Four of Wands reversed/Death reversed. Today is not a day for pausing or for taking the time to examine the foundation being built, for if I pause, the cement may set the wrong way. I need to keep the creative process moving, and I need to remind myself that the process of letting go of things that are used up or no longer applicable is **not** the one I should be interfering with. Endings are not events to be feared, for endings always clear the way for new beginnings.

My Thoth card is The Empress reversed. Connecting with the senses and all that is creative can be a good thing; however, any extremes associated with this concept, whether regarding too much or too little connection, will hot help the situation. I need to strive to balance this connection to creativity and Nature today so that I have a sufficient amount of this energy but not too much, and I need to remember that my tendencies will be to extremes rather than to balance.

My Legacy card is the Knight of Cups reversed. This card warns me of the one danger of dealing with the presence or absence of extreme emotions: indifference. Getting fed up and then turning my back on all emotions is not the way to go today. This Knight of Cups reversed is telling me that extremes are not going to work, but it is also telling me that walking away is an extreme as well, and will cause more harm than good.

My horoscopes: “The day should be very calm, and you will be able to focus on projects that you neglected recently. Indeed, today you are able to bring things up to date. You may end up spending a very hectic day tying up loose ends. But you should also consider thinking about your private life. Indeed, you need to pay more attention your friends and family members.”

And: “Your visionary tendencies are in the ascendant today, dear Sagittarius, though they take more of a practical bent than a mystical one. You might look at your living room or your backyard and suddenly find yourself redecorating it in your mind's eye. If you've wanted to start some sort of long-term project to improve your surroundings, this is the day to get started. You'll not only attain your vision; you may surpass it. Have fun!”

Reversals seem to be the key to the day, and I need to focus on what is **not** flowing rather than what is flowing, but not too much.

This morning was one of those mornings filled with minor distractions that attempted to focus my attention toward the physical world. One thing I have realized consciously since Saturday is that I feel better, more balanced, more healthy, and more **alive** when I am either seeing the Machinery of the Universe or remembering the sensation of that sight. When I am consciously aware of the background energy (the combination of the purest of Sacred Feminine and the purest of Sacred Masculine that is the emanation of the catalyst that creates life), my mind, my emotions, my spirit and my body all seem to hum with efficiency. I feel strong and ready, poised for the next experience of the day.

However, when I am distracted, I lose my grasp of this energy. It is almost like being distracted by carrying something heavy, and tripping over the wire that plugs in the lamp and in the process, plunging the room into darkness. It is interesting to me how easily I am shut off from that active give and take of background energy. Why is this? I am not just a physical entity; so why does this inertia take control so easily? And this is Inertia with a capital “I”! In a blink of an eye I seem to withdraw into my physical body, and it takes much more effort to reach back out and reconnect to the background energy.

I could understand this happening if my physical body was in some kind of danger. Being stalked by a predator would logically cause the mind to turn all of its focuses and abilities toward surviving. But this is not about danger and surviving danger, it is about slipping back into stagnation.

Yes, sitting still on the couch is easy. But there is so much pleasure to be had from motion, from knowing that my muscles are strong and healthy because they are well used. Shutting down my awareness is easy. But there is so much fulfillment from being “awake” and in the “now,” rather than going through each day on automatic pilot. Not searching one’s inner self in order to discern Deity is easy. But the human psyche is incredibly complex and fascinating, and belief and Will could very well be creating my reality, so how could I allow them to operate without being a part of that creation?

Yes, I am a physical being, existing in a physical world. But I also have a mind, a mind which is able to overcome the constraints of the body, a mind which is able to travel through the vastness of its world, and a mind which is able to affect the physical self and the physical world. My lesson for today is that exercising the mind is just as important as exercising the body. I do my dance stretches every morning, I brush and floss my teeth, I take my tonics and tinctures, all in the name of maintaining physical health and balance. The mind and emotions and spirit also need active and deliberate care in order to flourish; otherwise we end up with a couch potato psyche.

