Monday, February 14, 2011

The Universe/The Star reversed. The Universe/World (Earth, cold/binds and dry/shapes, stable, physical, material, slow to change; Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance; Thav, mark or sign; and the Path between Malkuth, the physical world of action and physical reality, and Yesod, the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest into Malkuth) tells me that I have reached the maximum integration between my physical self and my mental/astral/energy body self attainable within this cycle. The Llewellyn Welsh card tells of a chair on top of a mountain which offers a clear view of and understanding of the world; it is said that one who spends the night sitting in Cadair Idris will come down from the mountain either a gifted poet or a madman. This can be the case with glimpses of the Machinery of the Universe; hopefully today I will end up the poet rather than the madman. While I should continue to ponder the lessons I’ve learned, of late it is time to shift my focus and move forward into the next cycle. The Star (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts; Aquarius; Qof, back of head; the Path between Malkuth, the physical world of action and outer, physical reality, and Netzach, the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration) in an upright position represents love kindled by hope for humankind. It tells me that the act of giving itself is the greatest gift of all; the image of this card depicts this concept, as the figure pours the elixir of her love back into her creations, distributing the love to all whether they deserve it or not. The card is reversed, so the power of love has not yet reached its full strength, but it is a part of the equation. The Star also reminds us of the gifts of the subconscious, hidden though they are, and it reminds us of the value of life, created through love. I should not let myself be prevented from knowing that these gifts are a part of my day and my night, even if I can’t see The Star because of clouds.

My Thoth card is the Six of Disks reversed. “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 Six of Swords reversed, flavored by the Three of Swords reversed. Hmmm . . . The Six of Swords (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause oriented) in an upright position is about hitting the reset button in order to move away from a problem or blockage. Since this card has been showing up for me often, usually reversed, I need to remember that sometimes you don’t get a “do-over,” and you have to play the hand you were dealt. The funny thing is that right after I threw this card, my internet and phone system went out. I tried everything I knew to reset the system, but was unsuccessful. I ended up having to call Comcast on my cell phone and get their help. LOL, the reset was successful, but I was not able to do it myself. I think I just learned a new meaning for the reversed version of this card! The Three of Swords (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) is named “Sorrow” by Aleister Crowley, and while I do see this card as definitely indicating the possibility of experiencing sorrow, I think this card also tells of the potential for experiencing the isolation that comes when we are excluded from something. What makes this card so potent is that the discomfort it hints at has a more universal feel to it; it’s not just about stubbing your toe on the shoes that your husband left in the middle of the hallway, it’s about being conscious of the pain that sometimes comes because of basic differences in focus that can happen between two people. Because this card is of the suit of Swords, I need to remember that the source of any hurt or discomfort might be mental rather than emotional.

I have two reversed Six cards today, both reversed. An upright Six card usually represents some kind of vertical and horizontal balance within the suit. The suit of Disks or Coins or Pentacles is about the physical world, and I would assume that a reversed Six of Disks would mean that things might not flow quite so smoothly in my physical world, but the card is present so an achievement of this harmony is possible. The suit of Swords is about the mind and the intellect, and the majority of the Minors of this suit usually present the opportunity to use the mind in order to solve a problem and achieve growth. Successfully doing this would indeed bring vertical and horizontal balance, but since this Six is also reversed, if I see the two cards as a pair, the lack of vertical and horizontal balance could very well be happening because of a disconnect between my physical world and my mental self! I think the connection is there, but I just need to “clear the line” so to speak, in order to fix these reversals.

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

My horoscopes: “A powerful desire for change could have you thinking of traveling, Sagittarius, or perhaps relocating to a distant state or foreign country. Friends who live far away could be trying to convince you to join them. This isn't a minor decision. It requires careful thought. You might be tempted to act impulsively, but wait for a while. In a few days, you will know if the change is right for you.”

And: “Smile, it's Valentine's Day, and you know in your heart that you're about to be spoiled, big time. Now, about those dinner reservations. You did make the reservations, right? No? Well, you'd better think of something fast -- but that just happens to be your specialty, fortunately. On the other hand, whether or not you have dinner, tiny gray velvet boxes and flowers arranged on the table really won't matter. Even if you're totally unprepared, the heavens will be more than happy to help you make this a special day -- and night.”

