Thursday Thoughts #1

My new format -- every Tuesday I will offer affirmations or mantras, and every Thursday I will offer a quotation. :) Tarot tips may appear on either day. Card draws on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, tarot-related blogs on Saturday, and tarot spreads on Sunday. Enjoy!

Jesus as Hierophant

Jesus turns up in tarot decks more often than you might think. He's the Magician in Grail Tarot: A Templar's Vision. He's the original World figure in the World card. (Seriously. Look it up.) And in this week's deck, Sol Invictus: The God Tarot, he's the Hierophant.

Well, his disciples did call him Rabbi an awful lot. 'Rabbi' means 'my master' or teacher. He was a dandy teacher, too. He understood the importance of storytelling in getting a point across. He made his listeners think by relating to their every day lives and concerns.

He was, after all, a poor mendicant teacher, much like Buddha, wandering homeless, living on what was given to him. (Except unlike Buddha who died at age 80 of old age, we know what happened to poor JC at the young age of 33). There are so many parallels between Jesus, a figure rejected by many in the tarot world, and Buddha, a personage widely accepted within the Jesus-rejecting circles. They were alike in many ways. My own beloved Thich Nhat Hanh calls Jesus is his spiritual ancestor as is Buddha, and that he keeps a statue of Jesus on his altar along with the Buddhas. (I also have Jesus and Buddha on my altar.)

And so we should not feel shocked or dismayed by an image of Jesus on a tarot card, with a pentacle behind him and chakras down his body. Jesus, with his hands in the position of the Magician. Why shouldn't he be? Jesus taught the same messages of brotherhood and love that have been taught by all enlightened beings, famous or known only to their circle of intimates. It is no more his fault that a lot of ruckus has been built up around him than it is Buddha's that the same thing happened to him. It's like we can't deal with simple truths without adding a lot of nonsense into the mix. He was a man, and the pentagram is a symbol of the human form, as well as the balance of earth, water, fire, air and spirit. Jesus had a body, a spine, kundalini energy and chakras! He may not have understood them in that way, but must certainly have been aware of the energies of his existence. I love this image of Jesus with a column of light descending on him, the pentagram behind him, his fingers pointing to heaven and light spilling from his open hand to the earth, an open book at his feet.

Jesus is a daring choice for the Hierophant, but his presence on this card challenges us to consider the meanings of the Hierophant and to confront our issues with all the nuances of this major arcanum.

Tuesday Truths 1

Beauty is the beast

Sol Invictus Tarot 

It's Lammas on Friday, so in honour of John Barleycorn, I'm drawing from Sol Invictus: The God Tarot (Kim Huggens,  Schiffer 2007) this week.

Today's card is apt, as the new moon is in Leo. We have the Strength card, represented by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. I can't really top the thoroughly enjoyable summaries at Schmoop, so here they are: The Epic of Gilgamesh. Do have read; they are hilarious.

So in this picture we see Gilgamesh (standing) and Enkidu (on the floor). They've just been having an epic knock down drag out fight because both are half-god and they have met their match in each other. Enkidu suggests they stop fighting and make friends, and thus begins the first bromance in world literature. (Of course the Epic of Gilgamesh is the first anything in world literature. We know of no older work.)

The Strength card is represented here not just because both of these dudes are very strong, but because one represents refinement and one represents lower animalistic nature. Guess which is which. Just like in the traditional Strength card, we see that when a balance is reached between our higher and so-called 'lower' natures, that is where our true strength lies.

I'd totally forgotten that Strength card is my year card for 2014 as well. So, on the first Monday of the Leo new moon, I draw the Leo card, which is also my year card. I think this may just be a pivotal lunation for me.

It has already got off to a flying start with the Smith Street Party in Warwick on Saturday 26 July.

Smith Street as the day begins...

We had this tent outside the shop (I'm doing that reading -- you can't see me though!)

The Morris dancers decided just outside the shop was the perfect place for all the teams to dance.

So we retired to the quiet oasis in the back garden.

 

Me with the Deck of the Bastard. 

I've revamped my 'About Me' page (click the tab at the top of the page to check it out) using a snapshot from yesterday in that tent.

What a great start to the month!

A New Moon Spread for the Leo New Moon

Today is the new moon in Leo, a time of creative beginnings! Here's a spread for you to try today. 

New Moon in Leo Spread, Cosmic Tarot 

The moon is new in Leo (26 July), which corresponds to Strength, and full in Aquarius (10 August), which corresponds to Star.

Instructions

1. Shuffle the deck and search for the Strength card. This is the new moon. Lay it face up on the table. The card immediately after it is card 1. Lay it down directly beneath (or slightly overlapping the bottom if you prefer) the Strength card. 

Card 1 -  This is a powerful time for new beginnings and creative projects. This card suggests what you might focus on for the current lunation. Ask yourself, what am I most passionate about? What have I always wanted to do? 

2. Shuffle the deck again and search for the Star card. This is the full moon. Lay it face up on the table to the right of Strength, leaving a gap. The card immediately after Star in the deck is card 2. Lay it beneath or overlapping the Star card. When the full moon is in Aquarius, you may feel very social, your intuition kicks into high gear, and it is usually a good time for getting together with like-minded people. 

Card 2 - This card shows the energies of the full moon. It is where you may find yourself by 10 August, the full moon, and it is not only a full moon, it is a super moon. And not only is it a super moon, is the superest super moon of 2014. The moon will not come this close to the earth again until September 2015. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and this is the point at which your efforts for this lunation will be at full pitch. What will that look like? 

3. Now shuffle the deck again and draw. Place the card between cards 1 and 2. 

Card 3 - This is the action or change that may lead you to card 2, or may block you. Or both! 

Sample Layout 

I used the Morgan Greer Tarot and drew the cards with no intention other than to show you this spread. It is not a reading for anyone in particular (though of course as soon as I looked at them I could see how they pertain to me!) 

Quickie interpretation

The Swords show it is a time of thinking and making plans, and the energy with which you should enter into this project is with great gusto and determination. The Leo new moon is all about creative energy, so make sure your plans are from the heart and not from the ego. You should choose to work on things that you really want, not things that you think might hold you in good stead in the eyes of others. This may involve some battles of wits conducted with yourself or others. Stand your ground, or better yet, hack your way through arguments and counterarguments with assurance that you are in the right and acting in your best interest. Take no prisoners!

