The Empress/Seven of Swords reversed.  The Empress (which corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies that are slow to change), Venus (beauty, allure, pleasure, relationships), Daleth (door or womb) and the Path between Binah (female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) and Chokmah (dynamic male energy and the origin of vital force and polarity)) is such a lovely card; it is one half of the Major Arcana representation of the Sacred Feminine.  The Empress is about creativity, and about fertility of all kinds, a deep connection to Nature and its workings.  She also is about the pleasure of the senses, and she is about using our physical world talents, both to the fullest extent possible.  One thing The Empress is not about is details, so today I might be better off not worrying about them.  The Seven of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloofness) in an upright position tells of the active effort to maintain things as we want them, often through the use of deception and without considering the wants or needs of others.  My Seven of Swords is reversed, and that meshes well with The Empress.  Today, my intellect will be about the needs of others instead of my own needs, and my mind will focus on sharing rather than acting as a lone wolf.

My Thoth card is the Four of Cups.  “Luxury” is the Thoth keyword for the Four of Cups (the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, tenacious, moody) and it reminds me that sometimes too much pleasure deadens the senses.  Perhaps this is a timely warning, with The Empress showing up today.  There is nothing wrong with things going well, but sometimes we need a bit of a challenge, just to keep us alert and aware. 

My Legacy card is the Ace of Swords reversed, flavored by the Seven of Cups reversed.  The Ace of Swords (Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution authority, cunning, Aquarius and Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, soul growth, artistic) is about potential within the mental or intellectual realms.  Upright, this card is telling us that my surroundings could be fertile ground that could offer ideas and exciting possibilities.  Since my Ace is reversed, I just might be a bit too distracted to focus on my own Will.  The Seven of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, obsessive, mysterious) represents the distraction and dissipation that can happen when we are presented with enticing choices, but thankfully my Seven of Cups is reversed, especially since the Four of Cups has also shown up today.  Since the reversed Seven of Cups is flavoring my reversed Ace of Swords today, while I may not be too proficient at wielding my Will, I should be at least able to make coherent choices.

My 6-digit date number is 10, the end of a cycle, which reduces further to 1, the number of potential and position. 

My horoscopes: “There are days when you feel wonderful without being able to attribute the feeling to any real event. Of course, your rational mind will search for a reason for the happiness. If you count the number of times when you do things against your will or better judgment, it becomes obvious that logic and reason don't always apply to this world. Don't even try to understand, Sagittarius, just enjoy!”

And: “It may be difficult to get up and get moving today. Perhaps you just want to lie in bed. Don't feel guilty about doing so. Take an afternoon nap and enjoy the tender company of others. Stick close to home and enjoy good music and a fine meal tonight with someone you love. Don't rock the boat. Simply relax and enjoy all the pleasures life has to offer, guilt-free!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Queen of Pentacles.  This is such a comfy-cozy card!  It encourages me to be as nurturing as I possibly can be today, both to myself and to the world around me.  Offering love and comfort and consideration to everyone I meet today with a conscious intention to do so will end up attracting those very things to me.  I should also look out for the best interests of those around me, being careful to not impose my own beliefs into those protective efforts.  These are the best kinds of intentions, and they often end up being more fertile than we expect they can be.

My Pearls of Wisdom New Moon card is Judgement reversed.  Hmmm . . . Judgement corresponds with Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic change), Pluto (power, metamorphosis, cycles of dying and becoming), Shin (fang), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Hod (provides analysis and communication) and the Pearls of Wisdom Judgement card also reminds us to be careful how we impose Judgement, because it is sometimes difficult to determine what is good and what is bad.  My Judgement card is reversed, and I think it could be telling me that today is not a good day to judge, even though I feel it is.  Even my Touchstones Daily Meditations mentions Judgement today: “To be welcoming means to accept others as they are, without passing judgment on their worth.”  No passing of judgment for me!

Another hot steamy day, but I think the current heat wave has broken.  I will be attending a New Moon Esbat this evening, and then meeting with my much-loved Pagan Brain Trust, for a Skype Reiki Share. 

I have guests coming for the weekend, friends from Colorado arriving to spend some time at Cape May. 

And today I signed an Author Contract with Luna Station Press, the publisher of my upcoming book.  As soon as I have a release date, I will provide a link.

New Moon Blessings!

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