Ace of Swords reversed/Seven of Swords reversed.  This makes perfect sense to me! The Ace of Swords (Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution authority, cunning, Aquarius and Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, soul growth, artistic) indicates the possibility of situations that will require some effort to solve, but it also tells me that I have the tools to solve the situations.  Because my Ace is reversed, I may find that any challenges may stump me, at least for a bit, because I am not tapping into my intellect and my problem solving skills in an efficient way.  But the card is there, even if it is reversed, so the energies are there, too.  The Seven of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloofness) in an upright position tells of the effort to maintain things as we want them, usually through the use of deception and usually to the point of using unethical means.  Since my Seven of Swords is reversed, while I may begin my day feeling the urge to be aloof or to hold myself away from situations and challenges, I just might still be able to accomplish a “synergy of the intellect.”  Perhaps because both of these Swords cards are reversed, I may need to look into myself for the root of any problems, and for the solutions.

My Thoth card is the Eight of Swords.  “Interference,” and I get this one, too.  The Eight of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable talkative, dual) shows the confusion and restriction that can result from actively seeking to use only the intellect to perceive reality.  I may find that circumstances are causing me to assume that I am being trapped or confined, or to assume that there is no solution.  All three of my Swords cards today show a progression: first there is the inability to connect to the skills necessary to solve problems, then there is the potential of feeling the need to isolate myself (which just might be the wrong decision), and then there is the warning of what will happen if I follow the tendencies of the first two Swords cards: isolation, confusion and hopelessness.  I think I would like to pass on those, and the way to do this is to stop thinking and analyzing so much.  That will be tough to do today, but not impossible.

My Legacy card is Justice reversed, flavored by the Page of Coins. 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), and is about cause and effect.  Because it is reversed, and being flavored by a Coins card, my reversed Justice card is reminding me to seek the cause of any effect, and to perceive and attempt to understand all things and events, especially those things and events of my physical world, objectively and with honor and equality.  I just might find myself prejudging and that is not a good thing. The Page of Coins (Aries, “I want,” assertive, action oriented, Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual) is a listener, and this Page listens to both sides of an argument because he is also a student, and is eager to learn.  My Page is reminding me today that there are important considerations I need to be aware of: I need to spend some time tapping into the energies of Nature, I need to make plans and then activate them, I need to work with what I have now rather than dreaming about what I don’t have, and I need to learn and grow.  Sounds like my Page is offering me something else to focus on rather than the challenges my mind and intellect are seeing.  Good.

My 6-digit date number is 6, the number of vertical and horizontal balance.  LOL, I hope that is a prediction.

My horoscopes: “A passionate letter or call from a romantic partner could have you longing for an encounter. You're likely to make a night of it this evening. You're both feeling happy, glowing in each other's company. One or both of you will have career success to report. Relations with co-workers and superiors should be cooperative and congenial. This bodes well for your future.”

And: “Vast amounts of information could come to you today through e-mail, fax, the Internet, or phone. Expect to hear from groups whom you may or may not be affiliated with. You could make new friends, possibly in your near neighborhood, as changes could be taking place in your community. You could hear of some classes you might want to take. Books or magazines may bring valuable information your way. This could well be a very stimulating and significant day.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding The Lovers.  “In one of the oldest tales there is the Choice: knowledge and fulfillment of worldly senses, or the simplicity of an ever-present now.”  From the Shadowscapes Companion.  The Choice presented by The Lovers is always difficult because each option has its benefits.  I think the lesson here is that sometimes, if our intentions are pure and our hearts are open, we can find a way to combine them both, or the best of each (and that “best” would be different for each of us), in order to create a new reality.  What a lovely card to think about on Samhain Eve as the God prepares to die and the Goddess prepares to withdraw into the darkness.

Today is Samhaim Eve.  Here is what I wrote about Samhain in my First Degree Lesson that covered the Wheel of the Year: “Samhain is the cross-quarter between the Autumn Equinox of Mabon and the Winter Solstice of Yule.  Samhain is considered a time of endings and beginnings.  For some this is the last Sabbat of the year, and for others the first Sabbat of the year.  The cycle of growth ends; nights are longer than days.  Samhain is a time to celebrate the past year, and to celebrate the year to come.  It is also a time to deal with death; this is the night that the old God dies, and the Crone Goddess mourns him deeply for the next six weeks.  We should remember our ancestors this night, and say farewell to those who have died this past year.  But in a more lighthearted vein, it is the time for harmless pranks and merrymaking; the time of the Lord of Misrule, and the Norse trickster god, Loki.  It is also said that the veil between the worlds is thin at this time, and the night abounds with spirits passing through, some with only harmless fun and pranks in mind, but some bent on more harm.  A tradition arose of leaving small gifts of food at one’s doorstep, and wearing costumes and masks to scare away the spirits meaning harm.  Also helpful was a jack-o-lantern on your door step: the scary face would chase away the hostiles, yet the candle within would be a welcoming light to those you know.”

That was a good start.  Samhain is considered a Greater Sabbat because it is a cross-quarter.  The solstices and equinoxes are considered Lesser Sabbats, not because they are of any less importance than the Greater Sabbats, but rather because the flows of energy associated with the Lesser Sabbats are at a time of transformation, and thus are ebbing rather than flowing at peak.  The Greater Sabbats, on the other hand, are the peak of the seasonal energies, the culmination of the effects of those energies.

And thus, Samhain, the Third Harvest, can be likened to the number 9 and the Nine cards of the Tarot Minor Arcana.  This Harvest Sabbat ties everything up, not only for the harvest season, but for the year as well.  This is the time when we are seeing evidence all around us in the physical world of the effects of the Waning Year and its ebbing energies. 

Because Samhain represents the final harvest and the windup of gathering the fruits of our labors, it is also the Sabbat most representing death of all kinds.  In our creation myth, this is the Sabbat when the God dies and retires to the Summerland in order to rest and prepare for rebirth; this is the Sabbat when the Goddess is Crone, the elderly Woman who sits by the fire to warm Her bones, wrapped in a blanket as She talks of the year gone by, interprets the important events, and laces all with Her wisdom, wisdom attained through living.

I look forward to the Waning Year.  Spring fills me with hope and renewal; as my beloved garden awakens, I am filled with enthusiasm for the coming light.  Summer is marvelous; it is an opportunity to walk on the beach and hike in the mountains, and to be outside under the hot sun and the warm rain.  Fall is beautiful; the angle of the sun and its light, and the colorful leaves flying in the air during a nor’easter, are unique to the year.  But Winter, with its times in front of the fireplace as the snow flies, brings more time for contemplation.  I am very much ready for that time this year.

Today will be my day to wind up and prepare for release those things that need to be left behind.  Tonight, I will finally perform the specific ritual that Hecate has been requesting of me.  After I perform that ritual, I will spend some time thinking about and honoring my Ancestors.  Tomorrow, I will attend the Sacred Mists Samhain Sabbats, hopefully both of them but at a minimum, one of them.  And I will offer treats to the trick-or-treaters with honor to Samhain and my Craft in my heart.

And then my own harvest will be complete.

Samhain Blessings!!

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