Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“Yes, the tarot. In the tarot deck there are four suits of cards – wands, coins, swords, and cups. These were created a long time ago, before the Middle Ages, to symbolize where everyone belonged in society. Wands were the rough staffs carried by farmers and humble workers. Coins represented the merchants, swords stood for the solders, and cups for the church. Everyone was supposed to fall into one of these four categories, ordained by God, but some didn’t. There has always been a motley crew of beggars, simpletons, geniuses, and mad people who refused to fit in. In the tarot they’re known as the court of miracles.” Quote from The Return of Merlin by Deepak Chopra.
Recently while traveling and observing the words and actions of others it became apparent that many people see those that don’t ‘fit in’ as people not worth knowing or at best people that need help. Perhaps it is the other way around after all it’s all about perspective. Perhaps we are the ones in need of help, not worth knowing by those who are perceived as different, that don’t fit in. I have enjoyed the company of many such people that don’t fit in, and I’m always amazed at their stories. I know many of them only by first names and un-kept faces. Some of them are very wealthy but live on the streets to the amazement of others. Some have created circumstances to bring them to that world outside the norm, that world of misfits.
I have often brought about concerned looks of amazement, curiosity, and concern when I mention my desire to travel as a hobo hoping trains for mere enjoyment and just going wherever the trains take us to. I received the same looks from my friends and family when I announced my year of travel. It seems that many mistakenly believe that to be something one must have a job, a home, a car, and things to show your position in life. I don’t see it that way. If we can learn to just enjoy being then all of those things don’t matter. If we allow others to just be then we might learn to enjoy life a bit more.
In the story of The Return of Merlin the Court of Miracles were the ones who traveled the outskirts as misfits, gypsies and who protected the wisdom of ages past. Many people close themselves off to such misfits; however, they may be the ones that we should open ourselves to because they may just have the secrets that we are searching for. They have already learned to let go of things, what others think about them, and have learned to just be. I find that when we don’t show them respect and love that we are only harming ourselves because we are all one spirit connected with each other through the web of time and beyond time.
I find myself as one who lives on the outskirts, a misfit, a hobo, and a beggar. I am learning not to seek to fit in because I am one that is different; one that has to travel the road less traveled and discover the truths and knowledge long since discarded as magic, mystery, and witchcraft. So it shall be, I will be one who lives on the outskirts only to be revealed to those who can see beyond time.
Thought for now: How do you perceive those who society has determined as misfits, outcasts, beggars, vagrants, and homeless? What thoughts do you allow yourself to dwell upon when you see them? Or do you even see them? Perhaps when we can learn that they might be the ones who have the knowledge, the ones that might be the keepers of wisdom and magic long since abandoned, then we might begin to see them for the treasures they are. The ones who can show us the light and hope we all seek. If we shut them out, then I believe that we might continue to sleep, to be blinded, and to be without knowing, missing out on the pure love that is available when we open our selves to others.
NOTE: Caution is always important in any meeting of people, even those who may present themselves as worthwhile to know. Always look deep, open your eyes to see what is really at the heart of people before you share yourself with them. Even though we are one spirit, there are those who have not fully come into understanding and can hurt others, sometimes not intentionally, but rather because they are not concerned with the hearts, minds, desires, and concerns of others – selfish, self-centered as some might phrase it. Be weary of such, always look deep into their hearts and ask yourself what level of connectedness should there be.
