Knight of Wands/Six of Cups reversed.  The Knight of Wands (cusp of Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, deep, obsessive, and Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) is a person of passion, courage, enthusiasm and boundless energy.  The energies of this card are strong, confident and powerful, maybe the most courageous of the deck.  The upright Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive) is a card of emotional balance, simple joys fun and blessings. My Six of Cups is reversed, but perhaps this does not mean there will be sadness today. Paired with this Knight, the reversed Six of Cups makes sense.  Today we will not be looking back with nostalgia, but forward with enthusiasm!

My Thoth card is the Eight of Cups reverse.  “Indolence” The Eight of Cups (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitation, law and order, in Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, suffering, soul growth) is a card of action, telling of an ending or a change of direction, often one associated with emotions.  Crowley sees this one as the “hangover card,” and thankfully it is reversed.  Lack of intensity or interest won’t be an issue today, and I won’t need to walk away from any no-longer-useful feelings.

My Legacy card is the Queen of Coins reversed, flavored by Temperance.  The Queen of Coins (cusp of Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering, and Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution, cunning, authoritative) is very good at sustaining the physical world, keeping things dry and cozy and safe and orderly.  But my Queen is reversed today, and thus, nurturing and focusing on material affairs will not be productive.  Temperance corresponds with Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering) Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Samekh (the tent post), and the Path between Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest into the physical world of action and outer reality) and Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify), and it is one of the Major Arcana cards that presents the concept of dynamic balance.  Temperance brings balance in a unique way, through knowledge of extremes, and we are circling back to that Knight of Wands (extremes are, after all, his thing).  Perhaps the Temperance card, in flavoring my reversed Queen of Coins, is reminding me that sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zone in order to learn true balance.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of vertical and horizontal balance. 

My horoscopes: “Romance blossoms for you tonight, Sagittarius, perhaps after a long period of standing still. A new sense of stability and security may settle on love relationships and close friendships. Children could also be a source of warmth and pleasure. You might want to channel some of this positive energy into creative activity of some kind, which will increase your sense of contentment and well-being.”

And: “Successes with your work continue to bring good fortune your way, and today you might find reassurance that this is not a flash in the pan - you're likely to be financially secure for a long time. Health-wise, you're probably feeling strong and robust, full of energy and stamina, and ready to take on just about any challenge you can find. Move on ahead, but move with caution. You're never too prosperous to not be careful.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Page of Wands.  The Page of Wands is creative, outspoken, witty and passionate.  This Page creates with the joy of a child, and with the corresponding lack of inhibition.  Perfection is not an issue here, and if we don’t like the melody being played, we can easily march to the beat of a different drummer, or even create our own unique and beautiful cadence!  This Page brings the energies of The Fool into the Minor Arcana and our day-to-day energies.  Fear not!  Instead, enjoy!

Almost done with the gunas! I’ve talked about the gunas of Heavy and Light, Liquid and Dry, Hot and Cold, Easy and Difficult, Clear and Gooey, and the tastes of Sweet, Bitter, Salty and Sour.  Next up: a bit about the taste of Pungent.  My source once again is the Joyful Belly website.

Pungent is found in spicy foods; Pungent stimulates by irritating the lining of the digestive track, acting quickly and intensely.  Then, the body flushes the irritants by thinning the blood, dilating the vessels, and increasing the heart rate; Pungent improves circulation, and softens and flushes away mucous.  Also, since our immune system pretty much uses the blood to get around the body, Pungent helps improve the immune system. 

Black pepper, chilies, and hard liquor are all Pungent and burning. Sour taste, which also increases secretions, is sharp but not Pungent.  Pungent is the best taste for “recovering Kaphas” like me because it increases heat, metabolism and “agni” (digestive strength), it helps the body to sweat, and wakes up the mind.  Vatas, on the other hand, need to be careful about Pungent, because high metabolism is already present in Vatas.  Excess Pungent can cause thirst and dryness, or inflammation.

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