Ten of Pentacles/The Empress reversed. The Ten of Pentacles (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is actually a very heavy card, full of inertia. Many people see this card as representing physical world wealth and bounty, and it does represent these things. But it also represents the attempt to maintain the status quo, and the danger with that focus is that it adds to the inertia of being satisfied with what we have. The challenge of the Ten of Pentacles is to **do** something with these riches before they become a ball and chain, and that is the hard part because possessions end up creating inertia. The Empress corresponds with Earth (cold/binds and dry/shapes, and stable, material, practical energies that are slow to change), Venus (beauty, allure, pleasure, relationships), Daleth (door or womb) and the Path between Binah (female receptive energy and the origin of form and structure) and Chokmah (dynamic male energy and the origin of vital force and polarity). She represents creativity, fertility, abundance, the physical body and the pleasures of its senses, and the material world and the workings of Nature. Because this card is reversed and paired with the Ten of Pentacles, I am being reminded that using conservative methods to maintain my hearth and home may work for me. I may be able to refine in a positive manner my methods by instilling a bit of discipline, but I should be wary of becoming concerned with having wealth for wealth’s sake alone rather than using that wealth to create something new.

My Thoth card is the Princess of Swords reversed. The Princess/Page of Swords (Capricorn, “I build,” ambitious, competent, cautious, cunning, Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, society, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, soul growth, spirituality) brings the message of the Ace of Swords (the potential for challenges which can be solved through the use of the intellect and which can offer opportunities for growth) to the day, using the methods of the Queen (in this case, keen perception, alertness, confidence and ethics), but in a less mature way. This Princess always asks “why?” and she can be a bit suspicious or jealous of others. Because this card is reversed, I need to be very careful that I don’t bring cruelty into play today, because it may seem attractive. The karma just isn’t worth it.

My Legacy card is The Tower (eeep!), flavored by the Four of Swords reversed. The Tower corresponds with 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), and it is a card of divine enlightenment. Unfortunately, the revelations associated with this card don’t come easily. Because The Tower is a Fire card, the revelations will be sudden, their effects should be quite sweeping, and there will be intense transformations as a result of the revelations. The Four of Swords (Jupiter, expansiveness and growth, justice, fortune, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) in an upright position tells of the need of some time of rest and recuperation, usually to be brought about by a time of truce or pause or quiet. Because the card is reversed and flavoring The Tower, I see this Four as validating the coming flash of light. **winces** I just hope I am not blinded by it.

My 6-digit date number is 5, the number of motion that gets rid of stagnation. Eeep, again. The Tower and the number 5?? Fasten your seatbelts, folks.
My horoscopes: “The day will be calm and quiet, Sagittarius [Well, let’s hope so!]. You feel strongly about finishing whatever you undertake. You probably have the opportunity to add the final changes to some projects you've been working on. This reorganization will give you some spare time, which will probably enable you to meet some very interesting people.”

And: “The surprising actions of a friend will leave you delighted, albeit a bit confused. The life choices you've been struggling with aren't making the situation any easier to understand, so just let things settle down for a while before having the conversation you want to have. To see a better way to handle your own upcoming challenges, observe the life of a wise friend. There is strong inspiration in the hard-learned lessons of someone you respect and admire.”

Technology: “It's a good time to go over accounts and reconcile as much as possible. With any luck, it should all go smoothly, and you'll be pleased with the results. If you run into snags, put it aside for now. You'll have more clarity in a day or two.”

My Sun reading: “Mercury aspects Jupiter and Pluto, stimulating lively exchanges of potentially successful thoughts. Tonight Venus aspects Uranus, and someone could jump back into your life. Take time deciding if you want to stroll down memory lane. You and your partner could recapture some excitement with this transit.”

I was drawn to learn a bit more about Heraclitus. He just sounds so darned interesting!

My new friend was seen as creating a book that was “a continuous treatise On Nature, [that] was divided into three discourses, one on the universe, another on politics, and a third on theology.” That book was deposited in the Artemisium (temples were used for storing treasures at that time) and acquired enough fame so that it produced followers, called “Heracliteans.” Apparently, the writing style of Heraclitus was somewhat similar to Crowley’s, because he became known as “the riddler”; it was said that he wrote unclearly so that only the “capable” would attempt to read his book. Hmmm . . . I bet Uncle Al would understand that. Heraclitus was also known as the “weeping philosopher,” due to the melancholy that impeded the completion of some of his writings.

Heraclitus considered fire as the most basic element, and believed that the other elements came from fire, and thus all things came from fire. To Heraclitus, the soul was a mixture of fire and water, with fire being the higher or noble part of the soul and water the lower or ignoble part. He felt that we should aim toward becoming more full of fire and less full of water, and so a “dry” soul was best. According to Heraclitus, worldly pleasures made the soul “moist,” and he considered mastering worldly desires to be a noble pursuit which helped to purified the soul’s fire. Sounds similar to the bodily humors.