And: “Communications with family members and others should be clear, honest, and loving. Though your physical passions may be surging beneath the surface today, they're still very much present, and you're likely to be feeling particularly romantic. You might want to read racy novels or go to a romantic movie. This is definitely the night to be alone with that special person in your life. Make sure you look your best, and have fun.”

My Sun reading: “Mercury trines Saturn and hard work guarantees success. Financial negotiations are about keeping not giving, which means they aren't dialogues at all with the person in charge of money. Your romantic Valentine's Day evening? A mystical Cancer Moon opposes Venus. Opposites attract and enjoy magical chemistry tonight.”

I am sitting at my computer in the back room of my much-loved Blue Moon House. The sun is shining, the sky is blue; I am listening to “Bliss Om Namah Shivaya” by Robert Glass. I have one candle lit, and the fireplace is going as well. And I feel grounded and at peace.

How interesting that I feel this way, because today has not been a day without bumps in the road. Early this morning, I brought my car to a local gas station for tires. I’ve been putting off getting the tires because I just didn’t have the time, but thankfully I’ve been carefully checking the tires before any trips (because I know they are worn), because I noticed damage on one of the tires yesterday. Can’t wait any longer. I walked back from the station, enjoying the sun and the warmth of the day; I will walk back as soon as they are done with my car, and this way I get a bit of exercise as well as four new tires.

I came home and logged onto the Internet to check my emails, and suddenly I had no Internet connection and no phones (we get both from the same provider). Sheesh! I tried everything I knew, without success, and ended up calling our provider. And oh joy, the Rep I spoke to was able to talk me through a total shut down, and a re-seating of all the cables, and I am back up and running.

And, I managed to remain calm and serene through all of this. I really am proud of myself! A damaged tire and a modem shut down and it’s only a little past 1 pm, and my blood pressure has not gone up even one tick; on the contrary, I feel wonderfully calm.

This has been a busy weekend for me. We have completed some work on our Blue Moon House, and I spent the past two days re-positioning furniture and re-hanging pictures. And LOL, the sun shining on my windows shows me that they need to be taken care of too, but that job is for another weekend. Bob and I had a nice lobster dinner on Saturday to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and we slept on our new mattress.

It is interesting to me that as I work on the 30th Path, the third of three Paths of initiation, I am experiencing this day of balance and harmony. This is not balance and harmony that come to me without any effort on my part; rather, I am experiencing balance and harmony that I need to choose to open myself to. Bumps and detours are there, affecting my day, but at least for today I am able to see even the bumps and detours as bringing me something positive. It’s not that I am rising above these bumps and detours, but rather I am embracing them.

More on the 30th Path. The Tarot Major Arcana card that corresponds with this Path is The Sun. The Sun corresponds to the element of Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), to our Sun (the inner core of a person or situation, the deepest self and influential power), and to the Hebrew letter Resh (face, reason). Heat is active, and has the power to act; it tends to rise and expand. Fire is one of the pure elements (along with Earth); Fire always rises to the upward limit.

Just about every polytheistic religion has a Sun God, because the sun is seen as the giver of life and of light; the Sun God usually is also seen as a redeemer who shines light into the darkness. The Sun also represents reliability; after all, our own sun rises and sets every day with a predictable rhythm. This means that The Sun does not tell of the sudden and powerful eruption of The Tower, but rather it tells of a sustained glow that lights and warms but does not burn. In a sense, The Sun can be seen as a more evolved manifestation of the vertical and horizontal balance presented by Temperance. Of course, the only danger to be had from this card is if we cling to the peace and harmony that it presents, for these energies are meant to be temporary in nature.

Working within the 30th Path has shown me that my efforts and explorations are valuable and are having a positive effect upon me. Indeed, as Ted Andrews writes about this Path in More Simplified Magick: Pathworking and the Tree of Life, “This path releases energy into our physical life that animates all aspects as we develop greater individuality and so we learn to use our vitality more productively.” This Path brings an ongoing, continuous benefit to me; it helps me to remain connected to my place in the Universe.

I just handed in the extra work for Lesson 4 of my Third Degree Training. I know I have said this before, but these Lessons are having such a wonderful effect on me and the practice of my Craft. I am not only learning new information, but I am crystallizing my own beliefs in new and more in-depth ways. These new understandings of my Craft add so much to my Purpose, and to the enjoyment and fulfillment to be had from living this life.

*smile* Happy Valentine’s Day!

$

No comments:

Post a Comment