Bottle Cap Tarot

Every now and again words of wisdom pop up in the strangest places. I shake my head and chuckle when that happens. It's the strip of words in a fortune cookie striking a chord. Or the magazine ad attempting to catch the consumer's eye catching the heart instead. Or the teabag tag with literary quotes.

Or it shows up on a bottle cap: Live life to the fullest.

In the midst of today's craziness with the media bombarding us with the most devastating and negative information. With governments in every sector taking strong or threatening or isolating stances. With events in nature distracting and destroying. All around us, something offers the opportunity to step into a defensive mode.

What of all this negativity and defensive posturing is truly in our best interest? My first response would be, 'None.' Simplistic and reactionary. Realistically, some of it is in our best interest. Knowing what's true about climate change is in our best interest even if it makes us sad or angry or defensive....maybe even because it does. Seeing the devastation caused by war-like behaviors and natural disasters help balance out our perspective on things that go wrong in our own lives. Awareness of governmental shifts that may adversely affect those with little or no voice is important to know so we can join our voices on those issues.

Of lesser importance is the posturing of angry men ~ and women ~ who may have authority and power, yet are mainly looking to keep us distracted. There is a sleight of hand happening over which we have no personal power.

At the times of our greatest frustrations, we need to keep in mind the wisdom of this little bottle cap: Live life to the fullest. We are responsible for our own lives. We are accountable only for our own actions, including our attitudes and our happiness. Life is for living fully. As we reach out to those we who are nearest and dearest to us, we experience moments of joy, peace and contentment. Our capacity to step into those experiences thwarts the power of the negativity and the naysayers. We take control of the definition of a full life. It's the best form of rebellion and resistance we have.

How do you respond to the negativity in the news today? What do you find works in your best interest? How do you break away from participating in the negativity? How do you define a full life? How do you share your definition with those around you? What is it about your definition that keeps you positive?

Starting Over

Every now and again, I get the feeling that it's time to start over. Time to renew my commitment to myself so that I can be better and stronger and braver as I step forward into the world. Today is one of those days.

Recently, I've felt a bit lost, a bit confused, and more than a bit scared. Those feelings were caused by patterns of thoughts about my shortcomings and lacks. Those were the emotions of negativity. When I feel that way or think that way, I have difficulty connecting positively with the world. I'm a bit more paranoid about those around me ~~ "They must see how ____ (fill in with nasty, self-derogatory word/s) I am."

I don't feel that way about myself now. I've been working on those thought patterns and recognize that stress and loss can color how I see myself. And with those new patterns of thought come a renewed sense of purpose and belief in myself, in my capacity to be strong, to learn, to love and to keep moving forward. I don't know that I expect it to be easy and have no pitfalls or slips into the negativity. What I do expect is that I will become more quickly aware of the moments when I dip into that kind of thinking and feeling and make the choice to change to the 'higher vibration' of thought.

What do you do when you begin to feel bad about something you've said or done? How do you treat yourself at those times? How quickly or slowly do you forgive yourself and move on? Does it make a difference in your life?