Single Card Reading 31 May 2015--The Hermit (reverse)

Good morning to you all! I hope The Emperor was able to show you some valuable insights yesterday (I know it was difficult with as little time as you had!). To make the most of that reading I meditated on how I could improve myself with help from The Emperor, and I've decided to be resolute enough that I would generate my own self respect; I have been lacking confidence and sparing my resolution for the sake of others for too long, and its high time I started acting on my own accord. I look forward to seeing my boss and coworkers again, so they can see this positive change begin in my heart and in the work I put forth.

As I quietly asked the spirits for wisdom, I drew (in reverse again!) another major arcana card, The Hermit. This card is my personal favorite, because it usually means the development of both the soul and inner strength. But this should be no surprise, The Hermit is the card every loner Virgo can relate most to. To acquire true strength we must seek out solidarity, and in our isolation we can best evaluate our weaknesses and shortcomings as well as our strengths and positive qualities.

This card is heavily characterized by the dulled colors and various shades of grey. The only color in the card is the bright yellow from the lantern that The Hermit uses to light his path in the shade of night and in his walking staff used to support his movement on the single path he takes to his destination. Inside his lantern is a six pointed star (the Star of Solomon) which signifies wisdom; his staff functions as a symbol of authority, and signifies his singular goal and solitary path towards enlightenment. The ground beneath him is white and mountainous (symbols of achievement and growth), reminiscent of a quiet and lonely winter night trekking through treacherous terrain; he is bigger than the mountains, hinting at how he is more powerful than any earthly obstacles in his way as a result of his higher mind, achieved in his isolation. He wears the gray robes of invisibility, and only reveals his wisdom to those who seek out his station through arduous meditation and hard work.

This card drawn reverse is a challenge to the viewer. Do you set enough time aside to reflect on your spirit? The time draws near that you are to make some enlightened discoveries, potentially rediscovering your purpose here on Earth. The Hermit beckons you to sit beside him in the harsh winter terrain and quiet your heart and troubles--better yet just throw it all away. For now, you don't need all the distractions life offers in the confused jumble of hectic people and never ending problems. It is time you discover the innate wisdom in your heart and take advantage of it.

But The Hermit also points quietly ahead of him to the cities and towns that hold all the family and friends you dearly love. It is possible for people like you and me to become too disconnected from the world, completely isolating ourselves from the love that makes us strong enough to undergo the spiritual challenge The Hermit presents. If you have been feeling lonely and isolated from love, The Hermit beckons you to pick up the phone and make the call to your loved ones and see how they are doing. Nothing in your entire life can replace the ones you hold dear, and it is utterly important to keep those relationships wholesome and thriving.

I have been facing a serious challenge lately in terms of my spiritual faith. The beliefs and practices I have had for my entire life I am now calling into question, and this takes a significant amount of thought and consideration. The Hermit is beckoning me to face this inner problem, to meditate and think on it, because the answer to my questions does not lie outside of myself, but in my heart. This is a decision I must make on my own, without the help of the spiritual leaders I have had in the past, even without the spiritual help from my own mother. I must completely isolate myself from everything I have ever known to make the correct decision, and I am sure that my purpose in life will be significantly altered from what it is now.

Do you have a spiritual issue that you are facing? Or maybe a lack of spirituality that your inner self has been crying out for? Or have you been taking too much time in isolation and have injured the relationships you so dearly care about? The Hermit, enlightened seer, moderate in all things, seeks to give you guidance and reach within your soul for the six pointed star that can lead you places that the weak of spirit and of heart would never be able to venture.

Single Card Reading 30 May 2015--The Emperor (reverse)

I apologize for the long wait! It took me seven days to do my next card reading (my goodness what a week!), and while this is not necessarily attentive, it did allow for in-depth reflection on my last card reading to a very detailed extent. After discussing my dilemma with the wisest woman in my life (my mother), she indeed gave me some very constructive advice, that being I'm leaving, so why worry about it?

True to the card's meaning, I had a detailed discussion of moving on, in an emotional sense as well as in a physical sense. I am off to Virginia pretty soon, and being on opposite sides of the United States makes for a significant chasm for the relationship in question, and I am sure to move on completely, abandoning all negative feelings I have remaining. I only have joy in my heart for future relationships and people to meet.

