Thursday, April 30, 2015

4/30/15 Ten of Wands and Daughter of Swords

The last day of April, already!  Today I am working with the Wild Unknown Tarot.  The cards I threw are the Ten of Wands and the Daughter of Swords. 

The Ten of Wands (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) tells of being taxed to some perceived limit, or of feeling as if we are out of gas at the bottom of a hill that must be climbed.  This card can also tell of a passion or idea that has taken a life of its own and then gotten out of control or taken over everything else.  Sometimes success can be oppressive; if we get lucky and we are not prepared to take on what we’ve been given, the burden can seem crushing. 

The Wild Unknown Ten of Wands is a dark card, the darkness is caused by the many Wands, acting like dark brambles, blocking the light that is in the background of the card.  Just the anticipation of attempting to push through those brambles to the light beyond them, or even to cut them away in order to allow the light in, is overwhelming.  Granted, the end result could be beneficial, but from this vantage point, all I can see is an almost impenetrable blockage, the overcoming of which just might take more effort than I have available to me.

The Page of Swords (Capricorn, “I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious, cunning, Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, society, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality) encourages us to use our mind and intellect to analyze our situations as well as our emotions and feelings.  This Page may be a bit on the stern side, but she is alert and looking in all directions, she is clever, she is knowledgeable, and she is aiming high. 

The Wild Unknown Pages are known as the Daughters.  The image on the Daughter of Swords is of a young owl perched on a Sword, with a dark night sky behind the owl sprinkled with multi-colored stars.  The owl is alert and watchful, but does not seem frightened or agitated.  To me, she is seeing things clearly with eyes that have not been prejudiced by past experiences.  This ability to see things as they are right now, without imposing expectations or intentions, can offer powerful insight!

The message of these two cards is clear: today things may seem to be such an effort!  I may feel as if I am constantly needing to expend energy in order to get things done.  From my vantage point, every task may seem insurmountable, but if I examine the situation with a cool head and attempt to look beyond the formidable first step, the overcoming of initial inertia, without expectations and without examining the entire process, I will be able to make things happen.

Sometimes examining the entire process is overwhelming; in these instances, we are better off just looking at one step, one step only.  We don’t look to the next step until the current one is complete.  That should be my plan for today!

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

4/26/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday!!

58, Grail Hollows: The Spear (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 Spear is about challenges and sacrifice, karma and focus, severe consequences and the concept of “piercing.”  The Spear can be seen like a scalpel which in the hands of a skilled surgeon can cut out disease (even if leaving a scar).  Redundancy is destroyed by The Spear in order to clear the land so new growth can begin.

32, Weather: Snow (North).  North is the direction of Earth, and thus of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply, being well-grounded, and being in touch with our physical body.  Snow has a magickal effect on the landscape and our surroundings; when snow falls, it covers everything and hides details as well as mutes sounds.  The mantle of white is made of countless tiny, unique crystals, and like a blanket, the covering of snow insulates and protects.

5, Landscape: Mountains (East). East is the direction of the rising sun, and thus of new beginnings and fresh ideas, as well as knowledge, intellectual ideas and thoughts.  Mountains tells us that our goals are in sight, but there will still need to be strength, skill and perseverance before accessing that goal.  Mountains also allow us to rise up above the chaos, confusion and noise of our mundane world in order to experience peace and solitude.  This card tells me that I’ve got a good strong foundation in place, and now it is time to look forward and up.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  The Mountains appear to be surrounding The Spear, and everything is covered in Snow!  This mandala has a hugely powerful message to me: time to clear or cut away what is not serving me.  This “surgery” will take some effort and focus and perseverance, but if I shut out all the confusion around me, I can make this happen.  I have a feeling the instructions will come to me during meditation, but I do need to remember that it’s hard to sit in meditation if the physical body is not comfortable.  All of these cards tell of effort and the application of hard-earned skills; there is one common thread as well: these efforts can only be done by me, so they must be accomplished in a solitary fashion.

Hmmmm . . . that is my current focus in my Third Degree training, as I am walking the Pathway of the Solitary.  Looks like this Pathway just might be life-changing, if I can hang in there and focus to the end.

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Thursday, April 23, 2015

4/22/15 the Ten of Cups and The Empress reversed

Today I chose to go back to my Llewellyn Welsh Tarot, and I threw the Ten of Cups and The Empress reversed. 

