Seven of Swords/King of Pentacles. The Seven of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, cause-oriented, the group, aloofness) tells of the effort to maintain things as we want them, usually through the use of deception and usually to the point of using unethical means.  That combination of illusion and the “I know” mindset could very well create an atmosphere of attempted dominance today, particularly when paired with the King of Pentacles. The King of Pentacles (cusp of Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, and Taurus, “I have,” sensual, stubborn, cautious, physically oriented) is the expert on physical manifestation.  He is very good at managing resources and overseeing growth, and he is very good at being patient.  He certainly can take an “iffy” situation and turn it to gold, so I will be listening to his advice today: be practical and generous, and work calmly and efficiently towards my goals.

My Thoth card is the Princess of Cups reversed. The Princess of Cups corresponds to Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Scorpio (“I desire,” intensity compulsion, mystery) and Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering), and corresponds to my connections to others and to my own inner self.  This Princess is tender and sweet and generous, and to some may appear selfish on the surface, but that could be because of her dreamy nature.  Because this Princess is reversed, I may need to be careful that I don’t get mired in my emotions today, but not so careful that I don’t allow myself to feel.  Balance!

My Legacy card is the King of Coins (again!), flavored by Strength reversed.  Okay, these are unexpected cards, but let’s see if we can tie them all together in the end.  The good thing is that I have two Kings and they are both Pentacles; that should help. The Strength card (Fire, hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive and energetic energy; Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical; Teth, sieve or basket, digestion; and the Path between Geburah, the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed, and Chesed, the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured) in an upright position tells of emotional endurance and control, and the ability to be understanding and tolerant of others. Because the card is reversed, I may be finding it a bit difficult to maintain control over my emotions, and the presence of all that Kingly energy may be impacting my ability to be tolerant of others.  Oh boy, sounds like if I’m not careful today, I could turn into a cranky, moody despot!

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of manifestation or experience. 

My horoscopes: “Too much work and the resulting pressure over the past few days may have you feeling too tired to do anything more, Sagittarius, although your optimism and enthusiasm are still intact. Don't be too hard on yourself if you're dragging by the end of the day. If you take care of yourself, you will soon recharge and be your old self again. In the evening, read a good book.”

And: “Your energy will be lagging a bit throughout the morning -- and you won't be able to get too revved up until later in the afternoon. Luckily, the projects you're working on are flexible, and you can postpone tasks that you just don't have the energy for. If you push yourself to do things you're not prepared to do, you will only end up frustrated. So save the heavy lifting for later.”

Technical: “Recent circumstances blur and fuzz your perceptions of your planned career trajectory. Avoid talking about these changes and your hopes and dreams for now. Clarity is around the corner and it will sharpen your ambitions.”

My Sun reading: “You're persuasive when you need to be this morning. A fortunate Moon/Jupiter sextile eases the path of a current project this afternoon. Tonight's lunar aspect with Saturn brings a change in plans. If you're single, there could be a tie to your old life.”

I had the most absolutely amazing (and in some ways, terrifying) meditation a few moments ago.  I felt drawn to visit the Ancient Altar of The Source.  I climbed the last of the stairs to the mountaintop, became skyclad, and lit the pine fire as usual.  I called the Quarters, lit the Goddess and God candles, and then stood before the Altar and closed my eyes. 

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like the approach of a jet.  I opened my eyes in time to see a ball of flame with a tail of smoke and sparks heading right for me!  It hit my brow chakra and exploded, knocking me backwards several steps. 

My entire body began to tingle and twitch; static lightning laced through my physical body and then my aura, tingling and transforming, until I was twitching madly, totally in the hands of whatever was happening to me.  The chakras in my palms suddenly opened, and my hands heated; my crown chakra began to spin madly, and then began to iris open.  Just as I thought I could bear no more, I began to hear voices in my head, different voices, talking fast, as if a recording was being played at top speed.  Faster and faster the voices spoke, and as they reached a high pitch, suddenly there was silence!

