My Thoth card
is the Nine of Disks reversed.
“Gain” reversed. Okay,
there is a reason for this. The
Nine of Disks (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Virgo, “I serve,”
practical, analytical, work and service oriented) in an upright position tells
of accomplishment through the imposition of discipline. My reversed Nine of
Disks does not represent the possible deception or bad faith that it can
normally indicate (at least I hope!); I believe my Nine of Disks is reversed
because it is indicating approaching gain. Not that the gain is assured, not by any means. But it is approaching!
My Legacy
card is The Tower reversed, flavored by the Queen of Swords. The Tower (Fire (hot/separates and
dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Mars (action,
spontaneity, aggression, drive), Phe (mouth or speech), and the Path between
Hod (which provides analysis and communication) and Netzach (which offers the
stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration)) tells of a violent or
explosive correction in the way things are going. My card is reversed, thankfully, but all is not completely
safe. I may be successfully
adjusting things right now, but if I don’t keep alert, blockages may
occur. And since this is a Fire
card, I need to look for imbalances regarding that element in order to impose a
more gentle correction. The Queen
of Swords (cusp of Virgo, “I serve,” practical, sensible, work and service
oriented, and Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, grace) can
be considered a Minor Arcana representation of the Justice card. Se is flavoring my reversed Tower, and
that is a good thing, because she has the ability to be detached from emotions
and objectively analytical. This
Queen is also reminding me to be ethical in my pursuit of my goals. Okay.
My 6-digit
date number is 5, the number of movement that gets rid of stagnation.
My
horoscopes: “There's a great deal of fun to be had
today, Sagittarius. Money isn't always necessary to make this happen, however.
In fact, money isn't a great way to keep score. Consider the sacrifices you
make each time you strive to earn more cash. There's a dynamic feeling in the
air today that's asking you to expand your mind in order to consider other ways
to have fun.”
And: “You are at a point of emotional climax right now. Things are
coming to a critical point in which situations seem to first escalate and then
suddenly collapse. Little issues in your relationships that you have failed to
deal with openly are coming back to haunt you. It could be that someone is
trying to cross you at this time, or maybe it just feels this way. Don't get
overly paranoid. The whole world is not out to get you.”
My
Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Three of Wands. This one is significant for two reasons. First of all, it’s not a Pentacles
card. I have been throwing
Pentacles cards frequently with this deck, but not today. This is such an exciting card to draw
on the day before the release of my first book. The Shadowscapes Three of Wands tells us to take those first
steps, to walk along the bridge as it arcs into the sky to where the bridge
ends, and then to stand on the edge and gaze forward. The next step is the most frightening because it is unknown;
there is no bridge already in place created by others who have come before
us. Now is the time for us to step
forward into the unknown, and to trust that all will be well. To trust that the bridge will continue
under our feet.
Interesting that
the Touchstones: Daily Meditations for Men entry supports this. “Today
is before us as an unformed experience.
Yesterday took its own shape, and whatever it was has now gone. Our only opportunities exist in what we
will do today.” Tomorrow is the release date for my first
book, “The Emerald Tablet: My 24 Day Journal of Discovery,” published by Luna
Station Press. I really do feel
today as if I am standing at the edge of that bridge. Very appropriate card.
More about
Astrology! Western Astrology makes
use of the Zodiac, which is a band of constellations that appear in our sky.
Over the years, Astrologers
noted these constellations and attached a particular significance to them
because our Sun passes through each of them throughout the solar year; these
twelve signs were considered “enlightened” because of that solar influence. Eventually the system of the twelve
signs of the Zodiac was developed.
Most Western
Astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac, which begins with the sign of Aries at the
Northern hemisphere Vernal Equinox, usually on or around March 21 of each year.
The Western Zodiac is drawn based on the Earth's relationship to fixed,
designated positions in the sky, and the Earth's seasons.
The Sidereal
Zodiac is another option; it is drawn based on the Earth's position in relation
to the constellations, and follows their movements in the sky.
Due to a
phenomenon called precession of the equinoxes (where the Earth's axis slowly
rotates like a spinning top in a 25,700 year cycle), there is a slow shift in
the correspondence between Earth's seasons (and calendar) and the
constellations of the Zodiac. Thus, the Tropical Zodiac corresponds with the
position of the Earth in relation to fixed positions the sky, while the Sidereal
Zodiac is drawn based on the position in relation to the constellations. Whichever Zodiac is used (and I will
focus on the Tropical Zodiac), Astrology focuses on the effects created by our Sun, our Moon and the other planets
in our Solar System as they move through these constellations.
Like the Tarot
Major Arcana and Minor Arcana Court, in modern Western astrology the signs of
the Zodiac are seen to represent twelve basic personality types or modes of
expression. Like the Minor
Arcana Pip Cards, The twelve signs are divided into the four elements: Fire, Earth,
Air and Water, with Fire and Air signs being considered masculine, and Water
and Earth signs considered feminine.
In my next post I
will describe the signs themselves, and the concepts of Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed.