August 2, 2016: the kidney meridian

The Daughter of Pentacles is my card for today.  The image on this one is a fawn, covered with spots, ears pricked forward.  She is watching and learning, curious and eager to experience the great mystery that is the world around her, yet hesitant, even uneasy at times.  But her hesitation does not last for very long, because her curiosity (flavored with gentleness and purity) is more powerful.  The delights of the forest await her, and she is eager to begin!  My initial feeling upon looking at this image is one of a childlike wonder, and a gentle and hesitant yet difficult to deny urge to explore. 

Since Dissolution is about the element of Water, let’s talk about the Yin meridians connected with Water, the kidney meridian (Yin) and the bladder meridian (Yang).  First, the kidney meridian.  This meridian begins in the ball of the foot, between the second and third toes, and continues up the front inside of the leg to the base of the spine, where it enters the torso.  When it reaches the kidneys, it splits into two branches (which are accessed just to the outside of the navel and inside the nipple on each side), then join together and continue to the base of the tongue. 

The kidney meridian is about maximum contraction, cold, and fear, it is about will power and vitality, death and renewal.  Since it deals with fear it is also connected to our adrenal glands, as well as our bones and teeth.  The kidneys regulate fluids in the body (and thus, salt and potassium levels in the body) and excrete toxins.  The meridian deals with energy levels and helps us to deal with mental stress.  Since the meridian is connected to fluid balance, it also deals with emotional and spiritual balance.  Imbalances can cause lung issues, dry tongue, edema, constipation or diarrhea, restlessness or insomnia, back ache, or a heaviness in the lower body. 

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July 29, 2016: Zephyrus

My beautiful Wild Unknown Tarot card for today is the Son of Swords.  The image on this card is an owl with a sword in its talons, point facing in the direction he is moving; the owl appears to be in a dive, rapidly flying from upper right to lower left.  My initial feeling upon looking at the image is that I am totally on the sidelines here, watching some intense event happening; this owl does not see me and in fact, does not even know I’m there.  The energy of the card seems quite focused, as if the owl was hurrying to bring the sword to someone, or maybe he is taking the sword to safety.  Whatever is happening, it is very urgent that the owl gets to wherever he is going, a matter of life and death if you will, and he knows this.  He is focused, focused to a narrow beam, almost like the laser sight on a gun.  I don’t sense anger or fear, just extreme urgency and powerful focus.  I’ve watched countless ospreys dive like this to catch a fish; if you look away at the wrong moment you miss the whole thing, but the power in those dives is incredible.  That is what I feel when looking at this card.

This sounds like the perfect day to talk about my Elemental Guide for Water, Zephyus.  Even though tradition sees Zephyrus as male, my Guide appears as female.  Zephyrus is known as the protector of flowers and plants because his gentle spring and summer breezes brought humidity for them.  Zephyrus was known as Favvonius (or Favorable) by the Romans.  Zephyrus appears to me as a middle-aged woman dressed in robes of blues and grays, with long dark brown hair, a stocky, well-used body and an average face.  When she smiles, she becomes beautiful in her own way.  She carries a clay chalice with a triple moon motif carved along the rim; the chalice is overflowing with water, which pools at her feet. 

She is gentle, yet strong; this makes sense.  After all, water is flowing and we cannot hold it for long within our cupped hands, yet water can erode away stone and rust iron.  Over time, water can wear down a mountain until only a hole in the ground remains. 

I am very excited: today I ordered The Dreams of Gaia Tarot from its creator.  Because she lives in Australia and is a one-person operation, I might not get the deck until well into September, but it will be worth the wait to get a deck personalized by the artist.  I’m looking forward to holding this deck in my hands, and plan on using it for my own growth.

It is appropriate that I take this step now, while working on alchemic Dissolution. 