By the full moon, you should feel more fully in control of your plans and ideas. It's true there may be some water under the bridge by then -- meeting resistance head on as you've done since 26 July will always result in consequences. But you will know that you've done the right thing for yourself and are on the right track. By the full moon, you will see more clearly and dispassionately what needs to be done, and you will be less reluctant to do what needs doing and say what needs saying. New habits are being formed. The full moon in Aquarius is a time of being social and intuitive -- this is tempered somewhat by the Queen of Swords, whose energy is certainly intuitive, but rather than social interactions, you may find yourself more in the role of counsellor. Don't be surprised if people look to your for leadership or advice. And don't hesitate to look to yourself for these things.

The bridge that gets you from new moon to full moon is plain good sense. No matter how passionate you are or how lofty your plans, you should remember to look after yourself physically, get plenty of rest, don't spread yourself too thin, and above all, don't be overambitious with your financial planning and budgeting. Be conservative, remember to protect yourself, and listen to voices that caution you to be avoid financial or health risks. Those arguments and counterarguments you'll be slashing and burning should not involve your money, domestic arrangements or physical well being.

In summary, go for it! Plan big -- challenge your old beliefs and the expectations of those around you. But be sensible, too. There's no point building a 5-year plan around a lottery ticket.

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Bridgett at Facebook challenged us bloggers to answer 30 questions. These answers may be short and sweet but here goes:

1. Who or what introduced you to Tarot? 
I had a friend who hid a tarot deck at my house when we were about 19. Her parents didn't want them in the house. I didn't know a thing about it, but using the little white book, tried a draw about myself. The answers were uncanny so I told her to come get it -- I didn't want it in my house either! Many years later, I bought my first deck after being inspired to by a journal called the Sacred Journey.

2. What was your first deck and how did you get it?
Osho Zen. I bought it myself from Amazon. I wanted something sort of Buddhist and it had 'zen' in the name. What did I know?

3. What is your favorite deck?
I don't have a favourite deck and as someone with a relatively big collection, I don't think it's a fair question! :)

4. How long have you been reading Tarot?
Long time.

5. When & where did you perform your first reading?
My first reading was for myself and it was conducted here in the living room floor.

6. What was the first spread you learned? Do you still use it?
The Celtic Cross, of course. You'd think there was no other spread in existence based on the books. No, I don't still use it. It's clunky.

7. What is your favorite card? Why?
I don't think I have a favourite card. I am fond of 9 of Pentacles. I've written about it many times. Look over in the right column and click '9 of Pentacles'.

8. Which card do you dread pulling? Why?
I don't dread any card.

9. What card comes up for you most in personal readings? Why do you think this is so?
That fluctuates over time. I don't think there is a card that comes up 'most'. It is statistically improbable any card will come up a meaningful number of times more than any other.

10. What card best represents your personality? Why?
My knee-jerk reaction is Queen of Swords. I have identified with her for a long time. I have been through some things, and I have a skeptical and analytical way of looking at things.

If I were to choose a major, it would be Hermit. I do love solitude, and even with others, I enjoy a companionable silence in beautiful natural surroundings--it's my preferred way of spending time with others.

11. Which spread do you use most? Why?
The 3-card draw. It's powerful, versatile, and gives you all you could want.

12. Have you created your own spreads before? Share one?
I create spreads all the time and share them here often. Just look to the right and click on the word 'Spreads'. I am sharing a spread here tomorrow. Tune in! :)

13. Is there a card that always stumps you when you draw it? 
No. A lot of people say courts, but I relate the all to movie, TV or book characters and that method works a treat for me. I do sometimes get a bit flummoxed by what I call the 'planet cards' - Moon, Sun, Star, World.

14. What is your most frequent purpose for using Tarot?
I use it as a way of looking at circumstances and issues from a different angle, try to find a new way of looking at things.

15. Do you prefer reading with "text book meanings" or "with your intuition?"
This is a silly debate that goes on amongst newbies. There is no such thing as one or the other, if you are really reading the cards.

16. Do you ever just use the Major Arcana? If so ... when?
Yes, when I feel that it is called for. It's no more complicated than that.

17. Do you do readings using reversals? Why or Why not?
No, the sight of an upside down card offends my sensibilities, and I don't believe any image was ever intended to be viewed on its head. (Except the Hanged Man). I always consider shadow meanings, in relation to question, card position, and surrounding cards.

18. Which deck do you feel most drawn to & why?
I don't have a favourite deck. I have decks I quite like, but I couldn't pick a favourite.

19. Do you feel that the cards have their own consciousness?
No, I absolutely do not believe this.

20. Do you read for others?
Yes, that's why I'm here on this blog. :)

21. How do you feel when you do readings?
I feel honoured and a tremendous sense of responsibility. I do my utmost to uphold my personal reading ethics and communicate my reading approach and what a customer can expect from my readings. (See 'Book a Reading' for a full explanation.)

22. Do you charge money? Why or why not?
Yes. Readings take a lot of energy and time.

23. What question do you most ask the Tarot?
What does the universe ask of me today?

24. How accurate have your readings been?
I've never predicted an earthquake or won the lottery. But my customers report that they relate deeply to my card interpretations and that they have made positive life changes as a result, and that makes me feel fantastic. It's why I do it!

25. What was the most dramatic or meaningful reading you have ever done?
I have one particular customer who has had several very powerful readings that I found quite draining but that she reports have been very valuable to her. Confidentiality prevents me saying anything much here.

26. Have you ever done a reading you regretted doing? Why?
Yes. It was a live reading at a pamper night. A teenage girl came in and she had negative energy all over her. She had clearly come in just so she could be difficult with me and then go out have a funny story to tell. It was a most unpleasant experience. I should have followed my instinct and declined to read.

27. Do you have a special time or place that you use your Tarot?
No.

28. Does anyone you know not agree with your use of Tarot? 
There may be a few but I pay no attention them. They are not ill-bred enough to say anything to me about it, anyway.

29. Have you had a Tarot Mentor? Who?
I have had many mentors, if you count reading of books. Rachel Pollack is astonishing. I also admire Mary K Greer. Kim Huggens is a shining new(ish) star in tarot writing. I had a mentor at TABI when I was going through my endorsement process, 'Ribbitcat'.

30. Do you practice any other form of divination? What?
To be honest, not really. I own runes and Story Cubes but I honestly prefer tarot and oracles. I do Lenormand readings, but Lenormand is not even a favourite oracle. It's just trendy at the moment and I can read it quite easily. No, tarot is my number one. :)

Green Man

Now this is an interesting card we have drawn today from Wicca Deck (Morningstar 2014). The green man image is depicted on an oak tree (you can see it has acorns on it), and carved into the tree is a door with runes around the frame. To be honest, I don't think these carry any meaning, which is a shame. I think it's purely decorative -- too bad. If any rune experts know better, do let me know!

