The Magician - To Drive The Cold Winter Away

The Magician - Egg Tempera on Porcelain - Catherine Meyers 2015

The Magician has all the tools he needs at his disposal. There are Cups for his emotional health, Swords representing the intellect, Wands symbolizing creativity and Pentacles serving the physical needs on the earthly plane. He points to the Heavens and to the Earth reminding us of their direct interconnection.

 During Christmas and in the dead of Winter, it's wise to have all our tools at our disposal as well, in order to make the most of a difficult time for many of us. Of course not everything about Christmas is difficult, there is beauty, kindness and love extended toward many that often goes unnoticed. There are those who selflessly give of themselves time and time again throughout the year, every year.

The spontaneous generousity of giving is part of the magic of Christmas but more importantly it is also a basic human need that builds and maintains positive interpersonal relationships, and is vital to our own health and happiness everyday.

I have a number of things that help to give me comfort and joy during this time of year. Here's my list of seven that I use from my personal tool box. There are no doubt, lots of other tools that I'll continue to add and please feel free to add to this list as I would love to know what's on your list.

1. I always choose to have some special Christmas ornaments that I keep up all year round as a reminder to  keep the spirit of Christmas in my heart always.
2. Music soothes my soul and gives me strength, so I play certain songs during the season. I love to play Loreena Mckinnet's  To Drive The Cold Winter Away .
3. The smell of fresh growing herbs reminds me of Spring and my connection to the earth, and growth. This year I have a combination of Italian herbs and a close friend gave my a smudging bundle of sacred sage.
4.The Magician's tools I compare to the Circle of Courage which I pray for that I'll always strive to keep in mind that I need to maintain balance in order to maintain a happy and healthy life.
5. Keeping some of the special traditional activities alive and creating new traditions are affirming and heart warming, providing a sense of belonging.
6. I've found the best prevention for the "poor mes" is to focus on trying to help someone else.
7. Last but not least find ways to have a good laugh, whether it's watching some good comedy, stand-up comedian, or attending a party with some friends who love to laugh will get those feel good hormones working.

Four of Cups - Divine Discontent

In the Four of Cups we see Psyche with her jealous sisters on either side of her who are filling her head with all kinds of negative ideas about her future husband Eros. They're telling her Eros must be some sort of monster if he's made her promise not to look at him when he visit her in the dark of night, regardless of how loving he is. Her sister's ramblings do bring to the surface some of the doubt that Psyche herself is having and is left to contemplate on what to do in order to restore her own sense of stability. She could react with apathy but her love for Eros is too deep to ignore, in spite of her doubt.

If I say to I don't give a rats butt about what others think, that isn't the whole truth. I think we all care what others think to some degree, if we didn't we might be running around naked around the house and even answering the door that way, because  there are of course social norms that we adhere to within reason. 

We like being well thought of and respected, but as the old adage goes, you can't please all the people, all of the time. Inevitably we are not going to be liked by everyone, regardless of who we are, what we do, or how we behave.
  
Yesterday I went to town with a good friend and the topic of gossip came up. Living in a very rural small community you can be certain there is going to be lots of gossip and talk, some good, some negative. I compare gossip to a silent fart. It might seem innocuous at first. It wasn't actually heard and so no once notices, but then the stagnating effects become apparent, which can be deadly. Something seemingly insignificant at first, can cause some very significant far reaching affects.

I ask myself, why do people gossip or repeat things that may or may not have any portion of truth? I expect there are numerous reasons. We've all gossiped at some time or another and I don't think it's all necessarily  always a hurtful activity, but a very human one, and is a pretty strong indication we are bored with our own lives, and is often referred to as divine discontent. Generally speaking though, I think it's safe to say gossip usually involves the devaluing of another.

My wise mother once told me something that I never forgot. She said when people repeat negative things that other people have said about you, there are three implicit reasons. They are jealous., or get some kind of pleasure in seeing how you react, or they are very insecure within themselves, and in someway it makes them feel better to know someone else is being made to feel less than. This made a lot of sense to me, and I keep it in mind when ever I'm tempted to say something negative about another person. 