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July 27, 2016: Yesod

My Wild Unknown Tarot card today is The Empress; here are my thoughts regarding this lovely card:  The image on this card is a beautiful shade tree.  The branches are tall and wide, providing shade and protection; the leaves are thick and healthy, and beautifully-colored under the night sky.  There is a waning moon in the upper left quadrant of the dark night sky, and yet the tree seems lit from within.  Serene and fertile energies emanating from the heart of the tree light up the branches and the leaves, celebrating pleasure, creation, the workings and cycles of nature, and the protective nurturing of the Mother.  “A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having had it bestowed on her but having passed her tests. She has suffered and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proved she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power.”- Marianne Williamson, A Woman’s Worth

While not specifically attached to Dissolution or the Watcher of the West, the sephira of Yesod seems appropriate to discuss here.  Yesod (Foundation ) is the ninth sephira on the Tree, the third on the Pillar of Balance, and like the Moon, which is the heavenly body most easily reached from our Earth, it is the most easily reached non-physical sephira of the Tree.  Yesod provides the life force that animates our physical selves, so in a sense, we are always experiencing Yesod.  Yesod contains the astral or etheric plane, and it is within Yesod that we build thoughtforms and intentions.  It is the sphere of illusion, and like the Moon, which appears to grow and shrink but actually stays the same size, Yesod is the whole of our visualizations of that which is not yet manifested in physical form.

Yesod is not only the last step before physical manifestation, but it is the first step after physical manifestation as well.  Our physical bodies are born and die within Malkuth, but our personalities are born and die within Yesod.  This sphere is the home of the Self, and of the Dark Night of the Soul.  Only after we dispel the illusion of failure and do the work to achieve forward motion once again will we truly understand the energies of Yesod.

My correspondence list for Yesod is:

Magickal Image:  Beautiful Naked Man, Very Strong

Planetary: Moon

Vice: Idleness

Virtue: Independence

Deity: The Moon, Fertility

Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Machinery of the Universe

Briatic Correspondence: Receptivity, Perception

Illusion: Security

Obligation: Trust

Path: Path 9, the number of completeness of experience.

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July 26, 2016: Shadow Work and Endings

My card for today: the Ace of Cups.  Another Water card; synchronicity is still at work!  Here are my thoughts regarding the Ace of Cups.  This card has a simple image on it: a chalice.  The background is blue, representing the element of Water that is represented by the Cup, and it appears that golden light is shining out of the Cup, but we can’t be sure.  Is the Cup filled with some kind of beautifully glistening Water?  Or is it empty, and what we are seeing is actually an illusion or a dream?  We can’t tell yet, but the possibility of experiencing something wonderful is there.

Well, the direction of West is about endings; it tells of the end of the time of daylight as the night approaches.  It is also about emotions and feelings, and since I am also dealing with the Great Work and Dissolution, which is about breaking down the structures within my psyche in order to release what no longer serves me, it should come as no surprise that a past event, and event that I have dealt with again and again but have never completely exorcised from my mind and my emotions and my spirit, has raised its ugly head once again. 

There is no need to go into detail; it is enough to say that I was very wounded by this time in my life, and get a knot in my stomach whenever I think about it.  My Shadow Work in the past has always been connected to this event, so it should not surprise me that it has reappeared.  Perhaps I can put it behind me for good, this time.

Since I am working with Satevis, I asked her what I should do. My choice is to become involved in an argument, or walk away and in walking away, allow blame to be placed on me.  Her answer was simple and without hesitation: “Let it wash from you.”  I asked every “but” question I could think of, and her response was the same five calmly-spoken words: “Let it wash from you.” 

I went back to re-read my thoughts about the Ace of Cups, and these words jumped out at me: “. . . and it appears that golden light is shining out of the Cup, but we can’t be sure.  Is the Cup filled with some kind of beautifully glistening Water?  Or is it empty, and what we are seeing is actually an illusion or a dream?”  Do I need to justify myself to someone who will never see my side of this ancient story?  No, I don’t.  My conscience is pure and clean, as I tried to take the high road at all times.  Perhaps I should, as Satevis suggested, let it wash from me.

