Ten of Pentacles/Nine of Swords. The Ten of Pentacles (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) represents physical world wealth and bounty, and the attempt to maintain the status quo.  Today, this message contains a warning.  Feeling good about our physical world bounties is nice, but attempting to maintain the status quo can be damaging if we are unrealistic about exactly what could be considered success in this regard.  Success is meant to be enjoyed, but we also need to start the cycle again, by making something new out of the bounties of our success. The Nine of Swords (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, social, dual) represents brooding and worrying, usually self-caused, and usually unproductive.  This card makes perfect sense to me, especially combined with the Ten of Pentacles.  Things are good for me, and I am a bit worried that what I anticipate for the near future will be prevented from manifesting.  A bit of worry keeps us alert and careful, but I need to be sure I don’t get trapped in the visualizations of possible failure.  That is a waste of energy and of my visualizing ability; better I should picture the manifestation of my goals than any bumps in the road that haven’t happened yet. 

My Thoth card is the Seven of Swords.  “Futility” is Crowley’s keyword for this one.  The Seven of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloofness) 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.  When taken to extremes, this can be unethical, but if we use these energies to examine what we are working so hard to maintain for ourselves, we might be able to figure out if it is worth all this effort and struggle.

My Legacy card is the Five of Wands reversed, flavored by the Ace of Coins. The Five of Wands, which corresponds with Saturn (discipline, responsibility, law and order) in Leo (“I am, passionate, dramatic, egotistical) in an upright position indicates a struggle caused by annoying cross purposes.  I’ve heard this card described as product testing, and perhaps today these tests will end up bringing some unexpected harmony. The Ace of Coins (Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, dual, social) tells of the presence of potential that is connected in some way to the physical world.  Since my Ace is flavoring my reversed Five of Wands, that surprisingly effective combination of passion and discipline might be best manifested in my physical world.

My Pearls of Wisdom Full Moon card is the Four of Swords reversed. The Four of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) can represent a pause or truce, a time of silence and isolation, and a time of being cut off from the world yet still alert. The Pearls of Wisdom Four of Swords brings this message, but it also tells me that perhaps inner resources are best to tap into.  My Four of Swords is reversed, though, and I am being warned that if I dwell too much on those inner resources, I might lose touch with the outer world.  Might be time to get up and move around, and to challenge my mind a bit.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number that brings movement to the stability and depth of the number 4, in order to dispel stagnation. 

My horoscopes: “You're generally focused on the material world, Sagittarius, but something about the energy generated by today's planetary alignments causes you to look within. You might think about the joys and pains of past family gatherings and wonder how they affect your life now. This is a positive, healing process, so don't fight it. It won't interfere with what's going on around you.”

And: “Don't hesitate to dive into whatever project or situation suits your fancy today, for surely your luck will pull you through to make you victorious in whatever game you chose to engage in. Happiness is almost inevitable today so don't be afraid to share your incredible enthusiasm with the people around you. Your confidence in whatever it is that you undertake is incredibly inspiring. Others are lucky to be a part of your team.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Seven of Pentacles.  Perfect card for today!  I am in a “garden” of my own making, and this card tells me to stop and look around, to be aware of the pulsing life of the fruit, healthy and vibrant on well-tended trees.  By connecting with that fruit, by absorbing its essence as it is connected to the tree, I will learn to decide just when is the perfect moment for harvest.  I must choose carefully, for once the fruit is plucked, there is no going back. 

I biked to Sunset Beach this morning, and walked for a bit in the wind, along the Bay.  The waters were slate gray and covered with whitecaps, and the sky was a less intense gray, covered with fast-moving wisps of clouds.  What an invigorating walk!  After a bit, I got back on Violet (my bike), and headed to the Breadstand.  Yummy loaves!  Rosemary and thyme, and multigrain with sunflower seeds, warm and fresh.  Then, I headed over to Balance to take a wonderful Yoga class from Helen.  Great way to start a Saturday!

It always amazes me that on those days when I am experiencing some worry or attempting to understand some challenge as I am shuffling my cards for my daily throw, the cards offered always bring some clarity.  I end up ding a reading focused on that worry or challenge, even though my intention is to throw general cards for the day.  But after all, a worry or challenge is a general part of the day, at least it is for me, because I am a brooder. 

The nice thing for me today, the thing that was a true learning experience for me, is that I opened myself to someone questioning the validity of my intentions regarding a specific future event, and accepted their questions as an opportunity to be certain that what I planned is exactly right for me, rather than seeing those questions as an attack on me personally, or on my ability to choose a future for myself.  I am taking this conversation with a trusted friend as a reminder that we always need to verify that we are on the right Path.  At every step of the way.  And deciding (with good reason) to change a Path, or to go back and start that Path over in a different way, or maybe even to go back and choose another Path, is not a failure.

My choice, at least for today, is to continue moving forward.  However, I will also be carrying with me gratitude for a friend, and the knowledge that this is my correct Path.

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