Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ace of Wands reversed/Temperance. The Ace of Wands (Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical, Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, sensible, orderly) tells of the first spark of a new and exciting process for self-expression and adventure. Temperance connects with Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering) Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Samekh (the tent post), and the Path between Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest into the physical world of action and outer reality) and Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify), and it is about finding balance through an understanding of extremes.  Well, that Ace of Wands is about extremes, or at least the potential for them, and the excitement and courage that come along with them, but it is reversed today, and so it is validating and supporting the message of Temperance.  I think today I may find that I am starting to get back on my feet.

My Thoth card is the Princess of Cups. The Princess/Page of Cups corresponds to Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Scorpio (“I desire,” intensity compulsion, mystery) and Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering), and corresponds to my connections to others and to my own inner self.  The emotions and feelings associated with this Cups card are a bit dreamy and serene, and yes, they come to me in a more immature fashion than the Queen of Cups. But perhaps that child-like simplicity will serve me well today. 

My Legacy card is The Fool reversed, flavored by the Six of Swords reversed. The Fool corresponds with Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and challenges that tend to require the use of the intellect to solve), 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).  The Fool presents new beginnings, optimism, spontaneity and eternal youth; since my card is reversed today, I may find that any impulsive actions could have difficult repercussions.  Perhaps today is a day of order and balance, and isn’t that what Temperance is telling me?    The Six of Swords (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause oriented) is about hitting the reset button in order to move away from a problem or blockage, but it is reversed.  Today may not be a day of moving on or of creating the frame of mind necessary to begin a new journey.

My 6-digit date number is 4, the number of depth and stability.

My horoscopes: “A surge of inner power could have you feeling like you can move mountains, Sagittarius. If you've been contemplating a course of action that others believe impossible, this is the time to get it going. Career matters, romance, and creative projects could all be advanced considerably by careful effort on your part. Give it some thought, write down your ideas, consider all contingencies, and move ahead!”

And: “Too much rigorous exercise over the past few days might have you feeling a little sore, and tired as well. For this reason, your nerves may be on edge, and therefore you're more likely than usual to snap at those around you. Try to ease both nerves and muscle aches by soaking in a hot tub or hot tub. Herbal tea might also help. Just accept that you should take it easy today, and then do it!”

My Shadowscapes Insight today is regarding the Seven of Wands.  This card holds powerful symbolism for me personally, and its Shadowscapes incarnation reminds us of the fortitude and courage that are required in order to do what needs to be done.  This card is not about planning ahead or justifying our actions; it is about having the faith and courage to overcome what seems to be an insurmountable challenge.  The image on this card, a mother protecting her young from a predator, allows me to see the Seven of Wands in a new way. 

August has been a month of transformation for me.  It has been a month of stresses and a month of exhilarations.  August began with the electrocution and near death of my son Brian.  Then, we had an earthquake.  And finally, August left us with Hurricane Irene.  But it has not been all bad.  I have two regular Thai Massage clients.  We were relatively unscathed by the wind and rain and storm surge of Irene.  And I feel stronger and more confident than ever, if a bit battered.

Today, the sun is shining and there is a light breeze, perfect for drying things out.  The power keeps going off, so I am spending my “dark times” working on my fancy new Book of Shadows.  My Full and New Moon Esbats are complete in every way, so I am entering them by hand into my BOS, working on the New Moon now, since that is about the time it is in the Moon’s phase.  I am being moved deeply by my own ritual!

I have found a lovely and moving Charge of the Dark Goddess that I have included in my personal New Moon Esbat (I apologize; I don’t have the author’s name handy, but I did not write the Charge), and the words touch my soul.  You shall approach Me in silence, and as a sign that you are free from fear, your breast you shall bare to My blade, for fear has no place in My mysteries, and that which you seek of Me will destroy you if you fear it.  And: “Of you shall I demand the utter truth of all that you are, and in return shall I give you all that you may be, all that I am.  For My wisdom is beyond the ages, and knowledge of My secrets is power over self, over fear, over death.  I am reminded of the power of these words, the reason why I chose them to be a part of my Esbat.  Their meaning has deepened for me, immensely.

Kali-Ma is one of my Dark Goddesses, and as I hand wrote the words of the invocation I put together as I studied about Her, I was reminded of the messages She has given me in the past. “Help me to understand that sorrow, death and destruction are woven into the texture of my life and cannot be denied, but rather must be accepted, for it is only through releasing my focus on the material and affirming that I am a spiritual being living in a physical body that liberation and freedom can come to me.  Help me to remember that both the joys and sorrows of my life are still with me, are indeed a permanent part of what I am and what I am becoming.  Help me to remember that my mortality is a gift that reminds me that there is an end, and thus that each moment of my life, whether filled with joy or sorrow or pain, with darkness or with light, has value.  How appropriate these words are now, and how important their message is to me after the events of the past month.

I read my own symbolic Great Rite, the ritual that I originally wrote to be a part of the Beltane Sabbat Ritual I wrote as part of my Sacred Mists Third Degree Training, and now use as a blessing of Cakes and Ale within all my personal rituals.  I remember how I aimed to use a traditional Great Rite as a foundation, but yet personalize certain parts of the traditional ritual.  I struggled mightily to find the right words for the presentation and blessing of the Chalice and the Sacred Feminine (my words: “The Altar of bounty, where Spirit is born, And with essence of fertility and potential is filled; The Womb from which all existence is spawned And all Life’s possibilities are Sacred instilled), and the Athame and the Sacred Masculine (my words: “The enfolding forest, the fiery warmth of the sun, The tides of the ocean, the hurricane’s gale, Are the sources from which all transformation comes; The Sacred Catalyst that into Spirit impales”), and every time I use those words within my own personal rituals, I am filled with an intense awareness of the power that is created when Potential is combined with Catalyst.

Words are important to me; they always have been.  I know now that all the study and research involved in my Degree Training at Sacred Mists has been worth the efforts.  My personal Book of Shadows, once it is completed, will be a physical manifestation of who I am, and who I am becoming.  It will be my beliefs, my personal spirituality, transformed into something that can be experienced through the physical senses.  It will be quite some time before my BOS is completed, but I have made progress.

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