I threw four reversed cards today. Perhaps I need to remember that it is resistance that strengthens our muscles. I am being gifted today with resistance in order to exercise my mind, my psyche, my Will. I am grateful for the gift.

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The Hanged Man/Queen of Cups reversed. Today I need to attempt to find strength from vulnerability. Somehow I get the feeling that I am being told not to fear surrender, for the act of surrendering takes courage and self-confidence. Sometimes anticipation of injury can be more frightening than the actual injury itself, and I am being told to **not** listen to the self-preserving voices within me that are urging me to actively protect myself; rather I should go with the flow in order to determine which way the wind is blowing.

My Thoth card is the Ace of Cups. The Holy Grail; love conquers all, and love heals all.

My Legacy card is The World reversed. In an upright position, this card indicates that, while at the beginning of the Journey I saw through naïve eyes, I am now seeing the world through more learned eyes and my mind has been able to add details and texture to my understanding of life. The card is reversed, which tells me that I am not quite there yet, but the card is there.

I am still pondering the insights I received on Saturday. I am also taking advantage of the transformation from the Dark Moon to the beginnings of the New Moon (which occurred at 1:33 am Sunday morning) and its waxing energies to achieve new understanding. As I drove home from Cape May last night, through the Fall beauty of the salt meadows ringed with forests, I began to think about the background energy that had become so apparent to me since my workings with Archangel Uriel. That background energy used to be the merest whisper that often faded away behind the noises of life, however after the traumatic deaths and rebirths that occurred during my workings with Uriel, that background energy had become a roar, kind of like standing next to a waterfall. Sometimes I could hear individual fluctuations, but all the time I could feel the vibrations of that energy filling my core. I could temporarily push the vibrations into the background if I needed a moment of peace to focus elsewhere, but all I had to do was consider calling it back and there it was, filling me and surrounding me.

After thinking a bit about the concept of the interaction between the purest of active and outer energies with the purest of passive and inner activities as the catalyst that created the seeds of life, I realized that this background energy was already a mixture of active and passive energies; the energies I was feeling were those that had already been through the explosive instant of joining. It was as if I was looking at the color green, and gradually moving closer to it. From afar I could not see the components of the color green, but if I moved close enough I could see that this green was actually made of a certain amount of the primary colors of yellow and blue, a certain ratio of particles of each. This energy that I feel contains the particles of yellow and the particles of blue, and I need to examine it more closely in order to experience the purest forms of the two opposite types of energy that are Deity. How do I do this?

I think one step is to begin to be aware of the events that are mimics of this Big Bang. LOL, yes some theories ascribe the creation of the Universe as this Big Bang, but the scientific theory assumes that until this vast and massive explosion the Universe was empty. To me, the Universe always existed and was never empty, rather it contained and still contains currents and swirls of three basic types of energy: the purest of active and outer-focused (masculine) energy, the purest of passive and inner-focused (feminine) energy, and different combinations of the two. This is almost like taking a large tub of hot water and pouring into the tub a smaller container of cold dye, and then giving everything one stir. The result would be areas of cold and pure dye, areas of hot and pure water, and areas of warm water-dye of varying diluted strengths.

Do we see the microcosmic imitations of the macrocosmic combination? Yes! Sex is the most obvious example, but I can visualize the hot vents in the depths of the Pacific Ocean that are ringed with life forms, or the bursting open of a milkweed seed pod and the resulting expulsion of little parachutes that carry each seed away. I can visualize the mixing of the egg and the milk with the pancake mix and the stirring that creates the batter; and then the pouring of the batter onto a hot griddle and the pancake resulting from the combination of batter and heat. All of these examples off the top of my head involve combinations.

Perhaps as I become aware of the effects of the combinations, I may gradually come to see and know and understand the ingredients. Perhaps this is the next step in my evolution. I know that Deity exists for I have met them. I understand the workings of the results of the combination of the purest of opposing essences that is Deity. Maybe now, it is time to go back to the source. Maybe now, it is time for me to once again take that step to leave the little pond where I was a big fish and enter a new and bigger pond, where I will be little.

