Friday, December 18, 2015

12/14/15 Queen of Coins and Six of Cups

I took out my Legacy of the Divine Tarot today, and threw the Queen of Coins and the Six of Cups.  Nice!!

The Queen of Coins (cusp of Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering, and Capricorn, “I build,” ambition, caution, cunning, authoritative) is very good at sustaining the physical world, keeping things dry and cozy and safe and orderly.  She has a “greatness of soul” and can easily manifest this greatness around her through her visualizations.  She is comfortable with all physical world sensations and experiences, she understands the philosophies behind building and healing and nurturing, and she is able to find beauty in all experiences.  

The Legacy Queen of Coins represents Water of Earth, and represents a time when emotions support the senses (or counteract them, if the card is reversed).  She has a beautiful glowing disk at her third eye, representing her ability to perceive and visualize the need of others, and her own needs, in order to manifest them.  She nurtures the body, beautifies our surroundings, and offers well-grounded advice regarding family and career.

The Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive) is a card of innocence, emotional balance and harmony, of simple joy that begets even more simple joy by infecting all that is around us at this moment.  This card is about friendship and play, teamwork, and drawing strength from shared experiences. 

The image on the Legacy Six of Cups shows a young girl laying in a green field dotted with yellow flowers, resting her chin in her hands with a smile on her face as she remembers fun times in the sun.  Simple pleasures, fond memories, and a moment of peace created by those simple pleasures and fond memories, allow us to leave our troubles behind. 

These two cards have such a lovely feel to them!!  It makes sense that I am being told to look to my needs right now, as I am coming off of a weekend of holiday celebrations in my home. I did my best to give everyone a good meal, good conversations, and a good time, and I honored my own needs as I cleaned up, all the while remembering the laughter and love that filled the evening.  Perfect visualizations of my day.

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12/13/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday! 

60, Polarity: Red Dragon (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 Red Dragon’s energy begins within, and radiates outward with amazing power.  While the Red Dragon is in a sense about balance, it presents only one extreme for our consideration: inner power that expands outward.  This card is about passions and drive, and even the life essence itself, all of which begin within and then manifest outward.

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.

25, Landscape: Ocean (West). West is the direction of Water, and thus, of feelings and emotions, relationships of all kinds, cleansing and healing, the wisdom associated with natural endings, and the bubbling up of pure joy.  Oceans are huge and magnificent; they are considered the cradle of life.  They can be calm as glass, but beneath that smooth flat surface lurk powerful predators.  They can be rough and deadly, yet if we travel down a short distance, all is quiet and silent.  The Ocean card is about death and life, about destruction and creation; and amidst the chaos, healing and purification.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  The Red Dragon is what I see first, and my Dragon seems to be cradling or supporting the other two cards.  Empathy is an interesting companion to my Red Dragon, for the Red Dragon abides in the direction of Below but presents the concept of radiating or emanating outward, while Empathy has a more receptive focus that brings us inward to the quiet and calm of the Core.  I am being told to connect with and value where I have come from, to connect and value who I am right now, and to understand that my own life is connected to all Life.  That connection itself can bring purification and healing, and a deep and abiding peace, if I open myself to it.

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12/7/15 King of Pentacles and the Eight of Swords

Shadowscapes Tarot today, and I threw the King of Pentacles reversed and the Eight of Swords reversed. 

The King of Pentacles (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the clever expert on managing resources, maintaining energy, and on physical world manifestations of all kinds.  The King is the steward of Nature and the generous and supporting boss when upright, but he is reversed today, which means his traits will manifest in a detrimental manner rather than a helpful one. 

The Shadowscapes King of Pentacles seems to be the trunk of a mighty oak tree, its branches covered with green leaves and many acorns.  He is steady and reliable, and everything he touches bears fruit.  The King holds one of those acorns in his outstretched hand, reminding us that the fertility is there and we need to make something out of our blessings, perhaps by sharing them with others. 

The Eight of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable talkative, dual) tells of a confused and restrictive response to obstacles, or maybe perceived obstacles.  The blockages or restrictions represented by this card exist only within the workings of my mind, though, and just because I feel powerless does not mean I am trapped by the influence of others.

The Shadowscapes Eight of Swords shows a swan tangled in the thorns of a blackberry hedge, struggling to free herself from this trap into which she stumbled while looking for sweet blackberries.  At her feet are the skulls of others who have been trapped here, and she panics for a bit.  But then a tiny hummingbird, small enough to flit through the brambles, reminds the swan that thrashing will only serve to tighten the hold of the thorns.  Instead, the swan needs to calm herself; then she will discover that escape is easy.

I may have physical world resources today and I may have the ability to allocate those resources in a good and effective way, but if I get caught up in that process, I will bog myself down with the details and everything will come to a grinding halt.  Thankfully that Eight of Swords is reversed, and I should be able to take the advice of that hummingbird and relax.  If I don’t allow my mind to spiral into worry about the details, the day just might end on a high note.  Crossing my fingers and taking a deep breath now.

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Sunday, December 6, 2015

12/6/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday!

