12/29/13

Transparent Oracle Sunday!

63, Touch (and Taste) (Within). Within is the direction of the Self, and thus the cards associated with this direction deal with the ways our Self connects to the world and perceives the world, and the Self.  This direction is mostly abstract, and yet is our bridge to the Universe around us.  Our senses connect us to the physical world, and the sense of Touch is the most solid and least deceptive sense; touch is the method we use to find our way around and to dispel illusion.  Taste is a part of Touch, for it is by bringing things into contact with our tongues that we Taste them.  Contact is the key here, and connection; they can be pleasant or violent.

29, Guide: Turtle (West). West is the direction of Water, and thus, of feelings and emotions, relationships of all kinds, cleansing and healing, the wisdom associated with natural endings, and the bubbling up of pure joy.  Water is Turtle’s environment, but not only Water, for like Otter, many Turtles are at home on Earth (and in fact, Turtles lay their eggs on Earth).  Turtle offers us an opportunity to learn about protection; not the kind of protection that shuts out the world but rather, the kind of protection that allows us to dive deep and explore the unknown without fear.  Turtle is also slow and steady, is patient, and endures; Turtle has a long lifespan, and has existed relatively unchanged since ancient times.  Turtle’s shell shows us how to exist in spite of the churning eddies of life, without being affected by them.  After all, she is able to safely travel between the worlds because she is well-protected.

16, Guide: Snake (South). South is the direction of the midday sun and the peak of power and illumination; this direction is associated with passionate drive and creativity.  Snake has powerful symbolism in our world; it is seen to represent many medical/healing modalities, and the Kundalini energy.  Snake corresponds with the dragon, and is seen as a mundane representation of that mythical beast.  Because Snake can shed its skin and appear renewed, it is associated with healing, fertility, regeneration and rebirth.  Snake can access places that would be out of reach for most of us, and so Snake can share both knowledge and wisdom.  However, the knowledge and wisdom owned and shared by Snake is neutral, and we need to be careful what we choose to do with what we learn.  Eve learned that lesson in the Garden of Eden.

I then stacked my cards and created my mandala.  Lots of bridging of gaps and connecting of worlds in these cards.  The mandala is tight, and the energies appear to be emanating, or better yet, exploding from the center with intensity (although not necessarily with force or speed).  It looks like along with intensity of experience, there will be intensity of feelings; perhaps all this intensity will allow me to shed the old year and reinvent myself. 

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