13 December 18: Three of Wands & The Magician

It’s what you’ve waited for. Prepared for, worked towards and dreamed of. Here it is, basically. Or it’s on its way in the form of someone who has the power to take your precious idea, vision or creation and make sure the whole world knows about it.

The 3 of Wands or Clubs (that ever-burning suit of Fire, Leo/Sagittarius/Aries) is a very creative card, and 3 is a very ‘fertile’ number. This is often called ‘The Writer’s Card’ because creation can be an intense process. Of course no matter what you invent, write or create, it’s your ‘baby’, born of your own imagination, inspiration, blood, sweat and tears.

This human has done as well as he or she can on their own and dreams of expansion, of taking it to another level, and of a wider audience for their work or products.  Traditionally described as a Merchant who stands on tall ground looking out over the ocean, ‘waiting for his ship to come in’, he or she is also very future-minded in that creators live for nothing but that next ‘spark’ of inspiration or new idea. The pondering human, already having planted one of 3 straight, strong, sprouting branches – it looks like a promising start – wonders when and where he should plant another. Should he invest more energy where he is or should he explore and expand? When his ship does come in, of course, he has all kinds of plans. Doesn’t everybody? Well, you know what? And you won’t believe this:

The f****** ship is coming in!

To the right and coming up from behind is the mighty Magician – the human doesn’t even even know he’s there.  Someone special is working behind the scenes to your benefit, and may very well offer to go in and go big with whatever it is you’re doing. This is a marketing genius, and knows whatever it is you’re doing could be and should be massive. He smells money.

In any case, the brakes are off and communications are a go and could take on an almost magical quality, almost as if you are where you always wanted to be, and it’s way, way better than you even dreamed it would be. IRL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 December 18: Knight of Wands & Eight of Swords

Mission: Impossible. Maybe for anyone else, but not for this fearless, fiery Knight of Wands or Clubs, he or she of the suit of Fire (Leo/Sagittarius/Aries). Today I’m noticing our passionate, swashbuckling hero could be a heroine, which is good, because the woman of the Eight of Swords, the card of imprisonment and limitation, needs one. She’s been stuck there for awhile, all tied up in ropes, blindfolded, the 8 long steel swords surrounding her like prison bars, waiting for someone to save or free her. I think her moment may be coming, but her ‘Knight in Shining Armor’ may be his or her own self.

The cold, harsh 8 of Swords (Libra/Gemini/Aquarius) is someone restricted – heavily restricted, and Swords being of the mind, well, sometimes it’s all in the mind. What are our limitations or restrictions and who put them there? Serious Saturn rules this card, someone feels trapped or stuck, and has given up looking for a way out. I don’t get the feeling that this human is entirely responsible for whatever their problems are today, but  the spaces between the ‘bars’ are big enough to drive a truck through, so the worry-to- problem ratio is making it worse. His or her stressful state of mind is dark and confused, blocking any idea, solution or constructive thought. He or she can’t see their way out of their situation, or couldn’t until now.

The charging, brash, impetuous Knight of Wands cannot easily be held down or back and doesn’t stay anywhere for very long. He loves the damsels in distress, though, that’s his m.o. This is often the card of a fireman,  the salamander emblazoned on his yellow glove believed in olden tymes to be fireproof. I do not believe this is true.

This is someone in your life who is never dull – the life of the party. Lights up the room, tells good stories (which are all true) and probably knocks over a few things on the way out but he is a Knight, and there is nothing he won’t do. He’ll charge in while the other Knights are still in their meeting discussing it. He doesn’t always wait for a plan, to hell with a plan! Let’s do this!

I’m no astrologer but I watch and read a lot of them and I know there are all kinds of fireworks going on up there right now that are bound to shake things up for at least some people, I’m sure. The fact that this Knight who I’ve seen so many times strikes me as female today and the fact that we’ve just been catapulted into ‘light a fire under it’ Sagittarius, I  think this energy is just what someone needed to ‘break free’ out of a useless, paralyzing state of worry. Timing is everything.

Whatever has been holding this poor soul back, dragons real or imagined, are being slayed. He or she will be soon be free, it seems, thanks to this daring, brave, Knight.

