The Magician - The Inner Guide

A great card the Magician  is,who appears to possess all the tools needed.  The first card following the Fool in the Major Arcana, it is a masculine card suggesting powerful energy.
There is a great will and determination to see ideas or projects through to their completion. God knows procrastination is something many of us struggle with, and can cause all manner of trouble, chaos, and difficulty. So there is much to learn, and benefit from the Magician's tools. Powers of concentration and control along with desires that are fulfilled by a strong will, and the ability to utilize one's innate faculties to their fullest advantage with originality and invention.

The Magician is the inner guide, and a spiritual teacher for the Fool., and that unconscious power that looks after us.

 The Magician is seen often standing at a table with the four emblems of the Minor Arcana: wand (fire), cup (water), sword (air) and pentacle (earth). The four elements are at his disposal and always readily available to him to be used to their fullest extent.

Note: The Magician needs also his own inner guide as he is in danger of becoming preoccupied with the world of material things. I will discuss this in relation to The Hermit in my next post.

The High Priestess - Wisdom and Discernment

I decided to draw a random card this morning from my Mythic Tarot Deck. I want to spend some time thinking and relating to the Queen of Pentacles, the card I drew, to see what I can decipher. At the end of the day, I'll journal what it has revealed to me intuitively, for myself alone. I've learned this is a great way to become engaged with each card's meaning.

I chose the second card of the Major Arcana to study and write about, for today's post, The High Priestess, the intuitive guide, known as Persephone, Isis, The Corn Maiden and Artemis, and is ruled by the Moon. This image is a link with the inner world, commonly referred to as 'the unconscious' in psychology, the hidden world only revealed in dreams, fantasies, visions, symbols, etc.

 The High Priestess bares the mark of  Isis on her forehead, or wears a crown, symbolizing the Triple Goddess. Isis, was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife, as well as the patroness of nature and magic. The High Priestess also wears the solar crucifix around her neck, symbols of spirituality, balance between male and female. She sits between the two pillars of peace and severity, darkness and light. She embodies the feminine influence and indicates, divine knowledge, perception, creative ability, and self-motivation.
The High Priestess is the Goddess of the Underworld, representing spiritual wisdom and enlightenment, discernment, serenity, mystery, the unknown, the keeper of secrets, and has dominion over intuition. She uses this knowledge to teach rather than to try to control others.

" Discernment is the ability to grasp, comprehend, and evaluate clearly. It means we can see the true nature of things; it allows us to distinguish between what is real and what is imitation.

Discernment may begin with intuitive hunches and perceptiveness. With intuition as a starting point, the quality of discernment is built over time on honest observation, careful reasoning, and balanced application of our knowledge and principles. In a person who is highly discerning, intuition, emotion, and reason inform each other. As we grow in experience, our ability to discern usually grows stronger, providing us with insight that propels us toward greater wisdom" -   http://www.wisdomcommons.org/

Death - A Time For Endings

 
 As I make my way through my daily study, through the 22 Major Arcana cards, today the Death card was what came to mind; the card that signifies a time for endings, and is the 13th card in the Major Arcana.

The Death card I don't often see in readings, but when it comes up in a spread, many folks are fearful of seeing this card. It is by no means an indication of physical Death, but a card of transition and transformation. We need to accept and let go of what was, in order to embrace and allow for our soul's future growth and change. In a way, I think of it a kind of shape shifting card were we can transform ourselves in some way if we can let go of past issues that are holding us back. We die to the old and are re-birthed into anew kind of being, in better circumstance.

A major change is needed and due! The destruction of the old is a blessing in disguise, though we are saddened and are mourning,  it signifies the end of a cycle, or a way of life, where we relinquish an old dream, an attitude, or a way of being in the world and this is replaced with a new beginning. How we handle this experience depends on our capacity for acceptance and recognition for the necessity of endings.

Death is always our invisible companion throughout our lives, and all part of the life-death-life-cycle.
If you are faced with an ending, this is a good time for a reading to receive insight into the darkness, and to help you prepare for the new beginning that awaits you.

