Three of Wands reversed/Judgement. 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) in an upright position tells of being successfully established after effort and of being supported by others. 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. Second day in a row for Judgement. Judgement corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), Pluto (power, metamorphosis, cycles of dying and becoming), Shin (fang), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Hod (provides analysis and communication), and it usually tells of a coming change, or maybe a coming resolution of a cycle. This is not the chaotic change of The Tower, but rather a change that can possibly be controlled. Together, these cards are telling me that the energies of yesterday’s Ana! Moment are beginning to settle in, and in the process, to fade in intensity. This is not a bad thing, just the regular process, and the fading does not mean that integration is not happening.

My Thoth card is the Knight of Disks. The Knight/King of Disks (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the expert on physical manifestation. He is hard working and very good at managing resources and overseeing growth, and he is very good at being patient. There is a heaviness to this card, however, and since Crowley sees the Knights as having experienced all there is to experience within their suits, I just might have a Ten of Pentacles situation on my hands. Perhaps what I am being told is that yesterday was the day for realization and today is the day for manifesting what I realized. I need to take the actions necessary to make things real (and I need to use the skills and belongings that have rightfully come to me throughout my experiences in order to take these actions), for if I just sit back and wait for it to happen, stagnation will begin to infiltrate.

My Legacy card is The Tower (eeek) flavored by the Queen of Cups reversed. 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 is a card of divine enlightenment. Yup, it is. Of course, the process for attaining that enlightenment is not gentle, but the end result is always worth the stresses and challenges of the process itself. Another repeat from yesterday’s throw is the Queen of Cups. 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. This Minor Arcana equivalent of The High Priestess can be seen as a mirror that reflects the “secret selves” of others back to them so they can understand themselves. Because she is reversed, and flavoring The Tower, I need to be very cautious because I just might be not hearing my own Inner Voice and I might be not allowing myself to feel my own feelings. I also need to remember that spending lots of time in the astral realm or immersed in Sacred Energies can upset the balance of my own body and possibly cause The Tower to manifest; a bit of grounding will help.

My 6-digit date number is 7, the pause that comes as balance begins to degenerate.

My horoscopes: “Your energy is high and your stamina particularly strong today. Working out or playing sports could appeal to you now. Running or aerobics could offer valuable exercise and clear your head to allow for new ideas. You also should feel particularly passionate. If you're involved with someone, Sagittarius, expect a great evening. If not, don't be surprised if you get some admiring glances.”

And: “Despite the leisurely pace of your life right now, you will be extremely productive today. You will be getting an awful lot done, and the capper is that you'll have an awful lot of fun doing it -- whatever it is. Whether you're washing dishes, reorganizing your closet or vacuuming the house, you'll manage to fully enjoy the act of taking a mess and transforming it into something harmonious. Your enthusiasm will encourage other people to join in, too!”

And: “You used to be a creature of reason. For you, everything had an explanation and a reason to exist and a place in this world, and you would never miss an occasion to share your point of view. And then, all of the sudden, silence... You may have needed to get some perspective on things, not necessarily about the things you know, but how you express that knowledge. And now, words have come back into your life. And you are more moderate in your ideas.”

My Sun reading: “An animated and enthusiastic Aries Moon squares Pluto. You accelerate your ideas to the next level if you push your points across when your foresight is so accurate. When the Moon opposes Saturn tonight, the same ideas are expressed differently, but they are the same ideas.”

I just spent some time reading a very long comment thread on a FaceBook page. Very long; almost 300 posts. This comment thread was begun because of a statement by the creator of the FB page in which she stated that she had withdrawn from an event because of the number of contestants involved who were not of her religion. Needless to say, the entire comment thread ended up being filled by mostly “rabid responders,” both pro and anti, and the few voices of reason got lost in the deluge. And please note that I am purposely not sharing the faith of the creator or any of the responders.

I think it is sad that there are still those who cannot accept that the Paths to Deity are as many as there are those who seek to know and love Deity. Refusing to acknowledge the validity of those who do not practice “the one true faith,” whatever that is, and refusing to even have any kind of contact with them at all, ends up shutting the refuser off from quite a bit of the rest of humanity, along with the many cultures and traditions that add so much healthy texture and flavor to our lives.

What saddens me even more is how a legitimate discussion can be reduced to name calling and one-upmanship that ends up distracting the conversation from the true problem: the fact that someone feels that she cannot have anything to do with persons who are not of her faith. Don’t get me wrong. This person is allowed to believe in whatever version of Deity and whatever faith that calls to her, and in fact, I encourage everyone to follow their hearts with regard to faith and spirituality, for it is our hearts that will lead us to Deity in the end. But no one, not the originator of the conflict nor those responding, either in favor of the statements made or against them, has the right to disrespect the beliefs of another, and sadly, that seems to be where this discussion has gone.

