"As Reliable As The Numbers From One To A Hundred..."

Maybe everything is a lot easier than we think it is. Maybe there are better ways to do things, keys that unlock the potential hiding just under our surfaces. I was charmed and astounded watching this video of a child solving math problems quickly and accurately using Chisenbop, an form of finger-counting that may date back to the abacus. See if you can figure out how he does it:

Here's a tutorial. Chisenbop has cropped up in American curricula from time to time, but it's largely unheard of here. Why is that? I can understand the need to instill kids with a completely conceptual grasp of how sums and multiplication tables work, but not everyone's minds work the same way. And anyway, this is like walking around with a calculator in your pocket -- bound to come in handy at some point.

The Ace of Swords exists to usher new decisions and perspectives into our lives, pointing ever forward. All we need do is sail on its wind, relaxing our grip on obsolete or irrelevant ideas and embracing progress and self-knowledge. Is there a better way to do something? Then so shall it be done. Is there potential hiding beneath the surface? A series of swift, careful incisions ought to free it.

We are often urged to "know ourselves" and "be ourselves", but there is no knowledge without learning. Study yourself just as ardently as you study your surroundings. In your sharpest moments, your consciousness is a membrane between the inner and outer worlds -- a line carved into the fabric of reality, as thin as the edge of a knife and just as difficult to balance on. The Tarot's suit of Swords describes our attempts to maintain that balance. If the failures seem costly, it's because they are blows against our very identity and sense of purpose; try to keep in mind that equilibrium is only ever achieved through a series of errors and counter-errors. With a little discipline and effort, the contents of your own mind may one day seem as familiar to you as your own hands and fingers, and as reliable as the numbers from one to a hundred. [Via.]

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Ace of Swords