Friday, June 3, 2011


The Empress reversed/The Hierophant.  The Empress corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies that are slow to change), Venus (beauty, allure, pleasure, relationships), Daleth (door or womb) and the Path between Binah (female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) and Chokmah (dynamic male energy and the origin of vital force and polarity).  She represents creativity, fertility, the physical body and its senses, and the material world and the workings of Nature; because this card is reversed, I need to have a care that I am not overprotective of my creations.  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 that holds in place tradition and culture, the keeper and teacher of arcane secrets.  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.   It seems that at least for today, knowledge is more important than the messages of my senses.

My Thoth card is The Sun reversed.  The Sun in an upright position corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), our Sun (the inner core of a person or situation), Resh (the face; reason), and the Path between Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest in the physical world) and Hod (provides analysis and communication) and tells of a period of time when I am aware of my accomplishments and am able to take a moment away from hard work to enjoy what I have.  Because the card is reversed, I may be tempted to feel a bit pessimistic about important events today; however, I need to remember that I attract to me what I think and feel.  The energies of The Sun may be temporary, but so, too, are the energies of The Sun reversed.  The rain storm will soon be over, and then everything will be fresh and new and re-energized. 

My Legacy card is Justice reversed, flavored by the Page of Swords.  Justice is a card of adjustment, and it corresponds with the element of Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and quick, animated energy that usually brings problems or challenges that bring growth), Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Lamed (ox goad; training or teaching), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Geburah (the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed). This card is about cause and effect, and about making adjustments in order to achieve balance.  Because the card is reversed, balance is not a major influencer today.  The Page of Swords (Capricorn, “I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious, cunning, Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, society, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality) brings the message of the Ace of Swords (the potential for challenges which can be solved through the use of the intellect and which can offer opportunities for growth) to the day. He always asks “why?” and he can be a bit suspicious.  Because he is flavoring the Justice reversed card, perhaps there is reason to be suspicious.  In fact, all of my cards taken together tell of some imbalance.  The two upright cards, the Page of Swords and The Hierophant, are telling me that knowledge is the key to correcting the imbalance shown by the three reversed Major Arcana cards.

My 6-digit date number is 11 (Archangel Uriel), which reduces further to 2, the number of balance and polarity. 

My horoscopes: “The day may give you great insight into the decisions you face concerning your future. Now is the time to decide on your priorities. Do you want a career right away or would you prefer to continue your studies? Are you satisfied with your love life and family relationships? It's possible that a major upheaval in one of these realms will affect all the others. It will be interesting!”

And: “You are at an important intersection in life, and the light in front of you has been red for a very long time. It's understandable if you're getting antsy to get going, but before you do anything rash, take a long look at your surroundings. Things are going on around you that will easily explain the delay -- and help your patience grow. It's not time to move ahead right now in any type of relationship -- legal, professional, romantic or otherwise.”

And: “These days may have you feeling a bit too tired to do anything more, although your optimism and enthusiasm are still intact. Don't be too hard on yourself if you find yourself dragging a little toward the end of the day. You'll be able to recharge your batteries before tomorrow. In the evening: Relax at home with a good book.

My Sun reading: “You proceed more by feel than sight, and emotions are right out there under the Cancer Moon. Tonight expect prophetic dreams when Mercury aspects retrograde Neptune. The advice (when you have the opportunity to intuitively anticipate) is don't bother about past history. Think about the future instead.”

I have been feeling kind of off kilter the past few days.  There is nothing physically wrong with me as far as I can tell, and I really don’t have any physical symptoms.  The serenity that I have been feeling for some time is being eroded or polluted by something, and I don’t know what it is.  I just can’t put my finger on what is making me feel uneasy, but nevertheless, the feeling is there.  I keep looking behind me, expecting a shoe to fall on my head.

The Pagan Brain Trust had its usual New Moon Reiki Share last night, and sharing Reiki with the group helped lessen this unease temporarily.  I really do enjoy these Shares because as long as our members are spread around the globe, we have difficulty getting everyone under one physical world roof.  Sharing on the internet is really the only time right now that we are all in the same “room,” speaking live. 

