Mint Tea and Divination

An early bloomer in Laurelhurst Park. Photograph by my Beloved One.

Friday today, and a rainy one.  Looking over the photographs from last weekend’s visit to Laurelhurst Park, I am again amazed at how beautiful it was for a week.  The rain outside my window now is in line with the time of year.  But for a week—very early—we had sun.  Trees are opening up—like a gorgeous Cherry Blossom at Laurelhurst—and tiny colorful things are kicking up the dirt and crawling out of the ground.

This weekend is a Respite weekend: Nikko is off on another adventure, and my Beloved One and I are here in the quiet of the house.

In all honesty, I believe Respite arrived just in time.  The past few days, Nikko—try as he may—has been reaching rare intensities of unpleasant quirks and irksome behaviors.  Wednesday evening, he sought out my Beloved One’s hair straightening iron, and squirted it with water.  He was given the swift and strong directive to not touch other people’s things.  So Thursday evening, he sought out the straightening iron once again, and instead of squirting it with water, he squirted it with my Beloved One’s very expensive {and now discontinued} perfume.  Again, a swift and strong directive: “Don’t touch other people’s things!”  If he were here tonight, I’d half expect to find that damned straightening iron in the toilet.

My patience with Nikko has been shrinking.  The laughter has returned.  When he is in trouble, (or when adults try to communicate that he is in trouble, he has done something he should not have) he laughs.  It is spine chilling.  He smiles a giddy smile, his eyes bead and loop in giddy circles, and he laughs.  It’s like the storm siren, signaling that a hurricane is on its way, and it may take you down depending upon where you’re standing.  I find it very difficult to control the rage I feel when that boy lets out that laugh.

So, if I’m being honest, I’m happy it’s Respite.  I’m thankful he’s gone.  I’m relieved the house is quiet.  I’m grateful I have a chance to recover with my Beloved one before facing that laugh again on Sunday.

Unsure of how to boost my calm before the potential storms of Sunday, Monday, and every day following; I’ve made some Mint iced tea with orange slices, and I have again summoned the counsel of the Ladies.

A five card draw, this evening, because I ‘flipped’ the first four.  I can see the Goddesses are empathizing, but I’m still foggy—I always am—on some of the details.  Let’s face it: there are no details.  The ‘details’ are all in how I choose to connect the dots. . .

The Center Card:  Representative of the card puller, in a five card/flipped pull.

Amaterasu.  (Beauty)

The Second Card / That which is the heart of the situation:

Brigid.  (Inspiration)

The Third Card / That which is blocked, or hidden:

Maat.  (Justice)

The fourth card / That which can be ‘actively done’, or the tactic card:

Eostre.  (Growth)

The fifth card / The outcome:

Pele.  (Awakening)

Pele (the outcome) is encouraging.  This card has—for me—much to do with a waking consciousness of overlookable minutiae.  Things we don’t pay attention to everyday, things we don’t detect.  And I do feel that Maat (justice) in her spot is reflective of where my mind is at right now.  It does feel like there’s a lack of justice in this house sometimes.

What I am not sure how I feel about is trying to identify with Amaterasu (beauty) in the “me” spot.

It’s absolutely unavoidable that the cards were intended for use primarily by women.  The Goddess Oracle.  The deck belongs to my Beloved One, and I’m sure she gets more use out of them than I do.  Or to put it another way, there is potential for her to find something deeper in what the cards point out.  However, some of the cards are less feminine.  Amaterasu, though, is unavoidably feminine.  Where it may be right on is that I am searching for beauty, in terms of our family.  I want the three of us to have a calmer life.  I want fewer storms.  I want the beautiful life I see the potential for.  In the legend, Amaterasu hid in a cave, and was coaxed out by Uzume—who represents Laughter in this deck.

Perhaps there’s a relationship to consider between ‘beauty’ and ‘laughter’, even though Uzume does not appear in this particular spread.

And that gives me a little trickle of an inkling of a notion.

