Nine of Swords reversed/Three of Wands. The Nine of Swords (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, social, dual) which has been appearing for me lately both upright and reversed, represents brooding and worrying. My Nine of Swords is reversed here, so it is presenting peace of mind, absolution and a nice flow of energy today. It is paired with the Three of Wands, which validates all this goodness. The Three of Wands (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, the deepest self and personal power, in Aries, “I want,” action oriented, pioneering, assertive) tells of being successfully established after effort. This means that I am ready to expand my horizons and I can begin to look to the future. I just might end up as a positive role model to others, too, in the process.

My Thoth card is Nine of Disks reversed. “Gain” reversed again. The Nine of Disks (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is a card of accomplishment and satisfaction gained through the imposition of discipline, and it is reversed for me again. Today I may not be in the mood to sacrifice in order to attain my goal, I might be bored by using tried-and-true methods, or final satisfaction might seem particularly elusive. I should probably involve others in any physical world focuses today, because working with a group might keep me from becoming delusional or depressed.

My Legacy card is Five of Wands reversed, flavored by the Nine of Swords. Bookends! The Five of Wands, which corresponds with Saturn (discipline, responsibility, law and order) in Leo (“I am, passionate, dramatic, egotistical), indicates a struggle caused by cross purposes. Since my Five of Wands is reversed, however, it is reinforcing that Nine of Disks reversed and the concept that working with a group might be the way to go. Any struggles or conflicts should be easy to overcome today. But, there is that Bookends Nine of Swords, this time upright. This means that no matter how successfully established I feel, and no matter how much I am accepted by and desired as a part of the group that is important to me, there is still a potential for worry to happen today, or maybe a bit of the blues.

More about my Bookends card, the Nine of Swords. This card tells of the power of the mind; this power can be so useful and yet if it is allowed to proceed without balance, the mind can bring an particularly uncomfortable agony. Many times, the issue represented by this card is not as bad as we are seeing it. Once again, the mind can play nasty tricks on us if we give it free reign. If we choose to **not** dwell on the bad possibilities, often we can bring ourselves out of our funk by sheer mental power alone. Yes, the mind is that strong. Since I have both the upright and the reversed cards, I am thinking that I will realize that in the end, I have the power to choose. I can be sad, I can worry till the wee hours of the morning, and I can expect the worst end result, or I can see the silver lining, understand that even in the worst case I will learn some valuable lesson, and I can choose to be happy with whatever happens. I have the power, right in my mind, to elect an effective response to any situation.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number of movement that clears the air, tests foundation, and dispels stagnation. **gulp**

My horoscopes: “This is a very climactic time of month on the emotional front, and you may lash out for no apparent reason. This is a time when any emotions that you've stored up inside are forced to come out in one way or another. You may feel like you have little control over how you express feelings. The force behind your emotions is tremendous.”

And: “You may find yourself with many irons in the fire today, Nanci. People and projects might be quite demanding of your attention, yet you may be feeling so dreamy and unmotivated that it may be hard for you to make progress on any of them. Creative solutions are the best route for you today. Be flexible and open to other people's ideas and make sure you consider the most unlikely ways to tackle the issues.”

And my new one: “Although you may be feeling stress from a business or personal relationship now, you're sure these issues can be easily handled. However, your current dilemma stems from the fact that you might not know where your life is leading, so you could skip over a significant predicament. Remember, it's healthier to face your concerns when they arise or they can become more complex and harder to manage later on.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Two of Swords. Look at all the Swords today! The Two of Swords is about consciously shutting out the world. The thing about this card is that while sometimes we really do need to get away from it all, we cannot allow ourselves to become addicted to isolation. Yes, we can find peace and a moment away from our problems by doing so, but we will never, ever find the answers that will make those problems finally go away if we remain isolated.

Last night, I met with the Wayne Contingency of the Pagan Brain Trust. As always, this was a cleansing, fulfilling and validating evening. It is amazing that four very different people who are following four very different Paths can sit down for three or four hours, open our hearts and present our innermost beliefs, and not ever have one moment of discord. Instead, we sit, comfortably full after a delicious vegetarian meal and a healthy chunk of cake (usually some version of chocolate), sipping a glass of tea or milk, pretty much in our jammies with our feet curled under us, discussing Deity and energy work and healing and Purpose. As I drive home after these events, usually (despite our best intentions) in the wee hours of the following morning, I feel cleansed, filled, and confident that I am indeed on the correct Path. Last night, the waxing moon lit the sky and I actually watched my shadow as I walked to my car. The air was cold and crisp, and wispy fair-weather clouds contrasted the darkness of the sky. I finally felt the beginning of the change in my own subtle body that indicated the beginning of an awareness of the coming Solstice and the rebirth of the Sun God. At last!

I thought a bit more last night about The Emerald Tablet, and the placeholder “The formation of the microcosm is in accordance with the formation of the macrocosm.” In a way, this is a bit more than a placeholder or the metaphoric period at the end of the sentence. This phrase tells us that Deity is effective because She/He/It can travel entirely through the cycle of “as above, so below; as below, so above.” This travel, the need to fulfill its circuit, is a part of who and what Deity is, and it is as instinctive an action as the beating of our physical heart, which happens whether we are asleep or awake, happy or sad, loving life or wishing that it was over. In order to fulfill Her/His/Its Purpose and be manifested according to Her/His/Its “instruction booklet,” Deity must manifest. The essence of Deity must experience physical existence and experience mortality and the weight (and powers) of the physical body; Deity must “lower” Her/His/Its vibrational level, and cycle downward.

We are a reflection of Deity; it is in our nature to, once we have received a glimmer of the worlds above and beyond the physical senses, strive to raise our energy selves higher in order to spend more time in the realms of Deity. We strive to experience and understand a non-physical existence, we strive to lift ourselves out of our physical bodies and use our non-physical body senses to perceive the Universe. In doing so, we “raise” our vibrational level, and cycle upward.

Deity works amazing miracles through the manifestation of this cycle. Deity is within all the powers and effects of Nature, because Nature is a manifestation of Deity. And because we are a reflection of Deity, and thus contain the essence of Deity, if we can strive to raise our own vibrational level upward, the closer we come to that “above” existence the more able we will become to wield the powers of Deity. In striving upward, we continue the maintenance of the cycle, alongside of Deity and all life.

While some may see this possibility as awesome power, I see it as a heavy responsibility. Yes, I am only one of many, many countless entities in the physical world. My contribution is a small one, yet it is important. “For the want of a shoe . . .”

$>