Three of Wands reversed/Six of Swords reversed.  The Three of Wands (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, the deepest self and personal power, in Aries, “I want,” action oriented, pioneering, assertive) in an upright position tells of being successfully established after some effort expended. Because it is reversed, I am being reminded that I need to secure what I’ve already attained so that I have a strong foundation upon which I can build once the opportunity presents itself.  The Six of Swords (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause oriented) in an upright position is about balance, healing, moving towards a better place, and even about learning the science behind things that work (because understanding why they work makes them more effective).  However, this card is reversed as well.  Clear message here:  good opportunities are coming but in order to take advantage of them, I had better make certain there are no pending issues.  Okay, then.

My Thoth card of the day is The Moon.  A Major Arcana card; a rarity for my Thoth deck.  The Moon corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, emotional and sensitive energy that strives to stay the same), Pisces (“I believe,” feeling, suffering, soul growth, duality), Qof (the back of the head), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration), and talks about the imagination, perception, and fear of the unknown.  I should be very aware of my non-physical senses today, and I should look twice at whatever messages I receive in order to be certain my responses are accurate and fitting to the situation.  Imagination can be a good thing, but I need to remember that my perception of my world is affected by my personal beliefs.

My Legacy card is The High Priestess reversed, flavored by The Wheel of Fortune. Interesting that The Wheel is appearing again along with an inner focused or personal card in a reversed position; on the 3^rd The Wheel was paired with The Lovers reversed.  The High Priestess (Water; the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination; Gimel, the camel who safely crosses Da’ath, the Abyss, and thus, has the secret of life; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Kether, the source, limitless possibility), is the source of the power of The Magician, the feminine version of The Hierophant, and the Keeper of the Mysteries.  My HP card is reversed today, so perhaps this is not a good day for looking inward in order to find answers.  Seeing the HP reversed is making me look at my Moon card above; this could be a validation of my interpretation of The Moon.  The Wheel of Fortune (Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), Jupiter (expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune), Kaph (grasping hand), and the Path between Netzach (the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration) and Chesed (the place where forms and structure are stabilized and nurtured)) is flavoring my reversed HP.  It is reminding me that whether I am ready or not, stuff is going to happen.  In fact, it might be already happening.  I need to remember that the effects of the energies of this card might be unsettling, but they are necessary.  I need to deal with them in a dynamic manner, taking advantage of my own skills, abilities, knowledge and wisdom in order to respond appropriately to whatever comes at me.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of manifestation and experience.  Wahoo!

My horoscopes: “Today you may discover that you have more in common with your neighbors than you thought, Sagittarius. It's likely that some sort of local event has brought all your neighbors together under one roof. You go as an obligation, but stay out of interest and a genuine willingness to participate. There is nothing like rolling up one's sleeves and working together to tackle a common goal. Expect to make some good friends in the process.”

And: “Some rather callous words spoken carelessly could have you feeling very hurt and rather insecure. They may not have been meant that way, but even so, it's best to bear in mind that they're only words, which tell you far more about the one who says them than they do about you. Spend the evening with people who love and respect you. You mirror the best in them, and that's why they enjoy your company. Remember that!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Six of Pentacles.  This is such a lovely card with heart-warming energies.  The Six of Pentacles is traditionally about resources, both having them and not having them.  The Shadowscapes Six of Pentacles reminds us that no matter how poor we see ourselves, there is always something that we can share with or give to others.  And it is the very act of sharing our blessings that will attract even more blessings to us!

This is my post from March, 2010, almost two years ago when I first studied the Great Work.  Once again, I will begin with these basic definitions.  Hopefully I will be able to take them to another level.

The Great Work can be broken down into three levels.  Of course, whatever is presented as psychological alchemy has its roots in physical and magickal alchemy, so I will be attempting to understand the physical processes and effects that support the psychological correspondences.

The first step is called the Black Phase.  The Nigredo is the longest and most difficult phase; it makes the other two seem like child’s play.   The Nigredo is accomplished through torture.  Yes, I said torture.  Actually, the process involves the surrender of superfluous and unnecessary characteristics, which happens through the tool of suffering. 

The second step is called the White Phase.  Basically, the Albedo is the process which purifies whatever survived the Nigredo.  This “cooking” or “purification” process is very important, for it culls out any impurities; these impurities, if left into the process, would have very harmful effects on the end result, so they need to be removed.  Interestingly enough, the Albedo begins at the darkest moment of the Nigredo.

The third step is called the Red Phase.  The Rubedo is the logical next step, the step that allows the release and manifestation of the energies that were completely transformed by the Nigredo and the Albedo.  Interestingly enough, there is a sort of “mini-Dark Night” within the processes of the Rubedo, just before the final result, usually called “putrefaction.”  This step provides a last chance to remove any remaining contaminants or remainder of ego.  From Dancing Sparkles, March, 2010.

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