16 February 19: Seven of Wands & The Devil & Death

Fighting off a cold. And I am! Not even kidding, and how happy was I to find that definition? (Bill Heidrick) But the cards often pop up like this when they don’t want to be read, or simply have nothing to say, which is fair enough, as I have nothing to ask, but I’ll venture an opinion on this anyway, although a lot of this depends on your own personal demons or someone elses’.  In this case, I’d say it’s negativity.

The human on the 7 of Wands or Clubs (Suit of Fire: Aries/Sagittarius/Leo) has had to deal with a lot of negativity or ‘naysaying’ and has probably had to stand up for him or herself – ‘stand their ground’  –  a lot of, if not all, their life, probably up until this day.

Let’s say presently that the Devil (A Capricorn) is our own dark side, our own naysayer, our own tendency to think the worst of the world and everyone in it – including ourselves. Think Eeyore, the donkey, who is never happy. Some people are just like that, but not in a cute, cuddly or funny way. Depression isn’t any of those things, and this may be something you or someone close to you has to fight off all their whole lives. You could be Eeyore yourself. I wonder what Eeyore’s birth chart looks like.

Death (a Scorpio) is thankfully in the future position – he should, at #13 of the Major Arcana, usually comes before the Devil who is numbered #15, but not today. We welcome the death of our demons and our own negativity in general. We keep our distance from toxic people and have learned to ‘stave off’ the dark, possibly in the form of an addiction to substances or anything or anyone who only brings us down.  But the sun is rising on the death card, and the scythe is aimed as if to behead the Devil, and finally, a white rose blooms, a beautiful symbol of purity, receptivity, and maturity.

Well wasn’t that like coming through hell.

The Devil, though, is always present, isn’t he? Or she.

 

Vitamin C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 February 19: Ace of Coins & Three of Cups & Judgment

A new lease on life no less, so let’s get to it.

Did I mention the Ace of Pentacles or Coins much recently? Something’s going pretty well for someone, because this very desirable Ace is being handed down from the Skyhand again today in the past position, and it’s basically the golden ticket, the lottery win. A windfall, tax return, inheritance, property, the birth of a son or daughter, a talent that’s worth money, or something else of earthly value that has been handed down to you. Invested in you. Entrusted to you.

You had the power all along, Dorothy. 

In the center are the 3 of Cups, and we see the 3 girls dancing in celebration (Rider-Waite) or all 3 looking up at you, waiting for you to take a seat at the table (Morgan-Greer). This isn’t a crowd, not a lot of people, but the people who are closest and whom you trust, who really know you, and who are genuinely very happy for you.  No frenemies here today, just sharing good times and celebrating life in general with the people who matter (Pisces/Cancer/Scorpio), and who you may not have seen in a while. These three girls (or guys) with their 3 huge wine goblets and remnants of melon, berries and grapes on the table look up at us like we’re late and they may have been waiting for a while.

In the future position and we couldn’t find a better place for it if we tried is the mighty  Judgment of the Major Arcana and one of the more strange and dramatic images in the Tarot. A family of humans rise out of their separate graves at the sound of a golden horn blowing in the sky, or on the Morgan-Greer card, a man, woman and child all rise from the same grave which looks more like a boat on shimmering water aka the River Styx of Greek myth that runs between the default and underworlds.

 We may have been asleep, but we’re ‘woke’ now. “You were there!, Auntie Em – and you, Uncle Henry!”

‘Higher calling’ is Judgment, and since this card is a card of rest and sleep, and, yes, death, whether you can see them or not, I’m getting that these three people may not even be here in the physical, but they very much are.  Sometimes I’ll hear ‘high five!‘ from somewhere if I’ve nailed something or contemplated the right decision to make. Have you ever ‘high fived’ 3 spirits?

This is basically saying life is getting shorter, you have what you need, enjoy it, today and now.  This is all about being blessed with home, family, and friends, and appreciating    your world as if seeing it for the first time for what it really is, and it’s really, really good. This may be finally overcoming an illness or addiction, and you’ve been ‘raised from the dead’ or at least feel that way.