If I find myself around those who engage in negative gossip I have to first be very aware that I'm not part and parcel to the same, and as a wise elder once told me, the best response is to say , " Well that's your opinion" and simply walk away. I think this is a good suggestion. However I do think about what was said and why, and whether or not there is an element of truth in the comment. I also ask myself if there is anything constructive I can do about it. Sometimes there is, but if not I'll choose to walk away and try not to get too upset.

My friend that I spent the day with yesterday, concluded that many folks gossip in negative hurtful ways because at some point in their lives they were very hurt, and they carry that with them, and project it onto other people. They're left with that remaining feeling of not belonging, and being an outsider. This makes sense to me, because belonging is the greatest basic need that all human beings share. When this need is left unmet it leads to our divine discontent.

Nine of Pentacles - Self-Value

I attended what is affectionately called, by a group of old childhood women friends, WW or Women's Weekend, on the July 4th, 5th, and 6th. These weekends are always memorable, for many reasons. It's a wonderful thing to come together, as a group of women, to celebrate enduring  friendships and bonds.


 These weekends we have continued for many years now, and always reinforce our friendship, and our lives.  It is a time to affirm our appreciation of ourselves and for each other as friends, and as women. These gatherings fulfill the basic need for belonging, power, freedom and fun, with much emphasis on fun!.
We value our similarities and our differences. We accept, respect, and value one another's identity. It's a great feeling and realization to be with women who have reached the point in life, where we all have come through many trials and tribulations, come out the other side, achieved many of our dreams in spite of difficulties, and been able to overcome and strengthen our individual identities.

One of my friends asked if I would do a reading for her, which a happily agreed to, and it was a very affirming reading. The cards and how they reveal themselves, always amaze and fascinate me, with every reading I do.

What I love and appreciate most about the Nine of Pentacles, like no other card, it embodies a satisfaction that comes from finding a great sense of self-value and worth, regardless if material possessions and wealth are gone, as this is not what really defines a person. This satisfaction has a permanence and indestructibility, because it comes from deep within ourselves, and it is independent of anything, or any one outside of the self. Having a strong sense of identity, self-sufficiency, confidence and belief in one's abilities, all contribute to our happiness and success.

It really is essential to be good friends, if not best friends with yourself, and although we all have people that have contributed to our sense of self-value and worth, we can feel good about what we have achieved, and overcome. Be grateful, celebrate and share your talent, wisdom, knowledge and the understanding that you have gained.

Eight of Pentacles - Apprenticeship - The Circle of Courage

 An apprentice must work hard at practicing his or her skill to learn their trade. It helps immeasurably if you are a quick study like the individual in the Eight of Pentacles. Advancement of your craft happens with conscientious effort and old fashioned hard work. The new ventures presented to you, will be rewarded through all your care, effort and dedication. Perfectionism is not the goal, but progress.

We all reach a stage in life often referred to as, a mid-life crisis. This juncture in life can be navigated successfully if we are willing to be open to new challenges, and work hard at learning, to acquire new skills.  
Life long learning accompanied with a positive and optimistic attitude, can not only improve our quality of life but can increase our life span as well. We can learn from one another.

I found out many years ago, the definition of what a skill is. First, someone takes time to demonstrates the skill to us. Then we attempt the skill, and follow this up, by disciplined regular practice, if we want to develop, and master the skill. I believe developing and learning a skill, regardless of our age, can lead us to a greater sense of well being and health as whole human beings.

It takes courage sometimes to change course and take on the challenge of a new skill, particularly one you know nothing about. You are not alone. There are many folks out there that have done or are doing just that. Seek them out, and find others who are like minded in following their passion. You will find a sense of belonging, community and fellowship. You then can in turn, be an example to another and help some one else learn something new,sharing with them what you have learned.