“Heaven is in the breast. Eternity is now.” – Marie White
The serpent is presented in some way in almost every card in this deck. To me it is a very powerful totem.
“People with the snake as their totem are often finding that they are going through constant changes in their lives that they usually move through smoothly. They have a natural ability to balance energy and often Snake totem people are gifted healers.“
Disks represents the element of Earth, Its symbol is the Pentacle. It asks us to logically ask ourselves if we are really making the right choices that lead to balance in all areas of our lives including our finances, work, and family life. Fives are about instability, conflict, change, and stress. They are about seeing your struggles and getting a deeper connection to rules and laws be they universal laws or the laws put in place within societies. The fives represent a literal turning point that exposes the bigger issues so we can see the bigger issues and realize that actual change needs to take place in our lives in order for things to improve.
Rules and laws are not necessarily meant to control us even though we think they do control us. We always have free will. We get to choose whether we follow the rules or not. But, very early in life, we are taught that there are consequences for choosing to disobey them. They are designed to bring harmony and balance within the world we live in. Most people understand the consequences of rules and law. They try to live their life with honor. But, to create real change in our lives, we need to look inside of ourselves and really see who we really are.
Do we really live our lives honorably or are we putting a mask up that hides our true nature? Mostly, I feel that, in life, we shed the old and begin again, slipping out of and into different skins as we evolve.
Many people believe that humans are naturally created to be rule breakers. The majority of the myths I have read about show that we begin with a void. We enter into a state of chaos then order begins to develop as a creation evolves. It is a natural part of the creation process. Humans mostly start out good and end up with a fall from grace at some point. In Christianity, I was taught that we fail at life the moment we take our first breath. Humans are flawed in general and they most often choose chaos over balance whether they admit it to themselves or not.
The universal laws that cross many belief systems express that if we are to achieve our highest state being, we are tasked with looking inside and actually creating peace within ourselves by connecting with our higher self. In essence, we decide for ourselves how happy we are or are not by the choices we make. This is most often a major undertaking and it can take a lifetime or in some cases many lifetimes to achieve this.
Part of achieving this is consciously stopping and making the choice to do the work of faces ourselves, our flaws as well as our assets. Recently I have noticed that many people no matter the ideology feel that it is important for us to find a way to get ourselves grounded and balanced internally. More and more, I see and hear conversations in which people are talking about taking time to seperate ourselves from the chaos of the world and sit on a beach, take a hike, meditate, pray, listen to music and connect with and listen to the small voice that whispers to us from within.
It is thought that this voice is our higher self telling us what is right or wrong for us. We have become so wrapped up in trying to fit into the world and obtain all the “necessary” material possessions that we have begun to lose our ability to hear this voice. We spend a lot of time worrying about how we look and what others think about us. I agree with this. It took me almost a year of no television or radio to actually begin to not just hear but also connect with and act in accordance with the voice inside myself without fear of worrying about what others think of me. I still find myself wandering back into this mindset now and again, but it is getting easier and easier for me to acknowledge it and redirect my thinking. But, I am getting there.
If you are reading this card, you most likely can relate to the circumstances described here. If you are just seeing this concept for the first time know that awareness is the first step toward creating change. Consider beginning the journey and see where it takes you. If your on this journey already, stop, breathe, meditate and find a way to ground yourself and hone your focus. This is the journey that leads to deep soul healing and any venture with that kind of promise is worth taking even if you just keep beginning it again and again. There will be breakthroughs. Celebrate the tiny as well as the great moments of clarity. You are worth the effort.
Mary El Tarot – Landscapes Of The Abyss, Marie White