Transparent Oracle Sunday!!

55, Guide: Mermaid (Below).  Ascension and escape from the physical world seem to be our tasks for this life; however, in order to ascend, we need to first understand this word we are attempting to grow out of.  The cards of Below assist us in that endeavor.  Mermaid tells us of many non-physically manifested concepts: feelings, emotions, love, compassion, and healing.  Like Water, none of these can be held in place by our hands, and yet all are important ingredients within a balanced and harmonious and satisfying life.  Learning to access these ingredients and use them for our benefit without “over-spicing” the recipe takes focus and Will, and loss of control can bring obsession and destruction, but it is well worth the risk. 

19, Guide: Bee (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.  Bee is about teamwork and harmony and a sense of community, and about service to that community.  The service is performed for the greater good, and without an expectation of acknowledgment.  Bee is not about the individual’s needs, but rather it is about the needs of the hive, and often the individual is sacrificed in order to allow the hive to continue.

32, Weather: Snow (North).  North is the direction of Earth, and thus of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply, being well-grounded, and being in touch with our physical body.  Snow has a magickal effect on the landscape and our surroundings; when snow falls, it covers everything and hides details as well as mutes sounds.  The mantle of white is made of countless tiny, unique crystals, and like a blanket, the covering of snow insulates and protects. 

I then created my mandala.  Cool, this goes from Below to South to North, energy moving in a straight line upward!  The mandala itself is tight, the Snow flake has six points, and between Mermaid and Bee, there are six alternating images, one for each point of the Snow flake.  The circle is nice to look at, and the representations of the winds that blow the snow as it is falling seem to lace all three images together.  All three of these cards focus on non-physical effects.  Feelings, teamwork, and insulation from details so we can see beyond them are all important to me this week.  Looks like I will need to focus, and the cool thing is that the end result will only be measurable by me.  And like snow, anything that seems permanent will in the end melt away.

Our weekend is almost over, and once again I am surprised at how quickly the time went.  LOL, I know I ate a bit too much these past few days, but tomorrow it will be back to reality for me!

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I am away from home, celebrating Thanksgiving with good friends, and I only had room to pack one Tarot deck, so I will be throwing three cards from my Legacy Tarot until I get back home.  My cards for today are:

Seven of Coins. The Seven of Coins (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, law and order, in Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn) tells of pauses and choices and assessments within the physical world. This pause can bring rewards, but it can also bring a direction change if I determine that things are not going as I want them to go.  I need to remember that pausing is always dangerous when dealing with a Coins card, but for today, the day after the pig-out day of Thanksgiving, a bit of a pause is okay.  But only after going for a 2+ mile walk, and then doing my Yoga!

Four of Swords. The Four of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) can represent a pause or truce, a time of silence and isolation, and a time of being cut off from the world yet still alert.  Another card that tells of a pause!  This is not a pause of assessment, though; rather it is a kind of “mutual deterrent.” 

Six of Cups. The Six of Cups (Sun, the inner core of a person or situation in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, compulsive, deep, obsessive), is a card of innocence, emotional balance and harmony.  This card reminds me that whenever I have difficulty with justice or morality, the best way to find an answer is to simply assume innocence (but not unrealistically), and to apply love to the equation.  I like this card, and it reminds me that there is nothing wrong with innocent joy and sweet companionship, and a bit of light-hearted play. 

My horoscopes: “This is the end of the first stage in your "socialization," Sagittarius. Are you satisfied with the people you've met? You can usually make the most out of these encounters, but did your political savvy let you down? Did it lead you in directions you didn't want to go? Take advantage of this pause to catch your breath and figure out where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.”

And: “Come out and play today. Escape your work mode and have fun. Drive to someplace new, and take a long walk outside with friends. You have a great deal of energy to add to the group, so share your enthusiasm with others. There is an exciting buzz in the air that you should connect with and contribute to. Take a break from the mundane and have an adventure.”

What a had a smooth trip we had!  No worries at all, and we arrived in time to relax and to help with the dinner preparations.  We ate too much, but isn’t that what Thanksgiving is for?  I also had my red velvet cake fix; LOL they do make red velvet cake in the North, but there is just something missing.

Yesterday, I got up and went for a nice walk, hopefully working off some of that cake, and we watched a few movies.  Traditionally, this day after Thanksgiving is a “pj day” and this year was no exception.  I had a bit of an internet glitch, but that was fixed too.  And the sun was shining!

Today is my Solar Return (another term for Birthday), my 58^th Solar Return.  I don’t feel 58, but I guess I am.  Life is good, and with each year I become more serene, more happy, and convinced that while I may not have a lot of money, I am surrounded by many, many blessings.  I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but for today, I am going to follow the advice of my cards.  I am going to think about my life and my accomplishments, I am going to appreciate the skills and talents and powers that I was lucky enough to be born with and that I have honed through my life, and I am going to view the world through the simple joy and expectation of good things of a child.  Sounds like a great Birthday plan!

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Transparent Oracle Sunday!  As usual, the question I asked myself was “What do I need to know?”  I threw three cards:

36, Guide: Bear (North).  North is the direction of Earth, and thus of the physical or physically formed or manifested world, and of nurturing, health, finances and security, and the wisdom associated with living simply, being well-grounded, and being in touch with our physical body.  Bear is about protection and hibernation, power, shelter and instincts.  Mother bears are fierce, yet gentle, and that is the message of this card.