An intimate gathering. A wedding is the ‘death’ of an old life and the ‘birth’ of a new one, as in new in-laws – remember, you all love the same human, so you do have that in common -or a newborn family member.

A family reunion, either here – or there.

Google map back:

The Ace of Coins is everything desirable on Earth, and the Earth itself. Everything we need is here and always has been, or we wouldn’t have stuck around as long as we have, which is what these happy young ‘Burners celebrate as they dance among the vines and orchards. How have we used or abused this gift?

Is saving the earth possible? Is this the final cycle?

Celebrate and live for today. I get it.

These ‘Burners look pretty young. Maybe we’d just rather get some rest.

 

..dedicated to an Aquarian with a vision, John Trudell, on his birthday. 

 

 

 

14 February 19: Four of Swords & King of Coins & Seven of Swords

Nobody ever called Pablo Picasso an Asshole* is a lyric from a song back in the day by a band called Jonathan Richmond & the Modern Lovers (great name for Valentine’s Day), and when I came across this little gem (KEEN articles) I thought some of you people whose mail and  messages sometimes pile up may appreciate this :

It is said that Pablo Picasso painted his masterpiece Les Demoiselles D’Avignon with the Four of Swords affixed to his studio door. 

..and he didn’t even HAVE a phone! So the 4 of Swords (Libra/Gemini/Aquarius) today in past position is like the little card hanging on the hotel doorknob you flip over when you don’t want to be disturbed before they disturb you anyway. There may have been a period of extended rest and stillness that has been valuable and restorative.

What is the purpose of retreat, rehabilitation, rest, reflection, recovery, all meanings of the 4 of Swords. Swords are mental, 4 is stability. Peace, although this card is often referred to as a card of ‘truce’, that is, a temporary peace, not a permanent one.

If it’s grounding, healing, health and balance, we couldn’t have a better card in the present position in the solid, steady  King of Earth (Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn). Secure, confident,  rooted to his favorite spot in his lush, abundant vineyard, vines and purple clusters of grapes hang all over him.  If this isn’t you, this is someone who is a good person to have in control of things. Honest as the day is long, reliable, successful, he’s the ‘common sense’ King. He’s slow as gravity, being of the Earth, and doesn’t make quick decisions or ‘quick’ anything at all. This not only works for him but has worked for him (or her) so well, he’s the King. When he was but a Knight, his shield was engraved with the image of a tortoise (Scapini deck).

Thinks of Coins (earth)  and Swords (air) as tortoises and hares.

The Thief seems to not want to go away until we get the message, and in the future position once again, the 7 of Swords shows us someone stealing away from the crowd with whatever he can get – and once again in the future position he faces backwards, not forwards.  This though, I get as a very positive outcome: this needs to be a regular thing, this ‘stealing away’. The thief on the card does not steal all of the swords, but leaves 2, taking 5. As in:

‘Just give me 5 minutes.‘

The ‘takeaway’ from this reflective and restorative period of retreat was that this needs to be a regular thing – a permanent lifestyle change.  This can be seen as a selfish card, but look at that homebound King of Coins. This is a card of a successful home business, and you could be ‘gathering information’ as the sneaky swords like to do, taking ideas that work for you and leaving the rest. You may be researching ideas as to how to expand or franchise, having realized and accepted that you function better in your own environment and that’s where you do your best work, so let them call you selfish, stubborn, secretive, anything they want, but now you know what you need – and don’t need – to do your best and it’s serving you well. So put your mask on first and ‘steal’ some ‘you’ time. The ‘ratio’ of home time to social time may be the change to make, or lying low both on social media and In Real Life, consciously limiting your online time to a couple of hours a day and spending more time in nature or working with your hands. Does a mind and body good. In any case, when you feel that anxiety (the 7 is an anxious card) you know what to do. Get back to that happy place and re-charge.

Of course, this is the card of the thief, but it looks like whoever is in charge of the money is well in control, and if it’s you, you’re doing a great job.

 

Nobody steals from Picasso.