The World - Wholeness

A beautiful card the World is. The last card of the Major Arcana. It is a card of wholeness, unity and duality. Love, creative imagination, intellect and physical reality, are all represented by the symbols of  the four suits in the Minor Arcana: Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles. These elements are all surrounded and held in harmony within the great circle of the World Snake, an image of inexhaustible life.

Wholeness is an image portrayed here in the card, as an ideal goal, rather than something which we can completely attain and achieve. We can however experience and glimpse a sense of inner healing and transformation when we find resolutions to those conflicting and warring parts of ourselves, that finally brings  peace and serenity.

The World card has been likened to a great egg, that gives birth to the Fool.
The power of transcendence is within reach. We get our deserved rewards and triumph, attaining greater consciousness.

My World

© Caroline Falzon

the day is through, the sun is down,
only the moon seems to be up.
I go to bed, I lay to rest,
I open my eyes, as into the world I step.

I see green meadows, I feel the sun,
I feel content as I look around.
I keep on walking down the lane,
I hear the giggles of kids at play.

so many faces all come in glee,
the cheer, the laughter, everyone at peace.
singing and dancing, all around one man,
I take a step forward to join in the clan.

we all come together, no color no race,
we all want to shout out and to Him give praise,
our pastor, our savior, our only true love,
the reign of mankind, if only in Him we trust.

no rain, no pain, no evil, no shame
this is my world, it is yours too.
no tears, no fears, no aches, no blame
this is my world, I share it with you.

Source: My World, Inspirational Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/my-world-2#ixzz2uAFclYMc

The Fool - Seize The Day!

In 1980 I took an adventure. I traveled to Toronto to study Mime, Commedia dell'Arte to be specific at Mime School Unlimited. It was the great unknown, and one of the most difficult, challenging and at the same time most rewarding experiences of my life. I took a huge leap of faith.

Prior to leaving the Maritimes, I began to study clowning and the role of the clown, the Fool/Jester. Particularly the white face. I learned that the role of the court jester, in the days of Kings, was to remind the Royal Court of their mortality, the white face represented the Death Mask.

For me the Fool is a wonderful archetype, and symbol of how I have often lived my own life as an artist, a free spirit, and it retrospect I know I've learned the most life lessons from, in many ways.

The card of the Fool in the Tarot, is represented  by the number 0 - the Zero point, and the beginning of the 22 Major Arcana cards that depict the archetypal journey of life.
Some find the card to be most mysterious and even disturbing. I do not, as it brings to my mind a humble vulnerability, innocence, a trusting open heart, with an eternal optimism and hope. It is the beginning of the journey as individuals, a time of risk taking, and learning new things, as we move along the road of life.

The image of the Fool is that of our inner impulse and willingness to leap into the unknown, an ideal symbol for springtime, new beginnings and new growth, we follow our intuition and creative instincts. Our leap of faith can lead us into a creative and fulfilling lives. Instead of being the guilty bystander, we are participators. Carp Diem! Seize the day!

The Fool is the potential that it not yet applied to anything. One is eager to experience and develop oneself, and their nature to it's fullest capacity and potential.
We start anew and are unaware of the direction in which to proceed, we act on impulse. The Fool is the excitement of endless possibilities and innocence, but also naivete and lack of foresight.

 As illustrated in the Rider -Waite deck there are pure intentions here, which are symbolized by the rose, and having all the necessary and needed tools in life, which are carried in the shoulder satchel. We have a loyal companion and protector along side in the form of a little dog, who will push us forward.

The Zero  indicates the space before the start of the new cycle of experience that will require decisions and action. It is a carefree period, without pressure or direction. The Fool looks heaven ward to the Great Spirit for direction and faith.

The Star - A Time of Hope

 "There shall be signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars" -  Jesus Christ

I cannot study the Sun and Moon without including the Star, as they are, and have always been closely connected to one another, dating back to ancient days.
The Star being the 17th, card, Moon the 18th, and Sun the 19th, are the order in which these cards come within Major Arcana in the Tarot deck.