Channel your inner Knight of Wands, Dorothy.

11 December 18: The Lovers & Six of Coins

Love or money? With mad respect and admiration for my fellow readers, I do not use the terms ‘soul mate’ or ‘twin flame’. But of course now that I’ve said that, they’ll probably be the next words out of my mouth. To me, those terms are about as fantastical and realistic as ‘Prince Charming’ or ‘Dream Girl’. Granted, I have not researched these terms, I do not resonate with them,  I feel they are dehumanizing and unrealistic. Cards and hate mail to P.O. Box 1053 JT CA 92252. I do, however, very much resonate with the word Grok.  Too many planets in earthbound Virgo, I guess.

The Lovers, ruled by the astrological sign of Gemini, the Twins, is a very big deal. An old name for this card, #6 of the Major Arcana, was ‘The Choice’, the image being of a human standing between two other humans as cupid hovers over, arrow cocked in his bow, ready to make the choice for the waffling, confused lover. The Karmic #6 means that this decision has lifelong repercussions. There’s a major fork in the road. Which will he choose? In another image there are only 2 people on the card, who have made their choice, and it is not a fat little cherub but an angel who hovers over blessing the union, so we assume these lovers have made the right decision in choosing each other. My daily Morgan-Greer deck shows simply 2 people standing naked in a lush garden surrounded by calla lilies. Passionate and sexy, do they take this relationship out of the garden into the ‘default world’ of jobs and friends and shared electric bills and oh my God in-laws?

On the equally Karmic #6 of the Minor Arcana,  the 6 of Coins or 6 of Earth (Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn), we usually see a human holding a set of scales and a handful of coins as 2 less fortunate humans kneel before him. They are broke, as we can see from their ragged clothes. The scales are uneven, and the man with the scales is obviously of a higher class as he is dressed very well and carries himself with dignity. The end game is always balance, of course. This is a card of charity given and received, and that’s a key to the message of this pair.

This is all about equality in a relationship. Who’s doing the ‘giving’, who’s doing the ‘taking’? Does someone make more money than someone else? Does one partner need more sex than the other? Remember, those solid, heavy gold coins are of the Earth, and talk about with whom you eat, sleep, and wake up to. If your particular faith allows you more than one wife, then time, mind, body and physical space must be divided equally between the 2, as well as devoted to the children from both. This man can afford 2 wives because he’s rich, but can you?

Will you be the beggar tomorrow when you’ve given all your money away? Tithing is assuming charity as a necessary obligation, a human duty. I give when I get.

It’s a charitable time of year.

Don’t know if he still does, but there was a man who gave away $100 bills at the Midnight Mission every year at Christmas, and he does it out of love.

I used to do that when I’d trip along the boulevard bar-hopping, $20’s to the street people. Never called them homeless, the street was home.

But I do with they’d been $10’s!

10 December 18: The Pope & The Magician

There is only one Source. These two side by side are quite the picture. The older Pope  sits quietly in a church with his right hand raised in blessing, palm out, two fingers up.   The younger Magician beside him also raises his right hand, but to an open sky and holds a wand. They both wear white robes, both are true believers and pure in their faith. They both also wear red overgarments telling us their actions are motivated by their faith. The old Pope wears a gold mitre and the younger Magician wears a red hoodie. The Pope is surrounded by stone walls, the Magician is surrounded by nature: green trees and leaves, white lilies and red roses. Crossed at the feet of the Pope are 2 large skeleton keys, one gold, one silver. Crossed on the Magician’s table are a sword and a staff, as well as a Pentacle and a Cup, representing all the elements necessary to create – well, anything. Now, isn’t it interesting how similar they seem.  The traditional, solemn Pope in his heavy gold mitre holds in his left hand a tall, golden staff that always looks to me like an old TV antennae. The younger Magician holds his left hand down in a Yoga mudra shape, tapping into the powerful Earth energy that sprouts up all the life around him. The Taurean Pope is also of the Earth. They both live on Earth. There‘s something in common already.  There’s no way to trivialize or understate this pair unless you’re literally  marrying a magician.  You very well may be, but if not, and since all I see out there is how to ‘get through’ and ‘survive’  what’s supposed to be an affirming time of year I’ll share this, which should give everyone at least a few points to agree upon. At least 1. I will point out that the eternally young Magician, infinity symbol floating in the open sky above him, is #1 of the Major Arcana, and the Heirophant, or Pope, #5. Castles and temples crumble, grow over and vanish, love and spirit do not.