Before the Reiki Share, I consecrated my Book of Shadows.  I performed the consecration as a part of my personal New Moon Esbat; I called upon all four Archangels, all four Watchers, all four of my Elemental Guides, and called upon the correspondences of the cardinal directions.  I dedicated my BOS to each of the Deities I work with, and inscribed my BOS with oil and with sigils.  All within a cast circle.  This ritual was quite powerful, and I am very pleased with the results.  I am ready to start using my BOS.

But this morning, the unease is back.

I took a bit of time earlier to balance my chakras and recharge my shield.  I don’t really think this is some kind of psychic attack; after researching banishing magick as I rewrote the Sacred Mists Second Degree Lesson covering that topic, I have come to realize that most of the time these kinds of feelings are not a result of a premeditated attack.  However, there are many “accidental” events out there, and while the chance is remote that I’ve picked up something nasty in my energy field, it certainly does not hurt to be careful. 

Could this have something to do with the 19th Path?  I don’t know.  In my entry on May 29th, I describe this Path as follows: “This is one of the Paths that crosses the Tree, that connects Geburah, the center of the Pillar of Form/Restriction, to Chesed, the center of the Pillar of Force/Expansion; this Path connects severity with mercy and punishment with forgiveness, and as the energy of the Path flows in two directions, it suggests a balance between two equal yet different forces.  There are lots of “centers” in this description.  The Path itself is horizontal, rather than the usual vertical slants of the other Paths, and the energy flows in both directions between the two sephiroth.  The two sephiroth that create the path are each on the center of their respective Pillar. 

Chesed is considered the “residence” of the Ascended Masters, and it is about expansion and growth, but that expansion and growth is very stabilized.  Chesed is a pretty nice sphere, despite the fact that it is in the middle of the Pillar of Force/Expansion.  It contains all of the Fours of the Tarot Minor Arcana, and they are also pretty stable cards.  Adding the stability of the number Four to the suit of Pentacles brings a desire to preserve and defend our physical environment; adding Four to the suit of Wands usually brings planned or anticipated celebrations; adding Four to the suit of Swords brings a time of truce (usually a mutual truce between and among equal powers); adding Four to the suit of Cups brings a different kind of stability, the stability that happens when we allow certain emotions to control us to the point of becoming disengaged from the outside world.

Geburah, on the other hand, is not pleasant at all.  Geburah is about courage, and as I am fond of saying, I can’t know if I really have courage unless I experience true fear.  Geburah is in the center of the Pillar of Form/Restriction, and it takes a lot of power to be able to impose form onto any force.  That power cannot truly be wielded effectively unless strength is first built.  That strength happens through being challenged.  Geburah contains the Fives of the Tarot Minor Arcana, and the Fives are not fun, either.  They represent motion imposed onto stability, usually an imposition that we fight at first (which can bring even stronger motion).  Adding the motion of the number Five to the suit of Pentacles brings sudden hardship to our physical world; adding Five to the suit of Wands brings a time of being at cross-purpose; adding Five to the suit of Swords brings active self-interest; adding the Five to the suit of Cups brings a focus on what has been broken rather than on what still remains intact.  The Fives of the Minors offer a silver lining, and at this point in my training, the prospect of being presented with tests and challenges does not create a knot in my stomach. 

Except for one Five, the Five of Wands; no silver lining visible after a quick glance.  Granted, the conflicts or setbacks presented by the Five of Wands are not earth-shattering, but they can be annoyingly debilitating.  Maybe I should see this card as representing a product testing of sorts, or even growing pains.  Okay, I like that concept.  Paul Hughes-Barlow describes the Five of Wands as “really a little more than the reluctance of people to get up from lunch and go back to the job.  Perhaps this Fiery motion is dispelling some kind of inertia or stagnation.  And perhaps, the Five of Wands represents the opportunity to attempt to take a potentially destructive effect and use it constructively. 

Okay, that could be a variation of not knowing if I really have courage unless I experience true fear.  Isn’t confusion just another form of inertia?  If I am experiencing growing pains, then I must be growing, right? 

Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.  **crosses fingers**

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