Knight of Swords - Can You Have One Without The Other?

I relate very much to the Knight of Swords as it relates to Gemini, my Sun sign. According to Roman Mythology these inseparable brothers were considered the patrons of horses, a majestic creature I greatly  love and adore.  

Castor the mortal, and Polydeuces the Divine represent courage, adventure and change. Having a sense of adventure and being open to change can make us better people. When we can temper our intuition/emotion with our rational/intellectual mind and visa versa, this can help us to be aware of our behaviour and our mortal/divine nature.

This card brings to mind the Winter Solstice, with the presence of both light and dark in our lives.
Like the twin brothers it is a good reminder to me that I can't have one without the other, and I've learned to appreciate both individually, and simultaneously.
I hope you are looking forward to the future with adventure and change and I pray that you have courage.

Knight of Swords - How To Be Your Own Heroine/Hero

Many years ago I got my SCUBA certification. When the idea was first presented to me, I wasn't a willing participant, and made excuses why I couldn't possibly do this, because well I was afraid, though I loved the water, and swimming. It was free training through the military, and so in spite of my reservations and reluctance, I went ahead and before I knew it, I was enrolled. It was hard work and we were really put through our paces, with  a lot of challenging tests.

Bar none, the biggest test for me was overcoming my panic. What can kill divers is panic. I think this can be related to pretty much everything in life. And so this was made very clear to us at the very start, that we had to get a hold of our panic. When we did our open water dive with our instructor, this is what he was looking for in our eyes, panic.

I was able to overcome my fear by taking control of my panic, and after several weeks of rigorous training, I finally got my certification. I can't exactly explain how I did this, but I know it was about facing fear head on. And I'm sure all that breathing into a regulator attached to my oxygen tank, and being underwater puts everything into slow motion. All you hear is the sound of your breathing, which is very meditative, and you're in the zen zone.

 It wasn't that fear was absent, but I refused to let it it control me. I was stubborn, and began to instinctively look on this as an opportunity for personal growth.

The Knight of Swords portrays the twins, Castor the mortal, and Polydeuces the Divine. It's a card of courage, adventure and change. Having a sense of adventure and being open to change can make us better people. When we can temper our intuition/emotion with our rational/intellectual mind and visa versa, this can help us to be aware of our behaviour and our mortal and divine nature.

By not allowing ourselves to be ruled by our reactions to situations when the old monkey brain kicks in, creating a scenario of fight or flight, we can gain control of ourselves.
 Learning how to SCUBA dive was a really important life changing lesson. I learned how to have courage, and to be open to change.
 Getting out of our comfort zone, and doing the things that we often afraid of, is what enables personal growth. This has been my own personal experience, time and time again.

Learning how to be our own heroine or hero is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Sometimes it's a matter of saving ourselves from ourselves.

Nine of Pentacles - My Mouse Is Alive!

I drew this card a few days ago, but didn't write a blog post about it, I thought about quite a bit about it's meaning, and just put it back in the deck. Sometimes the relevance of a card doesn't become clear until later. That's what happened here.

We had a planned power outage this morning, which lasted less than half an hour. I had forgotten about it until it went off.

So, I then began to write in my long hand journal with my cup of coffee, while sitting at my computer with no power. I was grateful I'd got my breakfast and coffee before the outage. The next thing I knew I'd knocked over my coffee onto my computer desk. I never impress myself when I do this. Shortly after cleaning that big mess up, the power came back on, only to find I could no longer use my mouse to orient my way around the computer. Argh!

I spent the next following hours booting ( not literally ) as much as I felt like it, and rebooting, reading manuals, etc., when it dawned on me, perhaps I'd drowned my poor mouse in coffee?

I was determined to take my mouse apart, if I could only find a small enough screw driver to loosen the screw that held it together, in attempt to hopefully dry out my mouse. More argh. I couldn't find a small enough tool to get the thing apart. I went into the bibs and bobs drawer to see what I could find. Nothing that would fit, but finally discovered one screw driver. It was perfect! A really handy one my friend had given me a while ago, I'd completely forgotten I had. My friend is a real technological wizard.

 I went from much frustration to hopeful elation. I got it open, cleaned and dried the guts of that mouse. It was pretty gross. Finally I got it snapped back together. and twisted that screw back in where it belonged.

This whole process took me four friggin hours.  But I have to tell you I felt exactly like Daedalus in the Nine of Pentacles. My hard work and determination paid off and I'd resurrected my mouse! I really felt that self-satisfaction that comes with hard work and determination, in spite of my frustration. There's nothing wrong with celebrating your small accomplishments, and to feel proud of yourself. If I can overcome and achieve the small, seemingly incidental things it helps me to believe, and to know I can accomplish more than what I think I am capable of achieving.

 I'm sure I would've  felt differently if my mouse had truly bit the dust. I'd have to accept that, and try to find the best resolution to my problematic dilemma. But in the mean time, I am overjoyed that my mouse is alive, and like Daedalus, I am justifiably pleased with myself with what I was able to achieve, and I appreciate my skill!
 
