The Wheel/Ace of Cups reversed. The Wheel, which corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes), Jupiter (expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune), Kaph (the grasping hand), and the Path between Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration) and Chesed (crosses Da’ath; the place where forms and structure are stabilized and nurtured), is a timely reminder of the powers of the cycles around me which do not originate from me but affect me, and a reminder that those ebbs and flows are all available to me as supporting energy, should I access them correctly. The Ace of Cups represents the potential for the creation and experience of strong emotion; as the card is reversed, I may not be able to easily tap into or understand my own feelings today, or the feelings of others. But if I am aware of The Wheel and its message, I will be able to make use of even these energies which block.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Cups reversed. The “Happiness” card reversed. Most see the upright Nine of Cups as a good card, but typical of Crowley, even in an upright position, this card carries a warning. It is indeed the Wish Card and brings a sense of accomplishment, but it warns us that the pleasures associated with this card are meant to be temporary, and sooner or later they must be released. The card is reversed, so I may not have much of a chance to benefit from these energies before leaving them behind.

My Legacy card is the Ace of Swords, flavored by the Ten of Coins reversed. The Ace of Swords represents the complex and powerful instrument that is the mind and the intellect. I am being reminded that not using my intelligence and knowledge and wisdom pretty much negates their presence, and I am also being reminded that in order to be strengthened, they all need to be used against a stronger force or flow. This Ace represents the potential for challenges, but the carrot at the end of the stick is that the solving or resolving of these challenges will bring growth. In an upright position, the Ten of Coins represents the final accumulation of wealth and health in the physical realm, but all that “stuff” comes with a warning: use it to create something new and beneficial, or be stuck carrying it around and protecting it from others. Perhaps that is my challenge today?

My Full Moon Pearls of Wisdom card is the Page of Pentacles. The Pages are the messengers who carry to us the message of the Ace of their suit, and this Page is no exception. He tells me how to be today. I need to focus intensely on the job at hand, I need to record my experiences, and I need to strive to learn the skills I need in order to bring about my own initiation. If I am truly ready, my Teacher will appear. **smile** How true this is.

My 6-digit date number is 6, the number of vertical and horizontal balance.

My horoscopes: “The fire within you is raging today, Sagittarius, and you should be careful how you wield this power. Be proud and triumphant. Walk with your shoulders back and head high. Freedom is important, but make sure that others don't interpret it as you not caring about a person or situation that's actually quite meaningful to you. Let your heart speak openly and honestly.”

And: “You're a natural authority figure -- at least as far as you're concerned. That's usually good for you, and your instincts are usually right on -- but for now, listening to outside advice could be a good idea. In fact, you might actually need to seek someone out if you want to make your plans work. Choose that one person you're sure can find a happy medium between the hard and fast rules and their own intuition.”

And: “Transformations that are taking place in your life right now are apt to have a dramatic effect on your romantic relationships. The good news is that these relationships should change for the better. Regardless of where you are with a close partnership, you should expect that it will grow deeper and much more meaningful for you at this time. Even if you find yourself breaking up with someone, keep in mind that this is probably for the better.”

The Pagan Brain Trust met to perform an empowerment ritual last night, and it was incredible. We each practice some form of Paganism, and the cool thing is that the other three seem to be drawn to much of what Wicca is, but don't want to be dedicated to any Tradition. One is a Yoga teacher who connects with the Vedic Tradition as far as its connection to Yoga, but she is striving to integrate the meanings behind the teachings into her own Wiccan flavored Paganism. One says that she was always known as the “Pagan asshole” because she could never fit into any specific tradition, and yet is drawn to the Wiccan frame of practice; she is the one among us who first began connecting the Internet with magick, but our Shaman has gravitated to this practice as well. One is dedicated to Bhride and has an intensely strong and personal relationship with Her, yet is training intensely in Shamanism from a local, well-established practitioner. And then, there is me, the Wiccan Priestess who has found in Wicca an intensely powerful tool for connection to Deity and evolution of self. The nice thing is that we each value our own viewpoint, and we each are very happy that the others (1) have different viewpoints, because we learn from the others, and (2) don't want to form a coven, for then we would need to accept a core group of Deities, and none of us want to share. LOL!! Yet, we are a family, and we can do amazing workings.

Our working was part Shamanism and part Wicca, and involved raising a cone of energy through music and sound, and then releasing the charged energy through a custom made sigil which was sent as an email at the ultimate moment. The focus of the ritual happens today, and I am certain that in the end, victory will be achieved, no mater what today’s outcome turns out to be, as we amassed quite a bit of energy!

I have been told by my Patroness that I have let too much time go by without performing my own rituals, and so I will be doing my own Full Moon Esbat this evening, after my dance class. How right it is that I offer worship to the Goddess after performing and teaching others Her dance!

One part of The Wiccan Mysteries jumped out at me today. It reads as follows:

In an attempt to communicate with the Totality of Divine Consciousness, Wiccans divined Deity into its feminine and masculine polarities or aspects, which they call Goddess and God. We can break this down into the Goddess-current and the God-current. These currents also flow, to varying degrees, within the souls of all humans regardless of gender. The Goddess-current tends to be more open and mutable while the God-current tends to be more directive and fixed. The Goddess is the balance to the God, and He is the balance to Her. Without Her the God would be a judge without compassion, He would be stern without understanding, He would control without loving. Without the God, the Goddess would have compassion without direction, understanding without foundation, love without form. The God and Goddess complete each other, and together they are the One True Creator and Maintainer of the Universe.

“The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins and Teachings,” by Raven Grimassi; page 168.

Oh my. That paragraph really speaks to me.

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