Leaving the Body

It's a dreary old day here; wet and grey outside. I have pulled my curtains open as wide as possible to let in the light. I don't usually listen to music but have put some on to push away the darkness outside. 80s pop music can act in the same way that a crucifix will for a vampire, if you confront the blues or a bad mood with it.

With all of this in mind, I pulled out The Yoga Tarot. Off the top of my head, I'd say it's one of the most colourful decks I have. If you don't believe me, look at the photos below, showing it laid out on the bed of my newly painted room. I need new blinds and the floor done, not to mention some touching up of the paintwork, but it's getting there.

I have spoken a bit about this deck in one other post on the blog. As much as I like the art a lot, my problem with it always situates around not being able to identify the postures correctly. Now I enjoy a little looking around and the finding out of things, but this deck chucks many a curve ball. Take today's card, the 3 of Pentacles, as an example. Now with the peacock behind the man, you'd think that it is showing The peacock pose, yes? Since there is a Yoga posture named the peacock, I went for a rummage through my own yoga books and online, but the majority of photos show something other than what we have here. Is this a variation of the pose? I admit to only having done a beginners course in Yoga a few years ago, so I am none the wiser.

Looking in my first book, I see that The Peacock balances the body on just the hands horizontally (see photo). The book practices Sivananda Yoga. Could this be different to The Peacock in The Yoga Tarot, which I understand looks at Hatha Yoga for the suit of Pentacles? Sifting through links to Hatha Yoga and YouTube videos, I cannot seem to find any other kind of Peacock, aside from the variations, where the legs are bent to make the pose seem easier for new students. However, they don't look like what we have in this card. The book that comes with the deck says 'Can I imagine myself outside of my body? And outside of my mind?'. It's two words of interpretation are 'risk and investment'. Great help as usual, Lo Scarabeo (tongue firmly in cheek).

I often think of the peacock as being a symbol of vanity. Here, it might be the ego, should we be willing to imagine ourselves out of the body and mind, where such things have no place. Traditionally, the 3 of Pentacles is a card of work and the team for me, so I wonder if this card is asking me to consider possibilities I might usually pass by.

I haven't heard from any of the jobs I applied for, so maybe it is time to get back to the drawing board once again; maybe today's card suggests I apply for something I can do, but which opposes my ego. I was hoping that the 3 of Pentacles might bring news from contacts, but as we slip into the afternoon, it has not yet.


Illustration from The Yoga Tarot by Adriana Flarina