This list is from the 1st Spiritualist Church of San Diego. (Note: I have never been there, but am involved in a project relating to these concepts and in my research found this to be one of the more well-presented definitions.)

Declaration of Principles

1. We believe in Infinite Intelligence.
2. We believe that the phenomena of Nature, both physical and spiritual, are expression of Infinite Intelligence.
3. We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression and living in accordance therewith, constitute true religion.
4. We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continue after the change called death.
5. We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.
6. We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you do ye also unto them.”
7. We affirm the moral responsibility of the individual, and that he makes his own happiness or unhappiness as he obeys or disobeys Nature’s physical and spiritual laws.
8. We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never closed against any human soul here or hereafter.
9. We affirm that the precept of Prophecy contained in the Bible is a Divine attribute proven through Mediumship

 

http://www.1st-spiritualistchurch.org.

8 December 18: Seven & Eight of Cups, reversed

Careful what you wish for.  Again, a pair I don’t usually find together, but I wish I did (there I go, now I will more often, I’m sure) because in spite of cups, cups and more cups which as we know are all about what’s in our hearts, these two today aren’t about hopes, wishes and dreams, but rather about making a decision and getting real. Too many cups, see how that goes? Now the whole table’s turned over. Imbalance. We need some earth and fire here. Jupiter, the planet of luck, abundance and expansion has just come home for the holidays after a 12 year absence and it looks like he brought plenty of booze for everybody!

Cups are of the suit of Water, of course, Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces, and I’ve been meaning to mention – should anyone be interested  – your moon and rising signs are as if not more important than a sun sign when considering a horoscope. It’s like leaving an ingredient out of a recipe…it may be edible, but what’s missing?

The 7 of Cups upright is a card of choices and options – some look good on the surface, and some don’t really look all that appealing. This is the ‘all that glitters is not gold’ card, that is, like that chocolate box I constantly hear about from that movie I never saw. When I was a kid (I would probably still do it, truth be told) I’d always take a test bite looking for the ones with the nuts. Cherries were cool too, but if any of that oozy crap started bleeding out, back in the box it went, bite side down. Only this isn’t a box of chocolates, and you can’t put it back. You break, you buy.

A choice of some kind must be made, and it must be made with a clear head with both feet on the ground.

The 9 of Cups is ‘The Wish Card’ but it too is reversed today. Too may options, job offers, romantic partners? Should this pair be taken as advice, it would be to pick a lane and stay in it.

I don’t know what I want.

This looks like someone who has ‘achieved the dream’ but it wasn’t what they thought it was – they got the gooey center. The flushed, portly character on the 9 seems to have had his share of chocolates anyway, and everything else. It’s not even the middle of the month and this human’s gained weight and needs a cleanse and a detox.

9 + 7 = 16 = 1 + 6 = 7, the number of Faith. Somebody let you down. Somebody wasn’t who  they said they were or who you thought they were, or didn’t live up to your unrealistic expectations.

What looked like a ‘golden opportunity’ turned out to be ‘fool’s gold’.

Don’t expect people to live up to your fantasies. They’re only human.

The dream was an illusion, like a mirage. What’s the difference? If you dream in both black and white and color there is,  but maybe I’ll explain that some other time.

Morning jam:

 

7 December 18: Ace of Coins & Knight of Cups

The proposal. Even I, deep down in my frozen cold black heart, know this is a romantic time of year, and we have a truly beautiful scene today. As a matter of fact, if you’re thinking about proposing you should just pop these 2 cards in an envelope and send it.

A large coin, huge, gold and shiny as the sun is handed to us from ‘out of the blue’ by the Fabulous Flying Skyhand of the Tarot who emerges from a bank of fluffy white clouds over the ocean. Our spectacular view is from a beautiful hillside garden. Roses and lilies bloom, and a lush, green trellis arches over a path that leads out down the mountain to the sea. This Ace I would call ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ that is, the ‘seeds’ that are the Aces have the potential to grow, and this ‘seed’ is all about money, home, family, and earthly possessions, plain and simple, including our most precious earthly possession, our own body. This Ace is of the suit of Earth and represents Virgo, Taurus and Capricorn. It actually looks like a lovely spot for a wedding. Perhaps he’s offering the home and garden itself – wow.

