Page of Wands/The Hermit. This Page (Earth, cold/binds and dry/shapes) of Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes), and Cancer (“I feel”), Leo (“I am”) and Virgo (“I serve”)) has a passion for life, but his expectations are not yet solidified so he is able to see the world in exciting and unbound ways. His power is mostly an inner one; he does not change the world around him but rather he changes the way he sees and perceives the world. The Hermit also corresponds to Earth, as well as Virgo (“I serve”), the Path connecting Tiphareth (harmonization and focus of energies to bring illumination and clarity) and Chesed (the stabilization and nurturing of form and structure), and the Hebrew letter Yod (open hand; touch), and he reminds me through introspection and contemplation that the journey is the goal, not the destination.

My Thoth card is the Ten of Cups reversed. “Satiety” in an upright position reminds us that success can be like an opiate, and while success is a worthy goal, sometimes we really **do** get what we wished for even if it turns out to **not** be right for us. Because the card is reversed, I am being told that I am still in the “striving for success” stage, and cannot yet rest on my laurels.

My Legacy card is the Seven of Wands reversed, flavored by The Hanging Man. This particular Seven of Wands to me is a reminder of the powers and sequences of events that are associated with a threshold and the corresponding Guardian of that threshold. Because the card is reversed (and flavored by The Hanging Man), I am being told that today is not a day for taking up the tests offered by the Guardian in order to gain admittance to the threshold. The Hanging Man is about surrender, and in fact represents the archetype of sacrifice and initiation. I recently compiled some information for E, one of my much loved Pagan Brain Trusters, regarding The Hanging Man, and I am including it here. The Hanging Man also corresponds to the element of Water (cold/binds and wet/adapts), as well as Neptune (inspiration, spirituality, enchantment and altered states), and Mem (water; stability and balance). The Hanging Man tells of suspension or pause or surrender, most of the time voluntary; however the pause is achieved through sacrifice.

Some interesting concepts. The crossed legs represent the cross of Hermes. I remember reading that often The Emperor is shown sitting on a throne with his legs crossed in exactly the same way. That reminds us that The Hanging Man is in many ways the polar opposite of The Emperor. The Emperor achieves his goals by imposing order, while The Hanging Man has learned that surrender and sacrifice are the best tools. The Hanging Man also corresponds with The Fool, can be seen as an aspect of The Fool. He is also linked to the Death card, which is seen to be the next step after the voluntary surrender that brings his change of perspective, and The Moon card and illusion, another change of perspective. The card represents the Path between Hod (analysis of communication; understanding how to do something) and Geburah (the challenging and affirming of form and structure) on the Tree of Life.

Marchetti describes the energies of this card as similar to an hourglass balanced on its side, with equal amounts of sand in each of the extremities of the glass. Balance created by equality of opposites. Temporary, indeed; but nice just the same. In reading Marchetti's entries, something else stood out for me. Marchetti writes "When you are truly at rest, everything is suspended. Time stands still, gravity stops, and the doors of extraordinary perception are opened." Could it be that the actual transformation or bridge between opposite concepts is the important message? Could it be that surrendering to the transformation process itself is what brings us to those altered states?

The Pearls of Wisdom interpretation of The Hanging Man is interesting. The card is described as representing cheerful sacrifice and surrender to the inevitable. It also represents surrender to water, to the deep emotional content buried in the subconscious mind and made available to the conscious mind by the shock of altering perceptions. We are being told that despite feeling bound by other things (or maybe because of binds that restrict us), we are able to surrender to the entire event. We are emancipated from restrictions by surrendering to them, and we are freed from the fear of loss!

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness and of having it all, or at least believing that we have it all; the wish card.

My horoscope: “Today there might be tension in the air with no discernible cause, Sagittarius. Family members could seem preoccupied with problems they can't quite define. Your natural inclination might be to try to cheer them up, but it probably won't work. Don't be too annoyed if they don't respond to your efforts. It isn't them. It's the planets. This is a great day to jog, do aerobics, or otherwise work off tension.”

And: “Someone new has piqued your interest, but rather than just sitting there imagining talking with them, you need to scoot over and make a move. You don't even need a line or a good excuse. Chances are, your friendly demeanor is exactly what they have been waiting for, and you might end up with a lifelong friend -- or maybe even a hot date!”

And: “A chance to increase your income, perhaps through a temporary enterprise of some sort, could come your way today. You just might decide to go for it. It'll mean working a lot harder for a while, but the money will open up a few doors for you that you hadn't counted on. Consider all your options, think about them all, then decide what you want to do. Whatever you decide will probably be very beneficial.”

I still feel as though I am standing on the edge of the high dive, collecting myself in preparation for the leap. Something is holding me back from moving forward, and is encouraging me to tie up loose ends. I am taking this message to heart and doing my best to get things in shape and orderly. Somehow I get the feeling that once things start moving again, I won’t have a moment to take a breath.

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