friend has altered. Seeing someone close suffer and not being able to do anything to help has often left me with feelings of despair and of personal failure. Being a complimentary therapist I am always telling my students and remdinding myself there is no guarantee offered of improvement or cure, yet find I often fail to take that guidance on myself when applying it to friends or family. I have been aware of this, but your text hit a chord and will help me in the long run.....

It is okay to not be able to help. It is also okay to not offer the help at times. Sometimes they have to follow their path to get where they are destined to be. Knowing when that is applicable and taking that step back to allow them is key. But the key is also to take only one step back. That way you are still there with them, ready for any such time you can do more.

Thanks for that Ash. You have just taught me something of importance. I knew it already, but knowing and understanding are two different things entirely.

Now to the card. The characters are not the main focus here, and that made me think in the absence of obvious physical character traits. I think I need to add here it also makes me realise stereoptyping and making assumptions are wrong. My first thought was that one has possibly shot up or taken drugs in some way, and the other person is just there with them. Then it made me think - that action is considered to be wrong in many areas of society, and would be wrong in my mind. The person who stayed with them is not judging them or giving advise. They are there with them, possibly for a period of hours to make sure no harm comes to them. Look how close they are to the water. In a drug induced state that is possibly an accident waiting to happen. That made me further realise this selfless action is showing me what a true friend is, and is a reminder of what you highlighted in your text. Would I have turned my back on someone doing that, out of my dislike of drug taking? You know, I probably would have done. And that makes me feel uncomfortable, as it makes me realise I have a lot to learn about being a friend.

Now, there is every chance that is not what is happening under the bridge there. I have to look long at hard at myself as to why that was my first instinct and what it tells me about ME.

As for the person on the bridge, I think they are a great inclusion here. I could see them as the person who walks by, fully aware of what is happening but pretends they haven't seen it, or turn away so as not to see. They could represent most of society I grew up in - the people hurrying on the underground in London yet feet away from them is someone really down on their luck and just asking for some money to buy enough to eat. (Music lyrics from a track by Thunder called Low Life in High Places comes to mind)

When you compare the two characters, ironically the one walking by in the distance will believe they are the better person... yet when you analyse this, the one who is the angel without wings is the one next to them on the bridge. Yet they will often be the ones cast aside by society.

Yep, this really made me think. And I love how it shows something totally opposite to a happy celebratory scene. Because those friends are often fair weather friends. Will turn up when there might be something in it for them (free booze and grub!) but will be surprisingly busy or otherwise committed when that call comes in the middle of thenight asking for much needed help

thanks for this Ash. A very different take and energy of a card I very rarely have appear in readings. with this sort of slant, I reckon it may come up more often as it has meatier relevance.

Sorry for the long ramblings. I had to write down my thoughts as honestly as I could as they came into my head. WHen I look at the card again, no doubt more will tumble out. Maybe I will visualise a different scenario and will see things differently again. (I love cards which can do that... your deck and mine are special in that way but heck I know I am biased

Davina

 

[sacredashes]

Farewell

'Tis time to bid you farewell. The gate is closed henceforth. I wish you a good journey, live well, may the gods smile upon you and yours.

Ash

 

[shadowdancer]

Ash, I am very saddened to see you go, yet understand journeys do come to end, or at the very least - are destined to take a different course.

I will wish you all the best here, and hope our paths are destined to cross again. I will still be visiting your website, so as to give myself the opportunity of seeing the incredible images you have created to date. There is so much there they can still teach me, enlighten me with, make me aware of etc.

If the gate should open again, whereby you return I will hope to be here to welcome you back with open arms. I really do hope this is not a final farwell we are seeing.

take care and safe journey to you also.

Davina