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July 25, 2016: Satevis

My Wild Unknown Tarot card is the Son of Cups. This card has a feeling of stillness about it.  The swan is seated, feathers covering feet and legs.  The rays emanating from the Cup before the swan are dark, except for their tips, which are multi-colored.  And the background lines of this card are aimed inward and upward.  All in all, a still and inner focus seem to be presented by this card, and this makes sense.  After all, when Water comes to stillness, there are depths and quiet darkness that present the opportunity to explore a new and less easily entered world.  Getting there and receiving these hidden messages takes the focused efforts of the Sons/Knights of the Tarot; here is an opportunity to give it a try!

Since I have not yet met the Watcher of the West, I decided to do a meditation to specifically encourage that meeting.  I went and got into the pool, and stood in the water.  It has been hot and humid today, so the water felt great.  As I stood in the cool water, I watched dark clouds travelling above me, and listened to the distant rumble of thunder.  I guessed I would not be there too long, so I focused intently. 

I found myself on one of the jetties in Cape May, at dusk.  The sky was overcast, but there was no wind; the waves moved gently along the jetty toward the shore behind me.  I looked into the water, and saw a face looking up at me.  The being smiled, showing sharp teeth, and motioned me into the water and then turned away.  Okay then; I stood up and dove in.  She was waiting for me (at least I think the creature was female, as she had breasts). 

Satevis is a large yet graceful creature.  At a quick glance she appeared like a mermaid, but as I looked closer, I saw differences.  Her tail was long and sinuous, more eel-like than dolphin-like.  She swam by swaying the whole tail side to side, rather than the up and down motion we see from cartoon mermaids.  She has long, greenish-brown hair that flows and arches gently (as if within a gentle current) even when she is still.  She has fin-like extensions along the backs of her arms, and even along the rims of her ears; her fingers are webbed.  Her face is only generally human in appearance; she has two eyes, a very small and relatively flat nose, and delicate lips. 

She led me deeper into the sea, and soon we were weaving between large coral growths.  Around the coral, white clouds were billowing and then flowing upward.  As we got closer, I realized I was seeing an amazing event: spawning.  Coral eggs rose up, like tiny balloons, and then clouds of sperm enveloped those eggs.  I smiled as we paused to watch for a bit; then Satevis turned to me and said (in my mind, not with words), “Water is the cradle of life.”  I smiled and nodded, and we watched for a bit longer.

Finally, she gently touched my arm to get my attention, and then led me forward through the large schools of colorful reef fish arriving to feed on the bounty that is spawning.  After a bit, we came to a cliff wall; she led me into an underwater cave that twisted and turned.  Finally a light appeared ahead.  She stopped at an opening and waved me through, into the light.  Suddenly, I realized where I was: at the bottom of Danu’s Well!  I turned back to the crevice and smiled; I had often sensed a presence here, at the bottom of the Well.  Now I know who that presence was.  I waved good bye, surfaced, and began to climb out of the well.

Interesting.  I have a lot to think about.

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July 23, 2016: Antares

So, my Wild Unknown Tarot card for today is The Magician.  Haftorang may not appreciate this card, but it is personally significant to me.   Here are my thoughts regarding The Magician: The image on The Magician is of a seated jaguar, a powerful predator who survives by using his own strength and his own intelligence.  In front of the jaguar are the four symbols of the elements and the Minor Arcana; both of the jaguar’s front paws are resting on the symbol of Earth/Pentacles, and there is an omega sign on his chest or heart.  The jaguar is alert, looking behind him with ears pricked, but he is also relaxed.  His eyes are open, but they are relaxed (in that very cat-like fashion).  Behind the jaguar is a brilliant sun.  The energies of this card are confident, strong, and connected to the physical world, but all four elements (and their correspondences) are there, waiting for the jaguar to access them. The Magician works hard to perfect his abilities that allow him to use his tools, to make use of those abilities in unexpected ways, and to focus and carry through to the end of a task (which is pretty important to him).  He also understands the eternal nature of his efforts, mainly because of the polarized nature of the elements he works with.  This card is personally significant to me; the skills of The Magician were gifted to me after a particularly harrowing experience.  The keywords for this card are action, self-empowerment, and purpose; three powerful concepts.  Notice there is no mention of ethics; The Magician uses the tools that he owns in a manner that he deems appropriate.  He does not necessarily consider the impact of his actions on others.