The Ten of Cups (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, spirituality, suffering and growth) in an upright position offers the manifestation of happiness, simple joys, and fulfillment. The number Ten is about the completion of a cycle or manifestation, and the suit of Cups is about emotions, feelings and the inner self, so this card offers the bounty that comes with the successful experiencing of all the lessons of the Cups cards.

The Llewellyn Welsh Ten of Cups is a lovely card.  Children play along a stream near a small bridge, surrounded by green grass and protective mountains, with a house in the background, an embracing couple in the foreground, and a rainbow arching over all.  Everyone in this image is blessed with love and happiness, obtained without money or fine clothes or a fancy home.  All those outer embellishments aren’t necessary for happiness!  All you need is love!

The Empress (my significator card, 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 (along with The High Priestess), the half that 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, who is the mother of form, tells of creative intelligence; she reveals the concepts guarded by The High Priestess, and she encourages me to immerse myself in the manifestations of the physical world. 

The Llewellyn Welsh Empress sits on a throne, clothed in green and blue and white, embroidered with red flowers.  In her lap she holds a scepter (symbol of royalty) and an orb (symbol of feminine energies or traits); a shield embossed with two swans shaped in a heart (symbol of love) rests at her feet.  This is a fertile card, filled with verdant growth and living creatures, and a queen who is kind and capable.   Because my Empress is reversed, there may be a bit of turmoil in my day that will shake my serenity. 

That Ten of Cups makes perfect sense to me, because I am preparing to spend a weekend with close friends, celebrating a wedding!  We will all be gathering in the name of love, and the fancy dresses and fine foods are not what will bring us happiness; it is being amidst friends and loved ones that will make us all feel blessed.  I need to remind myself that the extravagances and decorations, no matter how beautiful, are not the important thing, and I need to remember that this weekend is not about me and my pleasures, it is about my guests and the family of the bride and groom. 

As a side note, The Empress has been appearing reversed quite often lately.  I wonder if I am being told that it is finally time to release The Empress as my significator card.  She has been my “representative” for a decade now.  Just for the heck of it, I picked up my Llewellyn Welsh deck again, thinking about which Major Arcana card might be my significator.  I began to shuffle after asking for guidance, thinking that I would just keep turning cards over until I came to a Major Arcana card, and I’ll be damned!  There, in the middle of the deck, was one card turned upright.  Ask a question, and you will get an answer!!  My new significator: The Hierophant!!

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4/20/15: The Lovers and the Eight of Wands reversed

I went back to my Haindl Tarot today, and threw The Lovers and the Eight of Wands reversed.  Hmmm . . . again with the Eight of Wands reversed. 

The Lovers (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts, quick and animated, intellectual, problems or challenges; Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, sociable, dual; Zayin, double-edged sword; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Binah, female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) tells of duality, union, and personal choices.  This card is about love, but it is also about our personal values and how they affect our choices, and the promises we make to others.  The traditional image on The Lovers offers three people: a man, and two women (one representing virtue and one representing sensuality).  The Lovers presents the two halves that when united with balance are greater than the sum of their parts; in other words, The Lovers is about a unity that is necessary for fertility and creativity to have an effect.

The Haindl Lovers card is chock full of symbolism: a red rose (love) superimposed with the Star of David (as above, so below and the four elements), with each point of the star adorned with a leaf (element of Earth, fertility, Nature); a spear (Wands, element of Fire) pointed down (ownership), and a unicorn (purity, innocence and enchantment).  There is a tree on either side of the couple, reminding us of the Garden of Eden and the Trees of Life and Knowledge found there.  The most important symbol in my opinion is the fact that the two Lovers hold each other’s hands behind a golden Cup, telling us that while we have many important personal choices in our lives, choices that can affect our physical environment as well as our emotional and mental selves, love is in front of it all.

The Eight of Wands (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, skill, communication, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) is a card of action, of quick developments, and of pulling it all together so things can be completed.  The energies of this card are fast and strong and sudden, and while the dust will surely fly, the end result should be balance.  This one is kind of a Minor Arcana version of The Wheel, and its sudden eruption of energies that we can’t control; all we can control is our reaction to the manifestation of those energies.