I've learned to approach life as an adventure , it's not about the success or failure. It's more often than not been my experience, that I learn more from mistakes.

Two of Pentacles - The Adventure of Little By Slowly

Daedalus stands at his table working on his skills and using the tools of his trade. Decisions are to be made and decisions made in the past have lead to his present circumstances that have benefited him.

Having the tools in hand, to get the job done, we can continue to build a good foundation, one the skill at a time. The challeges ahead will be accomplished if we use discernment in choosing the right tools, and apply ourselves to achieve our goals.

 Sometimes it is easy to get impatient, and ahead of ourselves. We want everything yesterday or immediately, and may even want to give up, especially when we are closest to our goal. Slow and steady wins the race. Little by slowly we can reach our destination. Perseverance, trust and a little prayer goes a long way.

There is always a risk involved if we want to grow.  Adventure in growth is often scary. We can't control the outcome, and the unknown can cause us to be fearful, especially when there are road blocks and hurdles along the road.

Regardless if we succeed or fail life lessons will be learned and confidence will be gained. True it can be a balancing act, in that we should weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes we have to throw caution to the wind, have faith, we need to trust and believe in ourselves.

The Ace of Wands - Work Vs Drudgery

 I'm in the thick of what I call my painting project adventure. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed, that I'm about to go doolally thinking about what this involves, but my approach is, one painting at a time, one brush stroke at a time. It is the the same outlook I have about life. It's an adventure, one day at a time. It's not all fun and games til someone gets their eye poked out. It's about fun, discipline, work, balance and living life to the fullest. the good, bad and the ugly.

So, drawing the Ace of Wands embodied in the mythic figure of Zeus, is certainly an affirming card for me today. It speaks of having abounding energy for a new project, enterprise or course of study. I certainly can use all the creative energy I can get right now!

I often hear it said, when you have a job that you love you, you'll never work again. Well I don't agree with that statement. There is work, then there is drudgery. Whatever your vocation or chosen career,  I believe it is vital to one's happiness and health, that you have a passion for your work or at least feel it gives you a rewarding kind of satisfaction, and is not drudgery. But doing what you love does not mean it is not work. There are always going to be days when you'd rather being doing something else, or nothing at all, regardless if you are very happy with what your work is.

Even having the worst jobs in the world, you can always find something positive about it I think, but who wants to be spending all their energy doing work you don't love or enjoy or you can't stand. I've had a few jobs that were pretty rotten, like repairing stinky, maggot filled milk stainless steel tanks. We've all had a crappy job, because we have to work to sustain ourselves one way or another. These jobs always build character and you learn what you're made of. They also make a person very appreciative and grateful when you do find employment that not only suits you, but is very meaningful in some way, especially if it is a vocation.

Work should not be your life nor should life be about work. I have heard it said, that workaholic-ism is worse than alcoholism because you are never home at all. If you are sloshed at home, well you are home, and maybe not sloshed all the time. I know that might sound crazy. It sure as heck is not the ideal home life and both of these behaviours are extreme. I speak from personal experience.
Having a good balance between life and work, makes all the difference to your well being.

My work is my art that I create. As an artist, creativity is my lifestyle, the way of thinking that gives me a sense of freedom and purpose. Being creative is really what makes me happy. If I choose not to create art, I still don't have to be an artist to be creative, because it is a way of thinking, a lifestyle and as the Ace of Wands represents, a force of nature.

The Magician - Let The Adventure Begin!

The powerful energy of the mercurial messenger of the gods, the master of all elements, the Magician is embodied in mythical figure of Hermes, son of Zeus, who directly follows and offers inner guidance, and wisdom to The Fool, through the journey in the Major Arcana. The Fool is about to naively embark upon the journey of life, not knowing what lies ahead, he without the tools needed to help him along, but is neither concerned or fearful.

The Magician has all the tools at his disposal, and his life force energy connected to heaven and the earth which gives him great courage, strength, power, and insight. He is the harbinger of good news, in that he offers and advises The Fool to take hold of these tools, so he will be prepared for life.

However The Fool is innocent, without the experience to know how to make wise choices, and so he continues on his way, not listening to the Magician. The Fool sees the world through rose coloured glasses and magical thinking so to speak, and functions on an instinctual level through his impulsive behaviour, a wild thing really. The Fool is blind, and lacks any tangible insight.

When we are young we can't help but have a naive perception of life, and we are not in control of the future. We need to be prepared by having the right tools, this however comes only through experience. Upon meeting the Magician at the precipice, after leaving the safety of the cave, The Fool clearly knows the journey is possible, and there are many capacities to be explored and developed. The Magician will provide wisdom in all the spheres of life - intellectually, creatively, emotionally and physically. Let the adventure begin!

Temperance Vs Adventure

When I saw that I'd drawn the Major Arcana card of Temperance today, it immediately felt like a right connection, and the perfect card for me today. Upon further reflection I see why. You might not think temperance and adventure are related, but they are.

