The Emperor - The Father Principle

A father figure, The Emperor embodies the mythic All-Father Zeus, the creator of the world. He offers us counsel, guidance, the strength and wisdom of experience. Zeus urges us to rise above the bondage of body and limitations of nature. Both the positive and negative father principle needs to be considered. No one needs a tyrannical father, or mother for that matter. Zeus can be a miserable dude, so safe to say he's not one of my favourite mythic figures.

This Major Arcana card I think is a good reminder to not put all our faith in emperor's new clothes or in any emperor, politicians or human beings. Inspiration comes from truth and creative vision. Creative vision is embodied in the Journey of the Heroine and in our search for wholeness and in re-defining our preconceived  ideas and the principles of both what masculine and feminine means.

The kind of All-Father that I'm drawn to is really an All-Mother but specifically I think of the Sumerian Goddess of the Grape Vine Geshtinanna, who is described by Maureen Murdock author of The Heroine's Journey as being the "new feminine". An ancient mythological story and figure that's so very relevant to the contemporary meaning to our world and our identity as human beings.

Geshtinanna

Strength of The Lion - King of Wands

This card the King of Wands very much describes many characteristics of my friend Howard's personality.  It gives me comfort, and makes me smile that I drew this card today. Honest, dependable, tenderhearted, kind, generous, backs up his own ideas, a self-starter who rarely sits still, and is a natural born creative leader, who was able to turn his weaknesses into strength.

Like the King of Wands, Howard didn't care so much about the what people thought, though he was very ready to listen to your opinion, and always was quick to express his own. As well, his leadership skills were very much manifested in his willingness to help and serve others, without hesitation. My creative friend, had a thirst for adventure, was a fighter, and very much a lover of life and all God's creatures, just like the King of Wands, and  he longed to go to Scotland.

Like many men and women I have known, myself included, the King of Wands have ' father issues. ' This can be the source of profound hurt, regret and other problems that affect interpersonal relationships. We all have to work through these ' issues ' in our own way and time, in order to find happiness, and finally come to a place of peace, in life, or in death.

Carp Diem! - Ace of Wands

 I always love to see the Ace of Wands come up in the Tarot. New beginnings and inspiration, with the force of the creative imagination bursting and busting out! A very positive card that urges us to Carp Diem, seize the day and grab hold of your creative ideas and apply them in pursuit of a vision!

Well in spite of this affirming card I have to admit I can be one of the worst procrastinators when it comes to seizing the day, and getting certain things done resulting in restlessness and dissatisfaction. I have over the years, worked hard trying to change my proclivity to procrastination.  Frankly, I see it as being familiar to the disease of alcoholism, in many ways.

I once was told by a fellow 12 Step member, procrastination is like masturbation, because the only person you screw is yourself! True, but there are others who can be greatly affected by our own individual procrastination, whether we are aware of it or not. Creditors, family members, friends, employers, to name a few, all can be causalities, and on the front lines of our private war with procrastination. Most of all we disappoint and hurt ourselves.

The best way I have found to cope with, if not overcome procrastination, is in the same way I learned to cope with my own addiction. Seek help, reach out, and take it one day at a time. Applying the 12 Steps to life can work for everyone I believe, regardless of their struggle. There is always hope for the hopeless, living one day at a time.

Five of Wands - Intuition

When I was a child, I always sensed the presence of the Creator, the God of my understanding, even though it wasn't developed in the way it is now, the presence was there. An innocent trust was what defined my faith, and the way it was manifested, was through my intuition. My intuition was greatly affected by outside factors, and forces beyond my control, and diminished greatly for a time, and I lost my way in my adolescence and early adult life.

Like Jason, it seemed I constantly was fighting that dragon.  Fortunately I never completely lost my faith, and perhaps I was too stubborn to let people, places, and things to overpower me, and I held on, regardless of what was happening. Fortunately I have had many rallying helpers like Medea, akin to the High Priestess, who embodies the feminine power of intuition and instinct, to assist me in my dragon fights.

 We can have a creative vision, but the realities of life, in the form of the dragon represent the powers of the earth  resisting change. These can be found in the many material limitations, be it money, physical restrictions due to illness, or fatigue, and can coincide with fear of failure, inertia or apathy, that often are the cause of trouble, and struggle within the inner or outer self. These obstacles that arise, cannot be avoided in life, and accommodations or compromise must be made, while still maintaining the integrity of our creative visions, and lost treasure, like the Golden Fleece.