 

 

 

 

13 February 19: Page of Wands & Nine of Cups & Knight of Cups

Anything you wish ma’am, or sir, anything at all. With all my love and devotion I offer myself to you, and I am forever at your service. Swoon, sigh, this is truly romance novel stuff but all these watery, teary, emotional cups can make one gooey in the brain. It’s a wish granted, for sure. And it does make me smile.

In the past we have the Page of Wands aka our young and flashy Page of Fire (Aries/Leo/Sagittarius), the young traveler, inspired and full of ideas, energy and passion. Pages, of course, are children or child-like, as in immature. That’s the challenge, isn’t it, to retain the innocence and child-like-ness without being child-ish (I just have to say though Childish Gambino is one of the best names ever) in the annoying way. This Page isn’t the easiest kid to control – even if it was yourself. Taking a minute to ponder this, it occurs to me that all the fire signs I know have been the best at striking that balance as they got older.

In the center is the very much desired 9 of Cups (Pisces/Cancer/Scorpio) otherwise known as ‘The Wish Card’. I could have called this ‘be careful what you wish for’ because it looks like you’re going to get it. Our ‘wishes’, however, may in the past have been a little immature and unrealistic. We have fire & water here, with a lot of steam potential, but steam burns hurt like f***.

The 9 is a number of completion. The smiling, jolly happy human on the 9 in the center and present position sits before a table lined with cups, as if expecting guests. This is a card of emotional well-being and success, of having achieved everything one set out to achieve, and invites others to share. This is the host with the most, or the hostess with the mostest. Coming along with the 10th cup is no less than a Knight. He wears my favorite armor of the deck, which looks like it’s made of blue metal fish scales – he or she is also of the suit of Water.

In the future position is The Knight of Cups, also a man (or woman) of action, and his motivation is l.o.v.e. Of the suit of emotions, his or her own moods may be changeable as the moon. This is very romantic stuff, and it’s high tide.

But the court cards, as in Pages and Knights, often represent us, as in the Asker of the Question. The immature, brash, risk-taking young Page of the suit of Fire has no red on his card: he holds his long walking – stick in front of him as if it’s a big match and he’s waiting for someone to ‘light his fire’, he’s all over the place trying to find his or her own way.  In youth, male or female, we are not always led by our hearts, shall we say. The eccentric out of place feathered bowler hat worn by the theatrical young Page has morphed into the bright red oversized feathered beret of the successful, contented 9 of Cups. It looks like he’s wearing his heart on his head – ah! a clue. Heart and head. The heart will rule the head in this atmosphere.

The Knight faces right, as does the Page of the past, and we are at present blessed and contented, which says to me it is us who is motivated to do the offering. The world has turned in a big way, and if you’ve been missing that ‘creative spark’, it’ll come back so strong  – that if that’s what you wished for – your mojo is back and you’ll want to share it with the world.

This could have been an idea you had in the past that you weren’t able to act on for some reason, or never ‘caught fire’. Now you may be in a more secure or comfortable place and able to reconsider some of those ‘pet projects’.

Offers made and/or accepted with love.

 

 

 

 

 

12 February 19: Ace of Coins & 10 of Cups & Seven of Swords

Stealing. Or, give me some of whatever he or she is having. When I drew these cards early this morning before the death of the latest IPHONE (6) and subsequent upgrade (10, I went on strike when they discontinued the headphone jack) which has been serving as my personal hotspot because the wind f**** my satellite dish once again a thought came to mind that has been occurring the last few days and that is that the past seems to be speeding up and the future seems to be slowing down. I’m not quite sure what that even means, but I like it. Must be an astrological thing.

Today in the past is the glorious Ace of Coins. It’s sort of amazing to see this card at all let alone how often it’s been showing up lately, so something big is happening, or more likely, in the past position, has happened. A major accomplishment or more like a new job, a birth, a windfall. An award of some kind. A reward of some kind. But here’s the deal about this Ace of Earth: it likes the ‘straight path’, as we see on the card, the blindingly bright gold gift is being presented to us by the Skyhand who is lowering the prize over a straight, narrow garden path. The straight and narrow, as it is said about this picture, meaning that this is was actually hard-earned and well deserved. Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are all represented here, the salt-of-the-earth. The gift of  ‘talent’ is not wasted.

