Five of Cups reversed/Judgement. The Five of Cups (Mars, action, aggression, drive, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, mysterious, obsessive) tells of the cloudy sludge that is stirred up when still waters are disturbed. This card in an upright position reminds us not to give up hope, even if there are a few snags in the day. Because it is reversed, this Five is telling me that those snags probably won’t hold me back, at least emotionally. Judgement corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), Pluto (power, metamorphosis, cycles of dying and becoming), Shin (fang), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Hod (provides analysis and communication), and represents the integration of the entire self, through answering for my actions and receiving the appropriate response. This process might not be as painful as I anticipate, thanks to the Five of Cups reversed. Judgement also reminds me that where I’ve been has a direct effect on where I am now, and where I think I’m going.

My Thoth card is the Six of Disks. “Success” is Uncle Al’s keyword for this card, which has been showing up for me lately, both upright and reversed. The Thoth Six of Disks (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn) has a heavy feel to it, and I guess in a way that makes sense. The thing that we need to remember about success is that it takes maintenance; we can’t just reach the appropriate level and then sit back; rather, we must keep alert and do what we have to in order to keep momentum alive.

My Legacy card is the Knight of Swords, flavored by The Moon reversed. The Knight of Swords (the cusp of Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, dual, intelligent) is somewhat scary to behold. He is not afraid of taking action, not afraid of wading into conflicts, and not afraid to implement new ideas. Emotions and compassion are absolutely not a part of his M.O., and for the good or the bad, he believes in himself completely. The Moon in an upright position corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, emotional and sensitive energy that strives to stay the same), Pisces (“I believe,” feeling, suffering, soul growth, duality), Qof (the back of the head), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration), and talks about the imagination and fear of the unknown. Its presence here tells me that things are not as they seem to be; because it is reversed, I may very well be missing something important, or making an assumption based on faulty information. I need to look again, carefully.

My 6-digit date number is 11 (Archangel Uriel), which reduces to the number 2, representing balance, polarity and distance between.

My horoscopes: “Errands seem to rule the day. You spend most of it in the car, running hither and yon. Don't be surprised if you run into an old friend you haven't seen in a while. The casual pleasantries you exchange could develop into something more. Perhaps you will discover a common interest and decide to build a business based on it. Keep your eyes (and mind) wide open.”

And: “A birth or other type of new beginning introduces you to an interesting philosophy today. It's like a light is shining in a new corner of the world, and you're very intrigued to see what's there. Feel free to explore your curiosities -- it's very healthy and mature to educate yourself on things you don't yet understand. Get together with people who know more than you do, and start talking. Discussion is one of the best ways to truly understand a concept.”

And: “You are feeling especially psychic and mystically inclined today. You might want to read about such matters, or attend a lecture or workshop given by someone in the field. Telepathic communications are coming your way; don't be surprised if more than once during the course of the day you and another say the exact same thing at the exact same time! You might also experience a powerful kinship with people from the past.”

The 32^nd Path is the first of the initiatory Paths. It connects Malkuth, the sphere of the physical and active world, with Yesod, the sphere of the life force which animates the physical world. The 32^nd Path is about birth, and about death; it reminds us that birth **is** death, for when we are born, we leave behind all memories of past experiences and move into a new existence. This is exactly what happens to us when we die as well.

Any time we meditate or contemplate or journey, we are traveling the 32^nd Path. My moments of glimpses of the Machinery of the Universe are firmly placed upon this Path, as is any pondering that first brings us to understand our own self, and then shows us how small we are and how huge our Universe can be. Yet, we also come to understand that as small as we are, we have a place in this vast and wondrous Universe, and one purpose of life and of living is to find that place.

Indeed, one of the tasks of this Path is to understand physical life, its causes and its needs. This understanding of our physical foundation allows us to come to know our energy body and our life force, and to understand and experience the way that they are bound to our physical self.

One symbol of this Path is the rainbow; the rainbow is an illusion of light which can only be seen from one direction. Ellen Cannon Reed mentions something very cool in her book, “The Witches Tarot,” which will make this 32^nd Path easy for me to remember; she reminds us that Malkuth corresponds with Earth and Yesod corresponds with the Moon, and thus every astronaut who has stepped foot on the Moon has traveled the 32^nd Path.

The Major Arcana card which corresponds to the 32^nd Path is The World. The traditional image on this card is filled with symbolism: the womb, the Giver of Life/Taker of Life, the four elements, matter/energy/time/space, a circle without end, and the Divine energy which connects us all. The World tells us that we have achieved the union of the conscious self with the unconscious self, the mind with the body, and for a time, we are one with Deity and with the Universe. But while the tasks of this cycle have been completed and the lessons of this cycle have been learned, we are not to stop for long. The cycles of life are eternal, and once we pass through the threshold, we must begin again.

I feel that I have been working with the 32^nd Path for some time. Thinking about it today, reading about it, is helping me to crystallize my own thoughts regarding these experiences.

I am off to a good start.

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