In front of the door is a glowing orb wrapped round by a snake, which reminds me of the orphic egg.  Just outside its glow are some little flowering plants that might be some sort of lily. In the background we see a buck deer rearing up on its hind legs.
The card obviously speaks of masculine energy, creation and fertility. But who is the Green Man?

Who is the Green Man?*
As with many neopagan properties, the Green Man has been appropriated and a new history created. He is not an ancient remnant of a horned-god-and-earth-mother worshiping pagan faith. (Though I see absolutely no reason why he can't represent those natural masculine energies now, as he does to the pagan community). Actually the Green Man appeared in churches from the 11th century as part of the Christian visual iconography and declined after the Reformation period when the visual culture of medieval Christianity collapsed. He enjoyed a comeback in the 19th century as part of the Gothic Revival and appetite for medieval things. He was later appropriated to represent 'the archetype of our oneness with the earth' and embraced as such in counter-culture movements.

Modern study of the Green Man began in the 1930s with folklorist Julia Somerset, Lady Raglan. Influenced (as so many folklorists of the time were) by Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough, and by Margaret Murray's The Witch Cult in Western Europe, she came up with the notion that the Green Man was a remnant of pagan tree worship and spring sacrifice. But studies of pre-Christian religion in Britain have failed to find green men and they were not deities of classic pantheon. These images were not carved into Christian churches as a remnant of ancient pagan faith, but by devout Christian craftsmen.

Green men, being neither green nor always men, started as small drawings in the margins of Christian books in the 11th and 12th centuries. Their profuse tangled branches suggest an origin in the interlaced ornament of Saxon and Celtic art. Green men on churches, therefore, derived from an artistic culture rather than popular custom, as images in books were an important source of inspiration for patrons of churches. Sources for many motifs in churches and cathedrals have been traced to English manuscript illuminations, in particular English psalters of the 12th century. If the carvings are studied through the ages, the Green Man moves from a type of medieval demon to a Renaissance decoration, then into the Gothic revival period where they become mere badges of 'authentic' medieval style. The post-Industrial Revolution yearning for a more natural past informs recent transformation of the Green Man from an image rooted in medieval Christianity to the one that now, to some, stands for humanity's relationship with nature.

The Cards
Anyway, all that aside, the Green Man has its own meaning now, and certainly its own meaning in the Wicca Deck, which no medieval Christian mind would have derived from it, but which modern pagans do, and that is the idea of oneness with nature, abundance, fertility and growth.

In a draw, this card could suggest returning to simple things, ecological concerns, oneness with nature, natural growth processes, going with the natural flow, and so on.

The supporting card from the tarot deck is 6 of Swords. The card's meaning of journey, travel, exploration or overcoming difficulties takes on resonance in light of the history of the Green Man. If we take the pagan meaning of the Green Man as growth or ecological concerns, we can see 6 of Swords supporting us as we make a change from damage or hurt that may have been sustained (either personally or to the environment) and toward better times. (Though I'm really not sure how the huntress and hounds fit into that!)

Some things to think about today:

How is fertility and abundance playing itself out in your life right now?
When was the last time you went outside and enjoyed nature?
What can you do today to help the environment?
What new, fresh direction can you turn yourself toward?

*Hayman, Richard. 'Ballad of the Green Man'  History Today. April 2010. 37-44.

Raise your candle high

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine...
Let it shine, let it shine
I'm gonna let it shine
Oh yeah

If you've been following the blog this week, you've done a lot of work already. Good for you! We've used the Wicca Deck (Morningstar 2014) and the Old English Tarot (Kneen 1997) to consider taking action toward our goals and setting boundaries in our self-talk and relationships. This is HUGE work and not something that can be completed in one day! These are issues that we come back to again and again. Personal growth starts with our first breath and doesn't end until our last. That's the nature of the game.

The card is all about letting our little light shine. It's time we said good-bye to concealing or making little of our talents and ideas. That's what the Bible calls hiding our light under a bushel -- how long will a candle burn if a bushel basket is turned over it? Not only will the candle soon be snuffed out, but while it does burn, no one will be able to see the light, and so what purpose has it even served? The same is true of us. We all have talents and skills to offer to the world. Not to do so is to let ourselves go to waste. We are meant to show forth our talents and skills and ideas, to offer freely to the world all that we have to give it. Like the peacock in the card, we should not be afraid to offer our beauty and our radiance to the world.

Memento mori

In support of this oracle card, we've drawn the tarot card Death.  Usually we see this card as symbol of an ending, usually a painful ending, that ultimately leads to renewal. But there is another meaning to the Death card that is often overlooked: memento mori. It's a Latin phrase that means: 'Remember you will die.'

You've got a light inside you. You have so many beautiful talents and abilities, natural tendencies, propensity to help and love and nurture. Are you allowing those beautiful aspects of yourself shine out and bless the world? Why not? Why are you waiting? Each day you are less than your radiant beautiful self is one day gone from your life when you could have contributed to the happiness and joy and peace of others. Don't be shy! Don't be modest! Don't hold back! You can bask in your own warmth and radiance as well. The Death card reminds us -- we only get a finite number of days to enjoy this.

I just thought of a song. You know of course that the word 'Phildelphia' means 'Brotherly Love', right? Greek 'philia' means 'altruistic love' and 'adelphos' means 'brother, fellow, belonging to the same people, countryman'. Well, I just thought of the song 'Philadelphia Freedom' by Elton John --

Oh Philadelphia freedom, I love you, shine on me
Shine a light, shine a light
Shine a light, won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom - I love you , yes I do!

Hey, we are part of this big world of fellow human beings, and we all should be shining our lights for as long as they last, shine our lights for each other.

I remembered another one! Do you remember Melanie and a song called 'Lay Down (Candle in the Rain)'?

So raise your candles high!
Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night.
Oh, raise them higher again
Cause if you do we could stay dry against the rain! 

(Melanie says, 'I wasn't really a hippie. I was more of just an oddball.' LOL)

 How are you going to let your light shine today? It doesn't have to be something huge. Watch for it today. When you feel like saying or doing something but feel yourself holding back--don't hold back. Go on and shoot that ray of love out into the world.

We've got the power and we've got some teaching to do

Today's draw from Wicca Deck (Morningstar 2014) and Old English Tarot (Kneen 1997) continues giving us messages about taking our personal power. Good!

In today's card we see the Athame, or knife, a Wiccan tool, also used in witchcraft, Druidry and other earth-based spiritual traditions. It's a beautiful image. The hand clutching the athame rises through rings of air (athame is the symbol of the element Air, direction east), and reaches up into the starry night sky where a mystical spiral sun burns up the night, a crescent moon watching from above. What an amazing scene.