The Haindl Eight of Wands shows eight arrows tipped with flames, shooting upward out of red fire (or blood!) at the lower left corner of the image and upward toward a blue sky.   The Haindle Eight of Wands presents the concept of many smaller energies moving in unison toward a particular goal or more pure level, an interesting take on this card!

Choices and lover are important today, and neither of them may be easy to manifest.  I do need to remember that my personal choices will have power, and they will attempt to manifest once I make them.  The difficulty lies in that reversed Eight of Wands, which tells me that there may be chaotic effects buffeting those choices as they manifest.  I won’t be able to direct that chaos, or erase it (or increase its power in order to control it), so I should stay alert.

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Monday, April 20, 2015

4/19/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday!

15, Landscape: Desert (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.   Desert represents an extreme environment that upon initial examination seems to preclude life; actually this Landscape just challenges life, severely, but if we see that challenge as a chance to test our endurance and our ability to adapt to difficult situations, we will prosper.

67, Empathy (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. Empathy is about receptivity, sensitivity, and shared emotions or experiences.  This is not a detached understanding of another, but rather it is about being able to communicate without words, without conscious understanding, as if we ourselves are experiencing the feelings of another being.

35, Landscape: Forest (North). North is the direction of Earth, and thus of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply, being well-grounded, and being in touch with our physical body.  Forest is about the results over the long term, results which happen because of fertility and nurturing and patience; Forest represents the manifestation of age and wisdom and patience, connections (and results) that are not openly apparent but rather, like roots under the ground, are all around us.  Different energies can work together; a Forest is proof of that.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  This one has no outward motion at all, and that makes perfect sense, when you consider that the middle card is Empathy.  I am being told that this week there will be important messages all around me.  They will appear in the more obvious manifestations of Nature, those that are bursting with new life as Spring slowly morphs toward Summer.  But there will be messages to be had within the less fecund surroundings as well, equally as important yet less obvious unless I take a second look.  I am also being told that there are benefits to be had from successfully dealing with a challenging environment, whether that challenge is the peak of Sun (and the lack of Water) or the peak of Earth (so overgrown that there is no Air). 

I am having a hugely busy weekend, preparing for company next weekend.  My body is sore, but I am accomplishing most of what I need to get done.  Monday will be a busy day, too, because it is submission day for my column in PaganPages.  Hopefully when I go to bed tomorrow nigh, I will be caught up!  **crosses fingers**

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4/17/15 Four of Cups reversed and Eight of Wands reversed

Today, the Legacy of the Divine Tarot; my cards are the Four of Cups reversed and the Eight of Wands reversed.  Hmmm . . .  **scratches head**  opposing messages, anyone?

The Four of Cups (the Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, nurturing, tenacious, moody) reminds us that too much pleasure, or maybe too much nurturing or overprotectiveness, deadens the senses. This is a card that describes what can happen when nothing goes wrong in our lives, and the “cloud” that pleasure can create might end up distracting me from the things I need to accomplish.

The Legacy Four of Cups shows a man sitting under a tree, with three beautiful cups around him; he does not see those cups because he is gazing off into the distance, daydreaming about the cup he does not have.  Dreams and fantasies can be wonderful!  They can help us to visualize our goals, and thus work harder to attain them.  But focusing only on what we are aiming for in the future just might cause us to miss out on enjoying what we have right now.

The Eight of Wands (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, skill, communication, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) is a card of action, of quick developments, and of pulling it all together so things can be completed.  The energies of this card are fast and strong and sudden, and while the dust will surely fly, the end result should be balance.  This one is kind of a Minor Arcana version of The Wheel, and its sudden eruption of energies that we can’t control; all we can control is our reaction to the manifestation of those energies. 

The Legacy Eight of Wands shows eight crystal-tipped wands, all facing upward, seemingly launched into space.  Behind the wands and the clouds through which they fly is an image of Sagittarius, shooting his arrow.  There is lots and lots of motion in this card, and no one controlling that motion.  The sky is the limit, and the energies are free to manifest. 

Okay, maybe not so opposing after all.  I may be thinking about the future, but that anticipation of success and pleasure won’t derail me today.  I do need to be careful, though, about bursts of energy or enthusiasm, or the lack thereof.  If I don’t attempt to control things at least a bit, I may regret any impulses, or any decisions to wait until tomorrow.  Again, balance is the key, but isn’t it always the key?