And with that charming resolution, its time to introduce our new card for the short remainder of the day--The Emperor (drawn reverse).

The Emperor is a major arcana card with the iconic figure being a crimson-clad man with a white beard (in no way does he appear to be weak in terms of being elderly). He sits at a stone throne, with ram heads adorning the arms and top (rams were representations of the war god Ares). He is also clad in Armor, indicating that he earned his station by means of aggression and hard-won battle. The sky is a deep orange, and he sits with mountains to his rear, indicating the dramatic concept of conflict. This card is, in its entirety, an expression of masculinity. There is, as a result, nothing soft or feminine about this card. The man on the throne holds both an ankh (egyptian symbol for life) and an orb (a representation of the world), giving him power over everything on the worldly planet.

The Emperor is a god, quietly intimidating the viewer with his intensity and overwhelming power.

And drawn reverse usually means there is a conflict brewing between him and you.

The Emperor is a representation of a masculine and domineering individual or force in your life that functions in an aggressive manner. If its a person, they doesn't necessarily have to be male, and can take the form of a dominate female partner or daughter, or a strict female boss. Also consider an organization or situation being overbearingly dominant in your life, such as a divorce, lawsuit, or school. The Emperor can also manifest himself in a task, such as grocery shopping or daily chores. Regardless of what it is in your life, he challenges you to face it in a similar fashion--arm yourself with his determination and strength of purpose, and nothing can cause you to falter or feel overpowered.

Personally, The Emperor is pointing at me and condemning my apathy and lack of confidence. Lately I have been having some awkward run-ins with my boss, and this has been making my life more difficult as a result. I find myself stumbling over my words and looking down when I should be clearly spoken and looking them in the eye. The force in question that overpowers me is the power of authority, and the respect required as a result.

I need to be more confident in my approach and more resolute in my purpose as a worker in my job. If I were to be like The Emperor, I could surpass my problems with flair.

Because in reality, I am just as powerful as my boss, and just as entitled to respect and strength. If you feel like you are in a pit of bullying and subversion, pull yourself out! The Emperor is a constant reminder of the intimidating rulers that lie within each of us, regardless of how little you may realize it. We all have a domineering force that lies within, and its up to us to seize it and conquer our challenges as necessary. You need to take a break from what you are doing and give yourself a pep talk--you have everything you need to do what you want to do in life, it all lies within. But you need to be determined enough to reach down and grab it.

How do you feel The Emperor is asking you to respond to life?

Indra's Net

Mandalas capture the beauty and intricacy of Indra's Net

Lately, I've been strongly touched by the connections that humans consciously and unconsciously share with each other--even simply by existing at the same time! I don't claim to be the best person in the world (as many will tell you, I have offended many with my parking habits alone!), but I do claim to be aware that my actions and decisions play an active role in the lives of others. Several can attest to the constant presence people can have in our lives, from the executive decisions in the white house to the little old lady living next door always neglecting to trim her lawn. Big or small, alone or among company, the decisions we make can change the game for the whole universe. 

Consequentially (this force being so prevalent in the world) this connectedness is recognized in several religions, and is taught from a highly philosophical perspective. The term used is interdependence, which means an interconnection that exists to tie everything together so that one action has a corresponding effect throughout the entire universe. This philosophy compares to the idea of a butterfly's wing beat in China ultimately amounting to a hurricane in Florida. A great metaphor for this phenomenon is expressed through the beautiful concept of Indra's Net.     

Indra's Net is best explainable as a complex and detailed spiderweb. At each point the web connects with each other there is a dew drop of water, representative of any entity in the universe--this could be someone like you or me, a dog, a butterfly, or even a tree in your backyard. The spider web makes connections with each of these dew drops, so that if the spider were to follow the web in any direction, they would find that each dew drop is ultimately connected to each other. But if we were to look within each dew drop, we would see a reflection of the web itself, down to the very last detail, including each dew drop within web. 