When people hear the word Temperance, some folks may relate to it negatively, as they envision a bunch of purple rinse haired old ladies, who strictly adhere to a whack of rules, like complete abstinence in every area of their lives; sitting in stern judgment of others, to whom they are certain, are hell bound due to their indulgences of the demon drink, smokes and any kind of sexin' or other impure thoughts! Much the way some of my relatives lived life under tyrannical control and conditions. There was no dancing, no school, no woman wearing pants, playing cards, especially on Sunday, . It was like, everything was evil and a rule, and as if life itself was either immoral, unsafe, or illegal. Guidelines were non-existent.

Believe it or not, I once lived in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, however I was never temperate to say the least. I just needed an affordable place to live, as a poor student in Toronto!

In the Temperance card we meet the beautiful mythic figure of Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, symbolizing the renewal of relationship and Iris representing feeling. Her opposite counterpart is Justice (Athene), the rational one.

 In the way Temperance and Justice need each other, temperance and adventure need one another as well. Although Iris and Athene may be enemies in myth or the enemies within ourselves, we must integrate these two, as they will and can offer different solutions to the same problem.

 Having temperance in life is not about living life literally by the words like no, and don't, should or and shouldn't, in the sense that rigidly produces bad guilt and shame, in a puritanical,  judgmental, and merciless way. Temperance is about harmony, balance of the heart with kindness and mercy.

If we don't have adventure we can't transform ourselves. We stay stuck, bored, safe and it's not much fun!
The momentum to move forward comes when we grow and develop confidence. With confidence and adventure we are relieved of our boredom, and then the excitement begins! Growth and adventure are conduits for transformation.

Adventurer

I refuse to believe I'll ever be too old for adventure and and hope. If I thought no adventures would ever come again. I'd shrivel up, to age and die too soon.

Adventure scoops me up out of lethargy and rescues me from dull security.

Adventure requires leaving the safety of the known. I affirm: I am willing to
take the risks adventures entail.

Adventure requires the willingness to conquer. I affirm: I will be a victor in my adventures.

Adventures requires the willingness to have fun. I affirm:
I'll experience challenges as exercises in joy.
I'll be an explorer of life's mazes, instead of feeling trapped by them.
I'll view obstacles as delirously delicious lessons.
I'll recognize and revel in the beauty of strange new lands.
I'll participate in the laughing game of stubborn stick-to-itiveness.
So be it! 
              - Francis De Grandis

Strength - "Learn to live in the springtime of life."

Oh boy God give me strength, is definitely my prayer today! Without going into personal details, it's been a difficult week. I certainly have faith my prayers are being answered, but oh not fast enough! But I don't have control over that as much as I wished I did. Like my grade nine Geography used to say under her breath, before we completely drove her over the edge. "Patience is a virtue."

We had more snow this morning, the power went out again today for two hours, and tonight it is going down to a freakin' freezin' yer grannie's preserves, -36. I'm grateful the power didn't go down when it was starting to get dark, cause I am running out of candles! One nerve left a old man Winter, and you're on it!

Meantime, I decided, during the two hours without power, I would study my personal reading, that I did yesterday for myself. I carefully went through  each card with my Mythic Tarot workbook to connect the dots. I had just scratched the surface with my intuitive reading, but was on the right track.

Today I was really in need of some guts. Or if you prefer intestinal fortitude, strength. After close reflection and study of each card in my personal reading, I found it to be extremely strengthening and empowering. Not that is surprises me, because the cards always give me strength, but it was pretty darned amazing. My reading has helped me a lot. It clarified things, and will give me strength to get through the next few days, and it can all really can be summed up in the Strength card, that I have drawn today. The Strength card urges me to have courage, strength, and self-discipline in order to be successful, and to get to a place of transformation, within the next three to six months. I have work to do, a little at a time, which is a good thing, because it would be easy for me to get overwhelmed, and self-sabotage.

We all have our own road to walk , and I want to think it is a road where it is always springtime.
In my book of Sutras,  I wrote this down from one of my daily readings books, Twenty -Four Hours For Everyone. I don't know who said it originally, but I love it.

" Learn to live in the springtime of life"

The Red Road - Catherine Meyers

Two of Wands - Courage

I love the Two of Wands in the Mythic Tarot because it speaks of courage, that is imparted to another, represented here by Chiron,  the centaur, half human, half horse, the wounded healer or the teacher. Jason has been told about the Golden Fleece and that he is a prince, and rightly needs to claim his inheritance to the throne.

Chiron

 The adventurer and the beginning of a creative vision is represented here in the Two of Wands and a goal that is believed in, though it is not clear as to how this goal will be achieved. This goal is full of creative potential, depending on the courage of this individual to face the unknown and to put their faith in the invisible creative power.

This is a wonderfully affirming card, spurring and inspiring the individual to come out of the cave so to speak, face the fear and to take hold of the new adventure and bring this new vision into fruition and concrete being.