03 April 2021
Context
Welcome to Day 94!
On another day in Queensland, we were confined to the indoors, not because of COVID but because of the rain. There’s only so much conversation, eating and television you can watch. The next thing to try and work out is what game to play that will suit everyone and not unfairly advantage anyone. In the end we selected quoits. The household has variety of religions and each pursues their own faith in their own way, whatever that entails. For us to harmonise, celebrations focus on family time with the Easter motif as the foundational backdrop.
Our garage was ideally suited for the game. There was a white board and marker ready to go. It wasn’t until we were halfway through the game, we were playing first to six. While everyone was playing my nephew and my mother haven’t worked out that losing is part of playing.
My nephew struggles if he does not win or someone else wins. He places so much stock in the winning that it’s scary if he loses. Then there’s my mother, who despite her 80 years does not like to lose either. When the two are playing, there are clashing moods of despondency. The external litany of “not being good enough” and “I’m never going to get it” become self-fulfilling prophecies.
It was too late in the game where we realised that the focus for my nephew should be on personal bests not on winning. Still have it go to first to six but to use the first game as a way of establishing a baseline. When it comes to my mother, I’m not sure where to begin on solving that one. The patterning is too deep.
Having a mother so focussed on competition and winning, it’s no wonder part of that trait exists within me. For some reason, it has manifested in me to a lesser extent, especially in my later years. In the early years, if a board game didn’t go my way, I would fake sneeze and knock players or cards off the board, to the point where you were unable to guess where the game was at.
Apologies, I’m going to make this short. Time has run out for writing and my concentration is waning with every sentence.
There’s an asterisk in the heading to remind me to come back and finish the thoughts on Winning.
Let’s see what the cards have to say!
Today's Cards
The Cards - Analysis
There were no carry over cards today – easy!
The Now has the card of Celebration and this is obviously Easter. Influence or blocking full enjoyment is Past Lives. Past Lives is like the “emotional baggage and history of interactions” card which is influencing the Celebration.
Today, that influence was positive as everyone appeared avoid friction creating topics. The blight on the day was the quoits game where the despondency of those that didn’t win put more of a damper on the situation than the rain.
The Goal for Easter was originally to go Traveling to my bestie’s place. COVID and the rain discouraged such long trips, especially with the risk of flash flooding.
In the Distant Past Traveling to my bestie’s place proved a Success and a hit for all involved. We all like and respect each other and enjoy each other’s company.
Since the Distant Past was unable to be successful reproduced this year a New Vision was adopted and is reflected in the Recent Past position.
The Future Energy position has Silence is, in this case, the silencing of negativity (excluding the personal demons of loss for my mother and my nephew with context to the game not outside it).
In the Feelings position is the card of Abundance. Love and generosity were in plenty supply today and not only with the distribution of a small quantity of Easter chocolates.
Others’ Views has the card of Ordinariness. Others’ may have seen us paying attention to the small things that made the day a success and suitable for a Celebration.
Mind occupies the Hopes & Fears position in the layout. Mind is about confusion, not being clear in thoughts and actions. My hope is for the confused mind of those playing becomes clear and they become open to mindfulness practise or meditation. The fear, and quite possibly reality is that it is avoided, and the cycle begins again.
The Outcome card is the card of Conditioning. Conditioning is about breaking free of an identify that has served its purpose. Could it be the conditioning of the existence of the Easter Bunny?
Please enjoy your Easter!
References
Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
End Day
References
Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7