Ace of Wands - Creative Vision

The Ace of Wands is a wonderful card, great affirming news. It challenges us to get out of our comfort zone, in order to pursue what is at present, an undirected goal or what I like to call a kind of creativive vision quest. This can be daunting, because we don't know what the outcome will be, but it is exciting at the same time. We have to decide that we want to commit, to be ready, and up for the challenge. We need to believe we can achieve our creative goals.

Inspiration and new beginnings. It could be the beginning of a new enterprise.
In the Mythic Tarot we meet the King of the Gods Zeus, who Jason must obtain the sacred Golden Fleece, the symbol of creative vision. This creative vision inspires, and motivates us to move away from the confines of convention and explore new paths that open our imaginations.

Zeus is the embodiment of what all our creative vision can be, the sky is the limit, and this creative energy is a force of nature within us. Trust this creative power and energy. There is adventure ahead in the pursuit of a vision. Be brave!

Five of Wands - Struggle

Here in the Five of Wands we see Jason having to face and fight the formidable dragon, who guards the Golden Fleece. The card represents struggle.

 As an artist who wants to make good art , I am no different than any body else in that, I always need to be prepared for the unexpected  struggles in life, especially when aspiring and striving to accomplish goals. Often times, the closer we are to actualizing our dreams, the unexpected happens from out of no where, and we have to be prepared to fight that Jabberwocky dragon. We then find out just what we are made of, and how bad we want to achieve that goal. Nothing we want comes without hard work, commitment, persistence, and fighting for our creative visions. These visions can be limited by our own regressive inertia, fear of failure, or apathy, all of which represent our own inner dragon, that we need to do battle with, and cannot be avoided.. We need to rely on our gut instincts, be willing to make compromises, without sacrificing personal integrity.

King of Wands - The Hero/Adventurer

The King of Wands is associated with the Fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. In some decks, he has the Lion at his back, signifying inner strength, prowess, a spirit of leadership and even nobility. He has a power to manifest his creative vision, imagination, and his firery enthusiasm with an infectious personality, is influential on those he meets.

The King is both skillful and wise, has developed his courage, and sense of adventure. He continues to grow, and prosper, but knows there is always room for improvement. His leadership abilities he will serve both at home, and in the workplace.

 He exhibits mastery and self-awareness, reflecting self-control and respect for himself and others. Generosity and kindheartedness is a great strength, innate in the King of Wands. He is both fierce in love and war, and embodies the hero or heroine.

 The individual with this personality needs to guard against impatience, selfishness, not paying attention to detail, and the certainty of always being right. He/she may devalue the quieter and ordinary side of life, considering it to be boring, as the desire for adventure, and action can take priority.

Four of Wands - Reward & Harvest

Wands are the suit of action, energy, and growth. Often we can feel overwhelmed by daunting challenges and tasks. But, when we achieve these difficult tasks we feel wonderful, and can celebrate what we have achieved.

Not unlike Jason in the Four of Wands, who pursues and eventually captures the Golden Fleece, along with his trusted friends who help him, we can not do it alone, without the direct or even indirect help and support of others. The saying, " It takes a village to raise a child. " comes to my mind.

We need to find strength, creative vision, intelligence, deep feeling, and empathy; all the individual characteristics of each one of Jason's trusted friends. If not from our real friends, we can draw from our inner resources that are available to us in order to reach our goal. When we discipline ourselves, applying hard effort and work, with these resources, we will reap and harvest the rewards and we will find freedom. However, keep in mind that this is just a stage on our journey, and harder challenges lie ahead , before we reach our final goal.

No matter how big or small the challenge facing you, you can achieve it through faith, and having a belief in yourself. Breaking it down into steps helps a great deal, and the task at hand will not be so overwhelming. Try not to worry about the future, nor regret the past, as there is nothing that will drive you more crazy. Live in the present moment, and do what you need to do with concerted effort, and if you need help or even moral support, ask your trusted friends. They are sure to help you. After all, friends help friends.

Demeter is the goddess of the harvest