Two of Swords/The Fool reversed.  This Two is often seen as evidencing a closed heart or a stalemate between two equal but opposing forces, more importantly, unlike the Eight of Swords, which is more about allowing oneself to be imprisoned by these concepts, the Two of Swords seems to indicate a choice to be surrounded by these concepts an by the darkness they bring.  The image on my Llewellyn Welsh Tarot shows a blindfolded woman holding two swords across her chest, with her face turned toward the left, standing at the shore of an ocean whose waves are sending up spray, with a full moon, partially obscured by clouds, in the sky.  To me, this card is speaking to me specifically at this time (especially because my "time of power" is visualized at the beach with the full moon in the sky because that is where I was when I first anchored this power within me), and is telling of my choice to shut out the world in order to look within and examine my Shadow.  I am choosing to do this; I am not being bound against my will by the darkness.  In that vein, it is appropriate that The Fool be also reversed, as The Fool is seen as the Divine Child who does not hide himself from the light because he *is* the light.  Yes, there are other interpretations of these two cards, and to some they could be saying that I am being blinded by the lure of darkness at the expense of light and new beginnings, and in some ways that is true.  But I believe that in order to be a balanced and whole person, I need to understand both sides of my life force, the dark and the light. 

My Thoth card for today is Ten of Cups reversed.  Crowley calls this card “Satiety,” and he does not mean that in a good way.  The energies of this card tell of one who has gotten everything that he wished for and found that he actually did not want all that stuff after all.  The perception of having it all can lead to stagnation; after all, if you have everything, there is nothing else to try for.  This card is reversed, and I see it as an indication that I am not finished, there has not yet been a completion to the cycle of feelings and emotions that are the suit of Cups. 

I attended the Sacred Mists Full Flower Moon Esbat last night, and it was a fitting end to a magickal day. The sunset on Friday presented to me a “personal time of power” as sunset and moonrise were within minutes of each other.  This lovely energy “zap” is still with me, and added to my day on Saturday.  I spent the day in my garden, lovingly caring for the growing things around our cottage.  As the sun lowered in the sky and the transition began from day to night, I was treated to a marvelous example of the beauty of Nature.  

A cold front came through late in the day, moving from Southwest to Northeast, along with some thunderstorms which dumped a short but heavy rain upon the ground as the air was filled with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.  I love storms, and so I poured myself a glass of wine and went out onto my front porch, which faces Southeast, to enjoy the fireworks.  As the last of the rain and clouds passed overhead, suddenly from the West came the light of the sun.  I knew what to look for at these times, and sure enough, there it was: a rainbow.  It arced across the sky over the ocean, a perfect half circle of glorious colors!  I stood there watching for the entire time that the rainbow arched across the dark clouds, feeling privileged to be standing out in the rain when my neighbors were all inside, and feeling a connection to the Goddess, who wears the robe of Nature so that we can sense Her presence. 

The Sacred Mists Esbat, which was led by SummerStar (with Soreenstar as the Ritual Response Leader) seemed to continue the energies of connection and of a sense of well-being that filled my day.  The pre-ritual meditation set the stage for a very fulfilling ritual that combined an awareness of self ~and~ an awareness of the connections that make our community much greater than the sum of its parts.  SummerStar showed us through her words (both her own words and the words of traditional sacred texts of Wicca) that we are connected to each other, we are connected to the Elements that are the building blocks of all life on our beloved world, and we are connected to Goddess and God.  We are each indeed a part of an “oceanic oneness of being.” 

Blessed Be!! 

I am off to do some research about earwigs *shudder*; then I will be teaching my Second Degree Study Hall on "instant magick" and then heading for my garden. 

Happy Mother’s Day!! 

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