Ace of Pentacles reversed/Ten of Swords.  Aces present potential only, and the Ace of Coins (Aries, “I want,” action oriented, assertive, competitive, Taurus, “I have,” sensual, cautious, stubborn, and Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, dual, social) tells of the presence of potential that is connected in some way to the physical world.  Since my Ace is reversed, I may find that I am not real good at seeing mistakes in the physical world today before they happen.  I may be dealing with difficult food cravings, or maybe will spend more money than I want to. The Ten of Swords (the Sun, the inner core of a person or situation, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, sociable, dual, talkative) is a card of interference, powerlessness and restriction, completely manifested. The issues that may happen which are being hinted at by my reversed Ace of Pentacles may very well affect me more than they should.  I need to remember that even the most uncomfortable situation offers some positive opportunity.

My Thoth card is the Ace of Cups.  The Ace of Cups (Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, deep, mysterious, obsessive, Sagittarius, “I seek,” philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering) tells of the potentials available to me for experiencing deep emotions, a connection to my Inner Voice, compassion for myself or others, attunements and connections.  No matter what happens today, my connection to myself and to those around me will be clear, and thus I should be able to use my emotions and feelings to my own benefit.

My Legacy card is the King of Cups, flavored by **eep** the Three of Swords.  Hokay.  The King of Cups (cusp of Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation, and Scorpio, “I desire,” intense, controlling mysterious, obsessive) is the expert on emotions and the subconscious, mainly because of his life experiences.  He is very good at creating a safe place for everyone, and he can deal with any situation, no matter how extreme, without loosing control or his cool.  The Three of Swords (Saturn, discipline, responsibility, limitations and resistance, in Libra, “We are,” partnerships, balance, cooperation) usually indicates the possibility that logic and the intellect could end up causing harm, or challenging my logic and rationality.  Whatever issue it is that is going to gum up the works today, I need to remember that more often than not, it will be my own inability to prepare that ends up being the catalyst.  The good thing is that even if I am a bit uncomfortable, I will be able to remain serene and productive.

My 6-digit date number is 10, the number that tells of the end of a cycle, which reduces further to 1, the number of potential and position.

My horoscopes: “Communication takes a prominent place in your life today, Sagittarius. Your practical, direct, and down-to-Earth manner can be very impressive. You're known for succeeding where others have failed. This isn't lost on those above you on the hierarchical ladder. And they know that you aren't easily fooled. Expect steady personal and professional progress and a great boost to your self-confidence!”

And: “Do you believe in ghosts? Some strange phone calls, e-mails, or other communications may come your way today. An e-mail may come from someone who thinks you're someone else. Phone calls may involve hang-ups, wrong numbers, or phantom rings. If a knock comes at the door, it's more likely to be the house settling than a ghost, but nonetheless this can all be rather unsettling. Don't bother thinking about it. Stay grounded!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is regarding the Eight of Cups.  This is a lovely card, and it tells me that sometimes the best thing to do is to turn away from the noise and bustle and garish bright lights of the physical world, and to look instead to the dark quiet of the depths of the inner realms.  This card is about Water, and the traditional meaning tells us to walk away, but this version of the Eight of Cups tells me to allow the stresses to be washed away by the flowing waters.

A bit more about the Doshas.  Vata body type is slender; Vata personalities talk and walk quickly, have irregular eating and sleeping habits, and are creative, imaginative, and good at thinking out of the box.  They tend to suffer from colon disorders, nervous system disorders, arthritis, dryness (including skin dryness), and arthritis.  Pittas have bright, colorful eyes and rosy cheeks.  They are intelligent and sharp, but can be judgmental or critical; they are workaholics.  Pittas tend to suffer from ulcers or acid reflux, high blood pressure, migraines and sensitivity to light, and are sensitive to pain.  Kapha body type is heavier, steady, calm and strong; Kapha personalities are supportive, loving, kind and loyal; they like comfort and they like food.  Kaphas are slow to change, but they have a good memory; they tend to be overweight, suffer from high cholesterol, diabetes, hay fever, and congestions or colds. 

Vatas need regular sleeping and eating schedules, lots of water, warm comfort, and more sweet, sour, salty and pungent flavors.  Pittas need to be in bed before 10 pm, they need to avoid pungent spices, and they should refrain from heating their food.  Kaphas need to get up early and exercise, they need to avoid sweet and salty foods, as well as meat, wheat and dairy after sundown.

What Ayurveda teaches us is that we need to learn about and understand our own bodies and how they work.  Then, we can choose our food and drink with awareness, and knowledge of the results of our choices.