I collapsed to the ground (and actually felt my physical body sag), and lay there panting for some time, unable to move.  Just before I felt able to get up, I heard a voice whisper in my mind, “Tratak, if you want to understand!” 

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the explosion had extinguished the altar candles and my pine fire.  Again, like an echo, I heard “Tratak!” and then all was silent.

I don’t know how long I stayed there, stunned.  What just happened?  My description is short and sweet, but the whole thing seemed to go on for at least a half hour before I was released.  I guess I have been given a task, and if I want to truly understand the 15^th Path, I guess I had better listen to my Guides.  Even if that Guide is The Source . . . no, especially if that Guide is The Source!

Tratak is a meditation method that enhances concentration, increases the power of memory, and brings the mind to a state of intense awareness, attention and focus.  Tratak involves gazing at a candle flame until the eyes water, and then closing the eyes and finding the image of the candle; then the meditation begins.  Tratak has an effect on the olfactive and optical centers, it stimulates the nervous system, and most importantly, it stimulates the pineal gland.  The pineal gland tends to gradually calcify once we become adults, probably because humanity has come to believe that growing up means silencing the Inner Child. 

Rene Descartes is the one who coined the term “the seat of the soul” when referring to the pineal gland (which he studied deeply); he saw the pineal glad as the bridge or connection between the intellect and the physical body.  He thought the pineal glad was important because of its location (in the center of the brain, amid branches of the carotid arteries), and because it is the only section of the brain that is not one half of a pair.  I can easily see why Tratak is very important to me right now, and I will be doing a meditation tonight for sure.  Hopefully I will then be able to determine how many other Tratak meditations I will need to do.

The next path to be studied is the 14^th Path, the last of the Paths that teaches us the ways to cross The Abyss.  But in light of the message I just received, and since the 14^th Path connects the Sacred Masculine and the Sacred Feminine, and is a horizontal Path rather than a vertical Path, I think I will pause here to digest what I have already learned about crossing Da’at.  After all, Chokmah, the top of the Pillar of Force, is the Sacred Masculine, the God, the outer and active manifestation of The Source, perceivable by those who can “see,” and Binah, the top of the Pillar of Form, is the Sacred Feminine, the Goddess, the inner and receptive manifestation of The Source, perceivable by those who can “see.”  To me, it is Paths 18 through 15 that are solidifying my ability to see, and I think I should have them firmly set in my mind before taking this last step and attempting to use the eyes of The High Priestess (the 13^th Path; LOL, I’m looking ahead and past the 14^th Path for a moment).

And so, a review.

The 18^th Path is the Gate of Death that climbs the Pillar of Form across Da’at to the Sacred Feminine.  This Path brings us the ability to discern truth and falsehood; the ability to decide when using power is for the highest good, and when **not** using power is for the highest good; the ability to control and use power, and to correctly choose how to use it. It corresponds to The Chariot.

The 17^th Path is the Gate of Fate that connects the Pillar of Balance across Da’at to the Sacred Feminine.  This Path offers shadow and contrast in order to perceive shape and form; the awareness and responsibility connected to personal choices and the power of choice; duality and polarity; and directs us to learn so that we can change and direct our own destiny.  It corresponds to The Lovers.

The 16^th Path is the Gate of Royalty that climbs the Pillar of Force across Da’at to the Sacred Masculine.  This Path teaches us how to use authority with humility; to use knowledge and wisdom to guide myself and others to the Mysteries; to have noble intentions and to understand the responsibilities connected to those intentions; and to achieve an uplifting of the soul by knowing what I believe and don’t believe; this is the Path of the Great Rite.  It corresponds to The Hierophant.

The 15^th Path is the Angelic Gate that connects the Pillar of Balance across Da’at to the Sacred Masculine.  This Path enables us to be aware of and work with Guide; it provides illumination that helps me to remember both successes and failures in order to evolve; it teaches me of both Divine law and the laws of man in order to live by them.  It corresponds to The Emperor.

Holy crow, that is a lot of information for one post!!!  I think I might need to ground myself in my garden for a few hours.  Goddess, but I have things to think about!

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