In The Flux

Recently I was reading a book, which is not really unusual in and of itself. However, this book was somewhat unusual-the book was Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paternini, and chronicles a cross-country drive with the pathologist who autopsied Albert Einstein, and subsequently took possession of the deceased physicist's brain, preserving it in formaldehyde. It's interesting to note that Albert Einstein's brain was really not that different from any number of other brains, save that it had a significantly larger number of glial cells. These are the cells that feed neurons, which are responsible for thought. As an interesting aside, this is why brains are convoluted and ridged. The cortex, the outermost part of the brain, is covered with neurons- think of it like a big sheet of paper. Now, if you lay a piece of paper out flat, it covers a certain area. However, if you crumple it up into a ball, it covers much less space. The same idea applies to brains- the convolutions allow for many more neurons to be packed into a smaller area. Whether the larger number of glial cells is a cause or an effect is speculative- it could be that the more you use your brain, the more power it needs, so glial cells would have to be denser.
But at any rate, the story reads more like Jack Kerouac than just your run-of-the mill trip across the continent. It's interesting, that driving across the country produces such profound reactions from people. I've done it myself, and it's quite an adventure! There are always those curveballs that life will throw at you- it could be breaking down in the Nevada desert, or visiting the Garden Of Eden designed and created by S. P. Dinsmoor, in Lucas, Kansas, and constructed out of concrete. But there seems to be a balance in traveling like this, as there is in the rest of life.

The American Heritage dictionary defines flux as:
1. a. a flow or flowing
b. the rate of flow of fluid, particles or energy through a given surface
I find a similar state of awareness, kind of like one of those Magic Eye pictures- once you see it, you can't not see it anymore. Actually, I could never find the hidden picture in those, but you get the idea. We are in a constant state of flux- surrounded by energy, it moves around us and through us. I find this, see it, am aware of it, whatever the right word is, when I do Tarot readings- it's possible to do them without it, but becomes much easier when I'm able to concentrate on it. We are in the energy of this world, and occupy a two-sided position. We can both actively manipulate this flux, and can move with it. We exist between passivity and activity, and can do both. We can set in motion, then ride the waves we create. Start with a goal- set that goal into motion, and like a stone thrown into a river, it creates waves of effect, stretching outwards to eventually affect the entire river. And we in turn are affected by the waves that other people or events have caused and set in motion.
So in this life, we are neither passive spectators entirely, or controlling forces- rather it's a mix of both. We need to strike a balance between non-action, letting things happen to us, and attempting to control every last minute detail. Rather, act to change your world, and be flexible enough to deal with what the waves bring you. All reading the Tarot really involves is taking a look at this flux- what's going where, what's in motion around a given point in the river? I keep getting a weird mental image of a purple and black river, moving quickly, and we are deep in that river- it flows around us, and through us, and we can reach out and manipulate the currents around us. The trick is, know where and when to manipulate it. I don't think the Tarot is the only such system of taking a look at these things, it just happens to be the one I'm most familiar and comfortable with. We are not so much islands as we are whirlpools in this ever-changing flow of energy- we are affected by the currents around us even as we create our own changes. So remember, as long as you can act, as long as you have the power to change your world even a bit for the better, you're not hopeless. One change leads to another- every cause has long-reaching effects. And so it goes- find a starting point, and eventually you can move the earth itself.