Next: The Gunas!

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The Fool/Nine of Cups. 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 encourages me to cultivate new endeavors and tells me that a tiny bit of risk may very well double my pleasure. The Nine of Cups (cusp of Aquarius, “I know,” friendships, the group, cause-oriented, and Pisces, “I believe,” feelings, duality, suffering, soul growth) is about emotional satisfaction and the ability to find pleasure in my feelings and in my expectations for the day.  My Llewellyn Welsh Nine of Cups tells of nourishment, fertile surroundings, luck and romance.  These two cards together are incredibly optimistic.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Swords.  “Cruelty” is Crowley’s keyword for this card, which fell out of the deck while I was shuffling so I put it back in, and threw it anyway. So I guess it is important. The Nine of Swords (Mars, action, spontaneity, aggression, in Gemini, “I think,” curious, talkative, social, dual) represents brooding and worrying, usually self-caused, and usually unproductive.  I am being told that I may very well be setting myself up to be a slave to stress.  I don’t see this as being a part of my day, at least not in an obvious way.  Perhaps I am being told by this card to be a bit less serious.

My Legacy card is the Nine of Cups (again!), flavored by the Ace of Wands. The Legacy of the Divine Nine of Cups tells of material happiness.  The Gateway to the Divine mentions the correspondence of the Nine of Cups and wishes; however, while this card usually indicates that we will get our wish, it also warns us that we need to be very careful what we wish for, because that is exactly what we will get.  This card also reminds us that we should focus on the bounty we already have instead of wishing for the things we don’t have.  The Ace of Wands (Leo, “I am,” passionate, dramatic, egotistical, Virgo, “I serve,” practical, analytical, sensible, orderly) tells of the presence of inspiration that could very well bring creativity and passion into my life.  Perhaps that is what I should be wishing for, and manifesting!

My 6-digit date number is 8, the number that tells of a conscious response to the beginning of degeneration presented by the number 7 in order to maintain for a bit longer the balance of the number 6.

My horoscopes: “An opportunity to travel to a place you've always wanted to visit, perhaps for business reasons, could come your way today, Sagittarius. This could be very exciting, but you might have some difficulty making the arrangements. Flights could be full, hotels too costly, and responsibilities at home might need attention. But you can find a way to deal with any obstacle. Think creatively and get busy!”

And: “Don't listen to gossip today. Whatever rumors are spreading are likely to be based on false assumptions, and are totally outside reality. Yet someone around you who loves to talk has a way of being very convincing! Take everything you hear that you can't immediately verify with a grain of salt - if not the whole shaker. There's definitely something rotten going on. Avoid it like the plague!”

My Shadowscapes Insight is the Ten of Pentacles.  Wow, this card is showing up often.  It tells me that sticking to the rules, being focused, and doing what I’m supposed to do on a regular basis is the recipe for success.  This card is about enjoying affluence and bounty, and about using this bounty as a starting point to manifesting my vision of the future into reality.

Within my efforts to maintain increased Elemental/Metabolic Discipline (and the maintenance of the Fermentation process, which is already underway), I have begun to study a bit of ayurvedic medicine.  Ayurveda presents three body humors that make up the physical and subtle body, the balance of which brings health and well being.  The three doshas are called Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  According to Wikipedia, they are defined as follows: “Vata is the impulse principle necessary to mobilize the function of the nervous system. It affects the windy humor, flatulence, gout, rheumatism, etc.  Pitta is the bilious humor, or that secreted between the stomach and bowels and flowing through the liver and permeating spleen, heart, eyes, and skin; its chief quality is heat. It is the energy principle which uses bile to direct digestion and hence metabolism into the venous system.  Kapha is the body fluid principle which relates to mucous, lubrication and the carrier of nutrients into the arterial system.”

The Joyful Belly website describes them as follows: “Vata, Pitta, and Kapha mean small, medium and large. More deeply dosha describes three basic patterns of how we use energy. Vata spends energy. Pitta manages it. Kapha stores it. Dosha also predicts how the body responds to change. For example, Kapha and Vata rise in response to cold temperature. Pitta rises in response to hot temperature.”

Everyone has all three doshas within their body and persona, at different levels.  There are lists of considerations to be pondered in order to determine which of the three is the primary influence on each of us.  But the interesting thing is that by determining the strength of influence of each of the doshas, I can determine what foods to eat when, what exercises to do when, what to bring into my life and what to avoid.  I wonder if this could be a valuable assistance to my efforts . . . .

More to follow.

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