Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Seven of Cups/Queen of Wands. 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. The traditional image of the Seven of Cups shows seven cups, each filled with what appears to be a wonderful gift: the Wreath (Saturn and The World); the Castle (Mars and The Tower), the Woman (Venus and The Empress); the Snake (Mercury and The Magician); the Veil (the Moon and The High Priestess), the Jewels (Jupiter and The Wheel of Fortune), and the Dragon (our Sun and The Sun).  All are enticing, but all are dangerous, too.  This card can also represent an emotional addiction to the pleasures of the senses.  The Queen of Wands (cusp of Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality, and Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive) is energetic and enthusiastic, gives 100% of herself, and always has a smile on her face and humor in her heart.  My Queen is telling me that for today, I may be able to overcome the indecision of the Seven of Cups and clear away the stagnation that is the result of too many choices.  The Queen of Wands is a good businesswoman, too, and she is telling me that now is the time to pursue the things that are important to me.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Disks reversed.  “Gain” reversed.  Okay, there is a reason for this. The Nine of Disks (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) in an upright position tells of accomplishment through the imposition of discipline. My reversed Nine of Disks does not represent the possible deception or bad faith that it can normally indicate (at least I hope!); I believe my Nine of Disks is reversed because it is indicating approaching gain.  Not that the gain is assured, not by any means.  But it is approaching!

My Legacy card is The Tower reversed, flavored by the Queen of Swords. The Tower (Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Mars (action, spontaneity, aggression, drive), Phe (mouth or speech), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Netzach (which offers the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration)) tells of a violent or explosive correction in the way things are going.  My card is reversed, thankfully, but all is not completely safe.  I may be successfully adjusting things right now, but if I don’t keep alert, blockages may occur.  And since this is a Fire card, I need to look for imbalances regarding that element in order to impose a more gentle correction.  The Queen of Swords (cusp of Virgo, “I serve,” practical, sensible, work and service oriented, and Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, grace) can be considered a Minor Arcana representation of the Justice card.  Se is flavoring my reversed Tower, and that is a good thing, because she has the ability to be detached from emotions and objectively analytical.  This Queen is also reminding me to be ethical in my pursuit of my goals.  Okay.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number of movement that gets rid of stagnation. 

My horoscopes: “There's a great deal of fun to be had today, Sagittarius. Money isn't always necessary to make this happen, however. In fact, money isn't a great way to keep score. Consider the sacrifices you make each time you strive to earn more cash. There's a dynamic feeling in the air today that's asking you to expand your mind in order to consider other ways to have fun.

And: “You are at a point of emotional climax right now. Things are coming to a critical point in which situations seem to first escalate and then suddenly collapse. Little issues in your relationships that you have failed to deal with openly are coming back to haunt you. It could be that someone is trying to cross you at this time, or maybe it just feels this way. Don't get overly paranoid. The whole world is not out to get you.

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Three of Wands.  This one is significant for two reasons.  First of all, it’s not a Pentacles card.  I have been throwing Pentacles cards frequently with this deck, but not today.  This is such an exciting card to draw on the day before the release of my first book.  The Shadowscapes Three of Wands tells us to take those first steps, to walk along the bridge as it arcs into the sky to where the bridge ends, and then to stand on the edge and gaze forward.  The next step is the most frightening because it is unknown; there is no bridge already in place created by others who have come before us.  Now is the time for us to step forward into the unknown, and to trust that all will be well.  To trust that the bridge will continue under our feet.

Interesting that the Touchstones: Daily Meditations for Men entry supports this.  “Today is before us as an unformed experience.  Yesterday took its own shape, and whatever it was has now gone.  Our only opportunities exist in what we will do today.”  Tomorrow is the release date for my first book, “The Emerald Tablet: My 24 Day Journal of Discovery,” published by Luna Station Press.  I really do feel today as if I am standing at the edge of that bridge.  Very appropriate card.

More about Astrology!  Western Astrology makes use of the Zodiac, which is a band of constellations that appear in our sky. Over the years, Astrologers noted these constellations and attached a particular significance to them because our Sun passes through each of them throughout the solar year; these twelve signs were considered “enlightened” because of that solar influence.  Eventually the system of the twelve signs of the Zodiac was developed.

Most Western Astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac, which begins with the sign of Aries at the Northern hemisphere Vernal Equinox, usually on or around March 21 of each year. The Western Zodiac is drawn based on the Earth's relationship to fixed, designated positions in the sky, and the Earth's seasons.

The Sidereal Zodiac is another option; it is drawn based on the Earth's position in relation to the constellations, and follows their movements in the sky.

Due to a phenomenon called precession of the equinoxes (where the Earth's axis slowly rotates like a spinning top in a 25,700 year cycle), there is a slow shift in the correspondence between Earth's seasons (and calendar) and the constellations of the Zodiac. Thus, the Tropical Zodiac corresponds with the position of the Earth in relation to fixed positions the sky, while the Sidereal Zodiac is drawn based on the position in relation to the constellations.  Whichever Zodiac is used (and I will focus on the Tropical Zodiac), Astrology focuses on the effects created by our Sun, our Moon and the other planets in our Solar System as they move through these constellations. 

Like the Tarot Major Arcana and Minor Arcana Court, in modern Western astrology the signs of the Zodiac are seen to represent twelve basic personality types or modes of expression.   Like the Minor Arcana Pip Cards, The twelve signs are divided into the four elements: Fire, Earth, Air and Water, with Fire and Air signs being considered masculine, and Water and Earth signs considered feminine.

In my next post I will describe the signs themselves, and the concepts of Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed.

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