©  Jeffrey Puukka, 2010

Time To Breathe

Friday today, and a rainy one.  Looking over the photographs from last weekend’s visit to Laurelhurst Park, I am again amazed at how beautiful it was for a week.  The rain outside my window now is in line with the time of year.  But for a week—very early—we had sun.  Trees are opening up—like a gorgeous Cherry Blossom at Laurelhurst—and tiny colorful things are kicking up the dirt and crawling out of the ground.

This weekend is a Respite weekend: Nikko is off on another adventure, and my Beloved One are here in the quiet of the house.

In all honesty, I believe Respite arrived just in time.  The past few days, Nikko—try as he may—has been reaching rare intensities of unpleasant quirks and irksome behaviors.  Wednesday evening, he sought out my Beloved One’s hair straightening iron, and squirted it with water.  He was given the swift and strong directive to not touch other people’s things.  So Thursday evening, he sought out the straightening iron once again, and instead of squirting it with water, he squirted it with my Beloved One’s very expensive {and now discontinued} perfume.  Again, a swift and strong directive: “Don’t touch other people’s things!”  If he were here tonight, I’d half expect to find that damned straightening iron in the toilet.

My patience with Nikko has been shrinking.  The laughter has returned.  When he is in trouble, (or when adults try to communicate that he is in trouble, he has done something he should not have) he laughs.  It is spine chilling.  He smiles a giddy smile, his eyes bead and loop in giddy circles, and he laughs.  It’s like the storm siren, signaling that a hurricane is on its way, and it may take you down depending upon where you’re standing.  I find it very difficult to control the rage I feel when that boy lets out that laugh.

So, if I’m being honest, I’m happy it’s Respite.  I’m thankful he’s gone.  I’m relieved the house is quiet.  I’m grateful I have a chance to recover with my Beloved one before facing that laugh again on Sunday.

Unsure of how to boost my calm before the potential storms of Sunday, Monday, and every day following; I’ve made some Mint iced tea with orange slices, and I have again summoned the counsel of the Ladies.

A five card draw, this evening, because I ‘flipped’ the first four.  I can see the Goddesses are empathizing, but I’m still foggy—I always am—on some of the details.  Let’s face it: there are no details.  The ‘details’ are all in how I choose to connect the dots. . .

The Center Card:  Representative of the card puller, in a five card/flipped pull.

Amaterasu.  (Beauty)

The Second Card / That which is the heart of the situation:

Brigid.  (Inspiration)

The Third Card / That which is blocked, or hidden:

Maat.  (Justice)

The fourth card / That which can be ‘actively done’, or the tactic card:

Eostre.  (Growth)

The fifth card / The outcome:

Pele.  (Awakening)

Pele (the outcome) is encouraging.  This card has—for me—much to do with a waking consciousness of overlookable minutiae.  Things we don’t pay attention to everyday, things we don’t detect.  And I do feel that Maat (justice) in her spot is reflective of where my mind is at right now.  It does feel like there’s a lack of justice in this house sometimes.

What I am not sure how I feel about is trying to identify with Amaterasu (beauty) in the “me” spot.

It’s absolutely unavoidable that the cards were intended for use primarily by women.  The Goddess Oracle.  The deck belongs to my Beloved One, and I’m sure she gets more use out of them than I do.  Or to put it another way, there is potential for her to find something deeper in what the cards point out.  However, some of the cards are less feminine.  Amaterasu, though, is unavoidably feminine.  Where it may be right on is that I am searching for beauty, in terms of our family.  I want the three of us to have a calmer life.  I want fewer storms.  I want the beautiful life I see the potential for.  In the legend, Amaterasu hid in a cave, and was coaxed out by Uzume—who represents Laughter in this deck.

Perhaps there’s a relationship to consider between ‘beauty’ and ‘laughter’, even though Uzume does not appear in this particular spread.

And that gives me a little trickle of an inkling of a notion.

©  Jeffrey Puukka, 2010