11/14/14

The Horned One/Five of Swords reversed. The Horned One/The Devil (Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies that are slow to change), Capricorn (“I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious, cunning), Ayin (the eye, senses), and the Path between Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Tipareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) tells of being caught up in the physical world and the effects of the physical senses, to the point of being bound or addicted to those things. The Llewellyn Welsh Tarot does not see the Devil as a more negative card (hence the name, “The Horned One” rather than “The Devil”).  The traditional keywords for this card are about chains and bondage, but the Llewellyn Welsh card is more about life in its natural state, without the interference of technology and society.  This card is about primal instincts and ancestral memories as well as the pleasure of the senses, and of course, it is about how easy it can be to get carried away by each.  I’ve been really attuned to Nature lately, so this card makes sense.  I just need to stay grounded in reality, too. The Five of Swords (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, pleasure, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloof) shows what happens when we insist that our way is right, or when we impose our needs or wants onto a situation. This card could also be telling of what seems to be overwhelming opposition, or being made to suffer the sins of others, and because it is reversed, these kinds of things should not be an issue today.  As long as I don’t put myself out there as the know-it-all who needs to control things, I should be good.

My Thoth cards are the Knight/King of Disks and the Six of Disks (“Success”). The Knights of the Thoth Tarot are actually the Kings.  The Knight/King of Disks (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the expert on physical world manifestation of all kinds.  He is good at managing physical world resources, but he focuses a lot on the business end of things.  He is good at managing details, but to some he seems just too slow and lethargic.  Success in the physical world is what the Six of Disks refers to, and what a perfect card to appear with the expert at managing resources. The Six of Disks (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Taurus, “I have,” Sensual, cautious, stubborn) brings an awareness of resources to the situation, both those that I have and those that I don’t have, in both the upright and reversed position. I am being told today that being aware of what I do have is the best way to perceive what I don’t have.  This card shows us what happens when we don’t let the apparent failure of the Five of Disks hold us back. Crowley sees the Six of Disks as a card of balance, and while that balance is fertile, it is also temporary. 

My Legacy card is The High Priestess, flavored by The Devil reversed. Bookends again!  The High Priestess (Water; the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination; Gimel, the camel who safely crosses Da’ath, the Abyss, and thus, has the secret of life; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Kether, the source, limitless possibility), is one-half of the Major Arcana representation of the Sacred Feminine, with The Empress being the other half. The High Priestess is the source of the power of The Magician (who is also in my spread today), the feminine version of The Hierophant, and the Keeper of the Mysteries.  She is the Gatekeeper who determines whether I am ready to experience the Mysteries, and she is somewhat removed from everyday life although her mind is receptive.  She is not about mental analysis at all; rather she tells me that in order to access the Mysteries she guards, I must know my inner self completely, and accept the messages of my Inner Voice, even if they defy analysis. How cool that the Llewellyn Horned One and The High Priestess appear in the same throw!  Lots of Aha! Moments available here today.  My High Priestess is being flavored by the Devil reversed.  The Legacy Devil is very handsome, and this version tells very adequately about the seductive allure of superficial beauty and attractiveness.  These things can easily blind us to reality, and overcome us with addiction.  Thankfully my Devil is reversed, and flavoring my High Priestess.  Maybe I will be more drawn to the beauty within, today.  I can do that!

More about my Bookends card, The Devil.  As I stated above, many see this one as a negative card.  However, to me this one is about the physical world, and the binds that hold us there.  One huge bind is our physical bodies and their workings, pains and pleasures.  After all, the physical body is the vehicle of the subtle body and the “spirit/self,” and in our physical form it is our body that is our tool of perception of the world.  When we balance this knowledge with our subtle body perceptions, all is well, but when we rely too much on the messages of our physica brains and bodies, there is an imbalance.  Thus it makes sense that this card is about bondage and addictions of all kinds.  What I love is that my two Devils today are alternative versions of the traditional card, one representing the experiences of the Natural world without the influence of technology, and the other telling of beauty and attractiveness, and how empty they can be without some kind of substance to back them up.

My 6-digit date number is 3, the number that tells of a new creation out of the potential and position of the Ace, and the balance, polarity, and energy of “distance between” of the 2.

My horoscopes: “Rise above it all. You like to keep your thoughts focused on higher truths, Sagittarius, and you'll be able to do just that today, as the Moon and your philosophical ruler Jupiter team up in your ninth house of wisdom. You have no time for petty dramas now; instead, connect your daily actions to a higher meaning or purpose. For example, don't just eat your food, but really meditate on the taste and texture, allowing this normal action to force you to be present”

And: “If you are having trouble tackling a giant problem at this time, don't get discouraged or overwhelmed. They key for you is to break things down into smaller chunks, analyze them, and figure out their role within the greater whole. You will find that by taking things one step at a time, any problem you encounter will be infinitely easier to overcome than you may have first thought.”

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