37, Guide: Raven (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.  Raven is a clever bird, often portrayed as a trickster.  Raven is known for assisting us in the transformation from one realm to another, often manifested in a similar way as my own Totem, Turkey Vulture, by cleaning up dead things. Raven is known as a skilled communicator, able to use intelligence and language (not necessarily verbal language) in order to convey messages from the Gods.

64, Hearing (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.  Hearing is about perceiving without using our ability to visualize, in order to understand; it is about an inward flow of knowledge, wisdom, information or energy.  Hearing can be accomplished with our physical ears, with our other physical senses, and also with our minds and our ability to be aware.  In order to Hear, we must open ourselves to being able to listen, maybe even to listen to things we don’t want to hear.

2, Weather: Wind (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.  Wind brings chaos and unpredictability; a stiff breeze can disrupt order, or it can clear away the cobwebs of stagnation.  What we need to remember is that we can’t control the effects of the Wind, only deal with them.  Sometimes we are rewarded for bravely accepting the effects of Wind, by receiving inspiration.

I then stacked my card and created my mandala.  Initially, it is Raven that I see the most, and its message of getting rid of the distraction of dead stuff in order to not be distracted from Sacred messages.  But then I became aware of the power of inspiration and unpredictability presented by Wind.  That unpredictability can act as a scrubbing pad that can clean the dirt from our “windshield” so that we can see more clearly.  This week I should embrace chaos, and truly listen, not just with my physical ears, for some important messages!  Perhaps this reading is at least in part a result of me carrying around my aqua obsidian.  Should be an interesting week.

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Saturday, December 5, 2015

11/29/15 Transparent Oracle Sunday!

Transparent Oracle Sunday!

4, Time of Day: Dawn (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.  Dawn is a magickal time, a crossroad between the quiet and serenity of night, and the action and manifestation of the day.  With the first rays of the rising sun we move out of our dreaming consciousness and into an awakened perception, and it is during this crossroad that we might be able to bring the messages of our dreams into the light of day, so we can better manifest them.

50, Polarity: White Dragon (Above). The White Dragon represents masculine, dispassionate, celestial energies that come into us and into our world from “Above.”  If you see the solar system and the universe as being alive, and as being filled with the manifestations of the Sacred Essences that are the source of life and awareness, then these energies are very important.  We are the Microcosm, after all, and these energies are from the polar opposite, the Macrocosm . . . filled with information, knowledge and wisdom.

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.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  This reminds me so much of those beautiful moments as a snowfall comes to an end.  The whole world is clean and pure, and silent.  The snow sparkles, as if someone sprinkled thousands and thousands of tiny diamonds on its surface.  Details are obscured, and the purest of pleasures is available.  Sometimes bringing our awareness up and out of the physical realm is a beneficial thing, and I need to remember this over the next week.  This sounds like a continuation of the message from my birthday Tarot throw.  Cool; validation. 

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11/24/15 Daughter of Wands reversed and Mother of Swords reversed

The Wild Unknown Tarot for my birthday.  I threw the Daughter of Wands reversed and the Mother of Swords reversed.  Hmmm . . .

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) is fun to be around, unless you have a migraine. He is about being open to new experiences and about being enthusiastic about whatever is happening, and his optimism just might tip things into the right direction.  He can be a bit scattered though, and easily distracted.

The Daughter of Wands. The snake (the symbol of Wands in this deck) is vibrantly colored, as if she had just completed shedding her skin.  She is coiled around her Wand, a branch from a flowering cherry tree.  Flowering cherries symbolize clouds, the birthplace of the lightning strike, and they symbolize the ephemeral nature of life (a concept which has a name, “mono no aware,” the awareness of impermanence).  The serpent on this card has almost completed positioning herself in the symbol of eternity, the figure 8.  But the symbol is not complete; another indication of impermanence.  This image seems to be telling me to enjoy and take advantage of the beauty of “now,” because it is a unique work of art, gone in the blink of an eye.

The Queen of Swords (cusp of Virgo, “I serve,” practical, sensible, work and service oriented, and Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, grace) can be considered a Minor Arcana representation of the Justice card, which is about responsibility and the relationship between “cause” and “effect.”  The main difference is that while Justice is about the law, the Queen of Swords is about the intent behind the law.

The Mother of Swords.  This image is similar to that of the Daughter of Swords, except that this is obviously an adult owl, and because the sky behind this owl is not a night sky, rather it is lit.  We cannot tell if it is morning or afternoon, but this owl is “illuminated,” and she knows enough of her surroundings (and is confident enough in that knowledge she has obtained through experiencing her environment in order to thrive) to relax a bit.  Her feathers are a bit puffed, enough to hide her feet, which to me indicates that she is relaxed.  Her eyes are soft, as if she wants to appear sleepy, but she is not asleep!  She is alert, and she is aware, without pre-judgment of any kind, and ready to become active, should the need appear.

Interesting message for my birthday.  Sounds like my focus needs to be on Earthly pursuits, rather than those of philosophy or the intellect.  Things may not be clear to me today, but in the end that might not be a bad thing because I won’t have expectations to be fulfilled.  I should not relax, but I should not attempt to structure things too much either.  Maybe I should just enjoy the day, and enjoy the life I have lived so far.  I can do that. 

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