The Universe/The Empress reversed.  The Universe/World, which corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and material, stable and practical energy that is slow to change), Saturn (discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance), Thav (mark or sign), and the Path between Malkuth (the physical world of action and physical, outer reality) and Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest into the physical world) is a card of integration and involvement and understanding, a crystallization of the entire issue at hand.   The synergy represented by this card is not passive though; it tells me to move forward and share what I’ve learned and use what I’ve been given.  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), the Hebrew letter Daleth (door or womb) and the Path between Binah (female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) and Chokmah on the Tree of Life (dynamic male energy and the origin of vital force and polarity)) is one half of the Major Arcana representation of the Sacred Feminine.  The Empress is about creativity, fertility of all kinds, a deep connection to Nature and the nurturing of others, and an enjoyment of the senses.  My Empress is reversed, and that could very well be telling me that right now, a free flow of creativity may not be in my best interest.  Refinement, order and discipline might work better, particularly if I am attempting to manifest the energies of The Universe.

My Thoth card is the Ace of Cups reversed. The Ace of Cups (Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, deep, mysterious, obsessive, Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) gives birth to deep emotions, and a connection to my Inner Voice and to those around me.  The Thoth Ace of Cups also represents the purity of Spirit and The Source, and thus it is the seed of love and fulfillment.  My Ace is reversed; the energies of Spirit and The Source are always there, but my ability to connect with them may not be at its best right now.  Distractions?  Perhaps.

My Legacy card is the Page of Wands reversed, flavored by the Four of Swords reversed. The Page of Wands (Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, moody; Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic noble egotistical; and Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) in an upright position tells of the spark that could create a mighty flame, if there is enough kindling and air to feed it.  My Page of Wands is reversed, and thus his curiosity and his enthusiasm for teaching and learning may not be available to me right now.  Perhaps I am being impatient for the results of my efforts to appear NOW, or perhaps I’m having trouble sitting still enough to be able to see that the rewards are here already, just not easily seen.  The reversed Four of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) could very well be validating this interpretation.  Upright, this card can represent a pause or truce or mutual deterrent, or a time of silence and isolation, and while total isolation would not be good, a moment of inner focus in order to ground just might help my awareness.  Get my balance, then reach out to learn new stuff.  I can do that.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of effect or manifestation. 

My horoscopes: “This is likely a day when you want to reflect on your successes. As your professional success continues to skyrocket, your sense of self-confidence follows suit. So do your relationships with family, friends, children, and romantic partners. Your mind is especially sharp, Sagittarius, and your personal innovations should continue to progress. Life is good and likely to stay that way for a while.”

And: “An unexpected phone call from a lover or close friend could bring good news that makes your day. You'll want to pass it on. Other intriguing information could arrive by way of newspapers, TV, or the Internet. By day's end you should be feeling very optimistic and enthusiastic, and your mind is likely to be spinning with new ideas. Take a walk before you go to bed. Otherwise you won't be able to sleep.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Four of Cups.  This card tells of self-absorption and introspection to the point that your perception of reality becomes skewed, and to the point that you lose your ability to be aware of just who and what is around you in the physical world.  This is nice for a moment, but might be a bit dangerous if maintained.

I already posed some information about the number 5 on December 24 of last year; for ease of reading, here is that info: “5 is a prime number (and the only one to end in the digit 5 because all others with a 5 in this position are multiples of 5, and thus not prime), the fifth Fibonacci number.  There are 5 Platonic solids, as noted above; we have 5 digits (as do many lifeforms on our world); there are 5 categories of hurricanes, 5 books in Psalms in the Bible and 5 wounds on Christ’s body at the crucifixion, 5 books in the Torah, there are 5 Pillars of Islam and Muslims pray to Allah 5 times each day, the Sikhs have 5 sacred symbols.  There are 5 elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit/Aether), 5 tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, savory), 5 senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) and there are 5 planets visible with the naked eye.  “Five by Five” in radio communication indicates a perfect signal; we can ask someone to “give me five” and receive a “high five from them”; we can “plead the fifth” (referring to the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution), and invoke the “five second rule” when we drop food.  5 is even the holy number of Discordianism (Sacred Chaos), as represented by the Law of Fives (All things happen in fives, or are divisible by or are multiples of five, or are somehow directly or indirectly appropriate to 5. The Law of Fives is never wrong. Malaclypse the Younger, Principia Discordia, Page 00016).”

In “Constructing the Universe,” Schneider describes the number 5 like this: “Beyond the Monad’s point, the Dyad’s line, the Triad’s surface and the Tetrad’s three-dimensional volume, what remains?  The Pentad represents a new level of cosmic design: the introduction of life itself.”  Within the Platonic solids, the dodecahedron (constructed of 12 sides each having 5 points) is considered the “Quintessence” that infuses the four elements with the life that none of the four elements can create on their own.  The elements are important because they supply the construction materials, but it is the number 5 that brings life to the construct. 

The number 5 has been considered sacred for many years, probably in part because of its appearance in us, and also in part because of its appearance throughout Nature.  The 5-pointed star also appears spontaneously throughout humanity’s existence as an archetypal symbol of excellence and power.  In Nature, “five-ness” is a representation of the essence which brings freshness and fullness and fertility to life.  Flowers and leaves are shaped like stars or pentagrams, and many fruits contain a star either in the core or at the base, starfish and sand dollars have five segments, and as mentioned above, our bodies exhibit the number 5 throughout.

Nature expresses her methods in part through sacred geometry, and the 5-sided figure expresses the ability to procreate that is available to some of our world’s life forms: through the germination of a seed or by regeneration through a part of the originating entity.  This concept of “whole-within-part” is found within plants and the use of cuttings to create new plants, and by the seeds on the head of a dandelion, each of which resembles the entire flower.  The leaves of a tree erupt from the twig in a pattern that is repeated with twigs on a branch, branches on a bough, and boughs on a trunk.  And all of these patterns can be symbolized by the 5-pointed star and the 5-sided pentagram, each of which can be regenerated. 

Not only life, but movement!  Expansion and contraction, the cosmic cycle of breath that pulls and pushes at us all.

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