The Lovers reversed/The High Priestess.  The Lovers (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts, quick and animated, intellectual, problems or challenges; Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, sociable, dual; Zayin, double-edged sword; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Binah, female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) in an upright position tells of union and of personal choices, possibly concerning ethics.  My Lovers is reversed, which could be telling me of some kind of isolation or separation from those I trust and care for, or I might have trouble connecting to others.  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.  She is real good at allowing events to unfold according to their own energies, and in that respect, she validates the reversed Lovers.  The High Priestess is a gatekeeper of sorts, and she will not allow others to access the Mysteries without first passing the test.  And, the test usually is only accomplished in silence or solitude.  That entire concept may very well be important today.

My Thoth card is the Ten of Swords reversed.  “Ruin” reversed, and I’m glad to see this one fading away.  The Ten of Swords (the Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual, talkative) has been showing up lately; this is a card of interference and restriction, completely manifested.  Hopefully the reversed appearance is telling me that the effects of this Ten are fading away; at the very least, they should not have a lasting effect on the day.

My Legacy card is the Nine of Coins reversed, flavored by the Queen of Swords reversed.  The Nine of Coins (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is a card of accomplishment through the imposition of discipline.  In a lot of ways this one can be seen as similar to The Lovers, also reversed above.  My choices may not bring the rewards and comfort and ease that I expect them to bring.  The Queen of Swords (cusp of Virgo, “I serve,” practical, sensible, work and service oriented, and Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, grace) in an upright position tells of being up front and open with everyone, of being quick on the uptake, and of making use of the experience I have gained.  But, my Queen is reversed today, so I need to be aware that what I see as perceptive and penetrating might appear severe or aloof to others.  Since this card is flavoring my reversed Nine of Coins, it is validating the message of that reversed card, and offering further insight into the root cause of the reversal. 

My 6-digit date number is 3, the number of new creations from the potential and awareness of position of the Ace, and the balance, polarity and awareness of “distance between” that is the 2.

My horoscopes: “Realize that you may be controlling other people's actions without even consciously knowing it, Sagittarius. This is one of those days in which emotional outbursts could explode in your face as a result of other people's reactions to your pressure. Don't feel like you need to take on the responsibility of everyone else's actions. You may be having a hard enough time dealing with your own personal issues.”

And: “Today you might find yourself planning to have some visitors come to stay with you for a while. Worry about developments on the job, or unfinished chores of your own, might have you feeling a little bit stressed out and under the weather. You need to step outside yourself and look at your situation objectively. It's not all that bad - just something that needs to be done. Get it handled, then reward yourself in some way.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Eight of Cups.  Lovely message, and appropriate for me today!  Dive down into the dark depths, for the secrets are there to be found.  Leave the physical world of matter behind, and move with the ebbs and flows of the currents.  Leave the surface and head downward and inward.  Allow the water to support you, smooth and cool against your skin, and allow the silence to envelope you.  Mmmmm . . . cozy.

And the Calcination of the Nigredo continues!  I get so very frustrated when a written conversation (such as an email thread or an Instant Message conversation) gets imposed with emotions or intentions that just were not even remotely in my mind.  Within my Wiccan Coven I have many responsibilities which entail interacting with others in writing, via emails, IM’s or Forum posts.  My goal is to serve and empower and teach, with harm to none and in Perfect Love and Trust, but LOL, the written word does not always end up offering the same message by which it was created.

And I am surrounded by unexpected events that are bringing discomfort and frustration.  Yet, I feel as if I am handling things differently than usual, or I should say this time I am surrendering to the events and examining them as a bystander, objectively, rather than immediately focusing on fixing things.  Is this the way The Hanged Man feels as he hangs upside down on his tree? 

The Nigredo Phase is supposed to allow us to perceive what we really don’t need any more, and it does so by proving to us that we don’t need these things, by forcing us to choose only the most necessary things to bring with us and reminding us that space is always at a premium so we can’t clutter the place up with unnecessary dust collectors.  Like the process of basic training found in the military, I am finding that my defenses are being worn down.  But the only effective way for me to truly know that I can move forward even further than I expected is to be pushed right up to my perceived limit, and then pushed again, beyond that limit.

I am pleased that despite these maddening distractions, I have finally completed my Third Degree Lesson Six, and I handed it in this morning.  I am allowing myself a bit of time to bask in the warm glow of accomplishment, but not for long.  I needed to submit two of my own Life Passages Rituals, and I am pleased with the two I have completed, a handfasting ritual and a crossing over ritual.  They will be entered into my lovely BOS once I finish hand writing my Sabbat Rituals. 

Tonight, I will be spending time with my beloved Wayne Contingency of the Pagan Brain Trust.  I am truly looking forward to sitting around the Sacred Table, and in fact, I need to sit at that Table right now.  I am not the only member of this group who is experiencing turmoil, and I think just sitting with people who are also stressed by life’s challenges (and LOL, consuming some chocolate!) will help me to ground and center a bit.  Especially after I was able to receive a session of energy cleansing from my sister-in-law the other night. 

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