The World Offers Itself To Your Imagination

As Above Tarot ~ Barbara Moore

Look at all those orbs! Planetary energy showing up in this draw with Earth, the Sun, the Moon and Mercury. Astrologers will know better than I what to make of that combination but I feel these cards as relevant to an ongoing question I have been holding about communication on a wider sphere. Seeing Mercury show up here in the Two of Fire combined with this depiction of the Ten of Earth feels like an affirmation to move forwards in the direction I'm inclined towards wrt this situation. I'm loving the visuals here today.

Ten of Earth ~ As Above Tarot

Ten of Earth, traditionally the Ten of Pentacles, here speaks of the human family and our place within it as well as on a more macro scale, the Earth's place within her planetary family. We see the Sun and Moon, day and night, on either point of the earth's rotation. There is something comforting about seeing one's larger place in the family of things.

The LWB talks of this card as being about right timing, about being aware of the balance of time and being able to attune to that universal flow. The world is clearly in motion here with the figures at all angles on its surface. And in a rather poetic description the card talks about how everything carries the seed of its opposite--the moon reflecting the light of the sun, the day casting shadows, seeds of night under the sun.

When I line this card up with the traditional meaning of inheritance and legacy I can feel it in a much more global way, the sense that ultimately as a species, we inherit each other. Inheritance not as something that happens in the future but rather as an ongoing cycle of return. I'm thinking of the butterfly effect which was coined to describe the effect a butterfly's wing movements in one part of the world had on a hurricane in another part of the world several weeks later. I feel that kind of intimate and articulated sense of interdependence when I look at this card.

Two of Fire ~ As Above Tarot

Now this is a pretty spectacular depiction of Hermes/Mercury. There is such a sense of power and presence here with the planet forming the hub around which the focus spins with the god himself keeping watch. As well there is the theme of twos going on. I'm drawn to the two wings on his helmet, the two entwined snakes on his caduceus, the two wings on the same staff. And the two salamanders at the bottom of the card reminding us of the fire element.

Fire feels like a curious elemental association in relation to Mercury, the messenger, whose realm I most often associate with air. He is however the protector of merchants, god of business and in that sense his presence feels fitting here for what is traditionally the Two of Wands.

The LWB describes this card as being about the importance of communication, that either something needs to be said or heard depending on the surrounding cards. I'm aware that Mercury will be completing its retrograde today, and Mercury's presence in the card very much feels related to that. The god himself showing up to assure he's back on course, so to speak.

Overall, themes of time and space are presenting themselves here. Having just journeyed intensely with an oracle card in which this very theme came up I'm encouraged to see my travels reflected in the cards today. Questions of connection, of the stories and wounds we inherit from our ancestral lineage as well as from the planet are all swirling around in the atmosphere and in the cards. There is an imperative here to listen to and share in each others' and our own songs and that by so doing we'll come to know more fully the jewel that is our unique place in the family of things. Mary Oliver names it perfectly in an excerpt from her poem, Wild Geese.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Some Momentary Awareness

Book of Shadows Tarot ~ As Above by Barbara Moore

I drew today's cards while our bird zipped around the room and my little pup used every ounce of restraint against her instinct towards capture. With this lively energy swirling about me I drew first the Four of Air in which birds, four-leggeds and elementals interface with the human realm and then the Crone of Fire who looks towards them shining her light on the potent energy. It was a perfect mirror for the moment.

Four of Air ~ As Above Tarot

This Four of Air is a very different take on the traditional rest and refuge from mental activity we usually see in the RWS equivalent Four of Swords. Here the elementals embody the mental realm in their wispy, airy form. My eye is drawn to the two sources of light, the glow from the streetlamp which echoes a full moon and what appears to be an eclipsed moon. Traditionally eclipsed moons are a time when intuition feels more accessible. Totem animals in the form of a raven and black cat stand by. A coin lies directly in the path of the oncoming figure.

The LWB describes this card as one of paying attention to omens, synchronistic happenings and serendipities that are right in front of our eyes. I like the element of green that appears subtly in the card, in the greenery decorating the wrought iron and the berries being offered to the raven. The sense that this realm is rich with life if we have the eyes and heart and stillness to open to it. The scene is occurring at night, a time for quiet, for using different senses and a different kind of vision to navigate in--sounds become pronounced, smells, and intuition all come more fully alive at night giving us access to this wisdom body.

Crone of Fire ~ As Above Tarot

And this lovely and compelling Crone of Fire shines her light on that body. Traditionally the King of Wands here she is the feminine wisdom that is tending the inner fire, dressed in the colors of the element as well as in the colors of autumn, the season of release when nature sends up its last glorious song in vivid flame.

It feels comforting to have her show up here as we move closer towards Samhain, towards shorter days and longer nights, towards Hecate's womb, a darkness that is both stark and sensual. And for me, personally, as I move into the shadow work associated with this season I feel this Crone of Fire's presence here today as a blessing. I feel her invitation to draw on the quiet flame of wisdom as a guide rather than the wildly energetic flame of youth, of summer, of activity. Now is the time for a reflection that is lit from within.

