Two of Pentacles/Page of Wands.  Wow!!! The Two of Pentacles (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution, cunning) reminds me that everything always ebbs and flows, and I need to be able to ride the waves in order to take advantage of their energies.  The cool thing about this Two is that if I allow myself to ride the wave, I will get a real nice kick out of the process today.  The enthusiasm I can generate will tie in nicely with my Page of Wands (Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, moody; Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic noble egotistical; and Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented), who uses assertion and action in order to feed her need for adventure and excitement.  This Page tends to be a free spirit with childlike optimism, and since the suit of Wands is associated with Fire and the Will, she can often manifest that optimism into reality.  What a nice combination!  The Earth of the Pentacles card (and the duality and balance and polarity of the number 2) makes great fuel for the fire of the suit of Wands.  And since the rank of Page corresponds with the element of Earth, I end up with a nice, balanced flame, not out of control at all.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Cups reversed.  “Happiness” The Nine of Cups (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, soul growth, spirituality) is about powerful satisfaction on all levels (emotional, physical and spiritual) and a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.  Uncle Al sees the happiness and fulfillment associated with this card as mostly coming to us through luck (rather than through the discipline of, say, the Nine of Pentacles).  Because this Nine is reversed, I may need to be careful that fulfillment does not become a distraction; a bit of satisfaction is a good thing, but in order to manifest it to its fullest potential, I can’t sit back and let it sit.

My Legacy card is the Four of Wands, flavored by The High Priestess.  Wow again!!  The Four of Wands (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, enthusiastic) is another exciting Wands card to appear today.  This one is about building enough to become established, as a beachhead, or about a pause before continuing, not as a finished product.  The nice thing about this card is that it is quite optimistic; no successes are assured, but it certainly looks as if I am moving in the right direction.  The High Priestess (Water; the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination; Gimel, the camel who safely crosses Da’ath, the Abyss, and thus, has the secret of life; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Kether, the source, limitless possibility), is the source of the power of The Magician, the feminine version of The Hierophant, and the Keeper of the Mysteries.  She can be seen to represent the occult sciences, and both the spiritual bride and the spiritual mother; she is the guardian of secret information and the gatekeeper that allows access to it (or that shuts out those who are not prepared to receive it).  This card has been my significator for the past two years or so, and is a very auspicious card to show up today.

My 6-digit date number is 8, which represents an active and focused attempt to counteract the degeneration of the number 7.

My horoscopes: “Stubborn forces may challenge your easygoing nature today. You would do well to tap into this aggressive energy and use it to follow through on some projects that you've left hanging, Sagittarius. Other people may be unyielding in their positions, but you can easily overcome this by tapping into your flexible, adaptable nature. Don't get upset and restless. Go with the flow.”

And: “Like a pointillist painting by Seurat, your life is made up of many small details that add up to something lovely. But as with that painting, what you see when you focus closely is a bunch of unrelated pieces. Take a step back, and things will fall into place -- you'll see that the complete picture is distinctively beautiful. Try not to be too caught up in your life's details today, and congratulate yourself on the wonderful masterpiece that you're in the process of creating.”

And: “In general, your spirit is upbeat, freedom loving, and adventuresome. Today, however, you might find that it is a bit more intense and possibly a bit somber, especially when it comes to romantic issues. This approach to matters of the heart isn't exactly your normal style, but you are apt to find that it is appropriate for your situation at this time. Make sure you have the right tool for the job at hand.”

My Sun reading: “The Sun/Pluto opposition highlights group activity, and the cooperation works favorably for all. As the icing on the cake, Mars sextile Uranus inspires and peps everyone, especially if you're starting something new. Tonight's inhibited environment could make it hard to get good conversation going if it's one-on-one.”

And today, I can’t help but add my technically focused horoscope: “Find a good forum to exchange ideas. You have an opportunity to do some top-notch strategizing, but only if you feel you can speak freely without being judged. Others are willing to go out on a limb for you -- their input is solid gold!”

From the article “The Ace of Swords: Seizing the Power of Discernment,” by Cheryl Lynne Bradley: “The most subtle changes in our perception of where and who we are in the world can create a ‘Butterfly Effect’ for our mental, physical and spiritual well-being.”  Today, I feel as if that butterfly has just flown past me and the breeze from its wings is caressing my cheeks. 

I have officially taken the next step into the world of the Interwebs.  Yes, I did it . . . I created a Twitter account earlier this morning.  I had to use “Dancing_Sparkle” as my ID, but that is certainly close enough to the name of this Blog for people to find me. This afternoon, I will be creating a profile, hopefully linking my Twitter account to my Dancing Sparkles FaceBook Page (yes, I have even created a FaceBook Page for my Blog!!), and then sending out my first Tweet.  I have found that I enjoy knowing that people are reading my Blog; it’s why I created Dancing Sparkles in the first place.  If I am going to remain an “inclusionist” who is fascinated by the limitless horizons presented by the Internet, I need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.  Thank you to Sean (http://seanfader.tumblr.com/) for your advice and encouragement.  I’ll be doing my homework, Sean; talk to you when you get back from Africa!

Before I leave the 18^th Path, I want to discuss just a bit the Hebrew alphabet symbol that is associated with The Chariot and this Path: Cheth.  Cheth is defined as “hedge” or “fence,” perfect correspondences to the force and form of the 18^th Path.  It is this “fence” which allows me to build a reservoir of energy that can be used to balance, to attract or repel.  The fence is composed of both the knowledge and the wisdom that has been gathered thus far, and it is composed of the power and skill (and ethics) that are needed in order to use the knowledge and share the wisdom appropriately.  Very appropriate to think about, today especially.

Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word “Hhaith” is the word for “tailor,” and the Hebrew word “Hiyeth” is the term for “sewing.”  Both can be seen to represent the making of a garment. 

I tend to see the “garment” as the vehicle that the life force takes on so it can be seen.  After all, a garment covers our physical body and it is what we clothe ourselves in, in order to go into the outside world.  I see Nature as the garment the Goddess wears so we can see Her or sense Her presence.  It is fitting that Cheth is the symbol for both the Tarot Major and the Path, because it is about wielding the skills which allow others to perceive us (perceive us as we wish to be perceived).  It is only through mastering the wielding of my entire “self” that I can ever hope to master my environment and how others perceive me. 

This is important.  I can be whoever I want to be, as long as I believe I can, and as long as I access the tools to manifest what I want.

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