I am already seeing a theme here, and it is interesting to me.  This is the Watcher connected to the west, to sunset, and to the element of Water, all concepts that correspond with feelings, dreams, visions and the subconscious.  And yet, I am being herded toward knowledge and learning.  I guess in the end, knowledge (and wisdom, which I define as the ability to make use of the knowledge I gain) is an intangible thing, too.  It is located within the mind; the mind resides within a physical, tangible place (the biological brain) but it is not physical or tangible.  Hmmm . . . I feel a tickle in the back of my mind that usually indicates some important message trying to find its way out. 

In the meantime, here is some information I found on the internet from Wikipedia and other sites about the star Antares:

Antares, also known as Alpha Scorpii, is the fifteenth brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius (it is known as “the heart of the scorpion”). Along with Aldebaran, Regulus, and Fomalhaut, Antares comprises the group known by ancient Persians as the “Royal stars of Persia.” It is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic.

Antares is a red supergiant, slow irregular variable star, and is one of the brightest and most massive stars visible in the night sky.  If placed in the center of our Solar System, its outer surface would lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.  Its visible luminosity is about 10,000 times that of the Sun (because the star radiates a considerable part of its energy in the infrared part of the spectrum, the bolometric luminosity equals roughly 65,000 times that of the Sun), and the mass of Antares has been calculated to be in the range of 15 to 18 solar masses.  It is approximately 12 million years.

Antares is visible in the sky all night around May 31 of each year, when the star is at opposition to the Sun. At this time, when viewed from the equator, Antares rises at dusk and sets at dawn. For approximately two to three weeks before and after November 30, Antares is not visible in the night sky.

Antares has a secondary, or companion star, Antares B.  At magnitude 5.5, it is only 1/370th as bright visually as Antares A, although it shines with 170 times the Sun's luminosity.  Antares B is difficult to see in small telescopes due to glare from Antares A, however it is visible when Antares A is occulted by our moon.  At that time, Antares B appears blue or bluish-green in color.

Antares will almost certainly explode as a supernova, probably within the next few hundred thousand years (a relatively short time period, galactically speaking). When this happens, the Antares supernova could be as bright as the full moon and be visible in the daytime for a period of time.

In Polynesia, Scorpius is often seen as a fishhook, with some stories describing it as the magic fishhook used by the demigod Maui to pull up land from the ocean floor that became the Hawaiian islands.   Now there is an interesting connection with Ophion, who also created the Earth from within the ocean.

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July 22, 2016: The Watcher of the West and Archangel Uriel

July 22, 2016:

I threw another Wild Unknown card: the Ten of Cups.  How is that for an indication that I am moving in the correct direction?  Here are my thoughts regarding this card: Harmony and joy personified!  The top five Cups each spill out an individual color, and the bottom five Cups each receive one stream of each color!  Everything can be found within the energies of this card: specific emotional purity as well as a balanced mix of all feelings.  By following one of the pure Cups downward we learn integration of a specific feeling into our lives, and by following one of the colors of the mixed Cups upward, we learn how to deal with and understand and honor one specific feeling.  There is a heck of a lot of power in this card!!

This Watcher of the West has not been revealed yet, but I will continue to explore this direction.  Here is what I’ve found out about this Watcher: 

Antares (“holds against Ares (Mars),” and “the heart of the Scorpion”), Persian name Satevis, Sataveaesa or Sadwes (also associated with Crux, and the stars of Musca Australis), reaches dominance at the Fall Equinox, and thus it is associated with sunset, the cardinal direction of West, and the season of Fall.  It is found in the constellation Scorpio; it is associated with Archangel Uriel, and adventure, obstinacy, stubbornness and violence, as well as injuries to eyes and sudden loss.  This star can also indicate trouble dealing with emotions because they are easily triggered.

