sunrise background

Time is real, time is an illusion and this statement is no paradox. Almost any way of visualising it carries some degree of truth except perhaps for the popular idea that time is the 4th dimension. It probably isn’t, although it may be a protective cloak, a limitation which stops us from experiencing an extra-dimensional universe.

Time is relative, interrelated with gravity and therefore with matter, also with speed but not with acceleration. As with life and consciousness, nobody knows exactly what it is. All we can do is describe what it does.

This is also true of any idea of the present. Is the now an infinitesimally small non-moment in time between the past and the future? Does the 'energy' of time dissipate when it reaches the present moment? No one really knows. Some people have experienced the here and now seemingly stretch but why this may be the case is beyond speculation.

In ordinary ways of thinking, cause always comes before effect in a logical progression. For those people who have become aware of the bizarre nature of significant coincidences called 'synchronicity' or have had premonitions of future events, even this cannot be stated with any certainty.

the Nomadic Oracle logo
the Sunrise card

Sunrise represents an aspect of
the Elements & Spirits of Fire
in the Realm of Time.

In any reading of the Nomadic Oracle other active aspects of time such as erosion or dispersal are covered easily within the pack but here the Oracle focuses attention on the need for a fresh start and may place the reasons for this action in the hands of the Reader as a genuine empowerment.

Sunrise !!

Tradition in many parts of the world and shamanic wisdom everywhere celebrates specific animals and the contributions they make to cultural awareness. In India and Asia the elephant is a vibrant symbol of restart. Ganesha, a supreme figure in Hindu mythology, has the attribute of Lord of Creativity in its role as the unexpected hidden challenge on the path. Overcoming the difficulty clears the way and empowers the individual.

In Asia the symbolism involves two elephants: a trunk pointing downwards indicates misfortune while upwards it can suggest a very lucky day. Accepting either without question may be a key to tranquility.

"Sunrise" may suggest adopting a 'philosophical attitude to life', fully accepting that, since no one can really be in control of chaos, there can never be blame. Equally it may suggest that the Reader is missing the opportunity or the right to make a fresh start. It is easy to get bogged down and sometimes it takes a good friend to point out the obvious trap.

In the Nomadic Oracle history is represented by 'Legacy'.
This is the Past, the Story, the Memory . . . . .

To the Oracle the past is not mysterious but intimate - a reading is indivisible from the Reader and is simply a point on the Reader's path. This clears the way for Legacy because the Oracle is then able to make a specific observation related to the past through the activity of the card. For example, it may draw the Reader's attention to the fact that it is the history of a situation which is driving it now.

The Oracle also clarifies questions about the past by adopting a spread which does not have a 'past' position. The past is always complicated. By squeezing time this way the Oracle can illuminate a single strand inside a complex web.

Oracle readings are not simply about the cards which have emerged but also about those which have remained behind. Through the action of a single Jester a reading may indicate that the past is not the problem. An awareness of the cards which have not shown is always a good idea and one which may eventually become instinctive.

In 'A Guide to the Nomadic Oracle' Jon Mallek asks whether there can be an authentic legacy in a change of Age. The theme of a dissolution of the ancestors, represented in his artwork, may become an overwhelming response as the real reasons for our history of oppression and hatred and the willful ignorance of our blunders become more globally understood. The "Change of Age" is obvious as it creates and refreshes an entire network blossoming at many new levels of awareness. We are the first living generation to experience the change from local to global and to begin to use the new tools. When thinking of the ancestors it is worth remembering that they may not have acted or thought in the way they did had they known what we do now. It all adds up to a new responsibility, a fresh opportunity and an immense privilege.

 

the RAINBOW BRIDGE and the TICKING TOCK TAO

In the Nomadic Oracle, Rainbow Bridge defines the Tao and the illusion of Time. It is both the card and the underlying idea which the Oracle uses when referring to itself and to the activity of appealing to the Oracle. Once the role of this card has been seen by a new user a considerable amount of subtle information may also be revealed. It is a curious thought but the illuminating power of the Nomadic Oracle is amplified by the ability to name itself in this way. It is wise to remember that what is subtle may also be the most rewarding or empowering.

The Oracle finds harmony with the Book of Changes in its vision of the Tao. The Tao, which in Food of the Gods Terrance McKenna called "howling", is the order and disorder presented on the surface of the bubble - differentiated or random - over which no consciousness has control and therefore experiences complete exposure. This is a definition of reality seen from a very specific point of view. Neither meditation nor a duvet changes it, they simply form another layer in the random experiences which surround the self. This way of thinking, called existential, is far, far deeper than is apparent from outside and contains the seeds of a shaman's tree of knowledge.

Time is an energising function of the Tao. This thought brings a surprising bonus, one amongst several it seems, which is that the Universe communicates through coincidence and irony. While most people will flee from this statement, others are drawn to it because they know it to be true. This ancient knowledge is the basis of the Book of Changes. It is also current wisdom and forms the basis of an entire school of thought, loosely called Jungian after the German psycho-pioneer and Spirit anthropologist Carl Jung, who called the effect 'synchronicity' within his chosen idioms. To some the awareness is unnerving, to others it is a welcome relief.

It is the nature of synchronicity rather than its 'power' which the Nomadic Oracle explores through the readings. Divination is a subtle process which is approached gently. It is an enquiry which takes place in its own time. The Oracle seeks to harmonise frequencies within the chaos and the order of the flux through the ability of the Aspects to deliver and decode a 'message' or suggest an 'energy' accessible to human awareness.

In a sense it is Time itself which is the starting point in perceiving the Oracle at work. In many readings, the first card, the 'Context' card, opens the play with an invitation to the Universe. The question is already on the table and the context card hones the response. It is astonishing how well this works in practice. An intention to be open is vital. The ego, via the intellect, may try to dispute the apparent shift in the question and block the response. It will then take an effort to see again what it is the Universe is suggesting. Not that it matters perhaps. It is always possible that future 'happy accidents' may correct present misunderstandings and, in this process, create fresh adventures in awareness.