Better Than Dead

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Random quote of the day:

 

“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.

—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Aphorisms

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

“I’d ever dreamed before…”

I dreamed about my close personal friend, Johnny Depp.* Although we’d been very close for quite some time, he started holding me at arms’ length. Not only that, he implied to anyone who inquired that we’d never been close. He’d only been humoring/being kind to me/I was delusional. This hurt quite a lot because he and I both knew this wasn’t so.

My friend, Lisa, told me, “You know what he’s like. He’s really close with someone for awhile, then he gets restless and moves on.” I know it was Lisa because it felt like her, but she only ever appeared in shadow.

“I know, you’re right,” I said. “Still hurts.”

Now, if we look at this in a Jungian light, I myself am everyone who appears in this dream (sorry, Lisa). So, perhaps a part of myself has gotten restless with my old self and has decided to move on. Or I’ve left behind a part of myself that isn’t working. And my shadowy right brain is telling me not to worry, these things happen. I’ll get over myself.

Either that, or it means something else entirely and I’ll have to think on it some more.

Or not. Moving on is always a good option.

*I do not know Mr. Depp in real life. Why my unconscious chose him for this appearance I have yet to figure out. Unless it’s that whole Wino Forever thing.

Random quote of the day:

 

“Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.”

—William Blake, “Proverbs of Hell,” The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

I have been struggling and thinking and trying to formulate for months a way of explaining my odd admixture of rationality and belief. Most notably (and in long-winded fashion), here. It’s been itching at me ever since someone accused me of being irrational because I refused to slam the door shut on the existence of extraordinary possibilities. “No, that’s not it,” I wanted to say, but everything I came up with sounded defensive.

Then I heard a piece on NPR back in December that really nailed it for me. I’ve been meaning to blog about it ever since, but things have a way of getting away from me these days. I revisited the piece today, and Eric Weiner says everything I’ve wanted to say, only far more eloquently and succinctly than my own flailings. I urge you to read (or listen) to the entire brief essay. But here’s the encapsulating bit for me:

The debate between faith and reason is a false one. Science and religion don’t occupy the same turf. Saying, “Now that we have science, there is no reason for religion” is like saying, “Now that we have the microwave oven, we have no use for Shakespeare.” We need both, of course. Only then can we lead fully rounded lives.

—Eric Weiner, “A Quest To Seek The Sublime In The Spiritual,” National Public Radio, December 20, 2011

With all due respect to my atheist friends, I am never quite convinced by the arguments of people like Christopher Hitchens (and especially not Richard Dawkins). (And no, atheist friends, I don’t want to debate this with you. Use your own pulpit to preach your message.) What these gentlemen fail to comprehend is that religion is just the excuse for people to behave badly. If people didn’t have religion to use as a rationale for their prejudices and hatred, they’d find something else. The rise of environmental terrorists and animal activist terrorists proves this. Any cause will do if you are of a mind to create destruction and chaos and think your point of view trumps everyone else’s.

I don’t consider myself religious. I have no religious affiliation—although I have incorporated the views of many religions into my worldview. I consider myself spiritual. I consider myself a quester. I am comfortable with doubt as a part of my spiritual makeup. I think doubt is a healthy thing, and quixotic questions the ultimate spiritual guide. I accept that the universe doesn’t always make sense. It is a quantum paradise, with a seething mass of complicated questions that no facile answers can ever fully address. I am content that it should be so.

Random quote of the day:

 

“Think of this fleeting life…like a bubble rising in a stream, a falling star, a phantom, a dream.”

—The Diamond Sutra

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”

—attributed to Paul Valéry

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Inspired by that Albert Einstein quote from the other day…

Solitude
is a beautiful thing.
Not loneliness, that bitter,
twisted root—but aloneness,
the chance to be filled with the silent
whispers of the world, to feel the golden sun
shining for you alone, to express the hope that
brushes loving fingers through the contemplative mind.

Solitude
is the best friend
you will ever have—the warm,
caressing friend allowing you space,
time and stillness, who comes whenever
you fight your way out of the crowd into silence,
into peace,  oneness, and the deep, sustaining breath
of freedom.

Random quote of the day:

 

“If three people tell you you’re drunk, lie down.”

—Irish/Hungarian/Yiddish/American proverb
(Variously attributed to all these nationalities.)

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

I won’t pretend that I was a big fan of Whitney Houston. I didn’t dislike her. I admired her incredible voice and that spark she had in her youth. It’s been tragic watching such a gifted woman take a long, painful slide to the bottom. She died way too young and I can’t help wishing that somebody, somewhere had been able to help her help herself. Because other people do not make you sober. That’s something that has to come from within.

Still, I shed tears for her this morning. It wasn’t the rehash of the Grammy tribute, her powerful version of I Will Always Love You, or any of her other hits. It was, of all things, hearing her sing the Star-Spangled Banner. That moment was such a triumph for her, coming at a time right after 911 when America was on the ground, desperately looking for a way to get back up and move forward. Whitney Houston’s simple but amazing rendition of the national anthem somehow encapsulated America’s yearning for a reason to keep going. She was truly and utterly ours in that moment, and she gave us the gift of hope and pride that helped us find our own way towards recovery.

But there was, apparently, no one who could give her the same gift. Maybe they tried, and she just couldn’t translate that help into something that worked for her. Even if it turns out that drugs and alcohol played no part in her death, they still had a hold on her, making her a mockery of her former glorious self. She hit the ground hard and never really got up, though she struggled on and off to get her feet back under her. For whatever reason, her inner demons were stronger than her wonderful gifts.