The card is called Commander of Power. In practice, the athame is ritually used much like a wand, to direct energy. In the Wicca Deck, it takes on more authority, possibly because it is associated with masculine energy. (It is a phallic symbol in Wiccan ceremonies, where it is ritually plunged into the chalice, a female symbol). The card represents a commanding presence, a strong sense of self, and being in charge of one's life. A blade cuts through things, and so this image represents healthy boundaries. Now, that's the real fire!

And so that leads us to our supporting card for the day, King of Cups. Another masculine card, another symbol of mastery. This card, from Old English Tarot, features the king on his throne, surrounded by clusters of grapes. (Many Cups cards in this deck feature grape clusters). The card shows us where we need to set boundaries in order to become Commander of Power in our own lives--our emotions and our relationships.

Maya Angelou said that we teach people how to treat us. We lead them by example, did you know that? The way we treat ourselves and they way we let them treat us -- that's the precedent we create.

Time to set some boundaries then, and the place to start is with ourselves.

Ask yourself:

• Do I put myself down in front of others (or even just to myself)?
• Do I take the blame for things onto myself? 
• Do I put myself last? 
• Do I think other people deserve better than I deserve?

Now you know you need to use your Athame to cut out that behaviour. Set a boundary with yourself -- STOP belittling yourself, labelling yourself, blaming yourself, failing to prioritise yourself and feeling undeserving! Instead:

• Compliment yourself on something -- anything! And instead of putting yourself down in conversations, catch yourself before you speak and instead, use that breath you drew to pay a compliment to the person you're talking to (or about the person you're talking about. You heard me!)
• Think logically when things go wrong. Could you really have 'caused' what happened? Even if you were actually at fault, can you go back and do it over? And in 100 years, will anyone care? Let it go!
• Do at least one thing today that is just for you--and don't wait until everyone else in the house is finally in bed. Tell them they can wait and go do something for yourself. You're teaching them how to treat you, remember?
• Read this out loud right now - 'I am a precious child of the universe and I deserve every blessing it can offer.'

You've given yourself some thought, now let's look at others. Please ask yourself: 

• Am I in any relationships in which I feel powerless?
• What boundaries do I need in order to feel more empowered?
• How can I do so in a way that is respectful toward the humanity of the person and of myself? 
• What is one boundary-setting action I can take today? 

Take up that Athame of Power and look after yourself, lovelies. 

Do, or do not. There is no spell more powerful than that.

Today's card comes from The Wicca Deck by Sally Morningstar (Connections Publishing 2014), an oracle made up of cards depicting tools and concepts of Wicca. Illustrations are by Danuta Mayer. I'll be drawing all week from this pack, along with supporting tarot cards from Old English Tarot by Maggie Kneen (US Games 1997).

The card shows a Wand, the instrument used by Wiccans and many traditions to focus and direct power. Thus the Wand is given the key word 'Intention.' The wand in the image has clear crystal quartz points on either end, embellished with copper. There is a band of bronze or copper decorated with  a pentacle clamped around it. And carved into the wood we see the sigil 'sowilo', which stands for the sun, wholeness, success. Little chains attached to the wand lead to a small goddess charm and  three beads with a raven or crow feather, no doubt the three beads stand for maid, mother and crone.

This card certainly portends good things, but also brings the message -- good things come to those with clear intent and strong will. Not a vague wish, but a definite, focused intention.

So far so good. We all have intentions, but what comes next?  To see how the tarot would support this card, I shuffled and drew from Old English Tarot and received 8 of Batons (also known as 8 of Wands). And this is just the perfect support for our oracle card of the day! This card shows us the backbone of intent -- action. You can send all the intentions into the universe you want, but if you do not then take action, you are very unlikely to see any manifestation of your will.

'What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.' ~ James 2:14-17

Every witch or spellcaster will tell you the same. Cast your spell, then do the work. The Buddhist and Hindu will tell you, do your meditation, then do the work.

'Those who believe and do good works, their Lord guides them by their faith. Rivers will flow beneath them in the Gardens of Delight.' ~ Quran 10:9

This is a universal principle that cannot be escaped. It's common sense. If you want something, wanting is not enough. Yes, you may create a ripple of energy in the fabric of the universe. But if you want it to materialise, you are going to have to take action.

The little figures in the 8 of Batons are working very hard in the field, bending their backs again and again in the hot sun, doing repetitive labour. But what great rewards this work reaps! Bread for the winter. Fodder for the cattle. A roof for their homes. Fuel for the fire. Every stalk of that harvest must be collected and it will be put to good use. Their intention of surviving the winter will materialise.

The card gives a good idea of the kind of tasks we will likely have to do to manifest our intentions -- work that we may not want to do, that is not particularly fun to do, but that step-by-step will lead to the results we want. You don't have to go fast, but you do have to be organised and expeditious. Also tolerant and patient.

So here's your work for today. Ask yourself:

• What do I want? What do I really want? Write it down and be very specific. 
• What do I need to do to get where I want? List the actions.

Not sure how to get there? No problem:

• If you don't know exactly how to get to where you want, make a list of tasks that lead in the right direction. 
• If you don't know any tasks that lead in that direction, make a list of questions because it's time to gather information.
• Now choose one task (or one question) and do it (or ask it) today.  It doesn't matter how small that action may seem in the face of your big goal. Trust in your intention and do it.

Now you've done that task, sit back and -- wow! You did it. You're making magic happen. Well done! Congratulate yourself for taking that step.

Wait -- did I just hear you say, 'But I have so far to go and I'm not really clear yet how to get to my dream?' Well, stop that! Look at the next task on your list. Keep focused, keep acting, keep gathering in that wheat, just like in the card. You can do it. You can! 

Two to tango - but who keeps moving the loo roll?

That is one hell of a thigh on that woman in this, our last card of the week from Delphine Sutherland's Oracle of Proverbs (2013), 'It takes two to tango.'

I've always heard this phrase used to remind someone that whenever there's an argument, it's not just the fault of one person. Someone has to argue back. If there is discord, if there is trouble -- it takes two to tango.

The tango itself is a dance of extreme tension. There is attraction to the point of violence, a very serious dance. You never, ever see a smile in a tango. There is tension without release in a tango, and this could be compared to two people who just can't get along, but for some perverse reason, they keep stringing out the conflict. In this way, it takes two to tango. If one or the other stepped back, out of the spell, and said, 'Wait, this is stupid. Don't we look silly though. all this kicking and pulling faces!' -- then the whole nebulous thing would fall apart. In this sense, the phrase means, if you don't participate in this, the conflict (or tension, or whatever it is) will just disappear. (Admittedly the frisson of day to day conflict is not as fun as foreplay, which is what the tango patently represents. BUT, tension is tension I guess.)