60, Polarity: Red Dragon (Below).  The direction of Below is not easily associated with spirituality, yet it is a powerful symbol representing the opportunity to create a strong foundation, and to connect to the tools and powers of the Underworld.  The Red Dragon represents passion, inner power, sensuality, drive and life.  The Red Dragon represents inner-to-outer effects, and feminine energies. 

2, Weather: Wind (East).  East is the direction of the rising sun, and thus of new beginnings and fresh ideas, as well as knowledge, intellectual ideas and thoughts.  Wind seems to be unorganized, but actually the disruption brought by Wind clears the way for new adventures. 

Once I created the mandala, all I could see was the Red Dragon.  Bear and Wind were both fuzzy and unclear, but Red Dragon was there, acting as a foundation to the fuzziness.  While Bear seemed somewhat lost, I do get the feeling that the energies of Bear are acting as a foundation; I am being told that where I came from is important, and I am being told that the important messages of the inner realm may be hidden and obscure, but they have the power to bring heat and color to my life, so they are worth seeking out. 

Sunday is also Spring Fitness Challenge check-in day.  I am away from home this weekend, so I am handling this in a unique way in that I don’t have a scale.  No weight update, but here is the rest of my information.

Earth rules the entire physical world and all of its manifestations.  To me, Earth represents not only the physiological operations of our bodies, but the physical world around me.  I am remembering what I have learned so far regarding Ayurveda and I am doping my best to choose food and drink that will allow me to not go totally off this Challenge. 

Air rules the mind, the intellect, thinking, and air and the act of breathing and all effects associated with breathing.  I am continuing to be as aware as possible of what I eat and drink, and how they will affect my body and my alertness.  Tough to do while on vacation, but not impossible.

Fire rules passion, courage, the life force and the Will, and movement of all kinds and all effects associated with movement.  I have mostly done my yoga and stretches each morning, and doing lots of  long beach walks.  We are in a beach house; they are built “upside down,” with living space on the second and third floors, so I’ve done lots of stairs. Plus, we spent all day Thursday walking around in Charleston.

Water rules emotions and feelings and all effects associated with emotions and feelings, and for our purposes Water will also be about cleansing, flushing and purifying.  I have been keeping hydrated, and trying to not drink too much alcohol this weekend.  Emotions are no issue this weekend, as I am on vacation, but I am trying to not get so much into a vacation mindset that I end up giving up on my diet.

My clothes still feel loose, and that is a good thing!

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Seven of Cups/Knight of Wands. The Seven of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, obsessive, mysterious) represents the distraction and dissipation that can happen when we are presented with enticing choices. The traditional image of the Seven of Cups shows seven cups, each filled with what appears to be a wonderful gift: the Wreath (Saturn and The World); the Castle (Mars and The Tower), the Woman (Venus and The Empress); the Snake (Mercury and The Magician); the Veil (the Moon and The High Priestess), the Jewels (Jupiter and The Wheel of Fortune), and the Dragon (our Sun and The Sun). The Knight of Wands (cusp of Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling, deep, obsessive, and Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) is a person of passion, courage, enthusiasm and boundless energy.  The energies of this card are strong, confident and powerful, but quick to fade away.  These two just might help each other; I will have a deep connection to feelings but not so deep that I lose touch with reality.

Okay, we had a huge dinner last night, and I did not do too badly.  My downfall was that dinner was late, so I ate more appetizers than I should have.  But, I did get up and walk again on the beach today, and since dinner tonight is a buffet, I will have control.

Our walk was beautiful; the ocean is so lovely and the air is warm.  I am enjoying this time with my friends.

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Two of Cups reversed/The Fool. The Two of Cups (Venus, beauty, allure, relationships, in Cancer, “I feel,” sensitive, family and home oriented, tenacious, moody), is about love and connections, usually about relationships and commonalities.  My Two of Cups is reversed today, and yes, this could be saying that the energies of the day are not condusive to bonding.  But this could be as simple as the fact that my husband is playing golf so I won’t be seeing much of him. The Fool corresponds with Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and challenges that tend to require the use of the intellect to solve), Uranus (technology, science, radical change), Aleph (the head, youthful learning) and the Path between Chokmah (male in the electric sense, dynamic energy and the origin of vital force and polarity) and Kether (the source; limitless possibility).  The Fool approaches life as an adventure and expects that he will succeed.  He is encouraging me to be open to new things today, and to see whatever comes to me as an adventure.  Having The Fool here makes me not worry too much about that reversed Two of Cups.

Today is the second day of my vacation.  Yesterday, we arrived in Murrell’s Inlet, had breakfast, and then headed to Charleston for the day.

What a beautiful city!  We stood by the harbor, looking at Fort Sumter, the place where the Civil War began.  We walked around the city, admiring the architecture and the love oaks, festooned with Spanish moss, and the other plants, trees and flowers.  We walked through the old slave market, which is now an open air mall, and I thought quite a bit about the culture of the pre-Civil War South.

We drove home, walked on the beach a bit, ate dinner, and then I crashed early (since I was up at 4 am!).  And I am very excited that at least for yesterday, I stuck to my Spring Fitness Challenge, except that I did not drink enough water.  That will be rectified today!!

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