Archangel Uriel has communicated with me in the past.  Uriel is the Angel of wisdom who shines light into the darkness of confusion.  Like The High Priestess of the Tarot, Archangel Uriel is usually depicted holding a book or a scroll in one hand, and a flame (representing Divine Truth) in the other hand.  It was Archangel Uriel who warned Noah of the Flood, and it was Archangel Uriel who checked the doorways of homes throughout Egypt for lambs blood on the night the plague striking the first-born is activated.  Legend has it that Archangel Uriel rescued John the Baptist when King Herod ordered the massacre of young boys when ye learned of the birth of Jesus. 

This all makes sense when I keep in mind that Watcher Satevis teaches us to focus on how we do things.  I need a willingness to keep trying, and I need a willingness to endure a few road blocks in the process.  In the end, this is a message that is similar to a personality trait of my sun sign, Sagittarius.  A Sag loves to try out new theories, and does not need much encouragement to do so.   What I have here is a double, a suggestion that I learn how to learn.  I also have an indication that I just might learn more from uncomfortable situations than I will from successes.  After all, Satevis is located in the Scorpion; how does a scorpion gets our attention?  It stings!

I am thinking that I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Watchers, but I’m wrong about that. 

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July 21, 2016: Here Comes Dissolution

LOL, so I asked the question, “Have I completed the cycle?” as I shuffled my Wild Unknown Tarot this morning.  I threw the Eight of Cups, and here is what the LWB offers as a keyword for this card: moving on.  I kid you not.  Synchronicity again; methinks synchronicity is becoming a powerful tool for me.

Here are my thoughts regarding the Wild Unknown Tarot Eight of Cups: This one shows a black, craggy mountain in the background with a dark sky, and eight shattered Cups in the foreground.  The message here actually may not be clear to some people, but it is there nevertheless.  Sometimes things are so broken that we are better off walking away.  There, I said it.  This image shows broken Cups with that dark mountain which is shutting out the light, which means that even if we had some glue, we won’t be able to effectively attempt to fix things.  We would be better off if we close ourselves off from the impossible task and turn away; this way, we can begin again and maybe, just maybe, receive a bit more fulfillment.

I don’t think things are hopelessly broken, but I think I’ve exhausted my information search, for now at least, regarding Watcher Haftorang and his correspondences.  I feel good; I’ve done some good work here.  As disturbing as it initially was for me when Haftorang appeared, I am already excited about what has come from that initial meditation.

Since the next Watcher has not yet revealed himself/herself/itself to me, I will move to the next step in the Great Work, Dissolution.  Here is some information I found from the internet and from my Complete Idiot’s Guide:

Chemically, Dissolution is accomplished by dissolving the ashes from Calcination in water.  Dissolution is represented by iron oxide or rust; rust illustrates the potentially corrosive powers of Water on even the hardest of metals. The Egyptians smelted Iron as far back as 1500 BCE and used iron compounds in tonics and as disinfectants.  This process can also be seen as a transformation; after all, dropping a sugar cube into a glass of water transforms the sugar, or reduces it to a less-solid state. 

Psychologically, this represents a further breaking down of the artificial structures of the psyche by total immersion in the unconscious, non-rational, feminine or rejected part of our minds.  This is different from Calcination, which is connected to the element of Fire, and thus to The Sun card, our sun, and to the daylight.  Dissolution is about cold, wet, and dark, and to me it is about the illusion of The Moon and the hidden knowledge of The High Priestess (and yes, I do still think in Tarot metaphors).  Our moon is lit by our sun; it is a reflection of the sun.  Once again, I am shown As Above, So Below.

Calcination is to a large part an unconscious process in which our conscious minds let go of control to allow the surfacing of buried material. It is opening the floodgates and generating new energy from the waters held back. Dissolution can be experienced as “flow,” the bliss of being well-used and actively engaged in creative acts without traditional prejudices, personal hang-ups, or established hierarchy getting in the way.

Working with the Shadow is not comfortable, but it is a necessary step in the Great Work.  This is the part of the subconscious the rejected segments of my personality are found.  I’ve worked with the Shadow before, and I know that examining these painful repressed emotions is not fun.  I do know, however, that the goal of these two steps is to get rid of contaminations.  Calcination burns contamination and the ego which guards it, and dissolution washes away mental habits, rigid beliefs and projections.

