Eight of Swords (again??!!)/The Emperor reversed. I tend to see the first card of this pair as representing my conscious mind and the second my subconscious mind, so perhaps the energies of this Eight are being brought to the surface. The Eight of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable talkative, dual) shows what happens when you abuse the power of the Swords through the intellect: that power turns against you. Am I thinking too much? Shutting myself away from the world is sometimes productive if done in small amounts of time, but I need to be careful that I don’t turn into the brooder that is the Nine of Swords. The Emperor (Fire, hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change; Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive; Heh, window, illumination; and the Path between Tiphareth and Chokmah, dynamic male energy and the origin of vital force and polarity) represents the power of the mind and of intentions to shape the world. He is about taking responsibility, and he is about manifesting his good intentions through order and stability and structure and regulation. All of these things are imposed ethically, with the best interests of all kept in mind. Because he is reversed, I may be dealing with events today that will make it difficult for me to maintain order, or lead as an example. But the card is there, so there is hope.

My Thoth card is The Hermit reversed. The Hermit corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and material, practical and stable energy that is slow to change), Virgo (“I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented, orderly), Yod (open hand, touch), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Chesed (the place where forms and structure are stabilized and nurtured), and points to hidden knowledge attained through seclusion and tough introspection. Because this card is reversed, there is a danger that my introspection may turn harmful and dark. Interesting that this card is reversed too; The Emperor reversed and The Hermit reversed seem to be pointing at each other. “You need to be more internal!” “You need to be more in touch with your physical world so that things are orderly!” I may end up being presented with a choice of options here.

My Legacy card is the Page of Coins, flavored by the King of Coins. Interesting pair! The Page of Coins (Aries, “I want,” assertive, action oriented, Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual) is a listener, and this Page listens to both sides of an argument because he is also a student, and is eager to learn. He watches his world with curiosity and wants to learn how everything works. Because this Page corresponds to Earth, he is practical and cautious, but because he also brings a youth’s enthusiasm to learn into the picture, he is the least cautious of the Coins Court family; he will actually take risks on occasion. The King of Coins (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the expert on physical manifestation. He is very good at managing resources and overseeing growth, and he has one other important talent that the Page has not yet attained: the ability to be patient. The King of Coins is flavoring the Page today, which tells me first of all that my awareness will be focused on my physical world today, and second that the youthful enthusiasm of the Page of Coins will be tempered by the King’s ability to use past experiences to better manifest good health and a secure place in the world.

My 6-digit date number is 8, the number that represents a focused and active response to the beginning of degeneration that is the number 7.

My horoscopes: “Today you might decide to get some annoying but necessary chores done, Sagittarius. You have the energy and stamina to finish them and probably will, although you may go crazy from boredom in the meantime. Your mind should be especially active, so don't be surprised if during the course of doing your chores you find the answers to questions you've been asking yourself for a long time.”

And: “Keep on keeping on -- you are closer than ever to getting what you want, and if you just keep going, you will soon (very soon) see a sign that things are about to change the way you want them to. If you're on a diet, you'll notice your clothes fitting differently. If you're working on a new relationship, you will start to see this person open up. If you are just trying to stay positive, you will soon get the encouragement you need to believe deep in your heart that everything is coming up roses!”

Today's Sun reading: “The Aquarius Sun conjuncts Mars, prodding people to want to have things their way. You and others want it more than anything until the Moon enters Pisces later today and it might seem like nobody does anything but whine and complain. None of the above gives off good romantic vibes tonight.”

More about the 31^st Path. The Tarot card associated with this Path is the Judgment card. Judgement is about karma and about cause and effect; studying the 31^st Path can reveal to us the causes of events within our life, as well as the effects of those events that can manifest. These situations show us not only undesirable ties, but also they highlight the blessings of the Divine that are operating in our lives. We learn an important lesson through this Pathworking: all situations in this life have supported and continue to support the manifestation of our Purpose. Karma is also related to all links to our individual pasts, and to the collective past of all humanity.

The Judgement card corresponds with Pluto (power and metamorphosis), with the element of Fire (within elemental dignities: hot/separates and dry/shapes), and with energies that are spontaneous and impulsive. This means that Pathworking associated with the 31^st Path can assist us in strengthening the kundalini within us; we can free ourselves from emotional problems, learn to avoid ruthlessness and self-indulgence, and help us to access deep wells of courage and strength within us. Fire is also about purification; Fire destroys and Fire creates, and a trial by Fire may not be fun, but it is beneficial in the end because it enables us to resolve issues, and release them.

It amazes me that I am only on the second Path, and yet circumstances have contrived to present powerful (and uncomfortable) opportunities for hands-on experiences within each Path. What is pleasing to me is my initial instinctive response to these challenges. My first instinct, when presented with an uncomfortable situation, is to withdraw. Permanently. Instantly. But the challenges that are presenting themselves over these past few weeks are not eliciting that response from me. Oh yes, for a moment I tell myself that this just isn’t worth the pain and disappointment, but this thought direction does not bring me right to the Nine of Swords, as has been common in the past. I am a brooder, and brooding is a natural response for me when a sudden and uncomfortable blockage appears. But lately, I am quickly derailing the desire to withdraw, and instead, I am telling myself to sleep on the event, so that I don’t take hasty actions that I will end up regretting.

I have seen this happen again and again to others within my spiritual studies at Sacred Mists, and watched again and again as someone responds to a challenge by withdrawing. Permanently. Instantly. But inevitably, that withdrawal has ended up to be exactly the wrong action to take. Each of us at Sacred Mists, from the newest of the newbies to the most seasoned of Priests and Priestesses, has an important role within our Community. Each of us does our best to meet our responsibilities and to take our place among the other members of our Coven and our Community. We each are placeholders to a position or a space, and like the grains of soil with which I connected when I first did my Earth elemental absorption exercise from my First Degree Training, as soon as we own our space, others begin to lean on us and depend on us and support us. If you pull away one grain of soil, every other grain in the area is displaced; the same holds true when any member of our Community leaves, for whatever reason.

Consequences. Cause and Effect. The 31^st Path. Every action affects everyone and every thing around me. This does not mean that I can’t make changes or back away; it just means that I need to be very aware that everything I do (and everything I choose to **not** do) has an impact.

Okay, this Pathworking is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. And I think that I now understand a bit better why both The Hermit and The Emperor are reversed in my cards today. Neither one is the right answer to the question, but neither one is the wrong answer either. I need to balance them both, **not** choose one or the other!

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