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Ten of Pentacles/King of Cups reversed. Today I may be thinking about the gifts that I have, and what I would like to do with those gifts. I have learned from Crowley that wealth has a tendency to gain inertia as it is compiled and socked away. If we hoard too much of it, or if we don’t force ourselves to create something else with this wealth, the same way that fertile soil sprouts new life whether we seed it ourselves or allow it to sprout naturally, stagnation ensues. I need to allow myself to listen to the needs of others and I need to prevent myself to become ambivalent towards the energy flows around me, and to my own Inner Voice; with connection to and awareness of the world around me, stagnation will never happen.

My Thoth Card is the Five of Swords. Crowley calls this card Defeat because the energies associated with this Five of Swords is not sufficient to maintain the truce attained by a balance of power that is the Four of Swords. There is the potential for a quarrel today of some kind, but perhaps if I keep in mind the messages of the other cards, I will be able to use the energy of the conflict to clear the air and allow new balance to appear.

My Legacy card is the Ten of Swords. This card actually shows what happens when we allow the complete victory of the intellect that is represented by the Nine of Swords. All has been killed, and with way more than enough application of Will. This could be my own fault, and I need to be certain that I am not focusing so much on challenges that I loose sight of the calm and peace that are also present.

What an interesting 24 hours I have had. I spent yesterday connected with the energies around the Sacred Mists First Degree Initiation Ritual, which took place yesterday afternoon, and connected to the thoughts and ideas that are always the manifestation of the union of separate and complete beings that is a Pagan Brain Trust meeting. All this came to a head as I crossed over the Driscall Bridge and headed into the salt marshes around the Raritan River. I put on some nice drum meditation music, and allowed myself to connect with my subconscious as I drove past the greens and yellows and oranges and browns and blues along the Parkway.

Almost instantly, Danu appeared to me; she hugged me and kissed my brow in welcome. She had a message for me, a topic to ponder: fear. She explained to me that I needed to think about fear, because it was fear alone that would hold me back in this life. Not inability, not lack of skills, not insufficient power, but fear. Danu explained that she was not encouraging me to be foolhearty by any means, but rather She was encouraging me to overcome fear and to not allow fear to prevent me from experiencing whatever this life presents to me.

I understood exactly what Danu was referring to, for I was driving down to Cape May to spend the rest of the weekend alone in our cottage, planning to sleep in the back bedroom to see if Miss Pauline joined me again, without the reassurance of knowing that there were other live, physical people also in the house. To add to the Halloween-like atmosphere of the weekend, we are in the middle of a nor’easter storm, with wind-driven rain, stormy gusts that will be pelting the windows with leaves and twigs at unexpected moments throughout the night. LOL, not an issue in broad daylight, but I find that I am easily freaked out during the depths of night when I hear strange noises. Danu was encouraging me to trust myself, and to trust my ability to protect myself.

She then leaned Her face close to mine, and for a moment I was lost in Her intense blue eyes; then She leaned down and kissed me on the mouth. A jolt of power shot through me, as if there was a live electrical wire along the inside of my spine. This was the second time Danu had kissed me on the mouth, the first being during a Full Moon Esbat. This was not a sexual kiss, and neither was the first one, although part of my response both times was sexual because the energy She gave to me woke up all of my senses, every one. Then, she was gone; leaving me to my thoughts.

As I drove, I thought about that jolt of energy, and I thought about the fact that I sensed Her energy from deep within me. I realized that what She had sent through me was energy of the Sacred Feminine, and the energy that I felt from Cernunnos (who has never kissed me) seemed to affect me more toward the surface of my skin, with manifestations that were more “of the senses” and represented the Sacred Masculine. Not only did I have both energies within me along with the ability to sense them both, but I could access either or both, if I chose to. At this point, I knew that I was going to be emailing a copy of this journal entry to Mystery, for Mystery has an uncanny ability to connect with and manifest the energies that are Sacred Masculine, not male energies in a gender sense, but active and outer, and she easily manifests her Will through the Sacred Masculine.