Physiologically, Dissolution is the continuance of the kundalini experience, the opening-up of energy channels in the body to recharge and elevate every single cell. Dissolution takes place in the sacral chakra and involves the lungs and spleen.  In society, the process of steady growth through gradual Dissolution is exemplified by agrarian, monastic, or agriculture-based lifestyles. On the planetary level, Dissolution is the Great Flood, the cleansing of the earth of all that is inferior.

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July 20, 2016: Malkuth and the Tree of Life

July 20, 2016:

The only discipline I have not dealt with is the Tree of Life.  The sephira that deals with the material world is Malkuth.  Here are my thoughts regarding this sephira:

Malkuth  (Kingdom) is the tenth sephira on the Tree, the fourth on the Pillar of Balance, and corresponds with Earth, the planet Earth (and the solar systems and galaxies of our Universe), and the element of Earth.  Malkuth received emanations from all the other spheres in the Tree; all of the ideas and potentials from each sphere come together in the “reality” that is Malkuth.  For many, the physical world is the only reality. 

Although Malkuth is physical in nature, it is as sacred as Kether (the top sephira of the Tree).  “As Above, So Below” applies here, and many say that the Tree is actually upside down, which would make Kether the roots and Malkuth the crown.  Kether is considered projective and Malkuth receptive.  Before entrance into Malkuth we are not incarnate or bound to a physical vehicle; we pass through Malkuth both when we are born and when we die.  The danger found in this sephira is inertia; inertia is conquered by discrimination and discipline. 

We must never forget that Malkuth is not the ending; this sephira connects directly to Kether, and a new beginning of the cycle that is the Tree of Life.

My correspondence list for Malkuth is:

Magickal Image:  Young Queen, Crowned and Throned

Planetary: Earth

Vice: Inertia

Virtue: Discrimination

Deity: Earth, Grain

Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel

Briatic Correspondence: Stability

Illusion: Materialism

Obligation: Discipline

Path: Path 10, the number of completion of one cycle and the beginning of another.

Of course, I threw a Wild Unknown Tarot card, and got Judgement.  Interesting, as yesterday’s card was Justice.  Here are my thoughts about Judgement: The image on this card shows a white dove, its wings spread, soaring above darkness.  Out of the darkness rises many dark birds, striving to raise up to the shining brilliance of that pure, unblemished dove.  Are they being startled from within the darkness or awakened from sleep, flying upward to escape some danger?  Or are they attracted to the light and purity of the bird above them?  No matter what is urging these dark birds upward, they will find rebirth if they can maintain their focus.  Perhaps they, too, will lose their darkness and become unblemished, embracing the light and abandoning the darkness.

Justice and Judgement are similar card, yet there are differences.  The Judgement card represents three experiences that are common to all times and all cultures: Evaluation, Reward, and Completion.  Thus the Judgement card can be seen to represent rites of passage that occur when we are held accountable for our past choices, decisions, and actions.  It is only through being evaluated, and then receiving the fitting reward (whether pleasant or uncomfortable) that the events can finally be completed, the accounting books can be closed and put away, and a new cycle can begin.  The Justice card represents the Judge.  The Judge is the authoritative figure who performs the Evaluation, distributes the Reward, and deems the cycle as Complete.

Now, the question is: “Have I completed the cycle?”

July 19, 2016: Ophion

July 19, 2016:

Back to reality after a nice weekend spent in the garden.  I feel as if I’ve finally detoxed.  I did a meditation and reconnected with Haftorang.  As soon as I entered the crack in the stone, he was waiting for me.

“It’s about time,” he said, and sighed.  “I did not mean to frighten you so much that you would not touch base with me.”

He went on to say that my work has been good.  I am delving deeply, just as he intended.  He also confirmed that Water was my next step, but not quite yet.  Haftorang feels that I need to work a bit with Ophion before moving on, and he feels I should do this right now.  I told him now was not good; I have an article to write for my column.  Of course, that is not hos problem.

