Just Here, Just Now

This week I'll be using the Idiosyncradeck Tarot, created and self-published by Jessica Bott. Along with it, I'll be drawing from the Mixed Emotions Deck, created by Petra Martin with Kris Wiltse (Illustrator) and published by Heron Lake Press. Today's draws are Death and 'Grateful:'

Focus on this life. Live this actual day. Pay attention to just this very moment. This is where it's all happening, not in some future lifetime, not in your next birth or your 'middle existence' between incarnations. Just here. Just now. ~ Brad Warner

          Being a mushroom nerd, I quite like Bott's take on Death. Both the body and tree are being recycled back into the earth, giving sustenance to other living things. Experiencing death can briefly stop the mind. I had this happen yesterday when I learned of the death of a woman with whom I had a conversation with just a week ago. It brings into sharp definition what is truly important and what is simply the debris of my ego. What happens after death is a nonissue; it is the life lived before the ending that creates meaning. I am prompted to ask, "Will what I leave behind sustain and nourish or starve and poison?" The Grateful card suggests I remember the simple joys in my days rather than overlook them. Life can be complicated and difficult, but it's also beautiful and full of wonder. Where I place my attention will determine if my heart feels full or empty.

Let me respectfully remind you

Life and death are of supreme importance

Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost

Each of us should strive to awaken....

Awaken....

Take heed.

This night your days are diminished by one.

Do not squander your life.

~ Zen evening chant