December 25, 2014 - "Tidings of Comfort and Joy"

There's magic in the light from candles and oil lamps

As I sit here at the computer, I can hear the strains of "A Christmas Story" playing in the background downstairs.   The remnants of our annual Christmas Eve bacchanalia have been zip-locked and saran-wrapped away and our merry band of revelers currently lie about the living room sleeping off the effects of last night's forbidden foods buffet, as well as the satisfied stupor induced by this morning's gift giving.  Now comes my favorite part of Christmas morning.  The frenzy pulse of the holidays has momentarily slowed to a pleasant, yet companionable beat and now there's time to relax and reflect on the flavor of this year's holiday season. 

For a brief time I also have the luxury of indulging my memory and reliving other Christmas mornings long gone. For the space of an instant, I can touch those who flavored my holidays and who are no longer here to share them. There's more sweetness than bitterness to these moments because they hold enough love to drive away the winter cold and to light my way when darkness descends.

Our memory is capable of granting the most forgiveness of any part of our human nature. That's because while memories play across the screen in our mind, they reside in our hearts.  A heart-felt memory weeds out the slights, the day to day petty annoyances that occurred and leave only the brightest, most luminous of experiences behind to be savored as we would savor a particularly fine brandy, or scotch.  This is one of the best gifts of Christmas – the ability to ponder the sum of all the holidays that came before, moments that appear like images reflected across the perfect sphere of a glass christmas tree ornament. They are enriched by all the colors and smells of the season.

We know that to live consciously we should stay focused in the present moment and that's true, but Christmas is about more than 'shoulds.' To know where we're going it's important to acknowledge where we came from.  When we draw strength and perspective from memories we are using them in the way they were intended.  It's important to stay present with those sharing your holiday this year. That's how we fill our memory banks for future withdrawals. Christmas memories are a gift to ourselves.  They bridge the present with the past and enable us to cross the boundaries of time and space to touch the hearts of those who've gone before us.  They are the best gift we can give ourselves.

Merry Christmas,


LADY ORACLE 

Tarot's Ten of Cups and Ten of Pentacles - The Family Tree

10 of Cups, RWCS
US Games Edition©

In tarot there are two main cards that denote that marvelous societal unit we call a family - the Ten of Cups (joy, happiness, family) and the Ten of Pentacles (prosperity, continuance).  The family unit can be large or small and is defined only by the capacity of its members to love one another regardless of the constraints of distance or circumstance. A family unit is bonded by sharing, be it DNA or a fundamental spiritual kinship.  We have the families of our birth and the families that we choose. There are many ways to celebrate this bond we call ‘family’ and one of the best is the ritual known as, “The Family Reunion.”

Sometimes these gatherings of relatives center around a specific event, like a wedding. Marriages are particularly wonderful, because we are watching the symbolic grafting of a new branch onto the family tree. Other times, reunions spring from the simple desire to spend time with the people who shared the same tree limb as you; to reconnect to the whole.  In both cases we inevitably share stories and remember the history of our line.  In sharing these experiences, we reaffirm our own identity and fulfill a necessary step in the human journey – to belong. 

The Ten of Cups, RWSC, shows us harmony in the basic family unit, parents and children.  A rainbow blazes across the sky as the parents raise their arms to gesture at the symbol of God’s grace in their lives.  The land is well-nourished and the stream flows smoothly. Two children clasp hands and dance around in a circle. It’s a nice image, although some would argue that it’s an over-simplification.  Of course it is.  It’s a card. However, take a moment to consider what happened to get this family to stand, even briefly, under a rainbow.  Storms happened – rain, wind, thunder and lightening.  The stream flooded their world at times and at others, dried up completely. Their world inverted itself, but through it all, they stood together and in the end, when the sun reappeared they had every reason to rejoice as the family unit remained intact.

10 of Pentacles, RWSC
US Games Edition©

Tarot’s Ten of Pentacles shows us family generations.  A grandfather rests in the sun surrounded by the bounty wrought by his life’s work.  An ancestral banner decorates the solid arch of stone that will support succeeding generations.  A traditional young family, mother, father and toddler stand calmly in the background.  They are assured of their place within the walls of this home and that while life as they know it may alter, the bond of family will continue generation after generation. 

Families come in all types and are as diverse as the people within them.  While nothing is perfect and we all fall prey to harboring resentments and arguing, there is still a fundamental connection that endures within the units.  Who and what we become in life is entirely up to us, as is what we take away and what we live behind when we strike out on our own in life.  Still, it is nice to have the opportunity to nourish the roots of our family trees, be they constructed from spirit or from DNA, and to know that they still flourish.  

LADY ORACLE