The Osho Fix

So I got to wondering what the Osho Zen Tarot would say about the situation with my mother and what (if anything) could be done about it... (And if you didn't read that post, this might not make any sense.) I did a one card reading first, looking for a simple answer, and here it is:
 

Every moment there is a possibility to be total. Whatsoever you are doing, be absorbed in it so utterly that the mind thinks nothing, is just there, is just a presence. And more and more totality will be coming. And the taste of totality will make you more and more capable of being total. And try to see when you are not total. Those are the moments which have to be dropped slowly, slowly. When you are not total, whenever you are in the head--thinking, brooding, calculating, cunning, clever--you are not total. Slowly, slowly slip out of those moments. It is just an old habit. Habits die hard. But they die certainly--if one persists, they die.

And I'm sure that if I were to be totally total... whenever I'm in the moment with my mother. Letting go of the resistance, the expectations, the disappointments, the need to be heard, the desire to fix... that would be big... but can I do it? Maybe.... over time.... I dunno...

So, because that was so helpful, I went ahead and did a relationship spread. It was actually pretty good.

Imagining yourself, click the backside of the first card to display the first card. This is about You and what you are contributing to the relating here/now.

One moment it was there, another moment it is gone. One moment we are here, and another moment we have gone. And for this simple moment, how much fuss we make! How much violence, ambition, struggle, conflict, anger, hatred, just for this small moment! Just waiting for the train in a waiting room on a station, and creating so much fuss: fighting, hurting each other, trying to possess, trying to boss, trying to dominate - all that politics. And then the train comes and you are gone forever.

Commentary:

The figure in this card is completely covered in armor. Only his glare of rage is visible, and the whites of the knuckles on his clenched fists. If you look closely at the armor, you can see it's covered with buttons, ready to detonate if anybody so much as brushes up against them. In the background we see the shadowy movie that plays in this man's mind - two figures fighting for a castle.

An explosive temper or a smoldering rage often masks a deep feeling of pain. We think that if we frighten people away, we can avoid being hurt even more. In fact, just the opposite is the case. By covering our wounds with armor we are preventing them from being healed. By lashing out at others we keep ourselves from getting the love and nourishment we need.

If this description seems to fit you, it's time to stop fighting. There is so much love available to you if you just let it in. Start by forgiving yourself: you're worth it.

Imagining the other, click the backside of the second card to display the second card. This represents the other's input to the relationship or situation.

When you are alone you are not alone, you are simply lonely - and there is a tremendous difference between loneliness and aloneness. When you are lonely you are thinking of the other, you are missing the other.


Loneliness is a negative state. You are feeling that it would have been better if the other were there - your friend, your wife, your mother, your beloved, your husband. It would have been good if the other were there, but the other is not. Loneliness is absence of the other.


Aloneness is the presence of oneself. Aloneness is very positive. It is a presence, overflowing presence. You are so full of presence that you can fill the whole universe with your presence and there is no need for anybody.

Commentary:

When there is no "significant other" in our lives we can either be lonely, or enjoy the freedom that solitude brings. When we find no support among others for our deeply felt truths, we can either feel isolated and bitter, or celebrate the fact that our vision is strong enough even to survive the powerful human need for the approval of family, friends or colleagues.

If you are facing such a situation now, be aware of how you are choosing to view your "aloneness" and take responsibility for the choice you have made.

The humble figure in this card glows with a light that emanates from within. One of Gautam Buddha's most significant contributions to the spiritual life of humankind was to insist to his disciples, "Be a light unto yourself." Ultimately, each of us must develop within ourselves the capacity to make our way through the darkness without any companions, maps or guide.

Click the backside of the third card to display the third card. This represents the composite energies, the two of you together.

Man is split. Schizophrenia is a normal condition of man--at least now. It may not have been so in the primitive world, but centuries of conditioning, civilization, culture and religion have made man a crowd--divided, split, contradictory.... But because this split is against his nature, deep down somewhere hidden the unity still survives. Because the soul of man is one, all the conditionings at the most destroy the periphery of the man. But the center remains untouched--that's how man continues to live. But his life has become a hell.