Delphine's LWB suggests another meaning for the phrase: 'Relationships matter. Real love comes when we begin to accept one another totally.' So, in this interpretation, 'It takes two to tango' means we have to work with each other to perform the complex and intricate machinations of a successful relationship, just like the dancers must be in sync to avoid kicking the bejeebers of our each other's shins. (And sometimes marriage is a little bit like shin kicking contest! ha ha)

But I do have to admit, I see the actual tango as being more about the earliest throes of sexual tension, and less about showing patience the 112th time you've walked in the bathroom to find the toilet roll is turned round the wrong way again. No matter who starts the argument about it, you don't have to holler back, though -- 'cause it takes two to tango!

So, my lovelies? What kind of tango have you been dancing lately? Do you want to carry on?

Take good care of yourself today

Oracle of Proverbs, Delphi Sutherland 2013 

Today's card from Oracle of Proverbs reminds me to eat well today. It also tells me that simple good habits lead to long term health and well-being.

In other words, taking simple steps today can help make things better for me in the future.

I like this card; it's cheery; the kids look like they're having fun. They've got all those apples to put in the cellar and have all winter... To store apples for winter, you carefully select a thick-skinned variety, and choose the ones that have no bruises on them at all. Wrap them in newspaper or brown paper and carefully place them in a basket or box, and store them in a cool dark place where they will not freeze and where they won't get jostled or bothered. The apples will last 3 or 4 months--the whole of winter. Those apples with blemishes or bruises can be made into apple sauce, apple butter, or apple pie filling, or of course eaten raw or baked and eaten today. :)  Do you put that much thought into apples, or do you just go to the market and buy a couple when the mood strikes?

The point is, knowing what to do with your harvest is an important part of setting yourself up for a safe and happy future. You don't have to eat ALL your apples today, and you don't have to do without and hoard them for tomorrow. You certainly don't have to get just one apple at a time and hope that tomorrow you can find the next one, somehow some way. (You could do it that way, but you don't have to!).

A little moderation today, a little planning for tomorrow, a little remembering to take care of yourself today, a little remembering to spare some thought for your future -- that's the key.

And you thought this saying had something to do with vitamins and fibre intake!

The best reason in the world to stop being mean to yourself

Oracle of Proverbs by Delphi Sutherland 

Images of mothers and children seldom do it for me, and I usually take the saying on this card to mean 'when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.' I've also heard it associated with the idea that your habits and ideas come from the way you were raised. Not sure what to make of it, I checked the companion book. Delphine says, 'You are more powerful than you realise so look around and see what needs to be done. Then step in and take charge. But do it through understanding and nurturing.'

Be bossy but be nice about it? :D

I just made a resolution about this yesterday, to temper my words and remember to pay compliments, particularly to those closest to me. I was thinking...why are we often harshest to those who are closest? And I realised that when you're close to someone, it can become like you're one person, and we forget not to treat them any differently than we are in the habit of treating ourselves. And of course we all know how hard we can be on ourselves. Whereas with friends or acquaintances, there are always boundaries we never cross, things we wouldn't dream of saying, with those we hold most dear, we can sometimes find ourselves treating them with the same level of judgement and criticism and lack of delicacy that we tend to treat ourselves. There's nothing nice about that! But it's easy to see how it happens. It's hard to keep boundaries with someone that you walk around naked in front of or swap spit with (and other intimacies). But actually, it really is important to remember -- that person is not you. Don't be as mean to them as you are to yourself, they don't deserve it.

Which brings up another point -- this is a great reason to learn to respect yourself and treat yourself respectfully. If you ever had problems figuring out how or why you should 'love yourself', then maybe this will motivate you:

You should love yourself because it helps you treat others better, particularly those closest to you. If it's our nature to treat those closest to us they way we treat ourselves, then it's a good idea to learn to treat ourselves with respect.

I really must write this stuff down. ;)

Don't say anything about yourself that you wouldn't dream of saying to a friend or a new acquaintance. And don't say anything to your loved ones that you wouldn't say to a friend or acquaintance. If bad habits are engrained, this is significant challenge. But let's start working on it today. Rock the cradle instead of throwing rocks.

The bridges can wait

This week I'm drawing from an oracle deck called Oracle of Proverbs, self-published by Delphi Sutherland, 2013. The artist appears to be uncredited in the LWB.

This is a good card for me to draw every day, because my default mode tends to be, 'Never put off to tomorrow what you can worry about today.' I am taking steps to try to turn that around, though.

This card reminds me to focus my attention on where I'm standing right now.

Anyway, look at the card. There is a path that leads upward on the far left. There is what looks like a path that might lead right down along the riverside in the middle of the card. And for all this walker knows, when she gets to the bridge, it might be blocked. So why worry about the bridge. There are so many options -- none of which matter right now anyway. What matters right now is the step she is lifting her foot to take, that's it. That's all that matters.

I've made promises to myself about what I want to accomplish today. Time to go do them. Screw the bridges. The bridges can wait.

You are everything, and everything is you

Sacred India Tarot 

And that means you are nothing, too. But in a good way.

Today's card from Sacred India Tarot is 6 of Discs (Pentacles). The Discs suit depicts the life of the Buddha, and this card is the scene in which Buddha is tempted by Mara and his three daughters, Desire, Unrest and Pleasure. Buddha vanquishes them all and in a blaze of energy experiences all of his past lives. He then passes through eight levels of samadhi to become the Buddha. In despair, Mara taunts him: 'Who is the person so vain as to call himself a buddha?' To which the Buddha replies, 'There is no person here,' touching the earth to bear witness. Buddha has realised his oneness with all, which means he is not an individual at all, and thus 'there is no person here'.

If the 6 of Pentacles is the card of charity, I can think of no greater gift than the teachings of the Buddha. And no greater act of charity than that of the bodhisattvas, who choose to remain on this earth, not passing into nirvana, in order to help others realise their own enlightenment.

The card asks us to give the best of ourselves, and remember that we are part of everything and everything is part of us.

Beautiful.

A time for caution

Sacred India Tarot 

It's poor old Bheeshma again. He's a granddad in this illustration. (I guess his 'terrible vow' didn't quite work out, or maybe 'Grandsire' is an honorific). Outside the window, the youngsters squabble and fight.

The Mahabharata is SOOOO complicated. It is very well known story in India and apparently is the longest epic poem in the world. It is considered as culturally important as Shakespeare, the Bible, the Koran and Greek drama. Obviously I am not going to be able to sum it up in a blog entry.

I did find this useful little article which sheds some light on ways that poor old Bheeshma has gone wrong since his vow of celibacy: Bheeshma - Grandsire, One of the Major Contributors to the Great War of Mahabharat.

