King of Pentacles reversed/King of Wands.  Well now, there is a clear message! The King of Pentacles (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the expert on the physical world, on physical world resources, and on physical manifestation. Not only is my King of Wands reversed, but he is paired with the King of Wands. The King of Wands (cusp of Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, moody, and Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic egotistical) is charismatic and forceful, but in an admirable way, a way that empowers himself and everyone around him. The reversed Pentacles King actually supports the upright Wands King, telling me that at least for today, I should not shy away from risk or from trying new or untested methods because I have the ability to deal with a lot.

My Thoth card is the Ace of Cups. The Ace of Cups (Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, deep, mysterious, obsessive, Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) tells of the potentials available to me for experiencing deep emotions, a connection to my Inner Voice, compassion for myself or others, attunements and connections.  Crowley calls this card the Lord of Love and sees it as representing the Grail.  I see it as representing the Great Rite, and the fertile potential contained in all love.  Interesting that this Ace appears today, as I am working with the element of Water.

My Legacy card is The Wheel, flavored by the Nine of Swords reversed.  Another clear message.  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 telling me that whether I am ready or not, stuff is going to happen, and probably is happening already. The Nine of Swords (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, social, dual) represents brooding and worrying, usually self-caused, but since this reversed Nine of Swords is flavoring my Wheel today, it is telling me to be in the flow, and to use my mind and my intellect to work with the ebbs and flows of energies that present themselves today, without fear.  Well, that sure seems to validate the message of my first two cards today, eh?

My 6-digit date number is 6, the number of vertical and horizontal balance.  

My horoscopes: “Don't be surprised if you're scolded by people who are upset about the way you're handling certain things in your life, Sagittarius. Most likely, the people who criticize you the most are the ones who understand you the least. They are probably on a completely different wavelength than you, and it isn't your job to try to change them, nor is it your responsibility to change your ways because of them.”

And: “Today might not be as lighthearted and free-spirited as you would like it to be, but do not sweat it. Work with the sobering, grounded energy of the day to complete a set of tasks that has been wearing on you for quite a while. Take a step back from the drama in your life and carefully observe your emotions from a loftier point of view. Realize how your actions have been affecting others. Tone things down and evaluate.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Nine of Pentacles.  Okay this card makes a lot of sense to me today.  I don’t need to be an expert on dealing with physical world resources in order to enjoy the gifts of the physical realm.  I do, however, need to do the work that allows me to tap into my own physical senses with a strong and clear connection.  At least for today, I can pause in my labors, and just enjoy.

I went for another great walk last night.  I went back to the beach for sunset; the evening sky was crystal clear, and the sun was a fiery orange ball that dropped quickly below the horizon, as it normally does in the Winter.  The waxing moon was high in the sky, with Venus below the moon and Jupiter above it.  I could easily visualize the ecliptic of our solar system, and I spent some lovely, serene time on the beach at low tide, enjoying the quiet solitude.  The evening was so lovely that I walked for quite a while, both along the beach and on the streets.

I had a wonderful morning watching my suet feeder!  There are three nuthatches, a pair and a solitary bird, that visit the feeder multiple times in a morning.  I love watching these tiny birds as they eat!  The pair seems so polite; one will go right to the feeder (which is hanging from a crepe myrtle in our yard) while the other perches on one of the lower branches.  Then they switch places, darting quickly so the other can feed.  Then off they go, swooping over the roof of the garage, but in a few minutes they return for a second helping.  The solitary nuthatch also returns several times.

This morning, however, we had new guests.  A Carolina wren spent some time at the feeder, greedily gobbling down big hunks of suet; he came back a few hours later for a bit more.  Then a few chickadees began several passes to the feeder.

We also get robins, starlings and catbirds visiting the shallow pail of water that is left out in the yard.  They drink and take baths, even in the cold!  I guess the news has spread that there are some great accommodations in our yard.

I am continuing my work with the Albedo Phase and Dissolution; I walked to the beach this morning, and plan to do so again at dusk.  I am sipping water all day also, physically connecting to the process of Dissolution (while continuing the metabolic discipline of Calcination), and visualizing the process of dissolving. 

When we dissolve something, we immerse it in water, and since the element of Water represents feelings, emotions, visions and the subconscious, these are the effects I should be looking for.  Along with my other alchemic research, I am reading “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho.  This morning, I read a phrase that stands out in my mind as a part of the process of Dissolution: “The boy was beginning to understand that intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything, because it’s all written there.”  This makes sense to me; it also tells me that while for the first moment or two we might feel a huge disconnect, once we begin to “dissolve” we will be one with the water, with our feelings and emotions and visions and subconscious. 

One thing I need to remember: in order to dissolve something into water, we need to stir.  This means that while I may initially feel that nothing is happening, actually blockages are being dissolved, and that means there will be a sudden rush of energy in the near future.

I may not be feeling the effects of Dissolution yet, but they are coming.  However, I have done quite a bit of work already with my subtle body and my inner self.  This does not ensure that I won’t experience turmoil, but since I’ve survived turmoil already, I won’t view this stage of the Great Work with fear.

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