Five of Cups/Page of Cups. The Five of Cups (Mars, action, aggression, drive, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, mysterious, obsessive) tells of the cloudy sludge that is stirred up when still waters are disturbed. This card in an upright position reminds us not to give up hope, even if there are a few snags in the day; the stirring-up process may not be fun, but the result is that we get rid of all that junk. The Page of Cups corresponds to Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Scorpio (“I desire,” intensity compulsion, mystery) and Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering), and this card is reminding me that my connections to others and to my own inner self need a bit of tending in order to remain healthy and viable. I may want to try new methods today, because sometimes sticking with the tried-and-true ones can tend to put us in a trance. I also need to remind myself to focus on the good things.

My Thoth card is Death reversed. This is the second day that Death has appeared, and the fifth time since last Friday. Unfortunately, this time the Death card really does seem to represent a physical death to me, which I speak about below. The Death card corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, and sensitive, imaginative energy that strives to stay the same or take the same course), Scorpio, Nun (fish head; liberation), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration), and tells of transformation or change, both voluntary and involuntary, the ending of an era and the fear of the unknown result of change. Death is irreversible, but its effects can be liberating.

My Legacy card is the Six of Swords, flavored by the Page of Coins reversed. The Six of Swords (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause oriented) is about hitting the reset button in order to move away from a problem or blockage. I need to remember that my mind and my intellect are powerful tools, and any recovery begins there. 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. Because the card is reversed, the learning focuses presented today will not be directly connected with the physical world.

My 6-digit date number is 7, the pause that comes as harmony and balance begin their natural degeneration.

My horoscopes: “You have a day of profound reflection ahead. While you may be tempted to think about how far you've come, your time would be better spent thinking about what the future holds. You've entered a period of rethinking your identity and objectives. These aren't small things. You will need every ounce of energy at your disposal to make it through this time of transition.”

And: “Things have calmed down a bit in your life, so today is a very good time to start thinking about new places you want to go and new things you want to do. Look to the people you greatly admire for guidance, and they will inspire you. If you start to feel drawn to humanitarian activities, go with it! To keep yourself happy and engaged with life, you have to keep expanding your horizons. Step out of your predictable world and discover new beginnings.”

And: “Give thanks to the people who are most precious to you today. You will find that words cut to the core of things much more easily today. Stabilize your strong emotions and use them as fuel for you endeavors. The key today is to remember those who have helped you along your way. Everyone is sensitive and loving individual. Treat them as such. Have fun with the people all around you.”

My Sun reading: “The Pisces Moon brings out tender responses, and people are more sympathetically in touch with each other during a kinder, gentler business day. If you meet someone new, the relationship could tend to have soap-opera-like plots. Experience was and is your best teacher if it feels like déjà vu.”

I learned some sad news today. For three seasons now, I have watched a webcam in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. This webcam is aimed at a bald eagle nest that has been occupied by one pair of bald eagles for years. This pair has hatched and raised over 17 new eagles, 9 since I have been watching.

What a thrill it has been to watch this pair carefully brood their eggs! The excitement during hatching time was incredible!! Watching for the pips on the eggs, and then watching for the first sight of each “bobblehead” chick (so named because they are so unsteady at first), and then experiencing the seemingly harsh sibling rivalry that happens as mom and dad offer food, have all been an incredible opportunity to experience the cycle of life through the life experiences of these incredible predators. The webcam was traditionally kept live until after all the eaglets had left the nest, and the banding of the chicks was also available live on the webcam.

NBG is located near an airport, and yesterday, the female eagle was killed by an airplane strike.

This female eagle originally had a different mate when she first began nesting in the NBG; he was also killed by an airplane strike.

The three eaglets have been taken from the nest, as it was feared that dad alone could not keep up with feeding the young ones. They will be kept in an artificial nest in a large, contained area, along with other captive eagles, until they are strong enough to be released in the wild, probably later this Summer.

I am reminded, in a harsh way, that there are always consequences to be dealt with. No pilot wants to hit a bird, particularly one as large as a bald eagle; we have only to remember “Sully’s” recent landing of a passenger jet in the Hudson River after striking several geese to know that this accident did not happen due to carelessness.

That this nest has existed for this long at all is a testament to the fact that humans are increasingly aware of the impact that our cities and technologies have on the other inhabitants of our world, and are trying to mitigate that impact. Not everyone is on board yet, but more and more of us are attempting to ethically share our space with the natural world.

Despite these efforts, clashes happen, and they are worse when we see the participants as strong, capable and invincible. Today, I am pausing, and spending some time remembering this amazing and inspiring parents and the efforts they expended to raise their young. I am also going to think about the impact I have on my own personal environment. All of the life forms on or in or around our world are important, whether of the physical world or the non-physical realms. It is not always possible to coexist, but that does not mean that we should not try.

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