Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Tower/The Hermit. Oh-kay, then, two Majors. Two powerful Majors. The Tower corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Mars (action, spontaneity, aggression, drive), Phe (mouth or speech), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Netzach (which offers the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration), and it reminds me that there just might be some outdated facets of my life that need to be demolished and swept away. Today is certainly going to be a day for “sweeping away,” after last night’s storm; perhaps I am to do an internal “sweeping” as well. 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 Hermit’s message to me is that the journey is the goal, not the destination; a different slant to the message of The Hanging Man that discomfort has value, and should be experienced to the fullest.

My Thoth card is the Three of Wands. “Virtue” today from my Thoth deck; the Three of Wands (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, the deepest self and personal power, in Aries, “I want,” action oriented, pioneering, assertive) tells of being successfully established after effort, of being supported by others, of the next step of exploring possibilities, and the knowledge that it is personal strength that has allowed the success and support and new possibilities to happen. Crowley sees this card as indicating that Will and the idea of domination have been integrated into Character. It is a card that tells of the establishment of primal energy, not yet manifested, so it is neither good nor evil, just teetering on the precipice. Sounds like today would be a day to explore all possibilities with open eyes and awareness, not necessarily a day to choose just one.

My Legacy card is the Seven of Coins reversed, flavored by the Eight of Coins reversed. I think I see a pattern here, and this one is unexpected because I plan on spending the day in my garden, or at least it would be unexpected without my other three cards. The Seven of Coins (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, law and order, in Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, physical, stubborn) in an upright position is a card that is filled with inertia; it tells of an assessment of accomplishments thus far, which is a good thing, but it also warns us that the work is not over, and we need to “use it or lose it.” However, the card is reversed, and after interpreting my other cards, I am seeing this reversal as telling me to stay with the inertia for a bit. Today is about the assessing and deciding part of this card, not the use it or lose it part. The Eight of Coins (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, work and service oriented, sensible, critical) in an upright position reminds us to be persistent, and diligent in order to grasp success. Because this Coins card is also reversed, I just might find that I am unable to focus on the little details today. The Hermit corresponds with Earth, but he is looking within for his answers; these two reversed Coins cards, each hinting at working within the physical world, are reversed. No matter what I actually accomplish today, my focus should be inward, on how things are affecting me, my inner self, rather than on how I am affecting my world.

My Pearls of Wisdom Full Moon card is The Hierophant reversed. Wow, looks like The Hermit is the important card of the day, because this one reversed shouts “The Hermit” to me. The Hierophant corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes), Taurus (“I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn), Vau (the nail which holds tradition in place), and the Path between Chesed (the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured), and Chokmah (dynamic male energy, the origin of vital force and polarity). The Hierophant is the nail which holds in place tradition and culture, the keeper and teacher of arcane secrets. In an upright position, this card tells us that the old ways and the ancient traditions speak to the moment; an understanding of these ways is worth attaining for they are all part and parcel of alchemical transformation. The Pearls of Wisdom Hierophant also hints at the value of knowledge from the feminine aspect of Source; a hint towards The High Priestess. Because the card is reversed, accepted tradition may end up being a fence rather than a guide for me today, and I might do better focusing inward.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number of motion that destroys stagnation. Yep, makes sense.

My horoscopes: “You have a quick mind, Sagittarius, which you don't use to anywhere near its full capacity. Think of your brain as a thoroughbred horse, trained to run at high speed. This type of animal is miserable if kept penned up, unable to run and stretch. Your mind needs similar room to stretch and grow. If new challenges don't come your way, you may have to create some of your own. It's a shame to sit idle.”

And: “Everything is easy as pie today, and it will be smooth sailing as long as you put an end to your procrastination! If you can, battle the boring stuff (chores, errands, bill paying) right at the start of the day. Don't leave tasks undone. Once you get things done, you'll be free to enjoy the carefree nature of the rest of the day. Focus on fun stuff and avoid any conflicts or boundary pushing. Splurge on a spontaneous purchase that leaves you smiling again and again.”

And: “Today, abandon any intellectual pursuits and concentrate on practical problems related to the organization and goal setting. You are likely to find perfect solutions within an hour after you start. The heavens are helping you. Give them some credit for your ingenuity, and waste no time implementing your plans!”

My Sun reading: “Today is another day to address unfinished business. Tonight's Full Libra Moon is all about happy, rewarding relationships. Tell people how much you care! Much later this evening, the Moon ends a Libra transit and enters Scorpio, leaving social conditions hanging in the balance. Nothing is written in stone.”

