Twos-Duality

Two of Cups - Duality

Twos are always a representation of duality and opposing forces. I ask myself why did I draw this card? It's not really difficult for me to figure out that this duality is present in my life right now.

 I'm feeling somewhat torn bewteen wanting to hang on to my old life and trying to adapt to the extreme changes that have transpired since my cancer diagnosis in September 13th, 2018.

Cups are connected to the emotion, surrounding relationship with others or with ourselves. This is the beginging of the relationship between Eros (Love) and Psyche (Soul). And for me this is the beginning of a whole new way of living.

Eros is seen here in the Two of Cups approaching Psyche, and about to deliver her fate, her imminent death, ordered by Aphrodite, for Eros to follow through on. However he inadvertently pricks himself with the intended arrow, meant for Psyche, and unexpectedly falls head over heels in love with Psyche, which changes everything for both of them, and things will never be the same, as they can not go back to the way things were.

Many situations in life we often expect to unfold one way, when suddenly in a complete twist of fate, and circumstance, everything seems to conspire against us and throws us in a completely different direction.

We have a choice in deciding how to cope with this new situation in the way of either a reaction or response. Initially we react with some kind of emotion as it's only normal. It's a shock to the system and we need time to adjust. Hopefully once we manage to get a grip on ourselves we can use decernment in how we decide what to do in response. Personally I think it's better just to pause, try to find our center and take in just what has happened if we can.

Always something is lost, but their is also something to be gained in every situation in our lives. But not all is lost and no doubt much is to be gained, in ways that are totally unexpected and are completly unknown, as we are unaware of never have been in a situation such as this.

Psyche is totally in the dark and has absolutely no idea what Eros has been ordered to do, and what is going to take place in the immediate future. Psyche right now unknowingly loves Eros, but has given up in thinking that love or life for her, will ever come to fruition. as what she believes awaits her is a monster about to take her life, with no way out. It appears to be a hopeless scenario.  But nothing or no one is ever hopeless. There is always hope, even for those who appear hopeless.

And so when suddenly the circumstance for Eros and Psyche has changed as a result of that one arrow, resulting in Eros fallng in love with Psyche, now all bets are off, and everything has changed in an instant and not everything is as it appears on the surface. We need to look below the surface and with this comes acceptance and appreciation for how things have changed and we must accept our new  reality so we can find serenity.

The World - Self-Worth - Transcendence

The World card is the mythic image for both God and nature, embodied in one symbol. We see the four symbols presiding over the realms, water, fire, air and earth which await development in the reborn personality.

Lately I came into some extra money. Actually more money than I've ever had. I'm not referring to winning the lottery kind of money or a big inheritance. But simply talking about reaching the age of 65 years which has resulted in modest pensions and then finally managing to sell some of my land.

This has got me thinking today about economic insecurity. There exists 12 Promises in Alcoholics Anonymous. All of these promises with the exception of one, have all been fulfilled in my life. The one that seemed to elude me, was this promise.

Promise 10
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

I'll tell you I'm not afraid of people so much any more, especially authority figures and bill collectors and my fear of economic insecurity thankfully has definitely subsided. Being able to effectively pay my bills, no longer having to rob Peter to pay Paul, and now actually be able to put money aside into modest savings, let me tell you it's a huge stress relief. 

That said, when reflecting on where fear of economic and financial insecurity originates from, I've learned that it isn't a net worth problem, but a self-worth problem. Understanding this is life changing. I've now begun to free myself from my fear of economic insecurity.

Believing that we're not enough translates into believing that you don't or won't have enough in this world. We are all programed by our parents program of insecurity, that's learned in our early childhood, regardless if we can recall this or not.

Worldly success, freedom and wholeness is attained through spiritual rebirth, not through an accumulation of money, things, fame or an unrealistic image. Although we'll never reach the ideal, found in the last Major Arcana card, The World, as we're imperfect as human beings.

We may glimpse this state when there is inner healing, which provides a resolution of inner peace through the journey of discovery, restoring belief in living awareness of the True Self.

