The Magician reversed/Ten of Wands reversed. The Magician corresponds with Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and quick and animated energy which usually presents problems or challenges), Mercury, Beth (house; builder) and the Path between Binah (female, receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) and Kether (the source, limitless possibility), and he has the power to transform his world through the use of his Will and his connection to the Divine. The card is reversed, however, and perhaps the message here is that I can’t always have control. The Ten of Wands (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) tells of the blocking of the creative power of the suit of Wands, most likely because the Fire of creativity has run out of fuel. It sounds like these two cards being reversed is telling me that I am being held back from acting.

My Thoth card is the Two of Cups. “Abundance” is the keyword for this card, that Crowley calls the Lord of Love. The Two of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, family and home oriented, tenacious, moody) in an upright position is usually about relationships. They may be an issue for me today.

My Legacy card is The Hermit reversed, flavored by the Knight of Coins. The Hermit, which 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), is about looking within for answers. The Legacy Hermit stands in the wild, mountains behind him; he looks like he has had somewhat of a difficult time of it, and yet he is not surrendering. His message is that the journey is the goal, not the destination; because he is reversed, perhaps I am hiding myself away just a bit too much. The Knight of Coins (cusp of Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, leader, and Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is about stamina and endurance; he puts aside glory and focuses on getting things done. His persistence is flavoring my Hermit reversed, but this may not be a good thing in the long run.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number of motion that dispels stagnation.

My horoscopes: “A group gathering you attend today could have long-term beneficial ramifications, Sagittarius. Perhaps you will strike up a conversation with a stranger who turns out to be an expert in a field you're interested in. Or you may deepen a relationship with a casual acquaintance, who ends up a friend for life. Keep your heart open to whatever and whomever this day brings!”

And: “You've reached a real turning point, and you could react in a whole new way. When you reach a difficult point in your work or your relationship, what do you usually do? Back off? Try to appease the other person? Concede too much too soon? Today is the day to try something different. Don't let guilt or anything else lead you to do something that's not right for you. Stick to your position and you'll get what you need.”

And: “A close friend or family member may be in a very bad mood, and therefore won't be the easiest person in the world to deal with. Your friend could be very resistant to opening up, and this could be frustrating for you. Try to remember that your friend has a lot of resistance today, which has nothing to do with you. Put the Mother Teresa side of you on hold, and don't feel guilty for walking away. The best course of action will be to leave your friend to work things out alone.”

My Sun reading: “Mercury opposes Saturn today. Get the facts or you risk certain setbacks because of miscommunication. People fickle to the max tend to outnumber the more stable personalities in tonight's social scene. That means that it isn't the time to take a chance on romance.”

This has been a week of exhaustion; I do not “spring ahead” willingly, and my body clock is always disrupted by the switch to Daylight Saving Time. Who would think that an hour could be this potent?!

In starting my work with the 26^th Path of the Tree of Life, I enter a new segment of three Paths. These three focus on exploring the differences between materialism and spirituality. Ellen Cannon Reed refers to these three Paths which lead to Tipheroth as the three Dark Nights of the Soul. As I said to my dearest Tara this evening, pain can be an effective tool for evolution. I guess I am going to be finding out just how effective a Dark Night can be.

Here is more of what Reed has to say about dedication and the tests of the Dark Night:

“After Second Degree initiation, however, the Lord and Lady test that dedication, and these tests are difficult enough for those whose dedication is real. Can you imagine what they would be like if the dedication is not real? Let me reiterate that these Paths, like all paths, are traveled by all of us in our spiritual growth – in each life, in all lives, depending on our rate of advancement. Those of us on magickal paths are taking the harder and faster way of deliberate striving. Therefore, the experiences are harder and hurt more. These experiences are of three types, one for each Path leading to Tiphareth. Depending on the person, traveling these paths can cause three types of devastation. I use the term advisedly. The devastation is only temporary but the results of the experience are not.”

I am reminded once again of the power of The Tower and the 27^th Path, and how being broken down can open us to amazing moments, moments that we would have missed if we had control of our Will.

And so, I turn to the 26^th Path. This Path connects Hod, the bottom of the Pillar of Form/Restriction, with Tiphareth, the center of the Pillar of Balance. And the lesson of this Path is a tough one, especially to someone like me, who needs choreography, for it tells us that there is no Form, and that there is no proof of this, either, because proof involves precise parameters, and the 26^th Path does not have them.

I think that possibly, this Path is a bit easier for me right now because of the Aha! Moment I just had with the 27^th Path. I have already ascended to the abstract, to that place where there is no physical body, and while I can’t prove that I was there, I know that I was there.

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