The Star portends experience of hope, meaning and faith, where we find inspiration, generosity, and serenity.  It is a very positive card, though a realistic one. It is about turning the negative into the positive, overcoming difficulties and rising above them, remaining hopeful, and becoming a stronger, a better person  with depth, of character, because of our struggles, not just in spite of them.
We can fulfill our highest human potential. We look to heavenward, lightening the burdens and struggles of the earth.
Many dreadful afflictions have been released into the world from Pandora's box but the promise of hope remains, always.

The Star card - A Time of Hope 

The Star card always gives me a feeling of hope. It's an important card for the times that we are in right now. Following the Tower card, the Star is a guiding vision of hope and promise that arises from the ashes of the Tower which has been destroyed. In the journey of the Mythic Tarot, the Fool waits amidst the rubble, and has no clear sense of how or what to rebuild - all he is left with is hope, and a sense that all is not lost.

The Star card is the 17th card of the Major Arcana, and the next step on the Fool's journey in the Mythic Tarot. The card of the Star portrays Pandora as a beautiful, young woman with long, fair hair, kneeling before an open chest. From the chest, a swarm of flying creatures rise including dragon flies, wasps, bees, flies, moths and spiders; and they fill the sky with darkness. Pandora's eyes are fixed on a bright star symbolized by a female figure in glowing, white robes with a rainbow shining behind her.

In Greek mythology, Pandora is a lot like Eve, who represents the feminine side of human nature which includes feelings, instinct, imagination and intuition along with the need to probe for the truth despite the consequences. The wooden chest that Zeus, the father of all the Greek gods, sends to mankind is a lot like the apple in the Garden of Eden which Eve found hard to resist. The chest like the apple is something which is forbidden, but yet impossible to resist. It contains knowledge of the reality of human life which means the death of innocence and childlike fantasy, but it also contains the most precious attribute of the human spirit which is hope.

When Pandora opens the box, the terrible afflictions of human life that had been locked away by Zeus were now released which included - old age, labor, sickness, insanity, vice and passion; and they spread all over the world. Hope alone, which had also been locked in the chest, did not fly away.

On an inner level, the image of Pandora and the Star of Hope, is a symbol of that part of us which, despite disappointment, depression and loss can still cling to a sense of meaning and future which can still grow out of the unhappiness of the past. The Star does not reveal the future plans, or solution to one's problems, but like the cards of the Hermit and the Hanged Man, the Star is a card of waiting, for the sense of hope is a fragile light which glimmers and guides us through the darkness. Somehow, it offers us faith, and therefore in the card's image, Pandora's eyes are fixed not on the unhappiness of the human condition, but on this intuitive feeling that a dawn of a new day is coming.

The quality of hope has nothing to do with planned expectations, but is connected with something deeper which has sometimes been called the will to live. Doctors experience this with their patients – those who have a sense of hope and a strong will to live - will often find the inner resources to face a life-threatening dis-ease, and beat the odds. Likewise, individuals who have suffered tragic circumstances, or have faced challenges which are far greater than any human should have to go through such as those who experienced the concentration camps in Germany and Poland during World War II - have often expressed that it was some inner sense of hope and faith that meant the difference between survival and death. Hope is a profound and mysterious thing, for it would seem that it can transcend anything life offers us.

In a reading, the Star card represents the experience of hope, meaning and faith in the midst of challenges. It's a sign that there is new and better life coming in your future if only you can believe.

The Star is a symbol for all of us right now as we face a challenging world. If we can believe and envision a better life, we can co-create this life for each one of us. If you need some hope right now, have a reading to shed some light on your future path.

By Donna M. Fisher-Jackson, MA © 2010

Thanks to Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Liz Greene, the creators of the Mythic Tarot for their insightful comments.

