Two of Swords reversed/Five of Swords reversed.  The Two of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) can represent a time of not looking or of shutting out the world.  My card is reversed today, so I am being told that avoiding issues, particularly uncomfortable ones, may not be the best choice.  The Five of Swords (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, pleasure, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloof), actually focuses on both victory and defeat; when we act solely in our own interest, we may win, but in the end that victory will be empty.  Both of my Swords cards are reversed, so today I need to do what is right, I need to look at the facts objectively, and I need to shoulder my responsibilities willingly.

My Thoth card is the Six of Cups reversed.  “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 is a card of emotional balance, simple joys fun and blessings.  My Six of Cups is reversed today, so I need to be very conscious of my choices and how they appear to others.  My intent may be good, but others may not see this.

My Legacy card is the Two of Swords reversed, flavored by The Tower.  Eeeep!! Another Two of Swords reversed.  Looks like the truth is very, very important today, and I need to be quite aware of how I think and how I act.  And I will need these more positive feelings in order to deal with the card flavoring my reversed Two of Swords, The Tower (Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Mars (action, spontaneity, aggression, drive), Phe (mouth or speech), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Netzach (which offers the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration)), which tells of a violent or explosive correction.  It is always important to remember that the challenges and tests of life offer us a benefit.  If I am aware of what I am doing, and if I am open to the messages and warnings around me, perhaps I can prevent the revelations to be had from facing life’s challenges from being too upsetting to deal with.

My 6-digit date number is 10, which represents the completion of a cycle; this number reduces further to 1, the number of position, possibilities and new beginnings.

My horoscopes: “Finding solutions won't be hard, thanks to your detective side today. You may feel like the real truth lies below the surface. At times you're tempted to skip along the top of things without really considering what's going on below. Today it's a completely different story. Turbulent feelings and intense emotions from the depths of your soul are the hot topics of concern.”

And: “The time has come to take important decisions for yourself, but also for your family ties. You feel that there is a strong and dynamic flow in the air today. You can utilize this flow to your advantage and make your entourage benefit from it too. It will also enable you to think about new objectives.”

And my new one: “People around you can pick up on your upbeat attitude, making your positive energy quite contagious. Even if you're not sure that it's time to spill the beans, you probably won't be able to keep the buzz to yourself today -- not that you should try. Making new connections now extends your reach and allows you to impact even more people than you previously thought possible.”

My Shadowscapes Insight card is the Eight of Swords.  What a perfect card for me to throw today!  The Eight of Swords reminds us that while sometimes we may feel as if we are trapped, and this feeling may be validated every time we gather our strength and surge against the bonds and only feel pain, not freedom, there is always a way out.  When shows of strength and explosive surges of energy only serve to entangle us deeper, sometimes we are better off taking one moment to clear our heads.  Then, we will see that with a bit of gentle maneuvering, we can find our way out of the trap.

It is amazing how healing a few days of gardening can be.  I spent yesterday and today doing a Fall cleanup in my beloved Cape May garden.  I cut back hydrangeas, wisteria, and rose bushes, I moved some plants, I trimmed our cypress hedge and our arbor vitae.  I added some black-eyed susans to the patch we have, and planted a whole bunch of rose-of-sharons.  And I feel wonderful.

I have always gotten satisfaction from my gardening, throughout the year.  Fall cleanup to me feels like I am tucking my plants in for the Winter months so that they will be safe during the cold and dark, and ready to reawaken in the Spring with vibrant life.  But this weekend, I was not only gifted with the satisfaction of knowing that I had done everything possible to keep my plants safe for the Winter. 

Things have been crazy for me lately.  Lots of upheavals in my physical world.  I used these two days of gardening to heal myself, to ground all the discomfort and the results of the worries and upheavals as compost into the earth.  I got my hands dirty, my knees wet, and my back sore, but I feel grounded and settled and strong and renewed. 

**smile**  A lot less expensive than drugs or professional help, eh?

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