According to Zen teachings, we all come from nowhere and go nowhere. We are here and now – we do not come and do not leave.
Everything passes by. Your consciousness reflects that, but is not identified with it. When the lion growls in front of a mirror, do you think that the mirror growlstoo?Or, when the lion is gone, and a child comes to the mirror, and the mirror completely forgets about the lion and begins dancing after the child –do you think that the mirror is dancing with the child? The mirror does nothing, it simply reflects.
Your consciousness is just a mirror. You do not come and you do not leave. Everything comes and goes. You become young, you become old. You are alive, you are dead. All othese states are simply the reflections in the eternal mirror of consciousness.
This card signifies the evolution of consciousness described by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He spoke there about three levels: Camel, Lion and Child. The camel is sleepy, dumb and smug. He lives erroneously thinking that he is the top of the mountain, but in fact he is so preoccupied with the opinions of others that he hardly has his own energy. A lion arises from a camel. When we realize that we have missed on a lot in our life, we start saying “no” to the requirements and expectations of others. We walk away from the crowd, lonely and proud, proclaiming our truth. But this is not the end. In the end, there is a child – not submissive and not rebellious, but innocent, spontaneous and truthful in his being.
Whatever space you are in now – sleepy and oppressed, or growling and rebellious –you need to realize that if you allow for it, it will develop into something new. It is time to grow and change.