I followed the instructions of Cernunnos last evening, and went down to walk on the beach. I had to go before sunset because the worst of the storm was approaching. There was no sunset to be seen last night; we had an overcast sky, quite windy, and the heavy rain was on its way. I just was able to duck between squalls. And boy, was I glad I did!

The wind was blowing so strongly that I had trouble walking the last two blocks. 40+ mph sustained winds blowing in your face is an incredible experience. Once I got to the sand, I took off my shoes and they almost blew away!!

The beach was covered with foam, foam from the huge waves that were rolling onto the shore, crashing, one after the other with no break between them. The waves were breaking way out, and they completely covered the jetty; they raced up the beach, in places almost to the fence and the dunes. And foam!! Foam was everywhere, ankle deep and more in places. Gone was the cream colored haze of blowing sand, replaced with gobs of foam.

How incredible this was. Roiling clouds were racing overhead. The ocean looked . . . taller. Huge. Alive. Seeming to reach for me. And the wind positively pushed against me, with an incredible power. I didn’t stay long, but boy, did I enjoy the incredible chaotic power of the waves and the wind. And as I walked back, with the wind leaning hard against me, I was showered with a snowstorm of petals from the cherry trees that are blooming.

I made it back just as the big drops started falling. Soon it was dark. Next came the lightning and thunder. I mean “light the sky up” lightning and “shake the house to its foundation” thunder. The rain was mostly not too bad at that point, but the wind whistled and gusted. The heavy rain finally arrived, with lightning flashes, rumbling thunder and gusts of wind. What blow-your-mind energy is to be had during a storm.

It was not lost to me that a day that began with Cernunnos asking me to do a water cleanse, and went on with me investigating the 23rd Path and The Hanged Man (again connected to Water), finishes with a moment on the beach with a raging sea, and then downpours and wind-swept rain, and lightning and thunder, and even a brief power outage at the end of the evening. Cernunnos has a way with words; indeed.

This morning, despite not going to bed until late last night, I was wide awake at 8 am. Yes, readers, Raushanna, the original “I am ssooo **not** a morning person,” was out of bed by 8:10. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, and then headed right out to the beach, after dedicating my walk to Cernunnos. The sky was the most amazing blue, and the light was awesome. Yes, I admit it . . . when I am actually able to drag myself out of bed before 9, I love the morning light. There was a bit of a breeze, at my back this time, as if the sylphs were teasingly nudging me to the sand. This was not the potent and frenzied and out of control power that the wind was last night; this morning, everything felt back to normal and yet fresh and new, and depleted, but in a good way. Kind of like The Star, after The Tower.

Surprisingly, there was no evidence of last night’s storm. I expected to see wires down, trees, or at the very least, some branches. In fact, it was the fear of being hit by branches or electrocuted by downed wires that kept me from waking back down to the beach last night. But the sky was blue and the birds were chirping, enjoying their “morning after with Spring time enthusiasm.

I could see immediately once I got to the entrance to the beach that the water had in most places washed completely over the sand, and actually reached the fence that closes off the dunes. Oh, that storm must have continued to be such an awesome sight, well into the windy darkness of last night! The water was still gray and rough, coated with whitecaps, and the waves were still huge, but not hitting the beach with the unrelenting frequency of last night. Each wave grew tall quickly, and then as the top part tipped over, the wind captured the spray and sent it upward; I saw rainbows in that spray, glinting in the fresh, clean morning sunlight.

Everything was fresh and clean. The energies I felt were not empty; they were filled with busy-ness and potential. LOL, yes, I love storms, but I also love the morning after the storm. Kind of like makeup sex after a huge argument.

I took a long moment to open each of my chakras, and I cleaned and balanced them. I stood there a bit more, thinking about the events and revelations of yesterday, and then I dumped the bit of Dominican rum that I had brought for the Goddess Yemaya into the surf and headed back to the house. I could hear my coffee pot calling me.

As I approached my street, I saw a man walking in the other direction, carrying palms. That’s right; today is Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus triumphantly rode into Jerusalem, claiming his identity and Purpose publicly, for all to see, for the first time. Coincidence? Nah . . . I don’t think so.

And the highlight of an amazing afternoon, evening, and following morning? The words of a much-loved friend. “Thank you for the beautiful visuals of the sand and sea, and the priestess/mystic/warrior woman that you are, walking into the wet wind. Be safe down there in this storm, and enjoy the power and the mystery.” Curly, you affect me, deeply. My Empress.

And so, the 23rd Path continues to affect me.

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