Saturday, July 23, 2011


Seven of Cups reversed/Eight of Pentacles.  The Seven of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, obsessive, mysterious) is letting me know that there are messages out there to pick up, and choices or opportunities to access.  Each of the seven cups contains what appears to be a gift which corresponds to a planet and a Major Arcana card; the Wreath corresponds with Saturn and The World; the Castle corresponds with Mars and The Tower, the Woman corresponds with Venus and The Empress; the Snake corresponds with Mercury and The Magician; the Veil corresponds with the Moon and The High Priestess, the Jewels correspond with Jupiter and The Wheel of Fortune, and the Dragon corresponds with our Sun and The Sun.  The problem with these choices is that they may not be what they seem, and I may expend a lot of energy just figuring out what each choice really is.  My feelings about the choices are important too, especially because the card is reversed.  Perhaps today is not a good day to ponder about how I feel for very long. The Eight of Pentacles (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, sensible, orderly) kind of validates this, for it is about paying attention to details in the physical world.  This card is literally about being prepared and doing your homework, and it tells me that if I don’t have the information I need right now, I should go on out and learn what I need to know.  No matter what, I need to pay attention!

My Thoth card is the Six of Cups reversed. Another reversed Cups card!  The Six of Cups, “Pleasure” (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive), in an upright position tells of beneficial connections with others and reminds us that happiness comes to us through continuous effort over time.  Because this card is reversed, I may find that I am too impatient to find time to play, and that could cause me to be a bit cranky.  Cynicism does not become me, so I can’t allow it to control my feelings today.

My Legacy card is The Fool, flavored by the Nine of Wands reversed. The Fool; just the ticket to overcome that Six of Cups reversed!!  The Fool is an Air card (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and challenges that tend to require the use of the intellect to solve), and it also corresponds with Uranus (technology, science, radical change), Aleph (the head, youthful learning) and the Path between Chokmah (male in the electric sense, dynamic energy and the origin of vital force and polarity) and Kether (the source; limitless possibility).  I may find that today, I end up needing to choose my attitude; do I want to be the “crankypants” of the Six of Cups reversed?  Or do I want to be the enthusiastic and optimistic and uninhibited catalyst to everyone’s good mood?  Sounds like I will have the opportunity to be one or the other today. The Nine of Wands (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) tells of being pro-active in response to issues, of reaching a point of drawing a line in the sand and saying “no further. Because this card is reversed, it is supporting and validating my interpretation of The Fool and my other cards.  Trust!!  Open yourself!!  The biggest danger for me today is that I will end up allowing negative emotions to color my day, and that is the one bad possibility presented by the reversed Nine of Wands, because reversed, it tells of a lack of fortitude.  But forewarned is forearmed!

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

My horoscopes: “Issues may get a little heavier than you'd like today, Sagittarius. Your job is to infuse some levity and humor into the situation. Your adaptability will be put to the test as other people remain steadfast in their opinions. Be conscious of how you use your words. Other people, especially superiors or elders, may be offended by careless, offhand remarks.

And: “You may think that there is a little too much on your plate right now, but the universe is confident that you can handle it all without any problem. Some recent events have dented your self-esteem a little bit, but today offers you a wonderful opportunity to smooth out those dents and get yourself feeling shiny and new again. All you have to do is take any opportunity you're given, and you'll plow through everything on your to-do list, one item at a time.

Technology: “Bills and budgets are likely to demand serious concentration at some point this weekend. Block out time and give those personal finances your undivided attention -- meanwhile, know your limitations. If it gets too complex, ask for assistance.

My Sun reading: “When the Moon aspects Jupiter, you're in for a real treat. The Sun/Neptune aspect soothes nerves and eases your spirit. You feel at peace throughout the day. Tonight listen to the Moon/Saturn aspect message that says, "We can work this out. Let's get together and discuss it."

I have already noticed something, after only a few Tratak meditations.  Perhaps the combination of the Pathworking I am doing and these meditations are making a connection in my brain, for I am remembering dreams!  Granted, if I don’t think about them as soon as I am awake, and run through the plot in my mind or out loud, they fade away, but at least I am remembering the general theme of the dream! 

I learned quite a bit about Tratak from my Vedic Thai Bodywork teacher, “Mukti” Michael Buck of the Vedic Conservatory [www.vedicconservatory.com].  In his pamphlet, “Tratak: Meditation on Light,” Mukti provides descriptions of the cultural roots and purposes of Tratak. 

As humans, we experience our lives and explore our individual Purpose through three “portals”: our knowledge, our actions and our emotions.  The ultimate goal of obtaining knowledge is to learn Truth.  Once we know Truth, we refine our actions to conform to Goodness.  Actions springing from Goodness through Truth grant us the experience of harmonious Joy.  The cool thing about this process is that we can attain Joy ourselves, through “self-evolution,” and Tratak is one method.  Through Tratak, we create within us an inner sanctuary or center, from which we can evolve and grow and to which we can return when we are faced with crisis or upheaval in the outside world.  Through Tratak, we create an optimal condition within the physical body that encourages purification, and once the body is clear, we attune ourselves with the natural rhythms of our physical body and our environment.  

The word “Tratak” comes from the Sanskrit “trut,” which is defined as the act of releasing tears.  Tears are directly related to our emotions; strong emotions create tears, and consciously creating tears reveals new emotions.  It is said that tearing clears the frontal lobe of the brain of negative emotions, washes them away, and allows us to then feel light and renewed, and released from our burdens.  There is even a folk saying in India that one teardrop is more precious than 100 drops of blood and more priceless than a pearl. 

Tears also clean and refresh the eye itself and excite the optic nerve.  Those who regularly practice Tratak feel that intentional tearing increases the eye’s ability to transmit and receive energy, and to manifest physically the emotional state.  Our emotional state can affect the frequency of blinking, and since serenity and stability cause us to blink less, by striving to not blink for a short period of time we are making use of sympathetic magick. 

Tratak meditation provides the opportunity to increase our ability to focus on one thing and thus, shut out for a time the constant and jolting vibrations of our modern world.  Performing Tratak regularly brings us periods of relief or rest or vacation during which we can forget about everything, even ourselves; after these rests we become more ready to reintegrate with the outside world.  Being balanced and in touch with that safe and quiet and renewing center also offers us glimpses of our own Higher Self (whose presence is usually lost in the cacophony of living), and of Deity.

How is that for a carrot on the end of a stick?

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