Ten of Pentacles/Ten of Wands reversed.  The Ten of Pentacles (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) represents physical world wealth and bounty, and the attempt to maintain the status quo.  Granted, this card represents freedom from financial concerns, but especially because this is a Pentacles card, I must make certain that I do something with this bounty, or it will end up being a liability to me.  The Ten of Wands (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) in an upright position is a card that tells of being taxed to some perceived limit.  Today may be a day without any limits in sight!  If this card was paired with any other Ten, I might worry a bit, but the Ten of Pentacles is serious enough to prevent this other reversed Ten from getting out of control; it is a Wands card after all.  **wink**

My Thoth card is the Eight of Disks reversed.  “Prudence” is Crowley’s keyword for the upright Eight of Disks (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, sensible, orderly) is about taking care of details, working hard, and studying or learning new things, all with an eye on the end result.  Because my card is reversed, a focus on those kinds of details might not be in my best interest.  Sometimes we end up missing the forest for looking at the trees with this tunnel vision towards details; better to look at the big picture today.

My Legacy card is Strength, flavored by the Two of Swords reversed.  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) is about having the strength and the patience to endure and focus.  Today optimism and maintaining my composure will help me to catch more flies than the imposition of authority.  My Strength card is being flavored today by the Two of Swords reversed.  The Two of Swords (Moon, feelings and emotions, illusion, imagination, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) can represent a time of not looking or of shutting out the world.  Upright, this card often tells of strength achieved through the experience of some difficulty, strength enough to close out any outside influences for a bit, but since my card is reversed, I am being told that engagement of the intellect is as important as control of feelings and emotions.  I need to have patience with myself, but I still need to accept how things are and then attempt to begin moving forward.

My Pearls of Wisdom Mabon card is the Seven of Wands.  The Seven of Wands (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, drive, in Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, natural leader, egotistical, selfish) is flavoring my reversed Eight of Swords, and it is validating the concept that obstacles and challenges are going to appear.  The Pearls of Wisdom Seven of Wands reminds me that my own judgment is worth relying on, and if I apply my own Will to the situation, things will turn out as I visualize them.  I can’t allow the beliefs of others to influence what I am working towards (unless, that is, they correspond with my own beliefs). 

My 6-digit date number is 6, the number of vertical and horizontal balance.  Nice card for Mabon!

My horoscopes: “It's time to take a bold step forward, Sagittarius. Have confidence in yourself and all the careful planning you've been painstakingly doing for the past few months. Realize that much of this hard work is paying off, but only if you're willing to take the next step. The opportunity is there. All you need to do is jump on it. Act out of faith and confidence instead of fear and restriction.”

And: “A romantic partner may appear to be more concerned with business than with you right now. Some decisions need to be made, and your friend could well be preoccupied with them throughout most of the evening. Passion for you still runs strong - but it's been shoved into the background for now. Don't think that you've lost your appeal. Wait until tomorrow, and all should be normal once more.”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Four of Swords. This is a lovely “between-time” type of energy.  The rest and recuperation illustrated by the image on this card often appears similar to death, but that is not what is being presented here.  Death is actually a powerful time of transformation and change; this card tells of a time of truce.  No weakness here, just a mutual agreement to pause and re-gather ourselves. 

Today is the Sabbat of Mabon.  Mabon celebrates the Autumn Equinox, the day that divides the light and dark equally.  This Sabbat, along with the two Solstices and the Spring Equinox, is considered a Lesser Sabbat, but not because it is any less valuable or important than the four Greater Sabbats (each of which is a Cross-Quarter between the Solstices and Equinoxes).  The Lesser Sabbats celebrate times when the purest energies of a particular season are at their least influential, because the current season is changing.  The Greater Sabbats represent times when the energies of the season are their purest and at peak influence.  For instance, Litha, the Summer Solstice, is considered the first day of Summer because it is early in the Summer season, so it is a Lesser Sabbat; we are switching from Spring to Summer at the Summer Solstice.  However, Lammas, which is a Cross-Quarter (or halfway between the changeover from Spring to Summer, and Summer to Fall), celebrates the peak of the ability of Summer energies to influence us.  Lammas is a Greater Sabbat. 

Mabon is considered the Second Harvest, the second of the three Harvest Sabbats within the Wheel of the year (the other tow being Lammas and Samhain), which traditionally celebrates the harvest of grapes and grains.  This is a time of huge focus on harvesting what we planted during the three Fertility Sabbats (Imbolc, Ostara and Beltane) earlier in the year, and it is a time to celebrate the peak of power and wisdom of The Green Man and The Lord of the Forest.  Soon the cold and dark and quiet of Winter will return; our Mother Goddess will become the Crone and our Father God will prepare to offer Himself as sacrifice so that life and living can be eternal,  But now, for this day, we celebrate the bounty and blessings of Nature, and of our own hard work.  We dress up, gather together with our friends, family and loved ones, and eat and drink and dance, and prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain. 

And so, I offer to each of you the Blessings of Mabon and the Second Harvest!  Blessed be!

$>