Ace of Wands reversed/Page of Cups. 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; because the card is reversed, I just might have a bit of trouble feeling confident in my abilities, feeling faith in the rightness of my path, or feeling the courage necessary to step into the unknown. The 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. I like having this Page showing up with the Ace of Wands reversed, because the encouragement of this card to feel, to care, and to connect with my Inner Voice might be just the ticket to turn that Ace around.

My Thoth card is the Four of Cups reversed. “Luxury” is Uncle Al’s keyword for the Four of Cups (the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, tenacious, moody), which in an upright position reminds us that experiencing too much pleasure can desensitize us to its effects, and blind us to everything else going on around us. Because the card is reversed, I should feel able to make the effort to shrug off lethargy so that I can focus on what needs to be done. This reversed Cups card is also validating the message of my Page above; it is telling me that now is the time to reach out and make fulfilling connections. Satisfaction is available for me, if I open myself to it.

My Legacy card is the Queen of Wands reversed, flavored by the Knight of Cups. Active Cups cards today! The Queen of Wands (cusp of Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality, and Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive) is about being warm and outgoing, cheerful and assured. Because my Queen I reversed, she is validating the possible confidence issue presented by the Ace of Wands reversed, above. I need to be aware that any enthusiasm I may feel today may not be appropriate; I might appear as a bit nutty to others. Granted, most of the time that is not an issue, but there are times where I need to act like a grownup, and today may be one of those days. The Knight of Cups (cusp of Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, suffering, soul growth) tells of a person who feels things intensely, and that is a two-edged sword. Paired with the reversed Queen of Wands, this Knight of Cups is warning me that my sensitivity could be a negative thing today. I may see hurt being perpetrated when there is none, I may find that any enthusiasm I do happen to feel is empty or does not go the distance, or I may focus inward to the point that I am not effective at all. My Knight and my Queen need to look to my Page for a bit of optimism and healthy anticipation.

My 6-digit date number is 10, the number of completion of a cycle, which reduces further to 1, the number of position and potential.

My horoscopes: “Watch the sunrise today, Sagittarius. Open your eyes to the beauty around you and let it inspire you to take action. Someone may be trying to throw you a curve ball, so be ready. You have a generous heart that you should share freely. Your helpful nature will draw others to you and help you skate effortlessly through your day. Teach someone a lesson that you know they need to learn.”

And: “Don't be surprised if a lot of visitors show up at your door today. Perhaps you're hosting an impromptu social event, or neighbors bring news of changes nearby. You should be brimming over with energy, so this isn't anything that you can't handle, but you could find it a bit unnerving if it gets to be too exciting. In situations like this, it's best just to go with the flow and enjoy it. You can think about it later!”

My Sun reading: “Mars and Jupiter stimulate activity and vitality, so get ready to seize opportunities. Couples feel like young lovers, and the feeling should be enjoyed. Plan something special. If you're single, you're a smashing success when you attract moths to your flame.”

Another Shadowscapes Insight today. I threw the Six of Cups, a truly lovely card, and had a nice moment of a light bulb being lit. This card is described in the Shadowscapes Companion as presenting a moment when “the mind has not yet been chained by boundaries of ‘what must be’ and definitions of impossibility.” What a perfect description of the innocence and optimism of this card! Not quite as active as The Fool, who is boldly going forth with the optimism that can create the world he expects; this card is more about pushing back the narrowness that is created by the complexities of life and living, and then sitting back to see who we attract to this pleasant environment with absolutely no expectations of results at all.

**drum roll** On to the 11th Path!! I began working with the Paths of the Tree of Life way back in the end of January (I began studying the Sephiroth in the middle of November, 2010); it has been a long time, but oh boy, has this study of the Tree of Life been useful!! And now, I begin my examination of the last of the Paths.

The 11th Path connects Chokmah (Wisdom), the sephiroth of the Sacred Masculine, to Kether (Crown; The Source), the most pure of the sacred essences that can be perceived by humans. This is the lightning flash of intuitive insight, raw potential that is not even tweaked enough to be called an Aha! Moment. This Path is named “The Spirit of Ayther” and “The Threshold of Nothingness,” and its message is mostly symbolic, hard to put into words, and not even close to being manifested physically. And yet, it is the end, and the beginning. In “The Witches Tarot,” Ellen Cannon Reed describes the 11th Path as representing “both our starting point and our goal: reunion with our Source.” Indeed, travelling up the Paths towards Kether has ignited within me an unquenchable thirst for interaction with Deity; I would think that travelling down the Sephiroth towards Malkuth would bring a need to understand physical existence.

Of all the Paths, this one seems to require the ability to take a leap of faith. The energies that surround and infuse this Path may be erratic and unpredictable, at least from my lower-vibrating, human perception, but I need to believe that whatever happens here is meant to happen. Understanding this Path and the 12th Path, and the three Sephiroth of these Paths (as well as Da’at) will be the closest I can come to understanding Deity and the “negative” emanations (not “evil” rather not manifesting) above the Tree.

It is interesting to me that one of the correspondences of this least manifested Path is technology, but then again, invention requires the ability to see things that don’t yet exist in the physical world.

Off to a good start!! Soon, I will be leaving to rejoin family vacation, already in progress.

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