So many of us have learned to coexist. I have a large family with every extreme of political and religious beliefs, and with only one exception, everyone respects the beliefs of others and yet remains true to his or her own beliefs. I have dear friends who are every version of humanity that you can possibly imagine, and I love and respect each of them. I work with practicing Orthodox Jews and strict Catholics. We all honor and respect the paths of our co-workers, and yet are able to follow our own Traditions freely, without imposing our own beliefs on anyone else. No one in either my family or my office has ever felt put upon, no one has ever been burdened with attempted conversion, no harm has been attempted at all. Proof positive that very different faiths can live and work together in peace and understanding, without harm to any.

My blog gets visited by many people who I will never know or talk to, and everyone is welcome here, whether you are a commenter or you just want to read what I have to say about the Tarot or my own Journey. I do not hide who I am or what Path I follow. I am a Third Degree Dedicant of the Sacred Mists Coven, a Celtic eclectic teaching Wiccan Coven. I am a Reiki Master, a Tarot enthusiast, a certified Vedic Thai-Yoga Bodyworker, and a wife, a mother, a step-mother, a sister, an aunt, and an in-law. I have an extended family which includes “relatives of the heart” of all faiths, political views and walks of life. I mean no one any harm, and I post here in Perfect Love and Trust (the Wiccan version of a State of Grace, that hard-to-attain sense of connection and compassion that is common to all spiritual paths). I respect everyone’s right to follow their own faith and their own Path, and for those of you who have found a faith that fulfills you, you are blessed, fer sher.

I believe that openness and acceptance are necessary cornerstones for growth and evolution. Humanity as a species needs to realize this in order to thrive and be healthy. I’m not predicting doom and gloom if we don’t start focusing on what connects us all rather than what separates us; the world won’t come to an end if we don’t start changing our outlook. But we certainly will not be happy and well adjusted if we continue to focus on the things that divide us.

It is our differences that have made us thrive, that have helped us to grow and evolve as a species. Just walk around a museum for a little while and look at the different expressions of our individual souls that is art. Listen to some music, and switch it up a bit. Go from hip-hop to classical to classic rock to new age meditation music, and hear the beauty of created sound. Sip a nice glass of wine, a good beer or a single malt scotch, and taste what we have been able to do with grapes or grain. Simmer some garlic and onions in a pan with a bit of olive oil, and then inhale the delicious fragrance. We are surrounded by natural beauty that pleases all of our senses, and yet we add our man-created beauty to our environment. All of us do this, no matter what faith we practice or what political views we espouse; isn’t this an indication that each of us contains the essence of Deity?

We are on a precipice. Science is actually beginning to acknowledge the validity of many “woo-woo” types of beliefs and practices because scientists are finally able to measure the effects and manifestations of said “woo-woo” practices. We are healing the sick through holistic practices, we are understanding with intricate detail the cycles of life around us, and we are lifting ourselves off of our world and into the great beyond that is our Universe. These miracles alone are not enough to bring us balance and well being. We must also acknowledge the validity of the inner world, and we must accept that the experiences within each of our inner universes are going to be unique, because each of us is unique, unlike any other who has ever lived.

I have value and my beliefs have value, just as the originator of the statement that started the whole huge comment thread on FaceBook has value and her beliefs have value. We both want respect, and we want acceptance of the value of who we are and the value of what we believe. We will never get that if we respond to a hurtful statement by judging the originator of that statement, or anyone who responds, for as I learned from Stuart Wilde (a somewhat “woo-woo” writer, but wise and worth listening to), judging another only serves to create a chasm between us and those we judge. These days, people of faith (no matter what that faith or spiritual tradition happens to be) don’t need any more chasms between us. I think it is time to start building some bridges.

From the Alchemy Journal Blog: “With continued guidance from the field of metaphysics and openness of such fields as physics, Western science is moving toward a model that includes higher consciousness and the meaning of experience, uniting art and science, body and soul. Now, we as individuals need to return to healthy unity by giving value and credence to the Shaman Within.” If scientists can open their minds and their hearts to the value and the validity of inner experiences of any kind, why can’t those of us who are predisposed to accept inner experiences because we believe in Deity do the same?

*sigh* Vent over. We now return to your regularly scheduled programming. On to the 19th Path.

Blessed be!

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