The Memorial Day

Summer unofficially starts on May 26th. We begin our vacations, kids are getting done with classes and we look forward to those “ lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer“. Isn’t it interesting that a ‘holiday’ that has become a traditional beginning of summer is, in fact, a time of remembering our Honored Military veterans and Honored Military Dead.
This began after the Civil War when the North wanted to remember the fallen Union heroes. The South picked up the cue and eventually it spread through out the US. After WWI , it included all heroes in all wars or military actions. At that time, Memorial Day ( or Decoration Day as it was at first recognized) was on May 30th. This was until the 1970’s when Pres. Nixon signed the holiday bill moving that holiday to the last Monday in May. This was to give us the 3 day weekend. It was also about that time the Memorial Day came to be observed to honor , not just the fallen, but the living service men and women veterans.
This year it falls on the 26th. In Tarot numerology , 2+6= 8 and this is the Strength card., In the Morgan- Greer Tarot this is represented by a picture of a maiden gently but firmly opening the mouth of a struggling but subdued lion . When you think of 8 it is a powerful number. It is twice 4 ( constancy) which, in turn is twice 2 ( balance of yin/yang; harmony) 8, therefore is the heartfelt longing for balance of Heaven and Earth, the Soul and the material world. How do you find that balance ? How do you develop an understanding of balancing your spirituality with making a living , rasing the kids and paying the mortgage? To achieve this one must work steady and trust that the Universe is “unfolding exactly as it should” to quote the Desiderata. I know a bunch of you JUST rolled your eyes. That ’s ok. You have that right. That is what this country is all about. I am not sure if it was Voltaire who said something like
‘I may not believe in what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it “ ( paraphrasing , of course) but no country on Earth symbolizes that more then the US.
Everyone will suffer a loss . IF you live among living things on the planet, it is inevitable. Many never come to the understanding that grief’s purpose is to get us to that point of understanding, harmony and balance. This is Strength.
No matter what your opinion of the wars around us, we still owe a debt to the men and women who showed us a strength, too. Take time in your meditations to consider that. Take time in your planning and barbequing to appreciate that harmony and balance that your life has in this country. Then go out and enjoy the picnic.. They would have wanted it that way.