The whole effort of Zen is how to drop this schizophrenia, how to drop this split personality, how to drop the divided mind of man, how to become undivided, integrated, centered, crystallized. The way you are, you cannot say that you are. You don't have a being. You are a marketplace--many voices. If you want to say 'yes', immediately the 'no' is there. You cannot even utter a simple word 'yes' with totality.... In this way happiness is not possible; unhappiness is a natural consequence of a split personality.

Commentary:

The person on this card brings a new twist to the old idea of "getting stuck between a rock and a hard place"! But we are in precisely this sort of situation when we get stuck in the indecisive and dualistic aspect of the mind. Should I let my arms go and fall head-first, or let my legs go and fall feet-first? Should I go here or there? Should I say yes or no? And whatever decision we make, we will always wonder if we should have decided the other way. The only way out of this dilemma is, unfortunately, to let go of both at once. You can't work your way out of this one by solving it, making lists of pros and cons, or in any way working it out with your mind. Better to follow your heart, if you can find it. If you can't find it, just jump--your heart will start beating so fast there will be no mistake about where it is!

Click the backside of the fourth card to display the fourth card. This represents The Insight. And in my case, gives me a positive "to do" task.

In Sanskrit the name is alaya vigyan, the house where you go on throwing into the basement things that you want to do but you cannot, because of social conditions, culture, civilization. But they go on collecting there, and they affect your actions, your life, very indirectly. Directly, they cannot face you--you have forced them into darkness, but from the dark side they go on influencing your behavior. They are dangerous, it is dangerous to keep all those inhibitions inside you. It is possible that these are the things that come to a climax when a person goes insane. Insanity is nothing but all these suppressions coming to a point where you cannot control them anymore. But madness is acceptable, while meditation is not--and meditation is the only way to make you absolutely sane.

Commentary:

The figure on this card is quite literally "all tied up in knots". His light still shines within, but he has repressed his own vitality trying to meet so many demands and expectations. He has given up all his own power and vision in return for being accepted by the very same forces that have imprisoned him. The danger of suppressing one's natural energy in this way is apparent in the cracks of a volcanic eruption about to take place around the edges of the image. The real message of the card is to find a healing outlet for this potential explosion. It is essential to find a way to release whatever tensions and stresses might be building up inside you right now. Beat on a pillow, jump up and down, go out into the wilderness and scream at the empty sky--anything to shake up your energy and allow it to circulate freely. Don't wait for a catastrophe to happen.

Wow!

It's always amazing to me when an online java scripting program manages to come up with such an intuitive grasp of a situation. Either that... or I am an extremely powerful person who can manipulate tarot cards even when they aren't actually real but merely a digital representation thereof...

A Color Quiz

I'm getting ready to do a mini-workshop on color therapy and I found this little quiz. Check it out!!

Shirley took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Defiantly opposes any sort of restriction or oppos..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Here's what it said about me:

Your Existing Situation
Imaginative and sensitive; seeking an outlet for these qualities--especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.

Your Stress Sources
Feels that life has far more to offer and that there are still important things to be achieved--that life must be experienced to the fullest. As a result, she pursues her objectives with a fierce intensity that will not let go of things. Becomes deeply involved and runs the risk of being unable to view things with sufficient objectivity, or calmly enough; is therefore in danger of becoming agitated and of exhausting her nervous energy. Cannot leave things alone and feels she can only be at peace when she has finally reached her goal.

Your Restrained Characteristics
Feels trapped in a distressing or uncomfortable situation and seeking some way of gaining relief. Able to achieve satisfaction from sexual activity.
Exacting in her emotional demands, especially during moments of intimacy leaving her frustrated in her desire for a perfect union.

Your Desired Objective
Defiantly opposes any sort of restriction or opposition. Sticks obstinately to her own point of view in the belief that this proves her independence and self-determination.

Your Actual Problem
The fear that she might be prevented from achieving the things she wants drives her to the exploitation of all types of experience, so that she may categorically deny that any of them has any value. This destructive denigration becomes her method of concealing hopelessness and a profound sense of futility.