He's called 'grandsire' so I can only assume he managed to father some children despite his vow. Apparently, he stuck his oar in where his stepmother's children were concerned (the ones he renounced his claim to the throne for), and it's their squabbles that lead to the big war that destroys the entire world, the battle of Mahabharat. Or so I gather.

The LWB is no help, because it assumes you have such knowledge of the Mahabharata that it reads like a discussion of the next door neighbours, or a popular TV show that everyone watches.

My husband told me he remembered show called 'Mahabharat' being on TV around 1988-89. I googled it and found many episodes on YouTube. Watched a couple of them, but there are 93, and the events of this particular card seem rather late in the saga. So I will find out eventually what is going on, but not today.

Fortunately the interpretations offered in the book are familiar:

plots, conspiracies, office politics, act with stealth and cunning to protect oneself, diplomatic and discreet behaviour, keep cards near chest, lack of attention gives advantage to foes. So -- a time for caution!

Flowers from heaven in the 5 of Swords

The 5 of Arrows (Swords) from Sacred India Tarot depicts the scene in which Bheeshma renounces the throne so that his father can marry a woman. The woman's father had denied his permission for them to marry because Bheeshma had already been proclaimed heir. So Bheeshma renounces his right to throne and takes a vow never to father children, so that there will be no offspring of his to threaten the children of his father and the new wife. Before making this vow, Bheeshma was called Devavathra. After, his name is Bheeshma, meaning 'terrible vow' (or something along those lines.) His father, shocked and awed by this act (but still horny for the fisherman's daughter), transfers all his spiritual merit to his son Bheeshma, thus making him practically immortal.

We see in the card the fisherman's daughter, the angry fisherman, and Bheeshma, raising five arrows as he makes his vow.

Now the question is, what has this got to do with the 5 of Swords?

Biddy Tarot's website describes several characteristics of the 5 of Swords that can be applied here:

1. A time when it feels like everyone is against you. -- Bheeshma certainly feels that his existence is an unwelcome thing in this situation.

2. The need to make a decision about whether something is so important to you that it puts relationships with others in jeopardy. -- Bheeshma faces just such a situation. If he clings to his claim to the throne, he risks alienating his father.

3. You are in a struggle and there are more problems and obstacles ahead than you are aware of now. -- This is also true for Bheeshma. Bheeshma choice does not lead to the peace he had hoped, but instead to a war that wipes out his descendants and their entire world.

So, Bheeshma's sacrifice is indeed a hollow victory, even if the flowers in the picture have descended from the heavens, bestowed by the gods who are impressed by Bheeshma's vow.

What lesson can we take from this card? Do I need to make a sacrifice for my idea of 'the greater good'? And will there be consequences I cannot foresee as a result of that sacrifice? We can look at it from the noble side - a selfless act to create peace, or the shadow side, a misguided act that ends up being a futile gesture, or even makes things worse. Wow, that's a situation to watch out for today.

When Aniruddha met Usha

Sacred India Tarot 

The Page of Lotuses from Sacred India Tarot features Aniruddha and Usha, depicted here fleeing from Usha's angry father (they just got married without asking anyone first, crazy kids).

As usual it's a pretty complicated story. But to sum up, Usha has a dream of a handsome prince and knows she can love no other, so her friend draws pictures of all the princes in the land, which Usha examines until she finds him - Anirhudda, the grandson of Krishna. The artist friend goes and convinces Anirhudda to meet Usha, they fall in love and get secretly married. Usha's father chases them down, puts Aniruddha in prison, but eventually he cools down and they all live happily ever after.

This seems an appropriate Page of Cups card, I suppose, as the two principles are young and get swept up in impetuous actions and emotions. They both certainly trust their impulses and pay no heed to reason or conventions of behaviour.

I wonder what impulsive behaviour I might be tempted by today. Or maybe the card is telling me to be a bit more open and impetuous than I usually am. Hmm. Must watch for it. Considering I'm working from home today, there's not much scope for being swept away!

Sacred India Tarot: Shiva and Parvati

The Sacred India Tarot by Rohit Arya (illustrated by Jane Adams) is based on Indian mythology and epics and was published 2011 by Yogi Impressions. In this deck, the minor suits tell a complete story. Discs (Pentacles) tells the story of the life of Buddha. Lotuses (Cups) tells the story of the courtship of Shiva and Parvati. Staves (Wands) is the legend of Rama. And Arrows (Swords) is the story of the battle of Mahabharata. I'd like to take a look at each of these over the course of the week. Because the story of Buddha is so familiar to me, I'm going to start with the courtship of Shiva and Parvati (the suit of Cups or Lotuses).

Lord Shiva was married to Sati, but Sati's father insulted Shiva  (even gods have silly domestic squabbles) and so Sati decided the honorable thing to do would be to kill herself (gods and goddesses tend to do extravagant things like that). So she does. Shiva takes this hard and retreats to a cave and immerses himself in intense meditation. This probably wouldn't have been a problem to the other gods, except a pesky demon called Tarakasura is causing them a lot of trouble and they need Shiva to get off his butt and help. As that wasn't happening, they asked Brahma what to do. Brahma passes on the helpful information that only a son of Shiva can defeat Tarakasura. The gods are distressed because Shiva is a widower and might not ever get over it! They go to Mahadevi and ask her for advice. She confirms that only a child of Shiva can defeat Tarakasura, but takes pity on them and promises to incarnate herself as a wife for Shiva. (This is handy, because it turns out Sati had been an emanation  of Mahadevi anyway. So this incarnation will be a reincarnation of Sati.)

So Parvati is born to the Lord of the Mountains. She has tremendous devotion to Shiva from a young age and knows in her heart she can marry only him. (Kind of like I was about John Taylor of Duran Duran, I guess). Her parents aren't sure what to make of this and try to convince her to marry someone more accessible, but then a devarishi, Narada, confirms that Parvati is destined to marry Shiva and give birth to his son.

Parvati's father offers Parvati to the deeply meditating Shiva as an attendant to take care of him as he meditates. Shiva is so deep in meditation he can't tell male from female anymore and doesn't mind one way or another, so agrees.

Well, the gods are running out of patience and know this subtle courtship could take eternity, so they send Kamadeva (sort of like the Hindu Cupid) to shoot his arrow into Shiva, which he does. Shiva is startled, notices Parvati and is kinda turned on by her. But he feels bad about being unfaithful to the memory of Sati and turns his attention to Kamadeva, opens his third eye and burns Kama up for disturbing him. Oops. Kama's wife is distressed and faints, Parvati is upset and humiliated and she retreats from Shiva's presence.

