Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Empress/Eight of Wands. The Empress was my first significator card, and I have a fond affection for her and her energies. She 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, abundance, the physical body and its senses, the fulfillment and satisfaction of those senses, and a deep connection to the material world and the workings of Nature. The Empress is also the first place in the Major Arcana that we see love manifested. 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.

My Thoth card is the Eight of Swords reversed. “Interference” reversed is a good thing. For Crowley, the Eight of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable talkative, dual) in an upright position tells of interference that is of the sheer bad luck nature. This kind of interference makes us feel helpless and victimized because we did not cause it and we don’t know how to solve it. The card is reversed, so I am feeling empowered; I will be able to see the causes and provide the solutions, by using my head.

My Legacy card is the Queen of Swords, flavored by Justice. The Queen of Swords (cusp of Virgo, “I serve,” practical, sensible, work and service oriented, and Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, grace) in an upright position represents a disciplinarian, and a thinker. She is open and honest, and prefers that others are open and honest as well, because she’s learned by her own experiences that it’s easier this way. 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). The Justice card is about cause and effect, about weighing both sides of an issue effectively by being impartial, and about making adjustments in order to achieve balance. It is flavoring the Queen of Swords, which to me is the Minor Arcana card equal to Justice, and that makes these concepts very important today.

My 6-digit date number is 7, the pause at peak that happens just before degeneration begins.

My horoscopes: “Spread your ideas out to the world, Sagittarius. Now is a great time to go on a long trip, or at least begin planning one. Explore the far reaches of your space, literally and figuratively. Join others who share a similar spiritual mission. By reaching out to new and different people, you can have some unforgettable experiences with the potential to have a positive impact on your life.”

And: “The only limits on your progress right now are the ones you've put there yourself. It's high time you realize that you can do absolutely anything -- and everything -- you set your mind to! All you need is patience, focus and self-confidence. Today remove any and all of your self-imposed limits and let yourself roam free for a while. You'll find the right direction soon, so trust yourself. Even if you veer off in some less-than-productive direction, that's okay.”

Technology: “You have plenty of energy at the moment, but it's all directed toward new plans and projects. Don't worry about finishing or cleaning up the remnants of past assignments -- someone else will tie up your loose ends.”

My Sun reading: “Today the Moon in Libra symbolizes keeping in balance by staying in the middle. Simultaneously, Mercury helps you know exactly what you're doing as you juggle lots of activity. Tonight may possibly be the next logical step, pointed in the right direction, in an important relationship.”

The 16th Path. Oh my, I am sitting here, thinking about everything I have gone through to get to this place, and I am remembering all the experiences I have had as I have moved up the Tree, and especially, I am thinking about the last two Paths and their bridges across Da’at. The 16th Path is another such bridge, only this one moves up the Pillar of Force/Expansion from Chesed to Chokmah. Lots of outer, active energies!! I am glad that I have the Queen of Swords and the Justice card up there in my Tarot throws for the day, because all that strong feminine energy will balance out the outer, active, masculine feel of this Path nicely.

Chesed is the Hall of Masters and the Home of the Ancients. It is at the center of the Pillar of Force/Expansion, so it presents both growth and stabilization, a nice balanced version of Force. Chesed is about acknowledging my own authority, yet feeling humility because of that authority; a good explanation of what Mercy is. Chokmah is the Wisdom and independence that allows us to glimpse The Source, and at the top of the Pillar of Force/Expansion, it represents the Sacred Masculine, the Catalyst, and the Ultimate Positive. Ooooh, this is the energy I feel when I connect with Cernunnos, and that makes perfect sense, as the 16th Path is leading directly to that ultimate knowledge and experience. And so the 16th Path can be seen as the Wisdom of Mercy and the Mercy of Wisdom.

The Tarot Major Arcana card that corresponds with this Path is The Hierophant; the presence of that card on this Path reminds me that while the Sacred Masculine may draw or gather the power through the Pillar of Force/Expansion, it is the Sacred Feminine through the Pillar of Form/Restriction that this energy is given Form in the first place. The Hebrew letter associated with this Path is Vau, the nail; thus, The Hierophant is the nail that holds in place tradition and culture, the keeper and teacher of arcane secrets.

I will be providing more details about The Hierophant in my next post.

I think it is quite appropriate that I am beginning to work with this Path right now, today. Tonight, I am seeing the Pagan Brain Trust, which is always empowering. Then, tomorrow morning I am picking Carolyn up at the airport, when she arrives for her visit. We will be doing some Water magick this weekend; how can we not, since the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay are at our disposal?!

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