1. Inspiration=INTUITION “Discernment”

Consider practicing “discernment”. It means just any
old soulmate won’t do. But how do we cultivate
the skills of discernment? Well, a major one is intuition – represented in the TantricTarot deck by the
Inspiration card. We don’t know where “inspiration”
comes from – science says we subconsciously
collect subliminal signals.

Danger: A problem culturally
has been that women are encouraged
to bond with men they’re not chemically
attracted to but may be seen as a “good fit” for social
reasons. Guess what? You won’t find your
soulmate that way! Men, however,
make too many life decisions based on
status or surface impressions – they don’t wait
around to perceive “the beauty within.” The moral of this conundrum is: Pay attention
to your gut, but don’t allow your gut to boss you!
Question it. Think about it. Think of the love you
have received in your life and where it came from.
Sometimes it reveals itself slowly.

Challenge: The magic of the Garden comes from Inspiration. Inspiration is the breath the Life Force moves through us – we can’t summon it and we can’t control it. When lost, we greatly mourn its absence. But when we feel its power we are elevated above ourselves. We feel we can do anything we choose. Afterwards we wake feverish, as if from a dream. As every artist and designer knows, work is more than Inspiration, but without its occasional visits work is nothing; tasteless, lifeless and void.

Opportunity: Artists always have a strong sense that inspiration comes from the “outside”, not from anything “within”. It uses the component of our minds and lives and forces us to “reach outwards” into the universe of resources to answer its call. Art without inspiration is just plain hard work. Unfortunately, there will be many times Inspiration sketches out a plan and then moves on. We know the plan is Inspired but now we must implement it! Late nights & elbow grease! Inspiration can be compared to Love. Both unaccountably come and go. Just because one isn’t feeling momentarily loving about a soulmate doesn’t mean that Love has Fled – in fact it usually just means we’re facing an onslaught of effort. Life is n uphill battle – 90% Hard Slog, alas. If we’re Ten Percent Inspired we’re in the high numbers! Love (and inspiration) will return. In the meantime we’ll have to treasure the memory and blueprint the Future Plan. Discuss.

#Haiku:

without you I am a de-
composing statue
in my own garden