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4/16/15 The World and the Nine of Pentacles reversed

The Shadowscapes Tarot called me today, and the cards I threw are The World (wheee!) and the Nine of Pentacles 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. “Completion” is one traditional interpretation of this card, but “completion” is too simple a word to apply without qualificaiton.  Like the Seven of Pentacles, this card tells of a slowing down of movement and effect; this time the slow-down is happening because the manifestation is complete.  This can be good, yes, but it can also represent a bit of opposition or obstinacy.  The completeness of manifestation in this instance is set in stone; while it may also be the catalyst that begins the new cycle, the current cycle cannot be changed.

The Shadowscapes World card shows a woman surrounded by verdant and lush green foliage all capped with a beautiful starry night sky lit by a full, glowing moon, gazing into a large crystal ball that appears to be a smaller version of that moon, also glowing.  The glow of the two orbs seems to be connected, as if the energies of the moon and the orb were passing back and forth.  Beautiful red-breasted birds accompany the woman, and the man in the moon appears to be a bird in the moon.  This card is about patterns reflected, about “as above, so below; as below, so above,” and about the “now” and all its accomplishments, rather than the past or the future. 

The Nine of Pentacles (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.  The Nine of Pentacles sometimes reminds me of The Empress, and in a lot of ways this card in an upright position can be seen as a Minor Arcana version of The Empress. 

I love the image on this Shadowscapes card!  A woman sits in front of a piano that appears to be a part of a tree, playing for her own pleasure.  The trees are green, and the branches appear to be leaning over and spiraling toward the piano and its player.  Music and the playing of a musical instrument is a great metaphor for the energies of this card; after all, playing the piano takes discipline, but once we’ve got the hang of it we can enjoy what we’ve accomplished. 

There is a clear message here: enjoy my accomplishments (because they are substantial, and they are effectively bringing balance into my life), but beware of seeing these accomplishments through rose-colored glasses.  After all, balance is temporary and once I enjoy it for a bit, I need to begin building something new or that nice balance will begin to morph into lethargy!

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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

4/15/15 Five of Cups and The Hermit reversed

The Hermetic Tarot is what called to me today.  The cards I threw are the Five of Cups and The Hermit reversed. 

The Five of Cups (Mars, action, aggression, drive, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, mysterious, obsessive) tells of an emotional setback or disappointment, or perhaps the belief that a wrong choice has been made; this card also warns us that we are focusing too much on difficult emotions. Feelings and emotions can be powerful tools, and what I feel can end up manifesting into the physical world.  “Suffering over one’s suffering” is a way to describe the effects of this card, and perhaps it will be the emotional pains that seem to captivate me today.  Emotional pain is not all bad, though; after all, an inheritance brings unexpected bounty through the death of someone we love. 

The Hermetic Tarot Five of Cups shows plant growth, yet no flowers.  The five Cups in this image are empty, and the plant stems look a bit leggy to me, as if they had water but no sunlight.  In the Hermetic Tarot, the Five of Cups represents partial loss, and the death of pleasure (indeed the card is named “Lord of Loss of Pleasure”).  The key here is that while we are losing something, we can go on and perhaps have a happy ending.  The reversed pentagram in the middle of this image hints at what needs to be corrected: we are focusing too much on strong feelings and physical pleasures, without allowing the mind and the feelings and the Higher Self to have a voice. 

The Hermit corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and material, practical and stable energy that is slow to change), as well as Virgo (“I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented, orderly), Yod (open hand, touch), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Chesed (the place where forms and structure are stabilized and nurtured), and is about searching within for a deeper meaning, often through solitude bordering on discomfort.  The Hermit avoids the society of men in order to hear his own inner voice.  The image on this card often contains a serpent, and our Hermit is able to hypnotize that serpent so that selfish desires do not dictate his choices. 

The Hermit is wrapped in a cloak and hood, his face in shadow and the only light the lamp above his head.  The image on this card positively shouts “inner focus” and “hidden knowledge understood through solitary pursuit” to me.  The knowledge being protected by The Hermit is similar to the knowledge being guarded by The High Priestess and being practiced and taught to other s by The Hierophant (another card that has appeared in my spreads lately), however The Hermit is still trying to understand and absorb what The High Priestess and The Hierophant already know.  Only by shutting out distractions and by focusing inward can this Hermit accomplish his task.

