Eight of Pentacles/Eight of Wands reversed. The Eight of Pentacles (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, sensible, orderly) is about employment, commissions offered because of skills or abilities, and about finding one’s niche in life. The work associated with the Eight of Pentacles involves a conscious focus or application of knowledge, usually in a solitary manner and usually relating in some way to a topic connected to the element of Earth (and thus, infused with creativity, hope and an appreciation for beauty). The Eight of Wands (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, skill, communication, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) in an upright position is about a sudden release of energy of some kind that clears away confusion. The card is reversed, however, which means that clarity and intelligence just might be muddied and blurred because my focus is on the wrong thing. The Eight of Pentacles is a deliberate card focused on details, and this reversed Eight of Wands could be supporting that, and warning me that being too quick to act could bite me in the ass.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Disks reversed. “Gain” reversed; for some reason, this one is reversed most of the time. The Nine of Disks (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is a card of accomplishment through the imposition of discipline. Crowley sees this one as feeling satisfaction with the harvest that has come through the seeds personally sown, but as is typical for Uncle Al, he also warns of the potential for stagnation that can be found in satisfaction of any kind. Since the card is reversed, I may not be happy at the end of the day with my accomplishments, and I may very well figure out that this unhappiness has occurred because I did not apply the correct discipline.

My Legacy card is the Three of Wands, flavored by the Queen of Wands. Tthe 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) position tells of being successfully established after effort, and of being supported by others. It tells me of the presence of great potential that is present because I prepared correctly, it tells me that the final manifestation and its appropriateness is directly related to what I infuse into that potential, and it reminds me that I need to take the long view, for the final result may not end up being what I see right now. The Queen of Wands (cusp of Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality, and Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive) is Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, and emotional, sensitive and imaginative energy which prefers to take the same path) of Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), and because Water and Fire tend to cancel each other out, we are left with Air and Earth. She knows what she wants, but she can be stubborn. She is flavoring the Three of Wands, and so she is telling me that I should have faith in my own ability to deal with challenges, I should be optimistic because I create my reality through my expectations, and I should tap into my own tendency to tackle a task with dedication and sincerity.

Since my first two cards are number Eight cards, and since one is upright and one is reversed, I will include a tiny bit of information about the number 8. This number reminds us that we have skill to move forward, so move, and follow both instincts and the directions of the Inner Voice. It tells of trying to gain accomplishments, order and achievement, of the application of self-discipline and authority; 8 is the number of both building and destruction. This number represents the concept of a Remedy or a Reaction to the degeneration of the 7, and the active application, with awareness, of that Remedy or Reaction. Traits associated with the number 8: positive: ambitious, interested in manifesting dreams, constant efforts to succeed; negative: demands recognition, selfish and self-centered, chasing material wealth.

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

My horoscopes: “You will be the hit of the party today, Sagittarius. Everyone wants to talk to you. Great transitions are happening in your life right now, and you should look at how you can adopt new principles and attitudes toward them. Your emotions suggest that you take an unconventional approach to the day. The things you learn may be things you want to incorporate into your being on a long-term basis.”

And: “Someone is back on the scene, but doesn't know that you know it. You hold all the power right now, and if you think that a reconnection needs to happen, you need to make it happen. But if you want this person to make the first move, keep in mind that that may never happen. Instead of waiting for others to get the ball rolling today, you need to give it a push. Making a small effort will take you a long way in both self-esteem and in your relationships.”

And: “Because your tendency recently has been to brood over everything, a day like today cannot be anything but beneficial. It has been difficult for you to find material satisfaction lately, but today offers you a view into the world of the intangible and unreal. You may find it especially gratifying to participate in an artistic or religious activity.”

My Sun reading: “The Aries Moon squares Cancer Mercury today. The two combine to act as a highly intuitive detection service. Motivations are like open books, for better or worse. You command attention tonight, and some interesting people want to know you almost as much as you want to know them.”

It is interesting to me how the events of my mundane world correspond with the lessons I am learning within my study of the Qabalah. I should not be surprised that events seem to be difficult for me now, as I am studying the ways to bridge or cross the Abyss, Da’ath. The 18th Path is only one of these bridges, the first I am looking at, and already I am being asked by circumstances to make hard choices, and then to live by those choices.

As a Wiccan and a Witch, I know that I create my own reality by my actions, my words, my feelings, my emotions, my thoughts, my hopes and my fears. Even with this awareness, it is sometimes difficult to not dwell on perceived hurts, to not brood on the actions or words of another that seem to be presented to inflict pain. I can’t only know and understand that I create my own reality; I must also choose to use that knowledge and understanding, use it in every instance, not just the easy ones. And I must remember that it is the difficult situations, the ones that seem to be drawing me inexorably toward dwelling on and brooding about the intentions that I impose on the words and actions of another (and we are always imposing our interpretation onto the intentions of others, don’t doubt this for a moment) that are the most important ones to respond to through the message of the 18th Path.

Knowledge and wisdom come to us with the burden of responsibility. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule, none at all. My dearest friend Icarius! always reminds me that I can’t unsee what I have seen and can’t unknow what I know. Now, through my studies of the Tree of Life in general, and the 18th Path in particular, I am also being reminded that once I know and understand and believe a concept, I have a responsibility to color my choices with that concept, no exceptions. If I don’t willingly accept this responsibility, and if I don’t willingly attempt to the best of my ability to apply the concepts to every single part of my life, I won’t be allowed to move forward. No pain, no gain. Do not pass Go or collect $200.

Oy. Sheesh. This is harder than I thought it would be. If this level of knowledge and wisdom is this difficult to assimilate and make a part of my existence, what must the burdens be like that Goddess and God are carrying around with Them? How can They find the strength to interact with us at all, considering the potential consequences?

“Harm none” is the basic Wiccan presentation of the Golden Rule. These two words sound so simple to those who are first embarking on the Path of learning about their Craft, but I have come to learn that these two words often present difficult paradoxes for us to solve. How do we decide which choice is actually the one to bring the least harm? How do we judge others, and ourselves, in a realistic manner? How do we control the tendency to infuse the emotions we believe are present (often incorrectly) onto a situation? And once I am able to achieve this difficult task, how do I prevent myself from expecting others to also be able to do this, and how do I **not** judge them when they don't?  These are the questions I am asking myself right now, as I digest what I have learned about the 18th Path and shoulder the responsibilities associated with knowledge and wisdom as I go through my mundane day.

I have a lot to think about as I drive down to Cape May this afternoon.

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