Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Ten of Cups reversed/The Hanging Man reversed. The Ten of Cups (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, spirituality, suffering and growth) in an upright position offers an unexpected lesson: achieving happiness takes work, which is to be expected, but maintaining that happiness also takes work, hard work. The cool thing about the happiness that is associated with this card is that it is completely emotional in nature; no physical possessions are necessary in order to create this kind of happiness, and actually, they can actually be a distraction from it. Because my Ten of Cups is reversed today, I need to be aware that these distractions might present themselves. But if I remember my blessings, the non-physical world blessings that can’t be bought or sold for any coin, I should be okay. The Hanging Man is a peculiar and powerful card, whether upright or reversed. It corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts; emotional and imaginative energy which attempts to prevent changes), Neptune (inspiration, spirituality, magick, altered states), Mem (water, stability and balance, the reflective quality of thought), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Geburah (the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed), and whether upright or reversed, it tells of the benefits to be had from altering my perceptions. It also tells of surrender, and the pause that happens through balance. Both of these are Watery cards, and according to the elemental dignities, Water is cold and binds, is wet and adapts, and represents emotional, imaginative and sensitive energy that tries to stay the same or take the same path. Both of these cards are reversed, so either these energies will not be good for me today, or they will be difficult to tap into.

My Thoth card is the Seven of Wands reversed. “Valour” is Crowley’s keyword for the Seven of Wands (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, natural leader, egotistical, selfish). The Seven of Wands has a personal significance for me, given to me by Archangel Uriel. I see this card in an upright position as representing the approach of a Threshold, and the need to pass the tests of the Guardian; since the card is reversed, the Threshold may have been passed. I need to be cautious today about allowing fear to rule my choices, and I need to not strike out on my own or act without forethought.

My Legacy card is The Devil reversed, flavored by The Hermit. This is the second time in less than a month that I have thrown these two cards together; last time, The Hermit was the reversed card. In an upright position, The Devil corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies that are slow to change), Capricorn (“I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious, cunning), Ayin (the eye, senses), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Tipareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify). The Devil is about bondage, addiction and restrictions of all kinds, often connected to the physical world; because the card is reversed, I may find that there is an imbalance in my day as far as physical sensations. The Hermit is my only upright card today, and thus, I am taking his message seriously. He 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.

My Pearls of Wisdom Imbolc card is the Queen of Cups reversed. The Queen of Cups (cusp of Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual, and Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, moody) is Water of Water, and thus is quite deeply connected to her feelings and her Inner Voice. She feels compassion for all, is able to hear and understand what others are saying and feeling, and is a natural healer who only needs to touch or interact with someone in order to have a positive effect. The Pearls of Wisdom Queen in an upright position brings a dreamy serenity to her surroundings; she trusts her intuition and can be quite persuasive. She is reversed, however, and I am being told that at least for the near future, tapping into my Inner Voice and understanding the feelings of others just might be a challenge.

My 6-digit date number is 6, the number of vertical and horizontal balance.

My horoscopes: “You're probably feeling full of energy, Sagittarius, and looking for an outlet for it aside from the usual jog or workout. A hike along a scenic path would be just the thing. Phone a friend and see if you can arrange to do it together. Your friend will probably be as enthusiastic as you. You may enjoy yourselves so much that you decide to make it a weekly event.”

And: “Today you're given a rare opportunity to make a difference in someone else's life just by being yourself -- are you ready to make such an impact? If you are, then open your heart to as many people as you can today. Go beyond making simple small talk -- skip chatting about the weather and touch on more substantial topics. If you can make an emotional connection, you can encourage a positive change for someone you might never even meet again.”

And: “You have an innate psychic ability that only needs some fine-tuning and strengthening for it develop into a formidable power. Even now, you sometimes find yourself reading other people's thoughts. This sensitivity gets you into trouble sometimes, but mostly it works to your advantage. In relationships, especially, you are able to put an end to hurt feelings before they evolve into something irreparable.”

I spent some time last night just sitting at Danu’s Well. It was so beautiful there, and I was brought to a lovely state of serenity by the darkness and by the clouds of fog that were blanketing the remaining snow piles around the Well. The energy emanating from the dark depths of the Well was warm and comforting and supporting, and I could feel the stresses of the day being gently washed away.

I must say, I was quite surprised to see that the 32nd Path had new lessons for me. When I began reading about this Path, I thought that at least this one would be a review, but I was actually given the opportunity to revisit some foundational information through more learned eyes. How cool is that? This Path is about focusing on the connection between the physical world and the realm of meditation, which is the first non-physical awareness that we learn about, the first level that we rise up to out of our physical body and our physical senses. I have been reminded these past days that in order to be balanced and effective, I need to keep at least one tendril of awareness into the sephiroth I am **not** focusing upon. If my focus is on the physical world, I need to keep a small bit of my awareness into my Inner Voice; if my focus is on the astral realms, I need to keep a small bit of my awareness paying attention to the details in the physical world. I have been shown these past days that this is my lesson to be learned from this Path, particularly the latter focus.

While part of me feels ready to move on to the 31st Path, another part feels that I need to spend more time here, at Danu’s Well, pondering what I have learned and absorbing the lessons. It seems that my Tarot cards of the day are telling me this also. Today will be a day of introspection, and I will not be looking at myself through rose-colored glasses. I will not judge myself too harshly, though; after all, my Lady Danu Herself reminds me often that there is no judgement of others, and the only one who will judge me in the end is myself.

And so, I will spend this Imbolc bathed in the sacred essence of the Maiden, with Her Young Lord by my side, as I celebrate the return of the light (both the light in my psyche and the light in my world) and the approach of Spring.

Imbolc Blessings!

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