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The Sun Acts, The Moon Reacts - The Snow Moon

Hecate

We are entering the last quarter of the Snow Moon or what was commonly called the Hunger Moon.
A time when the most snow occurs and coldest temperatures. I think it is a neat thing the Snow Moon began in Valentines Day this year.
I have long had a strong affinity with the Moon. After finding out from my astrological chart that my Moon is is Pisces, it makes perfect sense to me why I have always said I am in love with the Moon and identify with this planet.

 The Moon is associated with the feminine and the mother. It represents our inner child and our inner mother, spontaneity, and instinctive, intuitive abilities and having an empathetic compassionate nature. I am a hopeless romantic, a typical personality trait of someone born with the a Pisces Moon. I've been told I wear my heart on my sleeve, and have been described as a ball of emotion. There was a time that I'd try to hide these personality characteristics and even thought of them as defects, but now I know they are my strengths, being older and wiser.

The Last Timber Wolf

 

Wild Woman Singing Over The Bones

From the Introduction - Singing Over the Bones The archetype of Wild Woman resides in the guts, not in the head. She can track and run and summon and repel. She can sense, camouflage, and love deeply. She is intuitive, typical, and normative. She is utterly essential to women's mental and soul health. She is the female soul. Yet she is more; she is the source of the feminine. She is all that is of instinct, of the worlds both seen and hidden -she is the basis. She is intuition, she is far-seer, she is deep listener, she is loyal heart. She encourages humans to remain multilingual; fluent in the languages of dreams, passion, and poetry. She is the voice that says, "This way, this way." She is the one who thunders after injustice. She is the one we leave home to look for. She is the one we come home to. She is the things that keep us going when we think that we're done for. To adjoin the instinctual nature does not mean to come undone, change everything from left to right, from black to white, to move the east to west, to act crazy or out of control. It does not mean to lose one's primary socialization, or to become less human. It means quite the opposite. The wild nature has a vast integrity to it. It means to establish territory, to find one's pack, to be in one's body with certainty and pride regardless of the body's gifts and limitations, to speak and act in one's behalf, to be aware, alert, to draw on the innate feminine powers of intuition and sensing, to come into one's cycles, to find what one belongs to, to rise with dignity, to retain as much consciousness as we can. La Loba (Wolf Woman), the old one, the One Who Knows, is within us. She thrives in the deepest soul-psyche of women, the ancient and vital Wild Woman. She describes her home as that place in time where the spirit of women and the spirit of wolf meet —the place where her mind and her instincts mingle, where a woman's deep life funds her mundane life. It is the point where the I and the Thou kiss, the place where women run with the wolves. The Creation Mother is always the Death Mother and vice versa. Because of this dual nature, or double-tasking, the great work before us is to learn to understand what around and about us and what within us must live, and what must die. Our work is to apprehend the timing of both; to allow what must die to die, and what must live to live. You can dent the soul and bend it. You can hurt it and scar it. You can leave the marks of illness upon it, and the scorch marks of fear. But it does not die, for it is protected by La Loba the underworld. She is both the finder and the incubator of the bones. People do meditation to find psychic alignment. That's why people do psychotherapy and analysis. That's why people analyze their dreams and make art. That is why many read Tarot cards, cast I Ching, dance, drum, make theater, pry out the poem, and fire up the prayer. That's why we do all the things we do. It is the work of gathering all the bones together. Then we must sit at the fire and think about which song we will use to sing over the bones, which creation hymn, which re-creation hymn. And the truths we tell will make the song. There are some good questions to ask till one decides on the song, one's true song: What has happened to my soul-voice? What are the buried bones of my life? In what condition is my relationship to the instinctual Self? When was the last time I ran free? How do I make life come alive again? Where has La Loba gone to? Go back and stand under that one red flower and walk straight ahead for that last hard mile. Go up and knock on the old weathered door. Climb up to the cave. Crawl through the window of a dream. Sift the desert and see what you can find. It is the only work we have to do. You wish psychoanalytic advice? Go gather bones.

                                                    - Clarissa Pinkola Estes Ph.d