He pointed to a rock ledge, told me to sit down and work with Ophion, and then Journal my experiences.  I guess I’m doing a meditation with Ophion.

It did not take long for my Elemental Guide to appear, surrounded by the fragrance of green grass, flowers, and moisture.  Ophion asked me to review what I know about the element of Earth, and so I dusted off the files in my mind. 

In its natural state, Earth is cool and dry, and it binds or shapes the other elements.  Earth is of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply and being well-grounded.  Earth is the element of form and substance; it is connected to material world security (and even wealth), and to our physical bodies and physical senses, and the pleasures and pains they bring.  Earth represents the nurturing and serene side of Nature, and it represents the tangible end result of our labors.  Earth is about security and stillness, and knowing what to expect; it is about strength, discipline, and physical manifestation of all kinds, and about enjoying the fruits of our labors.  Earthly energies are fertile, practical, and slow to change.

Ophion nodded, and then added that our Earth is the vehicle of all life.  Our Earth is filled with the possibility contained in lives not yet born, and it is a repository for lives that have lived already. He reminded me that we are surrounded by the workings of Nature, and those workings and processes are proof of the sacredness of our world.  The element of Earth itself is the fertile potential.  While a profitable or vibrant or secure life cannot be assured, I am surrounded by what is needed in order to make my life what I want it to be.  I have only to reach out and access these tools for manifestation.

I threw a card from the Wild Unknown Tarot, and got Justice.  This card shows a white cat and a black cat sitting down in a mirror image pose, tails overlapped, facing forward next to each other and looking back over inner shoulders, in an archetypal image of yin/yang.  These two positive/negative images are laced together and dependent on each other (as reflections are always dependent on what is being reflected).  There is a balance to the image on this card as well, and Justice is one of those cards that presents a version of balance; this version of balance happens by the interaction of cause and effect, actions and results, choices and outcomes. 

I am reminded by all of this, my talk with Ophion and my Tarot card of the day, of the concept of As Above, So Below.  As I think about my experiences with this concept, particularly while working with The Emerald Tablet, I can feel Haftorang’s pleasure. 

“You must understand the whole of life.  Not just one little part of it.  That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand.  For all that is life.”  Jiddu Krishnamurti

July 16, 2016: Heart and Small Intestine Meridians

July 16, 2016:

Aaahhhh, relief.  Humidity is gone, at least for now.

I spent a few moments this morning reviewing the heart and small intestine meridians, just to see how they are the same and how they are different.  They do have similarities; both are about heat, the element of Fire, a time of peak expansion or awareness, the extremes of sadness and joy.  Both are connected with the operation of circulation and distribution.  They have differences too; one works with blood and thus with oxygen, and the other works with food.  The heart, after all, feeds the brain, circulates what is in the lungs, and distributes oxygen to the far reaches of the body as it controls body temperature.  The small intestine, on the other hand, digests what is in the stomach, separating solids from liquids, pure from impure, and directs those things to their appropriate next steps.

Heart imbalances can cause palpitations, insomnia, a dry throat, thirst, or jaundice.  Small intestine imbalances can cause sore throat, deafness, swelling, pain or paralysis of the face, mental issues, or abdominal discomfort.

Both the heart and the small intestine meridians go inside the torso of the body.  Both of these meridians come to the surface and pass through the shoulders (heart in front, small intestine in the back), the arm, the hand (heart on the palm side, small intestine on the back side), and come up to the face. 

Okay then; I think I have a nice grasp of these two.

I threw a Wild Unknown Tarot card, and got the Nine of Cups.  The image on this card is not quite what you would expect.  There is a waning moon in the sky, a mostly blue background, with the beginnings of predawn red at the top of the card.  Nine Cups are lined up along the edges of the card, all upright.  The feeling I get from this card is one of serenity, of having what I need to maintain that serenity, and of anticipation of what I will be able to experience because of that ongoing serenity.  Bliss is one of the keywords for this card, as well as the awareness of our blessings, and the nice thing is that we are just barely at the dawn of the day these energies are available to us.

Looks like today will be a day of pause, of absorbing the information I’ve found so far.  I can do that.

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