My Osho Card for Today

The seed cannot know what is going to happen, the seed has never known the flower. And the seed cannot even believe that he has the potentiality to become a beautiful flower. Long is the journey, and it is always safer not to go on that journey because unknown is the path, nothing is guaranteed.

Nothing can be guaranteed. Thousand and one are the hazards of the journey, many are the pitfalls - and the seed is secure, hidden inside a hard core. But the seed tries, it makes an effort; it drops the hard shell which is its security, it starts moving. Immediately the fight starts: the struggle with the soil, with the stones, with the rocks. And the seed was very hard and the sprout will be very, very soft and dangers will be many.

There was no danger for the seed, the seed could have survived for millennia, but for the sprout many are the dangers. But the sprout starts towards the unknown, towards the sun, towards the source of light, not knowing where, not knowing why. Great is the cross to be carried, but a dream possesses the seed and the seed moves.

The same is the path for man. It is arduous. Much courage will be needed.

Osho Dang Dang Doko Dang Chapter 4



Commentary:

This card shows a small wildflower that has met the challenge of the rocks and stones in its path to emerge into the light of day. Surrounded by an aura of bright golden light, it exposes the majesty of its tiny self. Unashamed, it is equal to the brightest sun.

When we are faced with a very difficult situation we have a choice: we can either be resentful, and try to find somebody or something to blame for the hardships, or we can face the challenge and grow.

The flower shows us the way, as its passion for life leads it out of the darkness and into the light. There is no point fighting against the challenges of life, or trying to avoid or deny them. They are there, and if the seed is to become the flower we must go through them. Be courageous enough to grow into the flower you are meant to be.

~Osho

My Osho Horoscope

This was my Osho horoscope for today. I think it's more of a quote for the day than an actual horoscope based on planetary aspects etc, but it really does sum me up quite accurately!


The moment you get a sniff of freedom, there is every chance that your mind will try to find some new way to put you back in your cage. Be alert to it's tricks. It's not so difficult to get it's measure. To find awareness, consciously melt into that which naturally brings you bliss.

"Choose that which brings more and more bliss, silence, serenity and calmness to you."

~Osho,

excerpted from The Book of Wisdom,

Chapter 5

All About Mentors

Even though I have succeeded in finding a mail order husband, I still felt compelled to "find a mentor" or at least get on track with the who, what, where, when, and how of the mentoring thing. Suddenly, in a flash of inspiration, I decided to visit Osho Zen Tarot, I pulled a card with the intention of finding out everything I needed to know about mentors, and this is what came up:

Harmony:

Listen to your heart, move according to your heart, whatsoever the stake: A condition of complete simplicity costing not less than everything.... To be simple is arduous, because to be simple costs everything that you have. You have to lose all to be simple.

That's why people have chosen to be complex and they have forgotten how to be simple. But only a simple heart throbs with God, hand in hand. Only a simple heart sings with God in deep harmony. To reach to that point you will have to find your heart, your own throb, your own beat.

~Osho, Dang Dang Doko Dang, Chapter 3

Commentary:

The experience of resting in the heart in meditation is not something that can be grasped or forced. It comes naturally, as we grow more and more in tune with the rhythms of our own inner silences. The figure on this card reflects the sweetness and delicacy of this experience. The dolphins that emerge from the heart and make an arc towards the third eye reflect the playfulness and intelligence that comes when we are able to connect with the heart and move into the world from there. Let yourself be softer and more receptive now, because an inexpressible joy is waiting for you just around the corner. Nobody else can point it out to you, and when you find it you won't be able to find the words to express it to others. But it's there, deep within your heart, ripe and ready to be discovered.

Here's something cool!

I got this widget a while back when I was going "widget crazy." I put it on my facebook profile page, and every time I use it, the astrological forecast is astoundingly accurate.

This morning, for example, I was talking about bad coconuts, how I didn't want to call the bank, and my massive procrastination effort. So, here's what my horoscope was:

Things are a little tense today, but that doesn't mean that you've got to ignore them. Just push along and see what you can do to improve the situation -- you may be surprised at how easy it is.

Cool, huh? So here it is... try it for yourself. See if it works for you!


More Astrology widgets here

My life - What's up with that?

