Enough is Enough
I started out this morning thinking that I would do a quick one card reading for y’all, but the card I drew was a particularly rich one that deserved a little time. I hope you find it as valuable to think about as I did.
Today’s draw:
Four of Cacti (coins)
For today’s draw, I asked the deck “What one thing would most dramatically improve people’s lives if they did it today?” The answer was pretty unequivocal: enough.
It’s time to have a healthier relationship to material things. A scarcity mindset can manifest in a lot of ways. Some may find themselves grabbing everything in reach only to hoard it like dragons while others burn through resources like there’s no tomorrow. Still others may find they deny themselves or those around them the minimum to live a full life. Many will also find they struggle to trust in a way that allows them to connect with others — if they fear losing the wealth they have, they’re liable to distrust others’ intentions and view the world with suspicion.
The first two responses take more than their fair share of what’s available, making them out of step with the earth. This is the meaning of the two cacti at the alien’s feet. Hoarding and greediness are not sustainable. They are the result of failing to keep one’s feet on the ground and are a sure sign that one is out of touch with their place on the earth and the balance needed to ensure continued thriving into the future. The third response, stinginess, arises when we let our clinginess to material things block the heart. The fourth, suspicion, isolates us from connecting to the wider world, to other people, and to the divine. This is the meaning of the cactus at the crown of the head. The alien stands alone, trapped in the web of fate it has allowed its fear of loss to spin.
All four of these responses externalize our fear of scarcity in a way that makes it come true. We starve ourselves or starve others by becoming stingy and denying access to having enough. We take more than we should and deplete resources so that soon there really isn’t enough. We empty our lives of meaningful connections to friends, family, or the spiritual world and turn unsuccessfully to things to try to fill that void, becoming hungry for things that can never satisfy.
Enough already! Spend time asking where your relationship to material things may be off-kilter and work through that. Take time to explore your emotional connections to material security, the ways that your personal or even your family history may make that relationship complicated. Try changes to your daily habits that can bring that relationship into a healthier alignment. And reach out to work with people in your community to scale these changes up in ways that make it a group effort. It’s time, in other words, to decide collectively that enough is enough.
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