I thought for a while about these equal yet opposite forces that I see as sacred. It was only natural, as I drove along and viewed the glory and beauty that is the Pine Barrens and salt marshes of the East coast of New Jersey and the effects of the Fall and the cycle of the year upon Nature, that I brought my thoughts less toward my specific issues and more toward the dynamic balance of equal yet opposite energies that is Deity. It was then that I had an “Aha!” moment, one of those earth shattering awarenesses that one of the Pagan Brain Trust members calls an “information download from the Cosmic interface” and that I see as a momentary awareness of the Machinery of the Universe.

For about an hour, it seemed as if all was clear. The Universe was made of energy, and that energy was either male or female, yin or yang, active or passive, outer or inner, emitting or receiving. Whenever those opposing forces connected, the resulting burst of energy, exploding like the effect of uniting matter and anti-matter, created the seeds of life. All life. All kinds of life, from rocks and stones and crystals to the higher entities we know as angels and guides and Goddess and God. Nothing stupendously new here, folks, but all of a sudden I felt the rightness of these ideas down to my core. I understood how they work, and why they work.

The next step was a natural one for me today. I began to think about those opposing forces and the concepts of “good” and “evil.” Yes, I understand very well the concept of power being neutral, and of the power of intent to shape power towards good or evil, but today I really understood that any entity who uses power for good or evil is just that, an entity, not a god. That means evil entities can be overcome, as can good entities of course. But somehow understanding with my core that it is not the energy or the life force of the entity that is good or evil, but instead it is the intentions that are infused into the energy by the Will of the entity that are good or evil is empowering. Typing that here, crystallizing the concept enough to memorialize it here, is empowering.

My words are not coming close to describing what I experienced, for I experienced these concepts not in words or even images, but rather I experienced them in feelings within me, through dissonances that shifted slightly to become harmonies and thus made connections within me. I feel as if I have tapped into something here. LOL, J, I may end up emailing you and asking you to read this blog entry, too.

Knowledge is power, fer sher, but we can’t just have the knowledge. We have to wear it, like a new pair of shoes, until the knowledge conforms to our individual mind, body and spirit, so that our “astral antibodies” don’t reject the information or destroy it or see it as dangerous. I think I am being told that I must once again face my fears; it is only by facing them that I can defeat them. And LOL, my Shadow Work with Mystery tells me this as well.

“Astral antibodies” . . . hmmmm, J, what do you think?

One of the things I planned on doing when I got here was my yearly clean-and-protect spell, which I do every year at some point just before or just after Samhain. Especially because I plan on sleeping in the back bedroom tonight to see if Miss Pauline is still in the mood for company, and as I am alone in the house (and I am needing to deal with my fears), I decided this was the weekend to spiritually cleanse any negativity and protect the house.

My spell was simple, but I think the simplicity added to the fact that it was not choreographed makes it powerful. I got a cup, put some kosher salt into it, and blessed the salt in the name of Earth. I then lit some incense and allowed the fragrance to move into the cup and blessed the spell in the name of Air. I then lit a sunflower scented tealight and allowed the heat and fragrance to fill the cup and blessed the spell in the name of Fire. I then poured water into the cup and blessed the spell in the name of Water. On the way out of the house in Hackensack, I broke off a small sprig of the nightshade that grows inside the yew by the door (the one on the right side, power); I dropped this sprig into the cup and declared that this brew would repulse negativity. Then, I broke off a small piece of the sap you sent me, and declared my authority to perform this cleansing and protecting ritual.

I blessed the brew in the name of the Goddess and God, and then stirred it 9 times in a clockwise direction to attract the good, 9 times in a counterclockwise direction to repel the not-so-good, and 9 times clockwise to empower the brew.

