Death/Justice reversed. Death corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, and emotional, sensitive and imaginative energy which strives to take the same path), Scorpio (“I desire,” intense, controlling, compulsive, mysterious), Nun (fish head, liberation), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration). In an upright position, Justice corresponds with Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and quick, animated, intellectual energy usually connected with challenges or problems), Libra (“We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Lamed (ox goad, train and teach), and the Path between Tiphareth and Geburah (the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed). It seems to me that these two cards are giving me a message, a hint at what I need to focus upon in order to move forward. I need to focus on not fearing what is to come, for whether I realize it or not, the time is now. I need to strive for balance, balance with flexibility as I don’t know what is coming.

My Thoth card is The Hermit. The Hermit corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, material, practical and stable energy which is slow to change), Virgo (“I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented), Yod (open hand, touch), and the Path between Tiphareth and Chesed (crosses Da’ath; the place where forms and structure are stabilized and nurtured). Crowley sees this card as representing hidden knowledge and inspiration, or knowledge and inspiration that is sourced from within. That knowledge and inspiration cannot be accessed unless we withdraw from regular life, unless we embrace silence.

My Legacy card is The Hermit, flavored by the Page of Coins. The Hermit again. Marchetti’s Hermit has a message for me: the journey is the goal. Incredibly important words!! The Page of Coins (Aries, “I want,” assertive, action oriented, Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual) tells me that I need to see things realistically, and I need to see Nature as both a venue and a key.

My Pearls of Wisdom solar return card is The Hanged Man. Wow!! "The Hanged Man, though bound, is available to the totality of the experience. He is free from fear of loss. Able to sense the fullness of his own divinity, he is emancipated. In that sensing, all the exigency of sacrifice and difficulty is lost and forgotten. What is left is the wisdom and knowledge of who he is and who we all are. The snake reminds him that the shedding of skin, though difficult, brings beauty and blessings. Paradise is wherever you are, not a place from which humans are exiled because of stolen knowledge." That is from the LWB that came with the deck, and oh boy, does that resonate for me today. This card is validating the message of The Hermit!

My 6-digit date number is 8, which represents the conscious choice to maintain balance.

My horoscopes: “You have a promising day ahead, Sagittarius. Finally, you will advance by leaps and bounds in whatever needs to be done. Whatever has been causing the delays will likely be revealed today. You return to the skill and professionalism you so value after several weeks of halting progress. Don't tolerate any violation of your ethics now or in the future.”

And: “If there's one thing you definitely don't appreciate, it's being manipulated. You can smell it a mile away, and spot the signs with your eyes closed. So when a loved one -- probably a family member or long-term friend you've shared intimate secrets with in the past -- starts winding up, don't just sit there. You already know what they're up to. Give them your answer before they ask the question.”

And: “Get out in the world as much as possible, because you have a great deal to share with others. Relationships with men will go especially well today, so now is a good time to patch up any differences that may be dangling in the air. Open your mind up even wider than it already is and see how your energy fits in with the collective. You have strong opinions that will prove to be very useful in setting the record straight once and for all.”

Today is my solar return, my 56^th birthday. How fitting that I threw the Death card today, for indeed, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. It has been a strange few weeks, and I cannot believe that tomorrow is Thanksgiving already.

Fitting to my mood, here are my thoughts about the sephiroth of Binah.

Binah (Understanding) is the third sephiroth on the Tree, at the top of the Pillar of Form/Restriction. It is seen as form, as force in pattern, and as the Great Mother and the Womb of Life. Binah offers shadow and contrast, which in turn gives us shape and form. Binah restricts in order to provide a springboard, and that restriction can also be its downfall if it becomes greed. The energies of this sephiroth are the purest of receptive energies, and they act as a balancing opposite to Chokmah.

Binah, the Sphere of the Goddess, and Chokmah, the Sphere of the God, are eternally connected. One cannot exist without the other, for nothing can exist without form ~and~ force; joined together, they are the Web of Life.

My correspondence list for Binah is:

Magickal Image: Mature Woman

Planetary: Saturn

Vice: Avarice

Virtue: Silence

Deity: Mother, Underworld

Spiritual Experience: Vision of Sorrow

Briatic Correspondence: Comprehension

Illusion: Death

Obligation: None

Path: Path 3, the number of new creation from the union of opposites.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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