This is taking it out of the dream and to the street, as it were, IRL (that means ‘in real life’ I learned). The earthbound suit of coins are all about ‘IRL’, and it’s time to get real and manifest (I do not use that word often) this dream into physical reality. At least someone thinks so. He’s very special, this Knight. He’ll be crushed if he’s turned down. He’ll probably burst into tears on the spot.

The Knight of Cups is of the suit of Water, Pisces/Scorpio/Cancer. This is the dreamy, poetic Knight, riding over green valleys and blue hills carefully carrying his gold cup symbolizing what else? His love. When this water sign loves, he loves. He (or she) is the one who remembers the first time he saw you, the first thing you said to him, what you were wearing and what was playing on the radio. He’s a thweetheart. He loves love. He loves music. He loves art, he loves beauty. You’re his ‘dream come true’, and his dreams give him ‘wings’, as symbolized by the blue wings that crown his helmet. His armor is beautiful detailed and looks made of scales, like a fish. On his shoulder is an insignia of a blue wave – he is swept along, motivated and moved by his emotions. He can be a moody fish, but that’s to be expected from someone as sensitive as this lovestruck Knight (Morgan-Greer deck).

This is truly a beautiful combination. This Knight is offering him or herself, body and soul, in a rather cinematic, storybook setting. It will be a very special, memorable moment.

I hope the answer is yes, he went through a lot of trouble, gold ring and all.

It’s real.

 

 

 

 

 

6 December 18: Queen of Wands & King of Cups reversed

Losing their grip. We have a situation, and I’m quite sure it’s a situation we’d rather not be in or deal with but here we have it and it involves a very troubled human.

Fire and water, what can I say. The sunny, outgoing Queen of Wands is of the suit of Fire (Aries/Sagittarius/Leo) and is the ultimate survivor. She’s seen it all, pretty much, which is why she’s so warm and funny and entertaining – the comedienne with the dark past, hinted at by the mysterious black cat at her feet on the more traditional images. A wand is a wand, after all – she does have that transformative ability, that aura of theatre and magic. It is the way of theatre folk, you see, in this business we call ‘show’ to suspend reality, take people’s thoughts away from their problems and pains if just for a little while. It is a valuable contribution. During war, depression and disaster – entertainment thrives.

The King of Cups is of the suit of Water (Cancer/Pisces/Scorpio) and operates from the t. Emotion and instinct make him who he is, a tender-hearted, forgiving, compassionate King. Artistic and musical himself, I would ordinarily say this pair has some serious potential: fire & water = steam, and we like steamed lattes and veggies and creases on our pants, but a steam burn hurts like a bitch.

I’m glad this Queen is looking after this King today, who I’ll give the benefit of the doubt and just say he’s having a very hard slide – possibly and probably alcohol, but drinking is only a symptom –  what’s really going on? Insecurity regarding masculinity or sexuality may be the cause of his confusion or depression, something he doesn’t seem to be able to identify or express. He’s all churned up and all over the place. He may be ‘in over his head’ emotionally, and now, just doesn’t want to deal with it, and looks to escape any way he can – sex, drugs, lies, and he may even have to pawn that crown soon.

Ah, yes. The dreamy King of Cups. In this desperate state he could sell ice cubes to Eskimos and charm the snakes out of the trees. But, this Queen – she’s not buying it. Not at all.  She saves her compassion for those who really need it, not this sorry mess. She’s not even looking his way. He’s a grown-ass man with plenty of resources. The world isn’t just his oyster, he owns all the oysters.

There is some Mars-Neptune weirdness happening so I think the possibility of a ‘steam burn’ is pretty strong right now. I’m reassured by her presence – she looks straight ahead, unflinchingly, and will not be brought down.

But perhaps she’s the only one he can open up to, which is good – she’s been through much worse, and she knows the cure for what ails him.

Tough love.