I then went to each room in the house, starting with the attic. I sprinkled some of the brew into each corner, starting with the North, saying each direction out loud and connecting with my Elemental Guardians, plus sprinkled above and below (saying the words). Then I said out loud something similar to "In the names of the Goddess and God, I declare that all entities who are negative or who have ill intent must leave now! All who are here in the name of love and with harm to none may stay. This house is attractive to love, and repulsive to harm, and protected. So mote it be!"

I repeated this in each room, and then I went outside and walked around the house, sprinkling the brew along the perimeter of the house. Again I stated my intentions out loud. I finished the working by lighting several more sunflower scented tealights, and in honor of Miss Pauline and all who lived in this house before, I put some "African Spa" oil into my simmerer.

The whole house is toasty warm because I have the fireplace lit, and the fragrance of the candles and the oil are throughout the house as well.

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Five of Wands/Nine of Pentacles. This could be a day of minor irritations, but the solution is easy: be disciplined and take the high road, no matter what. After all, I cannot control or prevent the bumps in the road that appear on my Journey today, only my reaction to those bumps.

My Thoth card is the Knight of Disks reversed. In an upright position, Crowley sees this card as bringing a great and overpowering focus onto physical matters. However, there is absolutely no emotion thrown into this effort at all. Because it is reversed, I am being reminded that balance is important today, and encouraged to believe that I can attain that balance.

My Legacy card is the Nine of Swords. In the wee hours of the morning, thoughts and nightmares take on a power that is easily dispelled by the dawn’s light. I need to remember today that my doubts are empowered by my own belief in their validity.

Pagan Brain Trust was awesome, as always. Our discussions are incredible, and I just love the way we validate each other!!

Today is the Sacred Mists First Degree Initiation; unfortunately I will not be there because the ritual is at 4:30 Eastern. I am very close to several of those being Initiated, and even though I am not attending the ritual, I have been sending energy and Reiki throughout the day. I remember my Initiation Ritual as if it was yesterday, even though it was over four years ago.

Congratulations to the newest Initiates of the Coven of the Sacred Mists!

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The Lovers/Ace of Cups. Duality and the connection between complete and opposite forces are in my thoughts today, as well as any emotional or psychic response to this union that creates.

My Thoth card is the Nine of Disks reversed. In an upright position, this tells of satisfaction, but also of the danger of satisfaction to transform into stagnation. Because it is reversed, I am being told that I am not focusing on either the concepts or the potential for this damaging transformation; wake up and all will be well.

My Legacy card is the Four of Wands. This card tells me to celebrate because I have, through hard work, created a wonderful foundation.

Horoscope: “A group activity could lead to discussions of famous unsolved mysteries, dear Sagittarius. Jack the Ripper, the Black Dahlia, the truth about OJ Simpson, and other intriguing problems might capture the interest of everyone present and might lead to some animated debates over possible solutions. You might want to make mental notes of the ideas everyone comes up with. Each possible solution could tell you a lot about the person proposing it!”

And: “Lots of people are curious about what makes you tick, so it won't be hard to find someone to talk to. When you want to bond with other people, share common topics. Connect by talking about the human experience -- you know, 'Why are we here?' and 'What's my purpose in life?' If you've been wanting to broach concerns surrounding romance and finance, this is a great day to discuss marriage, a promotion or a pay raise. You might even want to fess up. Whether it's good or bad, get it off your chest.”

This all makes sense to me because the Pagan Brain Trust is scheduled to meet tonight. I am looking forward to this because we are to talk about alchemy. I can’t wait to hear what the others have to say about this.

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Six of Cups/Three of Pentacles reversed. Today I may find that my focus is on the past, and the good times that give the past a rosy glow, rather than on today and on working hard in order to bring a prosperous future.

My Thoth card is the Three of Pentacles. Crowley calls this card “The Lord of Work,” and it is about creating. After all, the number 3 creates something new out of the energies of the Ace and the manifestation of the 2, and the suit of Pentacles is in part about creation and fertility.