I found this really cool free reading that uses exerpts from books to answer any question you might have. So, it being my birthday, I thought... ok... I'll see what it has to say about my life, and asked the following question: "My life, where am I at with that?" I liked the answers so much that I'm not only posting them here - I installed the widget at the bottom of the page. Check it out!

Here's the answer I got:

The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:

unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with only one of these advantages, but without either he was considered, except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to waste his powers for the profits of the chosen few! And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then,

The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce:

the fiery heart, without material substance, he swung through unthinkable arcs of oscillation, like a vast pendulum. Then all at once, with terrible suddenness, the light about him shot upward with the noise of a loud splash; a frightful roaring was in his ears, and all was cold and dark. The power of thought was restored; he knew that the rope had broken and he had fallen into the stream. There was no additional strangulation; the noose about his neck was already suffocating him and kept the water from his lungs. To die of hanging at the bottom of a river! -- the idea seemed to him ludicrous. He opened his eyes in the

The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H. P. Lovecraft:

no sound, ugly prehensile paws, and barbed tails that lashed needlessly and disquietingly. And worst of all, they never spoke or laughed, and never smiled because they had no faces at all to smile with, but only a suggestive blankness where a face ought to be. All they ever did was clutch and fly and tickle; that was the way of night-gaunts. As the band flew lower the Peaks of Throk rose grey and towering on all sides, and one saw clearly that nothing lived on that austere and impressive granite of the endless twilight. At still lower levels the death-fires in the air gave out, and one met only the primal blackness of the void save aloft where

And Osho Says...

Not entirely satisfied with the I Ching Oracle had to say about how to go to work tomorrow without hating everyone, I decided to pull a card from the Osho Zen Tarot. Here's the card that I pulled.

You have to look for guidance because you don't know your inner guide is hidden inside you. You have to find the inner guide, and that's what I call your witness. That's what I call your dharma, that's what I call your intrinsic buddha. You have to awaken that buddha and your life will shower blessings, benediction. Your life will become so radiant with good, with godliness, more than you can possibly conceive.

It is almost like light. Your room is dark, just bring light in. Even a small candle will do, and the whole darkness disappears. And once you have a candle you know where the door is. You don't have to think about it: "Where is the door?" Only blind people think about where the door is. People who have eyes and the light is there, they don't think. Have you ever thought, "Where is the door?" You simply get up and go out. You never give a single thought to where the door is. You don't start groping for the door or hitting your head against the wall. You simply see, and there is not even a flicker of thought. You simply go out.

Osho God is Dead: Now Zen is the Only Living Truth

So I asked the Oracle...

I asked the I Ching Oracle:
How can I go in to work tomorrow without hating everyone?

(present) 32. Heng - Constancy, Perserverance
Continue to the end because luck comes to the enduring who have faith in themselves.

(future) 48. Ching - The Well
Life is like a well. Poorly kept wells bring sickness. Maintain it properly and you will have satisfying water.

What does the Oracle hold for you?
http://luckyhonu.com/

Well

Well

Well

That's three holes in the ground.

Now you pretty much know everything I know about life is like a well.

I wonder, am I going to need a plumber?

Some chlorine maybe?

Algae eaters?

What?

My Horoscope for Today

June 15, 2009 - Here's what my horoscope said

Love In Words
Virgo Daily Horoscope

The love you feel for the people you care deeply about will likely be more intense than usual today. A need to show these individuals how you feel can come over you quite suddenly, inspiring you to reach out to relatives and friends you seldom have a chance to see. Your demonstrations of affection and adoration will likely make a strong impression on your loved ones. While they may know in their hearts that you care for them, they may nonetheless be overjoyed to hear you express your feelings out loud. If you internalize their responses today, you will likely be inspired to give voice to your emotions more frequently in the future.

The people we care about have an innate understanding of our feelings because they perceive them in our actions, yet our relationships will nonetheless still benefit from our willingness to articulate our affection in our words. The bonds that exist between individuals are reinforced by loving and warmhearted speech, which serves as the glue that holds two hearts together. When we speak our tenderness out loud, we show family and friends that we are not afraid to take our union into the public realm. Outsiders will no doubt occasionally be party to these fond declarations, and that is of little consequence to us as we are proud of our association with the people we choose to call loved ones. Your demonstrative mood will help you connect with family and friends today by providing you with the impetus you need to share your deepest feelings.

