Transparent Oracle Sunday!

20, Elemental: Salamander (South).  South is the direction of the midday sun and the peak of power and illumination; this direction is associated with passionate drive and creativity.  Salamander is also intense in personality, but this one is about consumption of fuel, and the changes and transformations that happen through consumption of fuel.  The changes presented by Salamander are more transmutation than transformation or metamorphosis.  Salamanders are actually known for putting out fires!  This is because they consume all fuel and then the flames themselves.  They are true experts, and know just how to handle Fire and its tricky nature. 

61, Gateway: The Self (Within). Within is the direction of the Self, and thus the cards associated with this direction deal with the ways our Self connects to the world and perceives the world, and the Self.  This direction is mostly abstract, and yet is our bridge to the Universe around us.  This card is considered a “blank canvas,” in that it has faces and hands like the other Within cards, but there are no traits or textures or shapes or colors infused into the faces and hands.  That is because each of us is unique; this is a great significator card, and I am choosing to accept The Self as offering a message: “These cards offer a unique message to you, but that message must be perceived through your own unique senses and interpreted through your own unique intellect.”  This card tells us that the first and main purpose of life and living is to get to know our individual Self.

59, Grail Hollows: The Stone (Below). The direction of Below is not easily associated with spirituality, yet it is a powerful symbol representing the opportunity to create a strong foundation, and to connect to the tools and powers of the Underworld.  The Stone represents the deepest and most pure manifestation of the element of Earth, and tells us of traditions that have been around for a long time (some of them relatively unchangeable, and that can be either good or bad).  The understanding of those traditions, and within that process, the determination of their validity for us personally, brings us authority.  This understanding also offers us entry into the understanding of the mysteries that are the foundation of spirituality, and of life and living.

I then created my mandala.  Wow, another powerful reading!  Either these cards are really connecting with me and my life, or I’m getting better at interpreting them, because each week I am being given a powerful message!  The fiery tendrils of Salamander emanate from the center of the mandala, through the eyes of Self and outward.  The Stone also covers the eyes of the Self, and we have opposing energies here, each offering a powerful message.  Fire is heat, and it actively moves outward; the Stone is cool, and compresses and strives to be solid and predictable.  In the middle of these extremes is the Self, me, my life essence, and perhaps I am being told that I have the ability to handle both of these extremes, and end up with a positive result.

I spent the weekend with dear friends in Pennsylvania.  We really had a good time, eating good food, drinking a bit too much wine, and talking till the wee hours, each night.  Saturday we went out for a bit, to a local coffee house to listen to some great music, but mostly we talked, catching up on each of our life events, and delving deep into the mysteries of our spiritual Paths. 

My drive home was beautiful; right after I left my friends’ home and got onto the highway, the moon rose above the eastern horizon and since I was heading east, I had the glorious sight of the glowing orb in front of me for the whole trip.  A perfect ending to a great weekend.

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