My Legacy card is the Six of Swords. I had this card on Friday; another day of weaving my way carefully around the obstacles of the swords, with confidence and with eyes forward and looking into the future rather than focusing on the obstacles at my feet. Those two Three of Pentacles cards kind of erase much of the effects of the suit of Pentacles, which leaves me Cups and Swords, Water and Air, and the number 6, which tells of horizontal and vertical balance. I see that it is going to be an interesting day.

We had a great weekend! The weather was beautiful, and I got a lot of the Fall cleanup done outside. I am really pleased with the amount of work that I got done. We went out to dinner to Union Park on Saturday night, and had a lovely meal.

The most exciting thing about the entire weekend for me was that I interacted with Miss Pauline!! Two explanations are necessary here.

First, I am not a natural medium; I can open myself to “ghosts” during the time that the Veil is thin, but I do not get detailed messages, and I cannot choose who I communicate with.

Second, our Cape May cottage has a ghost, per my sister in law, my niece and my dance partner, all of whom are natural mediums. Actually, my dance partner tells me that there is a second ghost in the attic, but he does not come down. But we have a ghost who is a little old black woman who pretty much hangs out in the back bedroom. She will not come downstairs (not more than a step or two so she can peak down into the living room). I described her to a neighbor who has lived on the street for almost 50 years, and the neighbor knew just who it was, so we even have a name for our ghost, Miss Pauline. Friday night, once hubby started snoring, I grabbed my pillow and an extra blanket and moved into the back bedroom. I curled up on my right side, with my back to the room, and wrapped myself in the blanket and fell back to sleep.

I came half awake when I felt my blanket being pulled off of me. I vaguely remember yanking the blanket back, only to have it pulled again as I started falling back to sleep. Again I pulled the blanket around me only to have it tugged. Then, I felt someone sit on the bed. I actually opened my eyes and looked to see if Bob or my mother in law had come into the bedroom, the sensation of someone sitting on the bed was so real.

I curled up again, and started to doze off, only to have the blanket tugged again. This time when Miss Pauline sat down, I could feel her leaning against my hip. All of these sensations were incredibly real.

I am embarrassed to say that I was quite irritable with Miss Pauline. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 3:30, and then told her in no uncertain terms that I was tired and she needed to let me sleep. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I lay there for a bit, remembering, and I was embarrassed. All this time I wished that I could experience more than just the sense of her presence; finally it happened and I pretty much told her to go away and leave me alone. I sat on the bed and spoke out loud to Miss Pauline, apologizing for my irritability.

Saturday night, as usual hubby began buzzing, so I moved into the back bedroom and fell asleep with my back to the room. Sure enough, the exact same thing happened. Someone pulled at my blanket with a steady and very real pressure until I surfaced out of the realms of sleep, and then I felt someone sit on the bed, right up against my hip. I was careful to not open my eyes (because she disappeared when I did that the night before), and I smiled and whispered her name out loud, and thanked her for coming back. I fell back to sleep filled with a cozy and safe feeling.

Again, these sensations were startlingly real and intense, and I have never experienced anything like this before. If it had only happened the one night, I would have assumed that I dreamed it, but the same thing happened both nights. I did not open my eyes because when I looked around that first night, the sensations faded away, so I do not know if there was anything to see along with the sensations. But the second night, as long as my eyes were closed and I lay still, I could feel Miss Pauline leaning against me. How incredible is that??

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Three of Pentacles reversed/Seven of Swords. Today may not be a difficult day work-wise, but there are some hidden agendas that may have a blocking effect within my physical world. Perhaps this is not a day of “security through convention,” and I am better off “dazzling ‘em with fancy footwork” because then I will be using unexpected methods to get the job done.

My Thoth card is the Princess of Cups. Well, Thoth equals Court Cards for me, apparently. This one tells me that I will be able to get through my day appearing outwardly serene and unaffected, yet my inner self will be completely involved in every one of my senses.