It looks like I had best take my own feelings with a grain of salt today.  If something happens that causes me emotional discomfort, I should probably attempt to find some silver lining within the dark cloud.  Since my Hermit is reversed, I need to make sure that I don’t shut myself off from my surroundings, even (and maybe especially) not isolating myself from the possible instigators of those emotional discomforts.  I may want to focus on the bad stuff, sticking my mental finger into the wound again and again, but that will only end up causing an infection.  Not a good idea.

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Monday, April 13, 2015

4/13/15 The Chariot, The Hierophant reversed

Back to my Llewellyn Welsh Tarot.  My cards have been a bit funky, lots of reversed cards, so I’m hoping the soothing and dreamy images on this deck will change the energies a bit.  The cards I threw are The Chariot and The Hierophant reversed. 

The Chariot, which corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, and sensitive, emotional and imaginative energy that likes to stay the same or follow the same course), Cancer (“I feel,” sensitive, tenacious, nurturing, moody), Cheth (the fence), and the Path between Geburah (the place where forms and structure are challenged or affirmed) and Binah (female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure), tells of having the control necessary to focus on goals, and to avoid distractions.  My Chariot brings a sense of motion to the day, and motion (and the control of that motion) is his forte.  Comparing him to say, The Emperor, would be a learning experience here. I am also being warned; while I have control over the vehicle and the motor, I am to some extent insulated.  If I look away for a moment, everything might tumble, and focusing on the goal, way off in the distance, could end up creating problems.

The Chariot for this deck really typifies the energies of this card. A regal warrior with golden hair and a golden breastplate rides in a chariot pulled by horses made out of an ocean wave.  I am very well acquainted with ocean waves, both the gentle lappings against the toes and the wall of water that crashes down on you and tosses you back on the shore.  Waves can’t be stopped; they will overcome anything in their way with a steady pressure. 

The Hierophant corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes), Taurus (“I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn), Vau (the nail which holds tradition in place), and the Path between Chesed (the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured), and Chokmah (dynamic male energy, the origin of vital force and polarity).  This card is an archetype of Spirit (with The Emperor as archetype of the Sacred Masculine, The Empress as archetype of the Sacred Feminine, and all three representing the supernal triad) that reminds us of the value of tradition, ritual and ceremony, and conforming to the rules and traditions with the aim of presenting the highest good of the group.  There is duty to be found in this card, as well as morality, and a suggestion that tradition should not be accepted blindly, for there is a level of attainment to be had from within a spiritual practice.  I love the meaning of the Hebrew letter Vau in connection with this card.  The practice of spiritual traditions itself is indeed one of the nails that hold that tradition in place, and it is this holding in place that is not important today.  Yeah, kind of validates my Chariot.

The Llewellyn Welsh Hierophant is Taleisin, the powerful bard of myth, and the card represents authority and orthodox behavior.  The Llewellyn Welsh Hierophant is an advocate of tradition and instruction, initiation and spiritual systems or culture.  Reversed, he is warning me of fanaticism and of the danger of conforming for the wrong reasons. 

Both of these cards can be seen to represent competent leadership of a sort, The Chariot offering courage and speed and The Hierophant offering tradition, ritual and ceremony.  Because my Hierophant is reversed, the energies of the day will be flowing just like those waves, rather than being held in place.  Sounds like I am being told by these two Majors that I have the skill to manifest through either of these two cards, but circumstances are suggesting The Chariot rather than The Hierophant.  Flowing Water rather than stable and solid Earth.

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4/12/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday! 

68, Vision (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.  Vision is one of the most powerful of our senses, but also the most easy to fool, probably because we depend so much on our eyesight in order to perceive and interpret our world.  Vision is generally about a concern for appearances, but it can also be about “seeing within.”  And within Wicca, visualization is considered one of the first steps to actual manifestation!

49, Saturn (Above). The direction of Above takes us up and out of the four traditional elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, and reminds us that we are but a small part of the Cosmos.  Above also reminds us that while the Machinery of the Universe is huge, it does have an effect on each of us, and each of us is an important part of the workings of that Machinery.  The planet Saturn is about structure and boundaries, and about constricting energies within a particular format, often involving time.

