Five of Wands/Justice. The Five of Wands, which corresponds with Saturn (discipline, responsibility, law and order) in Leo (“I am, passionate, dramatic, egotistical), indicates a struggle caused by annoying cross purposes.  The energies presented here are sometimes about an outer conflict, an “every man for himself” attitude, but sometimes this card represents those strong inner conflicts that occur when we are torn.  Do I want to step ahead?  Or do I want to hang back? Justice is a card of adjustment, and it corresponds with the element of Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and quick, animated energy that usually brings problems or challenges that bring growth), Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Lamed (ox goad; training or teaching), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Geburah (the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed), and I just love that it is appearing with the Five of Wands.  Justice tells of enlightenment, and it asks us to be aware of the systems and principles that keep our Universe balanced because we can take advantage of the ebbs and flows of energies connected to them.  Perhaps I am being reminded that even conflict can bring a benefit, or perhaps it can bring a return to balance by sweeping away what is not needed any more.

My Thoth card is the Knight of Swords reversed. The Knight of Swords (the cusp of Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, dual, intelligent) is brave, insightful, courageous, and logical, rude, domineering, critical and sarcastic.  This Knight in an upright position is about someone who dashes in and imposes his ideas regarding balance and the achieving of positive results.  Logic and analysis might not be the best tools for me today!

My Legacy card is the Ace of Swords reversed, flavored by the King of Swords reversed.  Wow; reversed Swords cards today! 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.  My Ace is reversed, and it is telling me to be very cautious for I could end up with my foot in my mouth today. The King of Swords (cusp of Capricorn, “I build,” ambitious, cautious, cunning, authoritative, and Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause-oriented, aloof) in an upright position represents a good judge of people and situations.  My King is reversed, and flavoring the reversed Ace of his suit, so I really may be inept today as far as being clear sighted, perceiving the meaning of events, and instructing others.  There is the reversed Knight above, too, so I am being told to seriously think twice before saying or doing or deciding anything.

My 6-digit date number is 4, the number of depth and stability.

My horoscopes: “Be careful about being too critical today, Sagittarius. You're likely to turn people away if you aren't careful with how you express yourself. This is a good time to listen and receive as opposed to deliver information. Let things stew in your head for a while before you make any major decisions. You're likelier to find a greater balance in the situation if you slow down and back off a bit.”

And: “The fire within you may be burning brightly, but unfortunately, there is not a great deal of fuel available now to keep it going strong. It may seem as if people are trying to rain on your parade, but in fact, they are just trying to do their duty. Relax and contemplate what is going on around you. This may not be the best day to implement change and new ideas.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Nine of Pentacles.  LOL, still in the Pentacles stage, I guess.  This is a solitary card though, despite the fact that it is about enjoying the fruits of our labors.  This is about being self-sufficient, and about being able to appreciate the way the world works.  Awesome!!

From Touchstones: Daily Meditations for Men, today’s entry: “In stepping across a stream we must leave the side we are on in order to get to the other side.  The repeated challenge in our spiritual life is to leave the secure trappings we know and take comfort in the still unknown new self.  That is the leap of faith.  We take the risk and trust something will be there for us.  We have faith that letting go of our immediate attachments will bring us to a better place, that God will be there for us.”  This is an interesting thought for me today, as my book is going to be released on August 1.  Links will be provided once it is live.  I am thinking a lot about the kind of steps or transformations described in this quote.  In particular, I like the metaphor of stepping across the stream.  Today, my feet are wet.

Let’s begin to talk about Astrology.  First, let’s answer the question “What is Astrology?”  Astrology basically holds that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. Among Indo-European peoples, asrology has been around since the third millennium BCE.  There is Indian and South Asian Astrology, Vedic Astrology, Eastern Asian, Chinese and Hindu Astrology.  There is Mayan Astrology also. 

Through most of its history, astrology was considered acceptable in political and academic aspects; it was considered a scholarly tradition and legitimately connected to astronomy, alchemy, meteorology and medicine. At the end of the 17th century, new scientific ideas in astronomy called the validity of astrology into question, and Astrology lost its academic and theoretical standing.

In the West, Astrology most often consists of a system of horoscopes that claim to predict aspects of an individual's personality or life history based on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary objects at the time of their birth.

A central principle of astrology is integration within the cosmos. The individual, Earth, and its environment are viewed as a single organism, all parts of which are correlated with each other. Cycles of change that are observed in the heavens are seen to reflect (not cause) similar cycles of change observed on earth and within the individual. This relationship is expressed in the Hermetic maxim "as Above, so Below; as Below, so Above", which presents symmetry between the individual as a microcosm and the celestial environment as a macrocosm.  Now that sounds familiar!

We are off to a good start.

$>