This has led to the present, the happily-ever-after 10 of Cups (Pisces/Cancer/Scorpio) and this is as good as it gets. We’ve done well in the past – this card sometimes gives me a ‘gold watch’ vibe, that is a parting gift of some kind or a retirement bonus, probably all going into your home and family, or a new home and marriage.

And here he (or she) comes, the sneak o’ the week, the 7 of Swords. In the future position,  the human with their head down hoping to not be noticed as he steals away with someone elses’ stuff is heading right for that happy couple and their happy home in the present position. This is straight up Watch. Your. Stuff. The Swords are of the mind, our ideas and as we know about this card, intellectual property. This could be someone with some bad ideas and possibly an offer of some kind, but if 2 cards were never meant for each other it’s the honest, straight up and solid Ace of Coins and the sharp but shady 7 of Swords. I don’t like.

This card in this position is always a warning to not get involved in anything even remotely dishonest. Plug your ears and go ‘nanananananaaaa’. This could even mean someone coming to you with stolen property, intellectual or not, and it’s not a welcome vibe. This could be home theft, and you need to watch who comes in and out of your house if you’re having any work done.

However, this card could also mean ‘stealing happiness’, or ‘stealing moments’ of quality time with a loved one or loved ones in the future, or being presented with some ‘secret plan’ that may be rather epic in scale, a dream come true almost. Or, somehow you’re being offered a life-changing position – an important one – that you or the family or the public didn’t even realize existed, was available or open to you. There will probably be some behind-the-scenes negotiations, but still – lawyer up.

He or she wants what you have, because to them, you seem to have it all, but you deserve it.

 

 

11 February 19: Four of Wands & Five of Coins & Ace of Coins

Unhappy home. This all ends very well, by the way – or at least it should, you’re certainly being handed the ol’ ‘golden opportunity’, and it’s a big one. Generally speaking, the Major Arcana, none of whom got up this morning, are a whole lot louder than the minors, but today we have some major, major minors.

In the past position we have the beautiful 4 of Wands (Aries/Leo/Sagittarius), the card of love, property, stability,  home and family. The 4 staves form the mysterious and holy 11:11, and the chuppah of a Jewish wedding, that is the canopy held over the bride and groom. ‘A house is not a home’ as it is said, and this is that. You may love your house, but wish it were somewhere’s else. You were happy there, but for some reason you aren’t today, or you’re very much missing someone you were married to, or your family, or your childhood home, even. No love up in your house. This card is so interesting in the Morgan-Greer deck. Unlike the olde tyme images, the stage is set but empty. No dancers, revelers, no sign of a human at all. In the future position, as we saw recently, the picture invited us to step into it but in the past, it seems like everyone’s stepped out of it. Which leaves us all kinds of broken – spiritually, morally, and possibly financially. We have the house, but not the home. It’s a damn nice house, too – or was. Except for the chuppah and the festive flowers, this is a strangely barren card, a monotonous yellow desert with a dry-looking castle in the distance, and no sign of life anywhere except for the new green leave sprouting from the staves that hold up the man (or woman) made canopy. It’s the humans that brought the scene to life.

The dismal and depressing 5 of Coins is in the present position, but not for long. Traditionally we see 2 humans who have been ostracized or evicted or shunned, and who knows why but they’re out on their asses, seemingly homeless, trudging through snow. This is such a painful, dark card. ‘Poverty of the Spirit’ is one tag for this 5 (uncomfortable, uneven, restless number) of Earth (Taurus/Capricorn/Virgo). I don’t even know how seriously I can take this card today seeing as it’s flanked on either side by 2 of the best cards the Minor Arcana. On the Morgan- Greer card, a bloodied, bandaged young man, walking stick in hand, falls exhausted into the arms of a nun, whose fingerless frayed Oliver Twist orphan glove rests on the young man’s shoulder – she took vows of poverty a long time ago, of course – but she lives in that building with the warm glowing window – he or she is not the one who is homeless. On the old card, we might assume the humans are shunned because they won’t compromise or commit an oath to the church – or anything or anyone else – from whom they can receive help.