9, Guide: Wren (East). ). East is the direction of the rising sun, and thus of new beginnings and fresh ideas, as well as knowledge, intellectual ideas and thoughts.   Wren is pretty amazing; she is a combination of ambition (sometimes ambition that seems on the surface to be out of reach) and cunning (which enables Wren to surprise us as she attains the unattainable), which allows her to think out of the box with amazing results.  Wren tells us that bigger is not necessarily better, and often it is the seemingly insignificant contribution of the most invisible of players that allows us to win the game.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  It appears as if the Visions have startled the Wrens and made them fly, but Saturn is preventing them from escaping.  There sure seems to be a parallel message being offered by Vision and Wren: pay attention to appearances, whether outer or inner.  Saturn reminds me that restricting is necessary for things to take shape, and also that even the tiniest energies can affect the big picture.  Looks like this week will be one of attempting to perceive and understand even the most obvious and basic ideas and concepts, so I can make use of them in new ways.

I spent the day finally beginning the Spring clean-up in my beloved garden.  It felt so good to get out there (even though not much is sprouting yet; Winter has just barely let go of us).  Now, I am watching two pairs of cardinals chase each other out of the yard.  Last year we had two different nests at the back of our yard, too close for comfort I guess.  They are back, and still attempting to establish “squatters’ rights” in the cypress trees at the back of our yard.

I opened some windows and began to air things out; more gardening next weekend!!

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Thursday, April 9, 2015

4/9/15 Two of Pentacles reversed and The Hanging Man reversed.

It has been a busy week, somewhat stressful but all good.  I have a big decision on my mind today as I throw my cards, and I’m wondering if even though I try to keep these card throws general in nature, there might be a specific message for me today.  I’ve decided to use the Wild Unknown Tarot for this one.   I shuffled with baited breath, and threw the Two of Pentacles reversed and The Hanging Man reversed. 

The Two of Pentacles (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution, cunning) reminds us that everything always ebbs and flows, and we need to do the same in order to remain dynamically balanced.  Change is what allows stability to be functional, and I should keep that in mind.  I should also remember that surviving this kind of dynamic balance can only happen if I am aware on many levels.

The Wild Unknown Tarot LWB keywords for this card are “balance and change”; the image is a black and white butterfly with a pentagram on each wing, with a multicolored (one color for each physical world element) symbol of eternity circling each of those pentagrams.  The butterfly often symbolizes complete metamorphosis; after all it goes from egg (which could symbolize potential) to caterpillar (which could symbolize the decision to do something with that potential) to chrysalis (which could symbolize the manifesting or development of that decision into reality), and then finally to an exquisite butterfly (the end result).  This process follows a “ritual” of sorts, and it takes time to complete.  The end result, the butterfly, looks nothing like the other stages in this process.  Perhaps the balance being represented in this card is achieved by accepting both change and the status-quo (or the end result with the initial intentions).  Or, since the butterfly also represents the element of Air and the workings of the intellect, perhaps the balance is connected to the physical world and the etheric realms of feelings and thoughts and beliefs.  They are also difficult to balance!

The Hanging Man corresponds with Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts, and emotional, sensitive and imaginative energy that tends to move deep, and attempts to take the same path as in the past), Neptune (inspiration, spirituality, magick, enchantment, dreams, altered states), and the Hebrew letter Mem (water, stability and balance, the reflective quality of thought), and presents the kind of balance that comes to us through surrender, and through deliberately attempting to see things in a different way.  This card tells of destiny, as well as sacrifice and loss, and passive or mystical initiation.  All of these do not have an accidental feel about them at all. Crowley warns us that the suspension brought by this card can either hint that we are waiting for someone else to take charge, or that we are sacrificing for the benefit of others.  Either of those interpretations can either be appropriate or harmful, depending on the situation.

The Wild Unknown Tarot Hanged Man brings an amusing concept to this strange card.  The image on this Major Arcana card is fitting: a bat hanging upside down, wrapped cozily in his wings, with red, glowing eyes.  This bat appears at first glance to be totally surrendering to his upside-down pose, but actually he is quite alert, looking around and perceiving all.  Perceiving all from a unique perspective, and maybe seeing things that we aren’t seeing from our right-side-up view of the world.  The bat is not forced to assume this hanging position; he actually chooses to see the world this way, and is able to benefit from his choice.  And when he is ready to move on, all he has to do is let go, and he is immediately, effortlessly, able to soar.

