The Lovers reversed/Six of Swords. I am seeing these cards as having a literal meaning today. My company has gone home, and my Love is elsewhere; I am putting things back in order after spending a wonderful day with company. After a much anticipated weekend (which has met my expectations nicely), I am changing my focus to the next event. Oy. My 55^th birthday. *waves to Archangel Uriel* Hi! I am sure that you want to talk to me.

My Thoth card is the Three of Cups reversed. I threw the “Abundance” card reversed on Friday, when I was alone in Cape May. If this is going to be the same type of day, I am happy. A day filled with pondering and absorbing the events of yesterday would be fitting.

My Legacy card is the Five of Wands reversed. Another indication of a calm if not bland day; waning energies are what I am dealing with. I do need such a day, as I would like to not only remember the weekend just past, but begin to flesh out some ideas I have had regarding my sacred masculine wand (LOL, you remember, the elk penis).

The Wayne Contingency, TL, E and J, had a wonderful time in Cape May. Once they arrived, we spent the afternoon on the beach, walking, taking pictures, looking for “treasures.” We stayed until sundown, and watched the Sun Father sink into the sea, with the Moon Mother following behind. Another glorious sight. We came back to the house, cooked dinner, E gave us an awesome yoga class, and after many stimulating discussions we finished the night with a chakra meditation. I can still feel the ebbs and flows of energies, flavored here and there with a hint of each of their presence here. We thought of L, and looked forward to the official Retreat, where we will have a complete set.

Today as I digest the past few days and think about the winding down of my personal dark moon phase of my personal solar year, I think about that third part of my persona, the Wiccan Priestess. This part of me can be broken down to two subheadings: what I perceive Wicca to be, and why I am dedicated to Wicca.

Wicca is a mystery spiritual tradition that sees Deity as being a dynamic balance of polar opposites, male and female, dark and light, hot and cold, inner and outer, both of which opposites are necessary for wholeness. Wiccans see Deity as imminent, as being present within everything, rather than as transcendent, existing apart and watching over us all. We don’t worship the trees or the rocks, but rather we worship the traits of Deity that we see within the traits of the trees and the rocks. Wiccans believe that all of life exists within and manifests through the cycle of birth, life, death, rest, and rebirth, and we believe that in aligning ourselves with those cycles we become closer to Deity.

Wiccans see their relationship with Deity as being experiential in nature, hence the “mystery” of the term “mystery spiritual tradition.” We do not have revealed texts or written-in-stone, never-to-be-messed-with ideas and beliefs about Deity. While some may be more comfortable with that kind of permanent framework, Wiccans see their own knowledge about Deity as constantly evolving, and we are always working new facts and new knowledge into the general, overall picture of Deity. Because of the nature of the Wiccan perception of Deity, Wiccans don’t believe that there is any one right way to worship Goddess and/or God; each religion and each belief is right for the person practicing that religion or belief. We do not preach conversion of the world to Wicca, and we don’t want to be “saved.”

While a more experienced Priestess and/or Priest may lead our groups and our rituals, we do not communicate with Deity through the intercession of officially designated ministers and we do not exist under the umbrella of any one human authority or counsel. Our knowledge and belief regarding Deity is alive and constantly evolving, and we see the seeking of any knowledge regarding Deity or our world, including all the sciences, as a sacred task.

Wiccans also believe in the concept of personal responsibility, and the willing acceptance of the ownership of both our actions and the consequences of our actions is a basic underpinning of Wicca. There is no devil to make us do anything and no spiritual guide or authority who can intercede in our name. We believe that everything we do circles back to us, and thus we choose our actions carefully and attempt to cause the least amount of harm.

So we have the keywords: dual, imminent, cycles, experiential, personal responsibility.

As to why I am a Wiccan, it seems that I blossom in this kind of environment with these keywords. As I have been told by my dearest Lady Danu, in the astral realms there is no judgment imposed on any one or any thing by another; the only one who judges me is me. I am accepted as who I am, I have been able to discover the skills that are uniquely mine, and I have been able to manifest those skills as I help myself to evolve, and help others to evolve. Sounds fluffy, I know, but being able to successfully overcome a challenge and then shine a light on the methods I used so that someone else can also succeed by using my methods as a foundation for their own success is quite awesome to experience, and addictive.

I have come to value the things and experiences that I don’t share with the world. Yes, those who are close to me know my Path and share my joy with the fulfillment I experience during my Journey. But most of my acquaintances see a kind of cool yet average middle aged woman. My “Clark Kent” persona; but I’ve got a secret! *wink*

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