Knight of Pentacles reversed/Three of Cups reversed. The Knight of Pentacles (cusp of Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical, and Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented), like all Knights, represents extreme manifestations of his suit, Pentacles. He seems to focus on how to get things done, rather than why things need to be done, and since he is reversed, I may find that today, I am not focusing enough on responsibilities because I am distracted by the pleasures of the physical world. Things are not getting done, and while there is nothing wrong with enjoying a good cup of coffee or the warmth of the fireplace, I should try to get at least a bit of practical work done today. The Three of Cups (Mercury, reason, intelligence, orderliness, communication, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive tenacious, nurturing, moody) in an upright position tells of the possibility of experiencing emotional abundance and support as a part of the day. Because the card is reversed, I may find that emotional sustenance will not be easily found through my contacts with others.

My Thoth card is The Moon. 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. Uncle Al also connects this card to the waning moon and to menstrual blood (which means that the promise of the seed was not fulfilled). The thing about The Moon is that to me, it is mostly about fear, fear of the unknown and of things not understood. But if nothing is as it seems, then perhaps there really is not anything to fear. Perhaps the lack of clarity can be turned into a useful tool.

My Legacy card is the Six of Cups, flavored by the Nine of Coins. The Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive) reminds me that happiness comes from within me, and happiness needs no expensive surroundings in order to manifest. This happiness may be fed and supported by memories of the past, or by seeing things from the viewpoint of a child, but no matter what, there is potential to be had. The Nine of Coins (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is a card of accomplishment, and of the pleasure we receive from looking around us and seeing the fruits of our labor. The Nine of Coins is also about taming the wild beast within us all, but I wonder if there is some danger to taming the beast too well. The Six of Cups reminds me that the innocence of childhood also contains the power of belief in the unproven. The flavor of the Nine of Coins may bring a bit of structure to the lovely feelings associated with the Six of Cups, but it is my feelings and the instructions of my Inner Voice that must have the final say today.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of manifestation.

My horoscopes: “You usually tend to be outgoing, Sagittarius, and you love talking to others. However, today you may feel far more reticent than usual, more inclined to listen than speak. There may not seem to be any real reason for this. It isn't as if you're depressed or worried. Don't worry about it. View this as an opportunity to hear what others have to say. You will be yourself tomorrow.”

And: “Your intuition, physical and intellectual energy, and insight are at an all-time high today. You'll probably want to spend much of the day alone, reflecting on your ideas and deciding how you want to put them to work for you. At some point you may want to memorialize your thoughts in writing. You could also find yourself tuning in more strongly than usual to the thoughts and feelings of others.”

One of the true tests to the relevancy of someone’s writings (either my own or someone else’s) is to return to those writings after the elapsing of a sufficient amount of time. If the things I read (or wrote) months and even years ago are still valid, or better yet, end up offering current validation to me, despite the fact that I read or wrote the text at a very different stage of my life, then I am usually impressed. Since I finished my first reading of “When I See The Wild God: Encountering Urban Celtic Witchcraft,” by Ly De Angeles, I decided to go back to her previous book, “Witchcraft: Theory and Practice,” which I own, and re-read that book. Imagine my pleasure when, right at the beginning, I found phrases and paragraphs that present in other words the very things that I am dealing with within my Craft.

“Anyone who willingly opens themselves to powers beyond the veil of manifestation (as we understand it) opens themselves to the possibility of inner initiation. Witches know that they are witches, but initiation is what sets and seals that knowledge through the power of ritual and the intent inherent to the process itself, to a deeper strata of recognition and response both within oneself and from the powers to which we are oathed. Once initiation has occurred, there is no turning back – you will quest all your life; it is not a thing to do thoughtlessly. Once you have chosen to take upon yourself the obligations of the practice of witchcraft, then the effects, or the immanence, of this way of life, will be bestowed on you from aligned intelligences, and so will the tests that accompany them.” Oh yes. Exactly right.

And: “The nature of initiation will keep you questing for the rest of your life. There will be no surcease. There is no walking away from this once it has called your name and you have willingly answered. The forces that you work with will continue to feed and inspire you; and everything ends up being looked at through eyes that know how to see.”

I got the chills when I read the last part of that last sentence, “. . . and everything ends up being looked at through eyes that know how to see.” Wow; that says so much to me, those words resonate within me in so many ways.

Tara and I have both come to a realization: the deeper we immerse ourselves into our own training, the less we are able to talk about what we learn with others and still find the right words to convey the magick and power of our experiences. This effect ends up insulating us from those around us, particularly those who are not of the “woo-woo” persuasion. **smile** Believe me, I wish I had a pic of my husband’s face the first time I talked to him about my personal Spirit Guides. But here is the thing: Once I have come to begin the process of understanding my own personal truth, I have found that I end up owing “service” (for want of a better word) to that truth. That service involves not allowing fear or discomfort to siderail my efforts, and it involves being on call when I am changed or moved by contact and interactions with the intelligence of the forces which are presenting these truths to me.

Just as Goddess and God are programmed to respond to requests for interaction, I, too, have a responsibility to respond to questions for interaction. The difficulty here is that I cannot allow myself to become totally distracted from being a student myself. This balance between leading others, and being led by others, needs to be kept dynamic, and both roles need to be acknowledged and accepted.

One final thought: the deeper I immerse myself into these studies, the more jarring and unharmonious will be the deviations. As long as I stay on the Path, I will experience harmony and well being; if I stray, the warnings will become more and more “in my face”; because my energy field is being made more and more harmonious to the essence of life that is Deity, even a slight distraction will end up having an uncomfortable outcome.

Since Paths 32, 31 and 30 are connected to initiation, I believe the time has come for me to begin my Pathworking. Tomorrow, I will talk about the 32^nd Path.

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