Three of Pentacles reversed/The Hanging Man. Whhhoooaaahh!! There’s a clear message, and the dreamy image as well as one word in the name of the Llewellyn Welsh Hanging Man, “enchantment,” are both a clear message to me today when paired with that Three of Pentacles reversed. In an upright position the Three of Pentacles (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution, cunning) tells of hard work, attention to details, and the use of skills and talents to create. Because it is reversed today, and combined with The Hanging Man (Water, cold/binds and wet/adapts; Neptune, inspiration, spirituality, enchantment, altered states; Mem, water, stability, balance, the reflective quality of thought; and the Path between Hod, provides analysis and communication, and Geburah, where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed), which tells me to stop and surrender, and to change my perspective so that I can change my consciousness and my perception of the world around me, today there is a clear message: stop! Take the time to pause just for the sake of pausing, and strive to see things from a different place, and I will receive an important message.

My Thoth card is the Six of Cups reversed. The “Pleasure” card reversed, the Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, the deepest self, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, secretive, obsessive) in an upright position is about harmony, about enjoying simple pleasures and inner riches, and about sensing the connections to those all around. Crowley sees this card as the best in the entire deck, and he sees it as not the fullness of contentment, but only the beginning of contentment. The card is reversed, which is strange to me because today has been (at least so far) serene and harmonious. I will certainly be thinking about the position of this card through the day.

My Legacy card is the Knight of Wands reversed, flavored by the King of Wands reversed. Now, there’s a clear message! No Wands today, at least not in an outer, active fashion. The Knight of Wands (the cusp of Scorpio, and Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) in an upright position focuses intensely and exclusively, with blinders to shut out distractions, on spiritual quests, on manifesting ideas, and on taking actions. The King of Wands (the cusp of Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, and Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical) focuses on the same things, but with much more control than the Knight. The King is able to see past his passions because he has learned how to effectively wield them with balance. Both cards are reversed, and thus I am being told that today I will be most effective if I turn these fiery passions inward, and explore the great unknown that is my inner self, rather than trying to know and understand the world around me through these passions.

My 6-digit date number is 10, the completion of a process, which in turn reduces to the number 1, the beginning of potential, and position.

My horoscopes: “Give people the benefit of the doubt, Sagittarius. Don't be so hasty in your actions, and take the time to think things through. You have a special connection with your feelings today that can aid in clearing some of the fog in your thinking. Your sensitivity to others is remarkably strong. People will be particularly drawn to this side of you, especially tonight.”

And: “A group of your neighbors may be displeased with events or policies in your community and decide to start an action group, and they could try to recruit you. A number of short trips in your community, perhaps connected with these matters in some way, may be necessary at this time. Your innate idealism could be put to work in some kind of humanitarian cause, Nancy, and you could find it more fulfilling than you'd thought.”

OMG, OMG, OMG! I knew this was going to be an awesome trip to the Point because as I threw my cards this morning, I watched butterflies streaming through my yard, but this was sooooooo beyond my expectations!

The bike ride to the Point was lovely; the sky was blue, the air was clear, and monarchs were traveling with me. Even though the blooms on the Virgin’s Bower were fading, their sweet fragrance still filled the air. It had changed a bit, and had just a slight earthy essence to it, but still lovely and exotic.

The Point was mobbed, people with binoculars everywhere. Everyone was enjoying the sun and the sand and the surf, and the myriads of flying creatures to be seen. The sheer numbers were mind boggling, and I know that this account may sound like I’m padding the numbers, but I’m not.

Within the first five minutes of my walk, I saw an osprey with a fish in its talons, and a bald eagle. LOL, I knew then that this was going to be a memorable walk, and that says a lot, for each of my trips to the Point this Fall have been mind-blowing. I continued on my walk, and paused often. I watched a pair of osprey circling above; then I watched several of my Totems, turkey vultures, as they soared. I was treated to my favorite interaction with turkey vultures: one swooped down and circled right overhead, and turned its head to watch me as I watched it through my binoculars. Talk about up close and personal!! Another time I stopped to watch them, and higher up I saw a pair of black vultures, also circling.

Three blue herons slowly flew in formation overhead as I stood in awe at their grace. Then, at the edge of one meadow, I was treated to an incredible sight, one I would never have seen if I didn’t bring my binoculars. There, over the meadow and high up and invisible with the naked eye, were literally tens of thousands of sanderlings!! A huge cloud of them, like something you would see on tv, banked and turned in unison overhead for a few moments, and then headed west in a wide river of birds. Awesome!!

Not five minutes later, I stood and watched as a golden eagle circled high up, its wings and tail spread to catch the thermals. What glorious creatures they are!!!

I continued walking, overwhelmed by the scenes around me. Hawks, several of them, soared and flapped their wings. There were about 25 swans spread out in the streams and ponds, eating water vegetation. No snowy egrets this week, but plenty of gulls, and even a few gannets, arriving early. And dragonflies and moths and monarchs. Clouds and clouds of monarchs. Last weekend they numbered in the hundreds, but this weekend they numbered in the thousands!! On the flowers, just above the flowers, and up into the air I looked, and everywhere there were monarchs.

I spent two hours on that trail, stopping again and again to watch the glory of the Fall. Even my trip back home was lovely; I saw turkey vultures, I watched a male kestrel hunting, flying low over a mowed field, darting down and then swooping back up again. And more monarchs.

And towards the end of my bike ride, I had my aha! moment!!! For the past few days I have been reading about and thinking about Watchers. I have posted some of my research on this blog, and I have felt that there was some important realization or connection to be made, but that realization or connection was just not happening. I probed my mind, trying to find the right key. And as I drove back from my walk in Point Park this afternoon, saturated with the energies of the Fall, I finally made the connection!!

My mistake was attempting to connect with the Watchers through the elements and my Elemental Guides. Yes, each Watcher has an association with the elements and their effects, but the Watchers are about directions, and the Watchers are about seasons. They are not directly about the elements. It was right in front of my nose the whole time, but I just could not think out of the box to see the answer until today. And if I want to connect with the Watchers and get to know their energies, I can’t approach them as a group. I need to seek each one individually, and it will take me an entire turn of the Wheel to make their acquaintances. Duh!!! **facepalm** I feel a bit silly because it took me so long to realize what I needed to open myself to, but I also am sooooo loving the feeling of this connection!!!

And so today I will wallow in the energies of Antares, the “Heart of the Scorpion,” and I will be doing more research later today. **rubs hands together** I really love the high of “aha!” moments!!

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