Strength Reversed/Ace of Wands reversed. The Strength card (Fire, hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic energy; Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical; Teth, sieve or basket, digestion; and the Path between Geburah, the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed, and Chesed, the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured) tells of emotional endurance and control, rather than physical endurance and control.  My Strength card is reversed today, and traditionally that can mean the potential for lethargy to rear its ugly head.  However, it can also mean that the things that may affect me emotionally today will not be controllable by me; will that be good or bad?  Perhaps my own mindset will determine that. 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.  My Ace is also reversed.  But it is there.  And my reversed Ace, which is a Fire card, is facing the same direction as my Strength card, which also connects to the element of Fire; both also correspond at least in part to the astrological sign of Leo, which is a very powerful Fire sign.  At least they are not cancelling each other out.  Perhaps the presence of both of these cards is a good omen; there is a potential for a strong connection to my own emotions and for creative energies to influence my life.  I am not connecting to these energies, but they are there, waiting for me to find my way to them.

My Thoth card is the Four of Cups.  “Luxury” the Four of Cups (the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, tenacious, moody), which tells me that today an awareness of my own feelings and a contemplation of those feelings could be a huge part of my focus.  The thing about this combination of the very stable Four and the suit of Cups (which corresponds to the element of Water) is that there is no upward motion at all.  I should enjoy the moment, but I need to remember that if I don’t use muscles, they atrophe.

My Legacy card is the Six of Wands, flavored by Strength.  Wooohooo, nice pair, and Bookends!! The Six of Wands (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, noble, authoritative) expresses the celebration we feel when we have passed some test.  This is not an ending card, so the cycle is not yet complete, but today I may feel I’ve accomplished enough to be able to lean on my own abilities rather than looking to others for support and protection.  For a little while at least, I can rest on my own laurels and bask in my own glow.  But this is not a permanent situation.  My upright Strength card is flavoring my Six of Wands, and this tells me that I will have the focus necessary to both enjoy the moment and to initiate movement once again, when the time is right.

More about my Bookend card today, Strength.  Upon getting their first Tarot deck and looking at this card, most novices assume that the Strength symbolized in its image is physical strength.  However, that is not what this card represents.  First of all, none of the Major Arcana cards refer directly to the physical body, so the Strength this card represents cannot be physical in nature.  The element connected to this card is Fire; yes, fire needs physical fuel in order to exist, but its effects are heat and light, very non-physical, and chemical transformation, which is a process, not a thing.  The astrological correspondence is Leo, which is a fixed Fire sign.  Leos like to center themselves and allow action to happen around them, the same way that our sun is in the center of our solar system and the planets circle it.  The Path on the Tree of Life associated with this card is the 19th Path, which runs horizontally across the Tree between Geburan, the Sephira of challenges, and Chesed, the Sephira of stability, and which connects the Pillar of Form to the Pillar of Force.  Since Strength is about emotions, we can say that it represents the courage that allows us to deal with challenges, and the patience that allows us to understand stability.  Extremes.  And when we have extremes, there is always the potential to attain balance.  There is also an outer-inner balance in this card.  The lion is a typical symbol in the illustration of this card, and the lion represents the beast within us.  That beast is not tamed by a whip and a chair, but rather by the purest of love, offered through serene and tolerant patience.  The velvet glove.

My 6-digit date number is 4, the number of depth and stability, with the danger of creating stagnation.

My horoscopes: “This will be a day of reflection. While you may be tempted to look back and think about how far you've come, your time would be better spent thinking about what the future has in store. You've entered a period of rethinking both your identity and objectives. These aren't small matters. You'll need every ounce of energy at your disposal to make it through this time of transition.”

And: “Financial matters might need some attention today. Bills may need to be paid, checks to be deposited, and budgeting for certain purchases might need to be worked out. Your powers of concentration are high today, and so this is a great day to do this, even though you'd rather be doing something more interesting. Don't despair, however. Your practical skills are high, and so you're apt to finish quickly. Then you can go play!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Page of Pentacles.  Pages are messengers, and this Page does offer a message, not a result.  The message of the Page of Pentacles is one of possible prosperity and stability and well-being in the physical world.  But this is not a finished product; we must each accept the potential offered to us by this Page and then use our own talents and skills and visions and dreams to nurture the potential and shape it as it manifests, until it becomes our dream.

What a wonderful few days it has been.  Since Yule and my spiritual celebration, I have enjoyed fulfilling times and simple re-connections with family and friends.  No bells and whistles, just lots of laughter, good food and drink, and plenty of rest.

The highlight of this holiday season for me has been watching others smile with love, and seeing gifts given through love, meaningful gifts that each are an expression of deep caring and love and respect.  I was moved to tears several times yesterday, through expressions of love.  I don’t know which part was more fulfilling: watching someone open a gift that lit them up with surprise, joy, gratitude and love, or watching the person who gave that gift as they watched the recipient enjoy it.

My entry is simple today, but my question is new.  The question most asked on December 26^th each year is “What did you get for Christmas?”  But I’m going to make a bit of a change to that question.

And so I ask you all: “What did you give for Christimas?”

May the love and joy and rebirth of this holiday season, whatever Path you celebrate, fill you with light and optimism, serenity, and a renewed connection to those who are in your heart.

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