Pay attention to your dreams, she tells me, pay attention to your guides who show up unbidden, pay attention to your fears, those elemental energies who appear in so many different forms. Ask each of them what they want and welcome them with a quiet warmth.


The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still treat each guest honorably.

She may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

 Jalaluddin Rumi

Lit From Within

Eight of Air ~ As Above Tarot

When I saw this card my eye was first drawn to the rainbow of chakra points all aglow. Earlier in the morning while it was still dark a meditation on the chakras formed part of my practice. I don't often work with the chakras but this morning while dawn was unfolding itself across the sky I felt called to focus on them with sound. It was a wonderfully enlivening way to begin my day and an earthy addition to my meditations. Later I drew this card and am intrigued by the synchronicity, the idea that my chakras are all aglow as a result of this morning's practices.

The focus here is on not underestimating the power of the mind as it relates to the body. The skillful way to work with this is to maintain a connection with what is sacred. I love the way the air elementals form a lotus for the figure to sit upon suggesting the ways our thoughts shape the quality of our seat of power. And this light is mirrored in the Moon peeking out from the clouds giving this card very much an 'as above so below' feel to it. As a corollary to my morning meditation practice the LWB for this card suggests various forms of meditation, prayer, spellwork and ritual as a way through the sway of repetitive thought patterns.

Later as I was hiking with my pup I snapped a few pics as the light was so lovely. They bore a striking resemblance, energetically, to this card with its goddess sitting in the crescent moon. One in particular stood out...can't you just see my little pup as the goddess figure in the cresent moon, the air elementals streaming around her as they mix with the rays of light and the colored crescents at the bottom with the little blue light beneath them.

The Little Queen

Feathered Light

Seven of Water ~ Book of Shadows Tarot : As Above

I'm really enjoying my As Above deck. My daily draws have been remarkably relevant or perhaps the images are accessible to me in a way that allows me to really journey with them. Today's draw is Seven of Water. I love this image, the muted colors, the quality of light and dark, the sobriety that is balanced by the levity of the water elementals around the scales, and those all-encompassing wings.

I spent some time just sinking into the symbols and imagery here. The pyramid in the background, the soft orb of light, the scales, the feather, the wings and the clothing told me this was Ma'at. I'm so used to seeing her as a depiction of the Justice card that to see her here in what is traditionally the Seven of Cups was a surprise but an enlivening one.

The LWB describes her as representing the rules of order that keep the universe moving and not falling into chaos. The italicized phrase feels key here particularly in relation to the stagnancy that I sometimes associate with the Seven of Cups, all that emotional investment in pie-in-the-sky visions but none of them earthed. The LWB goes on to get to the heart of the matter...She is a symbol for what we believe is the ideal heart, the one that lives most closely aligned with our beliefs of what is right.



For me this card speaks to a time of accounting. Am I living according to my ideals and visions? Am I embodying the person I would like to in any given moment? Do my actions reflect that ideal? The answer is, sometimes yes. Sometimes I do feel my body alive with my visions and ideals. And other times I feel the disparity between the ideal and the actual. And here the quality of disparity feels like something to work with, a doorway, which is what Ma'at's wings form. What texture does the disparity have, where do I feel it in my body. These things tell me something about my authentic, unlived desires. The scales feel important, too, asking me to be aware of areas where I feel out of balance and this week that's been a bit of a theme.

So this card comes to me today with the gift of perspective allowing me to step back and take stock in a way that feels neutral and non-judgemental. And seeing it on my COTD altar allows me to nourish that inquiry in a way that feels spacious. I'm also aware of the element of water at work here on the body with the number seven relating to the chakras. Yesterday I had a strong desire to go to the ocean and soak up some of that elemental energy. Today this card reminds me of that impulse, a quickening that I haven't felt in a long while. So I'm planning a little trip to the ocean this weekend to make offerings, walk in the cold sand, taste the salt and see how the Goddess wants to flow in me. I'm also feeling moved to focus my elemental altar on water. And lastly on a purely practical level, I shall make a point to drink more water. Perhaps seven cups worth!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Three of Earth ~ Book of Shadows Tarot : As Above

This is such a sweet version of the Three of Pentacles. From the As Above deck authored by Barbara Moore and illustrated by four different artists. In this version of the card the vibrant colors, the blooming flowers, the three little gnomes perched at various points within the living tapestry, the bees busy with their work all contribute to a feeling of focused teamwork. Nature as a sacred work of art being worked with by the creatures of the earth. This kind of group effort allows for an even larger reality than one's solitary vision alone.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary ~ Victorian Picture Library

I pulled this card Rx though. Sigh. The shadow side of this card speaks to a group or team that is not working very well together. The vision has gotten lost in the attempt at delivery, energy is seeping out, perhaps there are fractious words, perhaps one person is unable to yoke herself to the group focus, wants something different. Yep, a day in which I felt just a little bit at odds with everyone but mainly myself. This reversal could also point towards my lack of care over the organizing of my physical body, the tending of my inner garden in the super late nights I've been keeping. Either way I'm going to heed the messages the gnomes and living earth this card is offering. An early night for me tonight with an early enough wake-up to allow for full practices to seed and support equanimity throughout the day.