Parvati realises she must become worthy of Shiva and win his love herself, so she goes off and becomes an ascetic. She meditates night and day, stops requiring food, then water, and eventually air. The other devas like to come round to have a look at her. She's acquiring great heights of enlightenment and such. She becomes known as The Lady of the Unbroken Fast and eventually even the gods come round for a blessing from her. But Parvati is also Mother of the World and a lover of trees, and she would break her meditation every day to go and care for the trees and feed the deer. She understands that meditation and enlightenment are no good without continuing involvement in real life.

Eventually even uber-meditator Shiva hears about Parvati and knows that she is doing all this because of her amazing love and desire for him, so he goes to her -- in disguise of course, because she needs to be tested! He asks her what she's doing this for, and she replies that she wants to marry Shiva. Shiva,in disguise,mocks her and insults Shiva (himself), which causes Parvati to become angry and she upbraids him. Shiva is besotten. (Rolls eyes).

And so at last, Shiva and Parvati are married. (They have been married many times before in many lifetimes -- these two are always together.) Shiva and Parvati merge into a new aspect of divinity that is simultaneously male, female and deity. In due time, Skanda is born to them, and he defeats Tarakasura, as he was meant to. (And Shiva allows Kamadeva to come back to life.)

Here are few of the cards -- can you figure out which parts of the story are being depicted?

(Left to right: Shiva incinerates Kama; Parvati bows at feet of Narada when he announces she will marry Shiva; Parvati tends to the trees; Shiva - in disguise - tests the ascetic Parvati)

I will draw from this suit tomorrow. :)

The Knight of Pentacles is a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

Sirian Starseed 

I bought a yoga journal yesterday, DailyGreatness Yoga Journal: Your Masterplan for a Beautifully Conscious Life.  It's a lovely book and can be a great tool for developing good habits. I hesitated about purchasing it because of 1) the price tag and 2) my tendencies to become OCD about this sort of thing. A book like this panders to the colour-coded list maker type, which I certainly am. It's the follow-through where I trip up, and in the last few months of working with Cognitive Behaviour techniques, I'm beginning to understand why.

I might as well just tell you about the type of CBT I've been exploring. It's called Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, and it's very illuminating.

According to REBT, we disturb ourselves by making three irrational demands of life. We are not aware that we hold these demands, but they are the usual underlying cause of disturbance:

1. The demand that we perform well or outstandingly at all times.
2. The demand for others to treat us nicely, considerately or fairly at all times.
3. The demand for life to be comfortable and hassle-free at all times.

(These are irrational demands, obviously, but think about it. You can probably trace most of your unsettledness, unhappiness, anger, anxiety, depression, etc, back to one or all of these three. I have no idea why we do this.)

This style of cognitive behaviour therapy does not seek to put a positive spin on everything that happens to you or on how you feel, but to help you understand that by taking the demand out of your thinking and increasing your frustration tolerance to experiences you don't like, you can develop confidence and increase your chance of success.

Some of us seem to have these coping skills naturally, others of us need to develop them. For some of us, to greater or lesser degrees, when the above unconscious demands are not met, we tend to have one or all of the following three reactions:

1. 'Awfulizing' - the event is not just bad, it is the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of the universe and there is nothing that could be worse. We say things like - It is a disaster. It is the end of the world. It is a catastophe. It is horrible/awful/terrible.

2. Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT) - a belief that underestimates your ability to cope. We say things like - It is intolerable. I can't take this. I cannot stand this. It is too hard.

3. Self-damning - judging yourself in a globally dismissive, totally negative way. We say things like - I am a loser. I am a failure. I am weak. I am stupid. I am worthless. I am useless. I am an idiot.

REBT offers three strategies to counter the above reactions:

1. Reality check - Is it a natural law, like gravity? Is there any evidence to support it, as in the kind of evidence that supports the existence of gravity?

2. Common sense - Is it logical to state this?

3. Helpful - Is this belief helpful to the situation?

Then we can turn the beliefs around to modified statements, statements that do not deny the reality that what you are going through is not fun for you (I appreciate that):

'It would be bad if --------but it is not the end of the world.'

'It would be very difficult if ----------but I can live through it. It will not kill me.'

'I don't like the fact that --------- but that does not make me a failure as a human being. I remain worthwhile and fallible.'

So...there are these blank pages in the yoga journal that ask me to write all this stuff down, make a mission statement, make a 90-day forward plan. I looked at the pages and I started to get a bit freaked out. Why? Because of my demand on myself to perform outstandingly at all times. I must fill the pages in perfectly, or I cannot fill them in at all. Why?

Because If I don't fill these pages out perfectly, it would be a disaster. I would ruin the book. I would have wasted my money. It would be the worst thing that could possible happen! And if I mess up the book, if I don't get it right, I couldn't cope with that. The guilt of buying such a nice book and not being able to use it properly would make me feel terrible. I couldn't cope with that. And isn't this just the way I always end up - I fail at everything, because I am useless and stupid and I can't do anything right. I might as well just forget the whole thing because I will surely not use it properly for the year anyway.

Because filling out this book should be easy. It's something I want to do, so it should be easy. If it isn't easy, that would be horrible! I cannot cope with things that are not easy. I cannot deal with them. If it isn't easy for me, it means I am too stupid to do it and shouldn't have even bought the book.

Now -- do you see how that thinking went straight through the REBT pattern???? And do you see how it can come about that a person would buy a journal and then be afraid to write in it?

You know, you don't sit and literally think all these things. They are like flashes and pangs of emotion, not verbalised. And it can all flash through you in a matter of seconds.

But, wait.

There is no truth in the belief that I would ruin the book and have wasted my money if I don't get it perfect. There is no law that says a book must be filled in perfectly. Also, it is true that I may feel bad about not filling in the book perfectly, but it is not true that I cannot cope with that. I can bear it. I will not break, fall apart or die -- it is nonsensical to feel that disaster will befall me if I do not fill in the book perfectly. Also, if I don't know what to write in the journal, it makes no sense to conclude that I therefore know nothing and that I am useless, stupid and a failure. The truth of the matter is, I simply don't know what to write. It is not helpful to hold the beliefs that the book must be perfect, that I cannot bear it if I don't write the 'right' thing, and that I am a failure - these beliefs create the anxiety that prevents me from taking any action at all.

And there is no truth in the belief that filling in the book should be easy. There is no evidence that life has to be easy and comfortable. There is no universal law saying that filling in a book should be easy. It is perfectly reasonable to want things to be easy, however it does not follow that just because you wish it, it should be so. It is common sense to accept the fact that while I may want something to be so -- in this case, goal-setting should be easy -- that doesn't mean it has to be so. (Just because we want it to be a sunny day doesn't mean the sun must shine, does it?)  The belief that goal-setting should be easy is unhelpful. The demand provokes anxiety and leads to avoidance behaviour.

