Four of Cups/The Hierophant. The Four of Cups (the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, tenacious, moody) tells me that today I could be contemplating my own feelings a lot, to the point of being a bit disconnected. The Hierophant corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes), Taurus (“I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn), Vau (the nail which holds tradition in place), and the Path between Chesed (the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured), and Chokmah (dynamic male energy, the origin of vital force and polarity) is also a card of contemplation, but it has a different feel about it than the Four of Cups. The figure on the Four of Cups card is seated, and looking downward and inward, while The Hierophant, who is also seated, is looking out confidently into the world. These cards together are telling me that perhaps this will be a day filled with thoughts regarding my own beliefs, my own morals and ethical code, and of the spiritual and cultural traditions which guide me. I may be looking inward part of the time, but I will certainly be also ascertaining what effects these concepts have on my world as well; I may also be seeing what happens to myself and my world when I attempt to live my faith.

My Thoth card is the Six of Cups. “Pleasure” is Crowley’s keyword for the Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive) which tells of experiencing simple joys, innocent fun and being surrounded by blessings. The “Mr. Gloom-And-Doom” that is Aleister Crowley actually likes this card, and sees it as one of the best in the entire deck. Crowley sees the energies associated with this card as being filled with both harmony and a fertility that allows pleasure to propagate and harmony to continue.

My Legacy card is the King of Cups, flavored by The Sun reversed. The King of Cups (cusp of Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, and Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling mysterious, obsessive) is the expert on emotions and the subconscious, mainly because of his life experiences. He cares deeply for those around him, and he offers compassion and tolerance through example. In an upright position, The Sun corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), our Sun (the inner core of a person or situation), Resh (the face; reason), and the Path between Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest in the physical world) and Hod (provides analysis and communication), and tells of a time of enlightenment. Since it is reversed and flavoring my King of Cups, while I may have an easy tome perceiving and connecting with the emotional needs of those around me today, perhaps in doing so I may neglect myself just a bit, to the point of feeling weary. The good thing is that all those other nice Cups cards will support this King, and maybe even get rid of whatever is preventing me from accessing the energies of The Sun.

My 6-digit date number is 7, the number that tells of the pause as harmony begins to degenerate.

My horoscopes: “Today you might intuit some strange and unsettling thoughts and feelings from a brother, sister, or neighbor, Sagittarius. This person isn't likely to want to talk about what's bothering them, even if you express concern. Sometimes people have to work these things out for themselves. Just make it clear that you're available to talk about it and then let it go. That's all you can do now.”

And: “Your financial situation could be greatly boosted by a development you haven't been expecting. Perhaps some investments you've been making suddenly skyrocket in value, or maybe homes in your neighborhood suddenly seem more high class than you would ever have expected. Whichever it is, it's not a good idea to try to cash it out right now. Chances are the value of your investment will continue to increase. Hang in there and watch it grow.”

My Shadowscapes Insight today is regarding the Ace of Pentacles. The Aces all represent potential, and this Ace of Pentacles promises me that something will come. Exactly what comes to me depends on lots of things, including what I choose to focus my Will upon and how hard I work to manifest my goals (for achieving success requires more than dreams and visualizations). If the seed is dropped on dry ground it will not sprout; it needs to be watered and cultivated in order to prosper.

More on The Emerald Tablet. In my post on the 19th I said: “This most pure and highest vibrating essence is indeed the Principle by which our world functions, for we are a reflection of Its workings. And It is indeed the custodian of all creation because we are Its reflection, and can be nothing else but Its reflection. We may be heavier, slower vibrating, more dense, less clear, less illuminated or lit, but we are the same.” Those last words, “. . . we are the same,” are truly vibrating within me today. We are the same as Deity, made of the same materials. Not exactly the same, for sure, because our essences are heavier, vibrating more slowly, and diluted with the influences of the physical world and our physical senses. But there is an underlying “sameness” to be found, just like an ice cube having an underlying essence in common with steam.

Using that same analogy, that ice cube can be brought closer to being steam by adding heat, which causes the molecules of that ice cube to begin vibrating faster and at a higher tone, closer to the vibration level of steam. The reverse holds true as well, for if we add cold to steam, and thus slow down and lower the vibrational level or tone, we will end up with ice. Now, the really cool thing is that if you look at the laws of thermodynamics, you will see that cold and heat are drawn towards each other. Well, the same holds true of the pure essences that are Deity; They are drawn to interact with us, just as we are drawn to interact with Them!

In their book, “Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries & Training In Modern Wicca,” Farrar and Bone describe the methods for performing one of the most sacred rituals of Wicca: drawing down the moon. Within the description of these processes, Farrar and Bone state: “This technique not only opens the chakras, but also increases the energy of the aura, making it more accessible to Deity.” Yes!! Okay, I get this now. This is the reason that we are taught to practice working with our subtle body and our Will, and we are taught to expand our knowledge, so that we can also expand our belief in the validity of what we do. The High Priestess who is able to draw down the moon, who is able to invoke and invite the sacred essence of the Goddess into her physical body, does so by raising her own vibrational levels and tones closer to those of Deity, in order for the Law of Attraction to work in a literal sense. In order for the High Priestess to be able to create an energy environment that will attract the Goddess and allow the Goddess to merge with her! This skill is not something that can usually be learned quickly, or by merely reading a list of steps to take. Each of us needs to actually try different methods, to go through what amounts to an apprenticeship and then journeyman’s period, in order to connect with our subtle body, in order to learn how it works, and in order to learn how to affect it, and thus affect our world and our life experiences.

“And all things sprang from this essence through a single projection. How marvelous is its work! It is the principle [sic] part of the world and its custodian.” I understand now. The concept of all things springing from the single source of the sacred essence is easy to understand, but I am understanding with more depth (and with more personal validation) the connection of this sacred essence to the world, and the manner in which the nature of this sacred essence, as It manifests in the “lower realms,” is by this very nature caring for and nurturing everything that has been born of It and is a reflection of It.

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