Since both of these cards are reversed, these energies are not having an effect on my day, or they are being prevented from having an effect on my day.  I am not proficient at balancing inner and outer effects.  And I am not comfortable with the idea of seeing things in an unusual way, particularly if doing so would make me appear strange or creepy.  That bat in an upright position really does seem to be looking right through my soul, and its gaze is disconcerting. Is he warning me that not being adaptable is creating some danger? Is he warning me that sticking with the path of least resistance is a recipe for disaster?  Clarification?  I threw another card, and got another reversed card, The Devil reversed.  Um, is that supposed to be clarification?  Let’s see.

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 Devil is often the scapegoat blamed for any excesses of the physical world.  After all, enjoyment of the physical world is somehow seen by many as a denial of or estrangement from God.  I will need to be real careful today about manifesting my ambitions.  Dominating others for my own pleasure and purposes is not a good thing.  Better I work on the balance of The Aeon, for the presence of The Devil tells me that letting go might not be easy. 

The Wild Unknown Devil has the image of a horned goat with a pentagram embossed on his forehead, standing with a black background and his four hooves glowing with orange and yellow light, as if the goat was walking through flames.  The keywords for this card are negativity, materialism and addiction, but they are difficult to see in the image on the card.  Is this goat a representation of the worship or elevation of those things not meant to be worshipped?  Or does the goat on this card remind us all that while we are spiritual beings, we are also animals, complete with urges and needs and pleasures of the body?  

My Devil, like my other cards today, is reversed.  Perhaps I am being told that physical world effects are not bondage, but are necessary to be considered.  The  randomness and wild disorder of the physical world could stress me out today, but since I have two Major Arcana cards in play within my reading, I had better pay attention.  In the end, nothing will move quickly and maybe tomorrow’s reading will shed some light on things.  So much for clarification.

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4/6/15: Prince/Knight of Cups reversed and Ten of Cups reversed

Back to the Thoth Tarot!  The cards I threw today are the Prince of Cups reversed and the Ten of Cups (“Satiety”) reversed. 

The Prince/Knight of Cups (cusp of Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, suffering, soul growth) is about feeling things strongly and without restraint or grounding.  This Prince appears calm to others, but inwardly he feels things strongly. This makes sense when you consider that within the Thoth Tarot, he represents Air of Water.  The message here is that whether upright or reversed, my Prince indicates that I tend to respond deeply to life’s events, and that intensity will have an effect on my day.

The Thoth Prince of Cups is not a comfortable card.  You would think that all those blues and greens would be serene, but actually the image of this Prince bursts out towards us.  This Prince is riding on a vehicle powered by what looks like a huge eagle, for Pete’s sake.  How serene could that possibly be?!  I love the way DuQuette characterizes this image: worthy of a comic book cover. 

The Ten of Cups (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Pisces, “I believe,” feeling, duality, spirituality, suffering and growth) in an upright position offers the manifestation of happiness, simple joys, and fulfillment. The number Ten is about the completion of a cycle or manifestation, and the suit of Cups is about emotions, feelings and the inner self, so this card offers the bounty that comes with the successful experiencing of all the lessons of the Cups cards.

To Crowley, this is not necessarily a happy card.  He saw this one as “sinister,” and representing a sort of “morbid hunger”; not quite the fluffy joy-joy-joy interpretation offered by many, eh?  Again, DuQuette hits the nail on the head when he says that “[t]he Ten of Cups could have been filled with the realization of the potential of the suit of Cups.  Instead, it is just filled with the concept of fullness.”  So perhaps in a reversed position, this one is not too bad, eh?

Okay, there is a clear message for today: don’t let my emotions take control, because they might be a bit out of balance.  Because my Prince is reversed, I do need to keep in mind that the “cartoon-like” emotions of the day just might be detrimental.  I should not rely on my ability to see the truth in any emotions that present themselves.  Because my Ten of Cups is reversed, there is the potential for the possibility of emotional exhaustion at some point, which could make my emotional tolerance reach the end of it’s rope (and I apologize for the mixed metaphors).  All this emotional bouncing around could set up stress or crankiness.  Take a breath, and step away.  I just read this one on the internet, and it applies here: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.  Time to unplug.

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