And so I can set healthier beliefs:

I want to fill in the new journal perfectly, but I don't have to. The fact that I may not fill it in perfectly is uncomfortable for me, but not the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It is frustrating, but I can bear it. I will not die.  It doesn't make me useless. It doesn't make me a failure. It doesn't mean that the rest of the book would then be ruined. I accept myself as a fallible person, and my worth does not depend on how I fill in the book.

These truer statements can also flash through you in a matter of seconds...but you will probably have to start challenging beliefs after the fact before you reach the point where you can do it automatically. (Unless, like some lucky people, you were born with or were taught the skill by the way you were raised).

I cannot tell you what a struggle it has been to make myself start writing in this book. The desire to avoid writing in it in order to avoid all the feelings and fears about it is very strong.

This morning I drew Adept of Crystals -- Knight of Pentacles. 'Take your time,' he said. 'Do things slowly. Work it out.'

Karma Karma Karma Karma...

'Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.'
 ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

You know what? Karma doesn't means 'what goes around comes around.' That is a gross oversimplification. Karma is not about universal paybacks. Karma is not reward for good and punishment for bad.

'Karma' simply means 'action' or 'deed'. A man who performs good actions is a good man. A man who performs evil actions is an evil man. 'Anything you do, it bears your signature,' Thich Nhat Hanh says. Maya Angelou said it this way: 'When people show you who they are, believe them.' That is what karma means. You are what you do. You are your actions. You cannot do evil and say, 'I am really a good person though, so this doesn't count. I cannot be judged based on my actions but on my inherent worth as a human being.' It doesn't work that way. What else are you besides what you do? 'My actions are my only true belongings,' says Thich Nhat Hanh, 'I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.'

Now as a man is like this or like that, according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be; a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad; he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds;
And here they say that a person consists of desires, and as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his will, so is his deed; and whatever deed he does, that he will reap.

                                                                        —Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 7th Century BC

In a talk, someone asked Thich Nhat Hanh about karma:

You never speak of karma. Why not?

'I speak of karma all the time. There is no moment when I do not speak on karma. Karma means action. The action can be in the form of a thought, or in the form of a word, or it can be in the form of a physical action. So when I speak about mindful breathing, that is good karma. Mindful breathing is good action to bring your body and mind together, so you can be there in order to touch life deeply. When I speak about the Five Mindfulness Trainings, I speak about karma, because karma is action—if you think, if you speak, according to the spirit of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, you will get good results: peace, joy and happiness will be yours. I do not use the word karma, the technical term, but I always speak of karma, and the food of karma, which is karmaphala. And also good karma and negative karma. Let us not be caught by terms, even ideas. Let us deal with our actual problems. Let us have real practice, and not indulge ourselves in too much speculation and too many ideas.'

So let's dispense of all this talk about pay backs through karma. Any pay backs in karma come only from within ourselves, and happen to ourselves. That is what 'Whatever deed he does, that will he reap' actually means. 

And what does this have to do with today's card? Even though the LWB speaks a bit in 'payback' language -- 'a time of reckoning' -- the spirit of karma as I understand it (as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh and the Birhadarankya Upanishad) is the same:

Do I walk my talk?
Have I learned how I have created everything in my world?
What lessons are to be learned? Have I learned them?
Am I ready for transformational epiphany?

Today is Independence Day. Free your mind from the pay back mentality of karma and look to your own actions. Your actions are the ground upon which you stand.

Gather your thoughts - 4 of Orbs in Sirian Starseed

I love this image from the Sirian Starseed Tarot. It's such a lovely evocation of what it's like to be in meditation. There are moments, fleeting, between listening to sounds, between wondering if you're doing it right, between resisting the urge to peek at the clock, between hoping your feet don't go to sleep so deeply that you fall down when you try to stand up--there are moments when you really do disappear into yourself, and join the wash of the waves of the universe and feel a kind of alignment through the spine with the heavens above and the earth below.

This is so much more powerful to me than a medieval tomb in a relic of a cathedral.

The card tells me today is a day for quiet introspection, hibernation, meditation. It is not a day for solving problems. It is a day for retreat, for gathering oneself in, for recharging in preparation for dealing with the problems. The problems will wait. They always do.

'You canNOT be Sirius' -- the Dog Star in Sirian Starseed

Osiris

I've drawn the Star from Sirian Starseed this morning. This card features, of course, Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the sky. It is the nearest star to earth at 8.6 light years' distance. It is nearly twice as hot as the sun and puts out 26 times more energy, which it produces by converting hydrogen to helium through nuclear fusion. This is Sirius A.

Sirius B is 10,000 times dimmer than Sirius A and wasn't discovered until 1862. A white dwarf companion to Sirius A, it is very small at nearly the diameter of earth, and is affectionately called 'The Pup.'

As far as Sirius C is concerned, there is debate in the scientific community as to its existence. If it exists, it is tiny. It was first suspected in 1894 because of anomalies in the Sirius orbit. Something was observed at least 20 times between 1920 and 1930, but even scientists were unsure if they were actually seeing anything. A study of 60 years of observation conducted in 1978 by Gatewood & Gatewood concluded that nothing suggests the existence of a third body. However, there are anomalies and the debate continues.

Well -- of course you know a big bright obvious star, a tiny companion, and a near-mythic teeny-tiny 'phantom' star would hold GREAT appeal to New Age types! Listen to this from the LWB:

The image [on the card] includes the three stars of the triunal Sirian star system, described in detail in Sirian Revelations [a series of three books by guess who -- deck creator Patricia Cori] as Sirius A (still in the third dimension, Sirius B (ascended to the sixth dimension) and Sirius C (ascended to the fourth dimension). The Egyptians referred to them as the 'star sisters' and indeed they are. Hence, it also invites us to contemplate the ascension process, which many of us know we have come into this lifetime to experience. 

Click here for some 'channeled material' from the Sirians on Patricia Cori's website. (While you're there, click the link to the messages from the Sirian High Council. I like how they all end with ©Patricia Cori! Ha ha). And here is an entertaining look at some of the New Age ideas surrounding the Dog Star: The Dog Star from Outer Space.

So in the card we have Osiris, riding a barge through the heavens, holding a staff and an ankh. Sirius tops his staff. I assume the big star over his ankh is meant to be Sirius B. And your guess is as good as mine as to which little blinky is meant to be Sirius C. The interpretation is traditional - hope, trust, moving toward dreams or goals, etc.

Today I go to the surgeon to have my hearing checked again. The card suggests a positive outcome. For me, that will mean my hearing hasn't decreased more than expected and that I'm holding steady.