Alignment

There's a cosmic, astrological, and terrestrial event that began August 14th  to follow through the remaining days of August, where Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are all going to be in alignment. These planets are pertinent to The Mythic Tarot, in that each planet is associated with a Major Arcana card in the deck.

This is a good time to get our lives in alignment, and here is my interpretation. It strengthens my faith giving me a deep sense of affirming clarity. I hope you will find meaning strength in this interpretation. 


Venus rules the Roman goddess of love and is symbolic of The Empress, the Great Mother, who is beautiful and bountiful suggesting luxury and abundance. We are reminded without this Great Mother within us, we can bring nothing to fruition.

Jupiter, the planet of expansion represents the Wheel of Fortune, meaning fortune, power, movement, sudden change and reminding us of the cyclical nature of life. Jupiter also connected with the Hierophant, the Higher mind, philosophy, and the wise teacher, that reflects an individual vision of the spirit.

Saturn the planet of time, age, decay, death, finance and also represents the goddess of fertility, Aphrodite. The Devil is the Major Arcana card associated with Capricorn, the goat, representing emotional, spiritual and physical bondage. Saturn serves as a model of discipline structure and commitment. It reminds us to work hard and reap the rewards, and to know we can be released from bondage and know freedom through love.

Mars the Roman god of war rules the Major Arcana card, The Tower, which signifies radical transformation.


Here's the down low, from the Old Farmer's Almanac about the alignment of the planets, using the moon as your guide, so you can witness this rainbow of of planets and brilliant stars.

• Starting with Venus in the southwestern sky, go left and a bit higher and you’ll see the blue star Spica. 
• Continue left and slightly upward to the brilliant white Jupiter, the highest point of the rainbow. (It’s not quite as bright as Venus.)
• Go farther left and a bit lower from Jupiter to the bright orange Antares. 
• Continue left and the next bright star is the colorless Saturn, which is actually a bit higher than Antares, spoiling the perfect rainbow arc. (Saturn is dimmer than the other three planets. Antares twinkles, while Saturn shines with a steadier golden light.)
• Now continue left and lower from Saturn to finish up with the very brilliant orange Mars, near the horizon in the southeastern sky, shining brighter than Jupiter.

If you counted six “stars,” you’ve succeeded, with four of them being planets, and three (Venus, Jupiter, and Mars) being super-bright. They’re each separated by roughly the same distance from each other. The only challenge is finding a site with an open, unobstructed view halfway around the sky from the southwest through to the southeast.

Follow the Moon as a Guide

From August 14 to August 23, the Moon passes all four planets in the evening sky, one after the other, following the same path!

• From August 14 to 16, the Moon passes Venus and moves toward Jupiter. 
• On August 17, the bright object nearest the Moon is Jupiter.
• The First Quarter Moon falls in the early morning hours of August 18.
• Around August 18/19, the waxing Moon passes red super giant star Antares.
• From August 20 to 22 look for the Moon to come very very close to planet Saturn.
• Finally, on August 23, 2018, the Moon is right next to brilliant red planet Mars. The two pair up all night from dusk to dawn.

Ace of Wands - Pursuit of a Creative Vision

The Ace of Wands is a hope filled, powerful card that hearkens raw creative energy, a force of nature, signifying that there's an adventure to embark upon, in pursuit of a creative vision.

Drawing this card today strengthens, is life affirming, and it's message I need to hear right now. The Ace of Wands instills in me confidence, knowing that concrete limitations can always be challenged and overcome. It's message is a simple, but a powerful one.

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
                              
                                                        - Sarah Williams

Queen of Cups - Intuition

The Queen is an influential, calm, stable, intuitive and compassionate figure. I love the description of this card in the hand book from the Mary Hanson-Roberts tarot deck."This queen drinks deeply from the cup of life."