More on the word, Logos, also. Logos has several definitions: “word,” “account,” “plan,” “formula,” “measure,” “proportion,” and “reckoning” are a few. The Stoics (who believed that destructive emotions would not be suffered by someone of moral and intellectual perfection, and thus, people should not be judged by what they say but rather how they behave) understood it as “the account which governs everything.” In the 3rd century CE, Logos became identified as meaning the Christian Word of God.

I love these side trips on the Tree of Life!! Here is another one: yesterday, I ended my discussion of the 17th Path by referring to The Fates. Here is the promised information.

The Fates are entities/Deities Who predate most Deities; it is not always clear how far and over whom Their powers extend, but in most circumstances, even the Gods are not willing to trifle with The Fates. I found three different versions of The Fates: the Moirae of Greece, the Norns of Norse mythology and the Parcae of the Roman Pantheon.

The Moirae are said to decide an individual’s destiny, length of life, and whether or not that person is predisposed to be evil or good. Clotho is the spinner who spins the thread of life; Lachesis is the measurer who chooses one’s lot in life and who measures off how long that life is going to be; Atropos cuts the thread of life with Her shears at the time of an individual’s death.

The Norns are Goddesses who control the destinies of men and the Gods, and the unchanging laws of the cosmos. Urd governs what has been; Verdandi governs what is, and Skuld governs what is to come. They are said to live at the base of Yggdrasil in the realm of Asgard, and besides controlling destinies, the Norns are also responsible for maintaining the life of Yggdrasil by pouring mud and water from the Well of Fate over its roots. They are also said to give assistance at birth; each person is said to be assigned one of the Norns at birth.

The Parcae, or Tria Fata, are the Roman Pantheon’s version of The Fates. Originally there was only one, Parca, a Goddess of birth who was often said to correspond to the Celtic mother goddesses. Nona, the goddess of the second-to-last month of a woman’s pregnancy who corresponds with Clotho and spins the thread of life, Decima, the Goddess of the last month of a woman’s pregnancy who corresponds with Lachesis and measures the thread of life, and Morta, the Goddess of pain to be endured, death and stillborn children who corresponds with Atropos and cuts the thread of life, are the three Deities that represent the Parcae.

Understanding just who and what The Fates are actually allows me to be aware of Their influences. Maybe some events are non-negotiable, but then again, if I show enough aptitude and desire to better myself, perhaps some modifications can happen. And that is the message of the 17th Path, the Gate of Fate.

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Ten of Pentacles/The Star. The Ten of Pentacles (Mercury, reason, intelligence, education, communication, in Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, work and service oriented) is actually a very heavy card, full of inertia. Because the number 10 tells of the completion of a cycle and the suit is Pentacles, which connects to all things of the physical world, this card tells of the successful accumulation of Earthly riches and blessings. The challenge of the Ten of Pentacles is to **do** something with these riches before they become a ball and chain, and that is the hard part because possessions end up creating inertia. The Star (Air, hot/separates and wet/adapts; Aquarius; Qof, back of head; the Path between Malkuth, the physical world of action and outer, physical reality, and Netzach, the stimulating factors of emotion and inspiration) represents love kindled by hope for humankind. It tells me that the act of giving itself is the greatest gift of all, and since it is paired with that Ten of Pentacles, it is actually giving me some good advice that might overcome the natural inertia that having cool “stuff” brings. The Star is also reminding me that those lovely possessions may be in my hands right now, but they did not come to me solely through my own efforts, so a good first step would be to remember to feel gratitude.

My Thoth card is Adjustment. “Balance against each thought its exact opposite. For the Marriage of these is the Annihilation of Illusion.” Justice is a card of adjustment, and it corresponds with the element of Air (hot/separates and wet/adapts, and quick, animated energy that usually brings problems or challenges that bring growth), Libra (“we are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation), Lamed (ox goad; training or teaching), and the Path between Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify) and Geburah (the place where forms and structures are challenged or affirmed). This card is about cause and effect, balance, trust, order, and about making adjustments in order to achieve balance. Crowley also sees this card as representing the suspension of action while awaiting a decision, which actually makes this card similar to both The Hanging Man and Temperance (which is also in my card throw for today).

My Legacy card is Temperance, flavored by the Ten of Wands reversed. Another balance-focused card. Temperance corresponds with Sagittarius (“I seek,” philosophic, adventurous, blundering), Fire (hot/separates and dry/shapes, and spontaneous, impulsive, energetic change), Samekh (the tent post), and the Path between Yesod (the place where patterns and images emerge that may manifest into the physical world of action and outer reality) and Tiphareth (the hub of the creation process where energies harmonize and focus to illuminate and clarify). It is interesting that a card focused on balance is connected to the element of Fire, but Temperance tells of a dynamic balance that takes effort to maintain (rather than the suspension of effort associated with The Hanging Man, and even Justice). This card is also one of the cards that reminds me that Archangel Uriel is watching. The Ten of Wands (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, blundering) in an upright position tells of the blocking of the creative power of the suit of Wands, most likely because the Fire of creativity has run out of fuel. The upright Ten of Wands is also about being held accountable, about pushing against the current flows of energy, or attempting to do so, beyond the time allotted to accomplish anything. Because the card is reversed, and flavoring Temperance in an upright position, I am being told that my efforts to overcome the opposing flows of energy is successful and I just might be feeling a bit more flexible and powerful.