To put this concept in perspective, we would find someone like me connected to friends and family that are connected to their friends and family, in this way I can be connected (albeit very remotely) to everyperson around me. Even if I don't personally know them, I could know them by way of ten different people, like following each strand of web from dew drop to dew drop. 

Within myself exists an entity that is unique, that has a specific place in the web. In this way, I am my own individual dew drop. But inside of me also exists primal desires and spiritual drives that can be found in all the dew drops; in this way I am no different. The personalities, likes and dislikes, drives and ambitions of those I interact with are reflected inside and through me. Have you ever spent time around one specific person and then discovered that you picked up some defined characteristics from that person, how they spoke or walked? This is the same as having them reflected through you--you begin to constitute their existance by having them exist within you. And since we are all connected, even by the vaguest of means, we all reflect each other (even if just a little).

So the person that honks at me because I cut them off or leaves me notes under my window washers because I parked too far in their driveway (I do apologize by the way) is in fact expressing and exercising their connection to me, even if the experience is just that. And because they did this to me, I now have a part of myself that reflects that instance and can transmit a similar circumstance to take place. Of course, I never appreciated the reactions of others when I made these mistakes so I don't make it a habit of doing to others what they do to me (that is called wisdom folks). But if done to me enough, this situation is more likely to be reciprocated through me because I have been so exposed to this way of thinking. Eventually the exposure to processes of thinking tends to become a process of our thought. And since negativity spreads like wildfire, this specific thought process is more contagious and readily available than other processes. 

But this brings me to what I always encourage--a positive thought-process that characterizes my behavior every day. I make it no secret that I am very human. I make mistakes, and some of those mistakes can be ridiculously (and sometime hilariously) bad, and I try to avoid making these mistakes because of how they might affect others. So, in light of the fact I make mistakes and incorrect decisions at times, I strive ever the more to be positive.

Let's say I smiled at someone on the street while walking home. That person is then affected by the connection we share in a positive manner. If enough individuals were to smile at this person in a similar manner, this process will be reflected in that specific person as they share a smile with yet another individual on the street. And positivity might not be as contagious as negativity, but it is stronger and much more rewarding, both spiritually and emotionally. Imagine the world as a place where everyone smiled and greeted each other as they walked on the street; it would be a truly beautiful world. 

And the good news is it can be; it just all depends on you.  

A New Development Always Requires a New Box!

I am so very excited for my new box! I always like to get a new box for every new thing I buy that needs a home. I just bought a book of magick for the first time, and I was so excited to start on my new spiritually enriching journey that I needed a box for my shadow book and notes that I will be making as I learn.

I look forward to accumulating some more magick supplies in the future and putting them in this lovely antique box. Hopefully, I keep this box long enough to look through it years from now and remember the momentous occasion of this box's purchase as my first step into the world of magick as a young spiritual entrepreneur. Wish me luck in my endeavors that I look forward to having! 

Single Card Reading 23 May 2015--Three of Swords (Reverse)

Three of Swords (reverse)

This morning I shuffled my deck and asked for the day to be revealed to me so that I might learn something new. I drew this card, the three of swords, reverse.

Lately, this year has been a huge challenge for me; I lost several relationships, ended friendships in nasty ways, and suffered greatly because of it. I felt alone, separated and deviant from everyone I loved. I became a sort of hermit; I play several video games, read a lot of books, and throughly enjoy writing so the solo livestyle of a recluse is right up my alley. But still, I felt more lonely than ever, because the support lines that used to be there were no longer present form me to rely on anymore. 

Because of this, all I wanted to do is leave all the broken relationships behind me, go somewhere new and find someone else to spend my time with. 

This card really symbolizes all I went through, the pain the emotional heartbreak, the betrayal and loneliness. I was pierced by the sharp reality that in the end, friendships are very fragile and breakable, and in some cases there is nothing I can potentially do to save them.

The heart represents my love and compassion, the swords the harsh reality of loosing friends. In the card, there is a storm in the background, all resulting in a painful and heartbroken surrounding. Throughout my time this year, my entire experience has been characterized by heartache, pain and suffering. I have been recovering from the blows, and presently I have reclaimed my optimism in ways that I find to be absolutely astounding. I look forward to what this day has in store for me--I believe that I have some good healing to expect in the future.