This is one of my very favouite cards and for me I consider it to be an example of how I intend to live my life. For some, following one's intuition rather that their intellect as this queen represents, can be a daunting and frightening way of living, as there seems to be a lack of control and most people want to feel in control of their lives. We can have a modicum of control of our lives, in that we choose and control our own behaviours, no one else's.

I see letting go of control, as being a good thing, when it comes to life generally, because we can't control most things that happen in our lives. This has everything to do with acceptance, and living life on life terms and understanding the one constant in life is change, and we have to learn how to adapt to change.

            " Intuition is the treasure of a woman's psyche."

                                                        - Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Vasalisa The Wise - Egg Tempera - Catherine Meyers

Seven of Wands - Faith in the Unknown Mysteries

The Seven of Wands is a card of struggle, a card of competition, perseverance and faith. Ok, so there are so many things in life we don't understand, and these can cause us to be fearful if we don't have the right kind of attitude. Faith has been an absolute essential in my life and this in turn has helped me to persevere.

 I'll be honest with you, if I came across this humdinger of a critter in the ocean I'd probably swim for the hills. But I'd also have to ask myself, how can a fish possibly be wearing lipstick? And I might well think I've completely lost the plot. I don't think I'd persevere and go back for a second look.

 This unbelievable creature is not a photo shop creation. It actually exists in the ocean, called the Red Lipped Bat Fish.

Red Lipped Bat Fish

I love this little dude, the Leafy Sea Dragon.

Leafy Sea  Dragon

Today on the radio I learned about what's called the Twilight Zone  , a place that exists in the depths of the ocean, so dark and deep, where no one has gone, until a special pressurized chamber was invented to bring these kind of incredible creatures, safely to the surface for scientists to study and then return to the ocean depths.

Often what human beings don't understand we are fearful of, we can sometimes be jealous, or simply not care less about what we don't understand for what ever reason.
But the mysteries we don't understand can hold so many answers to questions surrounding life itself, and can keep us from hubris, which usually gets us into trouble.

Human beings are not greater than nature, we are all part of nature. We don't need to lord it over nature with power and control.
It's a precarious and delicate balance between humanity, the environment and the metaphysical relationship that exists, needs to be paid attention to and we need not be in opposition with nature, if we are to survive and thrive into the future and the seven generations to come.

Many years ago I got my SCUBA certification. Diving in scuba gear in the ocean left me with such a feeling of awe that never left me. I became acutely aware of a world and ecosystem that I never knew existed. It opened my mind, my heart, and gave me a new appreciation and vision of the ocean, where I live, and my place in the world.

In this world, in this century, it's more important than ever to have faith in the mysteries of life. It's what gives us hope least we live and die without purpose.

Three Of Pentacles - The Strawberry Moon

The Three of Pentacles, a celebratory card is a well suited draw today with this first Full Strawberry Moon in June of Summer.

Though I'm not one to celebrate Canada Day, I'm grateful to be Canadian, and I'm sure there will be many celebrations on this long weekend ahead.

Every where there have been graduation celebrations, proms and the end of the school year, which for some, is a bitter sweet time, seeing our children spreading their wings, flying the nest, when we just wish they'd slow down..

When the Strawberry Moon arrives, we can look forward to enjoying fresh sweet strawberries as this is where the Strawberry Moon gets it's name. Sometimes called the Hay Moon for the first harvest of hay or referred to as the Rose Moon when the first bloom of roses arrive.

I didn't grow strawberries this year, but first thing this morning I motored to town in my new to me motor car, and purchased a hanging strawberry plant and some other garden delights to adorn my flower garden out in my front door yard.

June is a month of Birthdays and tomorrow I will help celebrate two of my dearest friends Birthdays.

The Strawberry Moon is a time when Indigenous woman spiritually cleanse themselves. It's a great time to get our lives uncluttered.

It's a time to celebrate who we are, reflect on our dreams, happiness and success. So go ahead, celebrate Summer and allow yourself the harvest of those sweet strawberries and reap the rewards of your hard work. There is much to be grateful for and more work ahead to come.