My 6-digit date number is 9, the number of completeness of manifestation. A good addition to my five cards of the day!

My horoscopes: “Your mind is extra clear today, Sagittarius. Make sure you're helping yourself as well as others. Take care of any tasks that require a great deal of brainpower. You have a tremendous ability to figure out any mental problem. Communicate with confidence. Contact people you haven't heard from in a while. They will be pleasantly surprised to hear from you.”

And: “You have a lot of power over other people today. It might be your charm, it might be your financial influence or it might just be dumb luck. Whatever the reason, you reign supreme right now. Use your position to feed your ego and make yourself more comfortable, but do not let too much of this power go to your head. It is very dangerous for you to push your agenda too hard -- especially right now. Instead, use your power to encourage collaboration.”

Technology: “Your strongest emotions may pop out for a visit, especially if you're frustrated by coworkers or supervisors. Don't let your mood affect your working relationships, but don't just bottle everything up either. Open up when it's appropriate.”

My Sun reading: “The Cancer Solar Eclipse brings light into domestic worlds (and we need all the illumination we can get). Mercury in Leo stimulates lots of conversation about changes. Purposes remain in mind and promises just might be fulfilled. People have little hesitation about speaking their minds in tonight's social scene.”

Last night, after teaching a Tarot Class at Off the Beaten Path, I came home to attend the Pagan Brain Trust’s New Moon Reiki Share, which was particularly awesome this time, and I know why.

Before leaving OBP, Elena showed me some new phantom quartz crystals that she had just gotten in. Phantom quartz crystals are clear crystals containing white or other colored growths within them that look like internal ghost or phantom crystals. I picked up one particularly lovely, very yang (clear) crystal as big as my thumb, and instantly got so dizzy that I almost fell over. It was as if a force shot out of the crystal and into the center of my chest, actually pushing me backwards! Positively woo-woo, I know, and that is not like me, but this really did happen.

Needless to say, that crystal came home with me. I took a few minutes to look at the crystal once I got home, and verified what I had suspected: besides being an incredibly powerful phantom, it was also a dow or transmitter-channeler crystal. Dow crystals combine the abilities of channelers (which bring a connection to higher self, accessing truth and wisdom) and transmitters (which connect to higher wisdom and higher self in order to answer questions), which makes a dow crystal superior for bringing balance and healing on the physical, mental and emotional planes. And what have I been focusing on these past days? Balance! No wonder it punched me in the chest!! This is only the second dow phantom I’ve ever held; the first one (a bit smaller than this one) I purchased and wrapped with copper wire as a protective amulet for Brian.

After learning about my new crystal, I entered the chat room to prepare for our PBT Reiki Share, and instantly knew this crystal needed to be a part of the Share. So I cupped it in my hands, and let me say that the crystal positively buzzed once I initiated the flow of Reiki, so much that the sharp edges of the crystal felt as if they were giving me static shocks! And boy, did my hands get hot!

As I continued to research the 17th Path, I came across some information about a Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE named Heraclitus. Heraclitus is the guy who announced to his fellow philosophers the “everlasting word,” “Logos,” which indicates that all things can be seen as one in at least some way. He felt that opposites are necessary for life, but he also believed those opposites are unified in a system of balanced exchanges. He saw the physical world itself as actually consisting of an eternal interchange of its elements (which he symbolized by the element of Fire and the process of burning). According to Heraclitus, the world is not to be identified with any particular substance or element, but rather with an ongoing process that is governed by a law of change. This is similar to Crowley’s concept of change needing stability and stability needing change in order to exist.

The underlying law of nature also manifests itself as a moral law for human beings. The cool thing about Heraclitus is that he is supposedly the first Western philosopher to go beyond physical theory in search of metaphysical foundations and moral applications.

Heraclitus held extreme views, according to his peers; he felt that (1) everything is constantly changing (the Doctrine of Flux), that (2) opposite things are identical (Unity of Opposites), and thus (3) everything is and is not at the same time. LOL, that sounds positively quantum!! In other words, even stationary things change. Thus, you can step into a river two mornings in a row, and not step into the same river. In fact, your foot would not be the same foot. Although it would be the same foot and the same river. Cool!! If you think about it, it is only because a river flows that a river can exist at all, and it is only because the cells of my body are continuously replacing themselves that I am alive, and thus able to step into that river. Not all change is this obvious, but the point being made here is that varying levels of change make possible the continued existence of other things.

My new friend Heraclitus has another opinion that I agree with. He felt that the world itself (and thus, the Universe) does not have a beginning or end. Parts of it are being consumed by the processes of Fire at any given time, but the whole remains. I also feel that there is no “beginning” of the Universe, before which there was nothing; the “Big Bang” may have happened as a part of the cycle of renewal, but before this current one, there was another, and another.

I will be leaving for Cape May this afternoon; we have a house full of company, and will be attending the fireworks on Sunday night; here’s to no rain on Sunday!!

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