My Legacy card is the Six of Swords. What I love about this card is that even though the boat is traveling through the dark and appears to be weaving its way carefully around the obstacles of the swords, the woman in the image is standing in the bow of the boat, proud and confident, eyes forward and looking into the future rather than focusing on the obstacles at her feet. Great advice for the day.

My horoscope: “It's a good day for you, dear Sagittarius, to put some of those creative ideas to work. Pull out your favorite craft supplies and have some fun exploring color and design. If you have children, consider including them in on the activities. It may amaze you to listen to the incredible ideas and innovative thoughts your own kids have that you never thought of. If you don't have an "idea box" where old bottles, egg cartons, odd buttons, ribbons, and scraps of colored paper can collect for times like this, start one today!”

And: “Physically, you should be feeling especially energetic and full of stamina. Reading, or sitting behind a desk, won't go well for you today. You're likely to be feeling restless and rather antsy. This is the perfect day to go for an all-day workout, or participate in sports. At some point you may feel exhausted, but that will pass. You'll get your second wind soon: In the evening: Go out to a movie, concert or play.”

We head down to Cape May tonight; I can’t wait. We didn’t go down last weekend, and I am experiencing severe withdrawal.

I am going to begin working on a list of my skills. They are:

Typical secretarial skills: Microsoft Word XP, EDGAR filings, corporate and securities work, past experience with real estate purchases, foreclosures. A side skill that is effective: grammar and punctuation nazi.

Tarot: I have been reading Tarot cards (live readings as well as internet and chat room readings, within private venues and public forums) for over five years, and teaching for over four years. My teaching experience includes regular beginner’s classes, as well as regular workshops regarding individual cards, the Court Cards, numerology, archetypes and the Tarot, Aces, card pairs, and spread construction, to name a few.

Reiki: I have received attunements through Master level, have been giving Reiki treatments, both in person and distance, for over three years, and have given attunements up to the level of Reiki II.

Sacred Movement: I have been performing and choreographing belly dance for over 25 years, and teaching belly dance for over 15 years. I have also taught classes and workshops focusing on sacred movement in general, and on the workings of the human personal energy field, including channels or meridians, auras and chakras.

Yesterday morning, while doing my usual morning meditation, Danu came to me. I could tell that She was not just there to give me a hug, and so I asked her what She needed to tell me. She said, “It is time to take the next step.” I told Danu that I was ready for that next step, whatever it was. She proceeded to challenge me!

Danu explained that I had gotten better at stopping my judgment of others, and I had gotten real good at preventing a focus on negative things and on cleaning the aftereffects of those negative focuses out of my aura when one snuck in under my defenses. She praised me for one part of the process that I had recently initiated: when someone cuts me off or acts with rudeness, instead of getting angry, I visualize a perfect rose, cut from a rose bush, with a few healthy leaves but all thorns cut from the stem, and I send the visualization of this rose to the rude person with the intent that whatever is initiating the distraction or rudeness is eased so that this person is happier. Danu explained to me that while these skills are useful and necessary, they are defensive in nature. They are a reaction to the actions of others.

Now, She explained, the time has come for me to choose to act, not to react. I need to send serenity and balance and peace into my aura so that I leave a residue of these emotions behind, wherever I go. There is a benefit to this because in doing so, I will be changing my personal environment to be more serene, more balanced and more peaceful. I need to actively open myself to the messages and symbolism of such things as the Tarot. I need to not only accept the messages, but I need to share them with those who need to know them.

I must act, and I must act with confidence. Not as an authoritarian ruler whose commands must be obeyed, but rather to offer positive effects to others so that if they choose to, they may absorb them. I must also take actions with confidence because these actions are like seeds being sprinkled onto the soil under the leaves of orange and yellow and red and brown. Those seeds will rest quietly, protected, through the quiet of the cold and dark, and when the time is right, they will burst forth with life; I have only to believe and to act with quiet authority.

Take the next step. Act. Believe.

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