🐒Monkey mind heist: A Tarot guide to outsmarting your brain's worst behavior
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Hi there Tarot Friends, With a lightening quick smack and grab, the monkey ripped the sunglasses right off the man's head. Now, perched just out of reach, he taunts - refusing to give the glasses back. Not unless he gets what he wants. They call it monkey mind for a reason. Quick. Cunning. Savage and Smart. This is no pushover of an adversary. These Macaques are professionals - they know exactly what they are doing. They target only the most valuable items: sunglasses, hats, phones...and then back off just out of reach. And then they run off. What you gonna do now, human? Invasion of the thought monkeysI found myself in a tailspin of repetitive thoughts.
The thoughts descended like the terrifying flying monkeys in the Wizard of OZ. Remember how the flying monkeys tore the stuffing out of the Scarecrow??? The more I chased the thoughts around, the more they danced just out of reach, waving my peace and clarity like stolen trophies. "Come and get it!" they jeered. So I tried ignoring them. But these monkeys? Oh, they are CLEVER! They sneak up behind me, launching fresh ambushes -- smack! grab! --And suddenly, they snatch more of my valuables:
I was in trouble. And they knew it. But what the hell do they want? --- Why are they doing this?? ---What is their endgame? The Macaque Negotiation Playbook - 6 of pentaclesBack to the real life Macaques -- Back to the real-life macaques: After a successful heist, the monkeys don’t just flee. They negotiate. They seek out the monastery staff—the ones with the goods—and the bartering begins. These little bandits? They steal for snacks. They’ve learned the system: steal something valuable, and the humans will trade for food. They know who has the bananas, who plays fair, and exactly how to strike a deal. Give them the right treat (and they’re picky), and you’ll get your sunglasses back. The exchange is swift—if you understand the game. So, who understands the game? The Hierophant: Keeper of the peaceThe staff of the monastery. The Hierophant. (The 6 of Swords might also navigate these waters, but in this macaque saga, the monkeys live at a monastery—so the Hierophant takes center stage.) In the Golden Dawn tradition, the Hierophant aligns Taurus. Coincidentally, we just had a New Moon in Taurus this past Sunday. Now, the Hierophant-Taurus link never fully clicked for me—until now. Taurus embodies appreciation, serenity, and sensory grounding. These monks don’t resist the monkeys. No fences. No bans on sunglasses. Instead, they negotiate peacefully, maintaining harmony between chaos and order. Everyone gets what they need. On a deeper level, the Hierophant bridges heaven and earth—the mediator between human and divine (an old-school idea, but it holds). That connection, perhaps, is rooted in cultivating inner peace. While taking a break from writing this, I stumbled upon a mesmerizing video about—you guessed it—the Hierophant. In it, Mario talks about how the Hierophant is the spiritual pillar, the z axis of 3-D reality. He brilliantly connects the z axis to the bull symbolism. Magnificent! I'll let you watch the video and glean your own insights. My insight from all this is: Stop fighting what is. Turn inward. Anchor yourself in your spiritual core. That’s how you tame the monkey mind. -Cassandra the Card Reader |