Ten of Swords/The Lovers reversed. The Ten of Swords (the Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual, talkative) is a card of interference and restriction, completely manifested.  And I am choosing to see this “completely manifested” as meaning “done.”  Time to start a new cycle of working with the intellect.  The Lovers (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts, quick and animated, intellectual, problems or challenges; Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, sociable, dual; Zayin, double-edged sword; and the Path between Tiphareth, the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify, and Binah, female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) in an upright position tells of union and of personal choices.  My card is reversed, and this could be telling me of a time of isolation, but that could very well be needed.

My Thoth card is The Seven of Cups reversed.  “Debauch” reversed is the keyword for the upright Seven of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, obsessive, mysterious) which represents the distraction and dissipation that happens when we have too many options.  Because my Seven of Cups is reversed, I could very well be able to connect to my feelings today, as well as my emotional needs.

My Legacy card is Faith/The Hierophant reversed, flavored by The Emperor. Faith corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes), Taurus (“I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn), Vau (the nail which holds tradition in place), and the Path between Chesed (the place where forms and structures are stabilized and nurtured), and Chokmah (dynamic male energy, the origin of vital force and polarity), and it is an Earth card that has a heavy feel about it, a feeling of needing to fit into specific slots, but because my Faith card is reversed, I am being told that perhaps I need to find my own slot rather than trying to fit into the ones provided.  My Faith card is being flavored by The Emperor, which is a Fire card (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change) that corresponds with the astrological sign of Aries (“I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive) and the Hebrew letter Heh (window, illumination).  This is a card of confidence and authority; it is about being ethical and just, and it is also about taking the lead and manifesting into the physical world what I have learned.  My Emperor is flavoring my reversed Faith card, and this does make sense.  Faith is about traditions and culture and the group; The Emperor is about being a leader, and a leader acts on her own.  She leads the group, but she also makes decisions for the group, in the name of the group, for the highest good of the group.

My 6-digit date number is 11 (Archangel Uriel), which reduces further to 2, the number of balance, polarity and the concept of distance between.

My horoscopes: “Don't judge someone if he or she has a different lifestyle than what you consider to be OK, Sagittarius. You probably lean toward the traditional, yet not everyone feels this way about relationships, working, or lifestyle. While it may seem impossible to understand and even frighten you, try not to be too harsh on those you deem odd. You'd be better off using that energy to keep your own life on track.”

And: “Follow your instincts before anything else. Even if you have a tendency to listen more to your sense of reason and thought, put it aside. While your ears can hear words, your instincts and intuition can hear what's between the lines and provide you with a much bigger picture than what's being presented. Even if everything sounds right but feels wrong, you'd be better to trust the feelings. Act with careful consideration and caution.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Knight of Pentacles.  The goal is there before me, and I need to keep my eyes on it, the same way that this Knight of Pentacles keeps his eye on his goal.  This Knight knows what to do and he won’t allow himself to be distracted.  Is this good?  That is the question.

I had a wonderful meditation today.  I began by bringing my awareness to Danu’s Well.  She was there, waiting for me.  She let me know that she was aware of the difficulties I have faced of late.  And She let me know that She appreciated my efforts to overcome them.  Finally, She offered me some advice.  She said, “You have learned to act, to take action, with confidence in yourself and in your own judgment and validity.  Now, you need to re-learn how to react.  In order to react, you must be able to perceive.  And so, your task is to re-learn how to perceive, using your more learned senses.”  Wow. 

I can clearly see how this relates to my current focus, Dissolution.  Perceptions are feelings, and feelings are emotions, and emotions are connected to Water.  And Danu is helping me to explore this!

As I went for my walk this afternoon, I was drawn to return to the astral Ancient Altar.  I arrived at the top of the stairs as usual, took off my clothes and folded them neatly, and then lit the fire.  As I prepared to cast my circle and evoke the quarters, I thought for a bit about how comfortable this entire process had become for me.  No script, no tools, just me, my body and my energy field. 

As always, I called the Watchers and my Elemental Guides, and then Deity.  Goddess and God graced me with Their presence.  And I opened myself to Their energies.  My conduits to the information highway high above me were strong, and as I stood there, open to any messages, I felt a cord attach to my crown chakra; once it had entered my chakra, it pulsed with life. 

And then, suddenly, my heart chakra opened wide.  The back end of the chakra began to emit smoke, cloudy dark smoke; suddenly, I felt my insides get sucked out the vortex of my chakra and erupt out the back of my body.  My skin soon followed.

It has been a long, long time since I have lost my skin within a meditation.  What remained, the “body” that remained, was pristine, with no hair, no marks.  For a long moment, and for the first time in a while, I experienced my physical body as if it had just been born.  And then, hair grew, a bit grayer than before, and I felt my body become in an accelerated fashion what it was before the meditation began.

With one exception.  My senses seemed heightened, the way your fingertips feel after you rub them briskly across a rough surface.  The light was different, I could feel my clothes on my body and smell the fragrances in the air.  Was I being given a bit of extra help with the task that Danu has given me? 

I proceeded to say farewell to Deity, and released my quarters and ended the meditation.  Tomorrow, I will return to my work with Dissolution.

$>