I hear ‘meeting in the middle‘ just as these humans are doing in this layout.

The mighty Ace of Coins is in the future position and if there was ever a dawn after the dark, this is it. A distant relative of the Magician, #1 of the Majors, this is big stuff, and it looks as if – on the old card and the Morgan-Greer – the outsiders – or outsider – wins.

But not just money because of course real wealth is so very much more than that.

It seems the potential for a relationship or partnership outweighs whatever differences there may be between 2 estranged or separated humans.

Somebody went rogue and may have got the shit kicked out of them, but look what they brought back for your collection plate, sister.

Now we can build our own sanctuary.

 

 

 

 

 

9 February 19: Ten of Cups & Three of Coins & Nine of Swords

The C Word. No, not that. I actually really like that word in context, like coming from a pissed-off (or pissed up) cab driver in London traffic . No, today it is Commitments or, Contracts.

In the past position is the idyllic, dreamy 10 of Cups, the maximum of the suit of emotion, Cups aka Hearts, and deeeeep water (Pisces/Cancer/Scorpio). It has the rather Victorian nickname of the ‘Happily ever After Card’ just so you know. Two arms reach in from opposite sides of the frame to raise a single gold cup high, catching a rainbow arching down from the blue sky. Why, it’s a wee pot o’gold! These are the luckiest people in the world, and they know it.

That’s important. Because here’s another C word for ya: complicated! Must you make it so?

The industrious 3 of Coins (Capricorn/Virgo/Taurus) is in the present position and we see a blueprint or contract being discussed or negotiated between 3 humans in a church that they all had a hand in building, from the architect’s plans to the artisan’s construction to the commissioner of the work, and it is a great work, all stone and stained glass, built to last. They agree the terms have been met on all sides, and everyone has had an equal hand in the magnificent accomplishment. These 3 humans on the 3 of Coins are all in vastly different ‘tax brackets’ as I like to say, but not when they each bring what they have to bring to the table, so to speak. The stained-glass guy or craftsman, or on the Russian deck, a musician; the Bishop or Cardinal, or on the Russian deck, simply the man with the ring of keys who obviously owns the place, and the architect. There is no 3rd human on the Russian 3, and there is only 1 human on the Morgan-Greer version of  3 of Coins, the blue-collar hands-on artisan who is left working after hours in the waning light of the stained-glass window.

This is the card of collaboration, and possibly obligation.

This could not have been built by any one human alone. Motivations may differ, but all 3 profit from the work. Coins are money. One thing is obvious: someone’s motivation for taking on these sometimes complicated contracts and commitments is doing it for home and family, or at least their concept of their future home and family. A lot of people have no idea what happiness is, but that’s the goal here, and none nobler. You are lucky to have known the happiness and love you have known.

Why then do we have the  ‘stay up all night and worry’ card in the future position, the dreaded insomniac of the Minor Arcana, the 9 of Swords (Gemini/Libra/Aquarius)?

This to me is just plain old worry about work aka when will the next job come? Or you may have been offered a contract with people you don’t really want to work with, and can see a whole lot more sleepless nights ahead of you should you commit to this. The one good thing we can say about this card though is that in the future position, we can  check ourselves, which is the point. This is a self-created, inflamed energy, all kinds of dark thoughts and potential painful scenarios, and you just can’t stop thinking about all the things that can go wrong. The Morgan-Greer card shows a pair of wrists tied up with rope, suggesting a fear of something ‘binding’. We long for and are inspired by a situation we had in the past with family or another deep relationship, even if it was only a ‘dream’ or vision in the past, it’s what’s motivating you now.

Is the architect building for his legacy? Is the Bishop building for his God? Is the craftsman working to feed his family? It’s not like they all hang out after hours.

 

Why am I doing this again?