Ok... This is how old I am... Really!

How old are you? You are over 400 years old! You are from the highlands of Scotland. You are immortal. Accept your destiny. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

So... This is how old I am today!!

You Act Like You Are 23 Years Old

You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

Numerologically Speaking

I found a fun little web site. It's called Marlies' Creative Universe. She has some fun numerology stuff that's easy to understand. Her nifty java script calculators make it easy to figure out what your numbers are. Here are the highlights:

My personal year is an 8 - which means Test and Evaluation:

You have done your reflecting last year and now you are switching from looking inward to looking outward. You are manifesting what you have worked on during the past 7 years. The physical world with its material issues, career and worldly accomplishments will take up a lot of your time. You are ambitious and now you know your strengths and are willing to take on more challenges....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Hey It's Me, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: Numerologically Speaking

So I asked the I Ching Oracle...

I asked the I Ching Oracle:
How can I be more like Aragorn?

(present) 38. Keui - Opposition
Dampen your enthusiasm, no success lies down that path. Opportunity arises when opposites are reconciled.

(future) 2. Kun - Mother Earth
The path may take a little longer, but it is worth the wait. Show the largeness of your heart and your success will benefit more than just yourself.

What does the Oracle hold for you?
http://luckyhonu.com/iching/oracle

Hmmm...
Ok, I'm going to go clean my sword,
kill some of the bad guys hiding in the kitchen sink,
and think about this for a while.

And then later I moved this post to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, it can be found on my personal blog - Hey It's Me

My Osho Horoscope

August 23 - September 22

Pain is a function of your mind’s holding. Fear is an opportunity to open doors too long left closed. Nothing to change, only to watch. In meditation fear is the guide to be loved. "If you move deep in meditation it will happen. Fear will disappear, because you know yourself endlessly. You go on spreading endlessly – back into the past, forward into the future, and this very moment, this present moment, in the depth of it you are there. You simply are – you never begin, you are never going to end."

What does your Osho Horoscope say?

The Color Quiz

Shirley took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! Here's what it said: "Urgently in need of rest, relaxation, peace, and ..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

Check it out!
I'd love to know what it says about you
I thought it was nifty, and fun! And surprisingly accurate!

Asking the Oracle

I asked the I Ching Oracle:
What simple thing could I actually do today to make this a really good day for me?

(present) 30. Li - Brightness, Clinging
Fire can be dangerously explosive if over-fueled, or die quickly if underfed. Healthy and under control, it indicates good fortune.

(future) 36. Meng I - Darkening Force
Keep your inner light burning in order to prevail. Patiently await the sunrise.

What does the Oracle hold for you?
http://luckyhonu.com/iching/oracle

And so now, what does this mean? I'm going to have to get out my copy of the I Ching and read more in depth. I'm thinking it means stay balanced and stay calm. And I'm wondering if it's really true that I could actually do that.

I remember a time in my life, fresh out of high school and living on my own, when I would throw the I Ching every single day and then record the questions and the results. I did this for about a year... maybe longer. It was my daily meditation, my prayer, and my guidance. I used to get the hexagram "The Abysmal" all the time... Later, when my marriage was going bad I got back into it again and had a long rash of getting "Work on That Which Has Been Spoiled" ... I got it so often I almost knew the text by heart. Even now, when I look at that old trailer and walk past the burn pile, it comes into my mind....

So, I just got out my book and here is what it says about the first line: It is early morning and work begins. The mind has been closed to the outside world in sleep; now its connections with the world begin again. The traces of one's impressions run crisscross. Activity and haste prevail. It is important then to preserve inner composure and not allow oneself to be swept along by the bustle of life. If one is serious and composed, he can aquire the clarity of mind needed for coming to terms with the innumerable impressions that pour in. It is precisely at the beginning that serious concentration is important, because the beginning holds the seed of all that is to follow.