Living in the Spirit of WWJD and WWBD

Today's Draw: Forgiveness from the William Blake Tarot. Do you think Christ's/Buddha's lessons are a good ideal for us to live up to? Are they ideals you consciously pursue in your own life? How good of a job do you think you do at it?

Any tarot reader will tell you that the tarot can seem to take on a personality of its own. It can be funny, stubborn, frank, kind...you name it. So I go to choose lesson five of Five Lessons to Learn Before You DIE!!! and I come up with Forgiveness, which we discussed on Tuesday. Traditionally that card is Temperance in the tarot, which is about balance, which hearkens back to Wednesday's lesson. So I throw it back into the deck, shuffle again and get the 10 of Music which basically says to raise your life to that of a sublime art. Which is pretty much what we discussed yesterday. It also speaks of peace, which was our entire last week!

*throws hands up in exasperation*

So I grab the Forgiveness card back and give it another look. And from that look, I came up with today's lesson, which is living in the spirit of Christ. Yeah, I know. Not what some of you would expect from me. But the thing is, whether or not you take Bible stories literally or have a Christian, Semitic or non-Christian take on Jesus, the lessons attached to his name hold value. In fact, if it makes you more comfortable, consider instead what Buddha would do. Or Allah. Or whatever ideal of love and acceptance you believe in.

So, Christ embodies forgiveness, which we've already discussed. That lesson, by the way, stirred up a lot in people and resulted in a great conversation on my Facebook page. But here are few other things Christ would do that we seem to lose sight of:

     •  Live in acceptance and non-judgment

     •  Love your enemies

     •  Heal with/through your heart

     •  Give to those less fortunate

     •  Be humble

     •  Walk in faith and grace

     •  Live genuinely and not in hypocrisy

In essence, living as Christ would requires living in love. If you had to boil it down to one thing, love would be it. So that brings yesterday's message of service and living life as a sacred act to mind. Love is how you do it. Did you just drive to work in love? Did you cook dinner in love? Did you interact with that stranger in love? 

This is the second card I chose for today.

Chances are, somewhere in word, thought or deed, you fell short of the mark somewhere along the line. We all do. But the more we try, the closer we get to another part of Monday's lesson of the Hermit. (Bet you were wondering how Monday escaped being covered by this card.) Part of the Hermit's pursuit is to find a way align and blend with source...to evolve into a divine state of consciousness known as Christ Consciousness. 

You don't have to believe in Christ to live your life in Christ Consciousness. It's just a term for that place that everyone on a spiritual path journeys to reach....the state of enlightenment that Buddha found...a union of oneness with your god...ultimate surrender. 

Let's face it. Many of us will never achieve this state permanently here on earth. But we can all catch glimpses of it in our own lives. And we can make those glimpses last longer and longer, along with the joy and freedom they bring. So while the WWJD thing has long become trite and eye-roll worthy, the spirit behind it is really the ultimate lesson we should all learn before we die—a master lesson that encompasses all others. Best thing is, you can start today.

PS: For those who are only marginally familiar with tarot, this week's draws give a good idea of how tarot can examine and answer a question. I think all five draws revealed lessons that any spiritual teacher would agree are not just worthy of learning in this lifetime, but also key to our spiritual evolution.So while many consider tarot to be woo-woo or fortune telling, it's more of way of gaining unique and revealing insights into our personal situations—insights we and our friends are too close to the situation to see ourselves.

5/7/12—Taking Emotion Out Of Decisions

Today's Draw: Woman of Science from the William Blake Tarot. Do you tend to make emotional or knee-jerk decisions? Or do you tend to collect relevant evidence first, then wait until you can make an objective decision? Has your approach to decision making changed anytime recently?

Today's card is about seeking out pertinent data and taking a methodical approach to solving a problem. The ladies in the card are all being very precise and scientific. They have put their emotions aside. And rather than making assessments of the situation, they are simply collecting information at this time. Later they can view all the information as a whole and draw more informed conclusions.

Too often, we make decisions in the moment that don't have to be made in the moment. And, if you're like me, you often let emotions drive those decisions. I honestly feel like I've never made a decision I regret. I have no use for regrets in my life. Things are what they are. But even though I don't regret any of the decisions I've made, I can see where I could have made better decisions if I had just slowed down enough to take emotion out of it. And not just made better decisions, but also exited situations more gracefully and calmly.

One of the things I've done in the past is walk away from things too quickly. But over the last year or so, I've taken my time and thought things through more. Back in February I wrote about a meetup group that I quit going to. It was something I thought about for a long time...weighed options and everything. I didn't let emotions rule my decision. And by giving myself the opportunity to be more objective, I was able to see the "truth" of the situation...my role, the role of others, the motivations beneath actions....what I would be losing, what I would be gaining.

In the end, I think it was a good decision. I didn't make a fool out of myself upon leaving. I didn't walk away in anger or take a final parting shot. I just walked away. And while making the decision itself was a bit emotional, once it was made I was able to let go. I really haven't missed those meetups at all and I thought I would.

Turns out I would have made the same decision if I had made a flip emotional decision, though. The difference is, if I had relied entirely on emotions, in retrospect I would have questioned the intentions behind the decision and wondered if I had walked away in a huff. Not out of regret, really. But it would have been part of a pattern I had followed before...one that would always make me question if I walked away out of fear or hurt or whatever. It's one thing to have hurt initiate a departure and another thing to have it drive one. And my objective is to not have emotions drive my decisions in ways it has in the past.

When we take the time to step outside of an initial drama, we have the wits about us to make a more measured decision. We can look back at the pattern of a dynamic. We can see the "truth" of the relationship or situation. Maybe it's one-time thing and we're being silly and emotional. Or maybe it's part of a pattern that we're tired of repeating. Of course, this goes for happy decisions and bad, yesses and nos, joining and quitting, blah, blah, blah. 

On Friday we talked about clearing the fields. This is kind of related to that. It's saying that if you're going to clear the fields, at least give yourself the benefit of a measured and objective take on the situation. Well, as measured and objective as you can be. And also make a commitment that, once you're done burning the soybean field, you don't just go and plan soybeans again.

So what about you? Are you on the verge of a rash decision?