Ask Miss Gary: Issue 3 [End date July 7, 2022]

garamond
Guide

Posts: 63

Ask Miss Gary: Issue 3 [End date July 7, 2022] Jul 8, 2022 5:00:30 GMT

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Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 5:00:30 GMT

All Entries

Only written (N-mailed) and fully-filled questionnaires were accepted as valid entries into the event. The entry number corresponds to the number in the prize drawing.

Entry 1: cPlusPlus

What is your name?
cPlusPlus ** no affiliation with the programming language. My parents had high hopes of me pursuing a career in software design.

What is your occupation?
Dirt. I love to analyze the composition of it through the means of taste. The flavor varies depending on the minerals and texture. I can tell what type of worms have crawled through there or what sort of rollie-pollies lived in it and whether or not they've raised a family in it.

Pick a scent: Rose, orange, or lemongrass
Lemongrass

What is your question or problem?

Given my current occupation, do you think that I should take a break and pursue something with more sustenance? If so, with my current occupational expertise, what new career path would best suit me? Personal context: I do-not have any official training in the area, merely decades of practical experience.

Entry 2: SoulSeeker

What is your name?
SoulSeeker

What is your occupation?
I am but a humble miner and eternal student of the Tao.

Pick a scent: Rose, orange, or lemongrass.
I choose lemongrass.

What is your question or problem?
Taoism has taught me to follow my gut instincts and feelings. However, I can't help but wonder what fate has in store for me through the eyes of a skilled Diviner. So in that spirit, I ask the following:

How do I reconcile two seemingly conflicting sides of my being?

On one hand, I love to live in the moment and in silence, always appreciating everything that I have and humbly taking in all the beauty around me that Nature has to offer. This level of gratitude and attunement with the present typically results in a calm, peaceful and pleasant life full of love.

On the other hand, I feel a calling to achieve great feats, take big risks, and make my mark on the Kingdoms. This calling requires me to be future-focused, goal-driven, and be aggressive in shaping my character to become worthy of one who achieves such greatness. This road is often filled with hardship, self doubt, and more disappointment than I care to admit. However, it is an exciting and mysterious path that has been seductively calling out to me since I was a young poor boy growing up in a humble Nagnang village with a single mother.

This dual nature of mine is always in conflict and robs me of inner peace. When one of these sides takes over my behavior for a period of time, the other side demands change and self-sabotage ensues. It is like a pendulum within me that violenty and suddenly changes directions at a whim; and I have no say or control in the matter.

Finding balance is something that we Geomancers are always striving for. However, is balance even possible with a conflict such as this? Or must I choose one path and silence the other for good? How would I even go about doing this if that's the case?

Thank you Miss Gary in advance for your guidance.

~SS

garamond
Guide

Posts: 63

Ask Miss Gary: Issue 3 [End date July 7, 2022] Jul 8, 2022 6:09:47 GMT

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Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 6:09:47 GMT

Chronicles of the Wind Post

ISSUE 3

The Wisdom Star is still shining in the sky, but I'm more than happy to sit here and write another issue of Ask Miss Gary! I've got my vial of lemongrass oil and bowl of water ready to do some peering into the unknown! After a little bit of coercion (read: begging; I said I was sorry, Elder!) to be allowed to borrow the stall again, I set up shop and went to begin my lecanomancy scrying. Though, I thought about it, and opted to try something else. The lemongrass oil was put into a nice little warmer, and I fished out my tarot cards to get a good glean. I gave them a nice little shuffle, and let my fingers glide along the paper until I found what was calling to me.

SoulSeeker wrote me to ask about the dual nature of his existence. He is a Geomancer, and a student of the Tao, expected to live a humble life in nature, calm and serene. But, his inner desire is for something greater in the larger scope, where he has a strong desire to be a part of the world, achieving great things, and always driving himself to the future. I hope I can provide some insight of how to manage this delicate balance.

Flower child

I can't quite explain it, but every time I draw a card from the deck, I have to slap it on the table with a little giggle, as if I'm telling someone to "take that!" I do this, even when it's only me in the room. This is silly, I know.

Though, when I lifted my fingers to get a peek, the painted petals of the Flower Tarot were looking back at me. Facing me upright, this card's symbology involves growth and prosperity, and having come up from the nothingness of the earth.

As the flower evolved from a seed in darkness, it looks toward the light for nourishment. We are all flowers, in the sense of constantly needing to grow, and susceptible to our environment. In this, I like to think SoulSeeker is a sunflower, with his head always pointed in the direction of the sun, needing more of the exposure to grow.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that

If I have any concern, it's that the Flower Tarot is one of roots. It cannot move on its own. It requires some intervention, such as a gardener gently relocating it (ideally), or an invasive plucking off its stem, which ultimately kills it. Its seeds will produce spawn, and its progeny will thrive in the dirt where it had once grown. That's just the cycle of life, and it's natural.

It's simply the best, organic life you can have. This is reflected by SoulSeeker's current state, as a Geomancer, studying the art forms of action and inaction. But, that doesn't address his other side, that wilder part of him that yearns for excitement and greatness. What wisdom does the Flower Tarot provide for that?

I had to walk away a bit to mull over the answer. I thought about pulling another card to address the other half of the equation, and absently reached over to pick up my abandoned deck.

Watering the flower

In my clumsiness, I knocked the basin of water I had brought with me. Whereas I had opted not to scry, the sloshing of a few drops onto my tarot card did bring some sense to me. I wiped the moisture off, and gave it another hard, long look.

Flowers do need enrichment. They require water and nutrients in their soil, else they can't thrive. To many plants, a torrent of rain means a strong growth season to come, and more minerals to help them grow. SoulSeeker's vibrant drive for enrichment and activity is how he is nourishing himself. Even a gardener applies extra sustenance to soil to help his or her garden grow, when the conditions aren't quite right.

Conclusion

The Flower Tarot is now clear to me, in why it guided my hand. It's showing us that this flux you're in is completely natural. It is perfectly acceptable to want to bring life into your daily experiences. It is fine to want both the quiet, organic life, where you are studious and calm in nature. That's the flower's natural state, most days of the week. But in order to thrive, you need a little bit of chaos that comes with a sudden shower, to help yourself evolve as a person. That, in itself is a natural course within the Tao, where we take each experience as it comes as a gift of the universe. Don't worry, you can have both Heaven and Earth. Be the sunflower that is rooted to the ground, but follows Heaven around. You may be in the place the gods or fate dictated you will live in, but there's nothing saying you can't seek the skies.

Apologies to my Elder, I got your carpet wet, AGAIN. I tried my best to dry it off, but there's a water stain.

Let's not forget our other entry!

cPlusPlus: Like the flower, also loves dirt

If you have a talent in determining soil composition by taste, you could seek out training with the Druids or Geomancers to further your vocation. Either way, I foresee a shovel in your future. Just, please don't shovel the dirt into your mouth. I'd hate for you to get sick, knowing creatures bury their waste in the ground.

With love and sparkles,

Garamond "Miss Gary" Beatrix

Last Edit: Jul 8, 2022 6:18:07 GMT by garamond

garamond Guide Posts: 63	Ask Miss Gary: Issue 3 [End date July 7, 2022] Jul 8, 2022 6:17:37 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 6:17:37 GMT Attached are the Event Winner post, the mail to cPlusPlus notifying him of the check (status box reflective of the check mailed), and notice to SoulSeeker of winning. Attachments:

Ask Miss Gary: Issue 3 [End date July 7, 2022]

Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 5:00:30 GMT

Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 6:09:47 GMT

Post by garamond on Jul 8, 2022 6:17:37 GMT

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