Lizard
Autotomy, sacrificing the part to save the whole, letting the distraction take the hit
- Card
- 20 of 52
- Suit
- Earth
- Station
- the hidden way
- Kingdom
- Reptile
- Tradition
- Australian Aboriginal, Native American
In Nature
Many lizards drop their tail on demand — the severed tail thrashes to distract the predator while the lizard escapes, and the tail regrows over months from the vertebra outward.
The Medicine
Seized by the tail, the lizard makes an extraordinary decision — it lets the tail go. The severed piece thrashes and holds the predator's attention while the essential animal escapes, and over the following months the tail regrows. There is a part of you that you are allowed to release to save the whole of you. What have you been trying to save intact that would have freed you cleanly if you had simply let it drop? Let it go. What grows back is often stronger than the original.
The Number
As card 20, the hidden way, the Lizard carries letting the distraction take the hit.
Shadow
Ghosting relationships that only needed a hard conversation, dropping tails habitually.
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