Gather and celebrate! It’s a day to enjoy what you’ve been working on. The project might not yet be finished, but at least you’re on your way. Well done! You have reason to smile.
Follow your passion and create from the heart. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how it will all turn out, just keep at it. The hard work’s been paying off, and you can take a moment to enjoy before heading on to the next step.
But don’t forget, you probably aren’t doing all the work yourself. Share the glory or you’ll be hearing about it later.
Take a look at this clip of Divka Sontose ‘flourishing’ the Deviant Moon Tarot.
The Deviant Moon, by Patrick Valenza, is one of my favourite decks. Fabulous for getting to the shadow side of any question, it’s apparently also good for stage tricks.
Some of the positions Sontose ends up with look like they’d be interesting spreads. I wish I could see the card faces better.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the Deviant Moon Tarot, take a listen to Patrick Valenza talk about his deck on Beyond Worlds last March.
The Moon moves into Taurus today and stays there until Friday.
If you look at this transit through the eyes of the Tarot, it would be like the High Priestess is dressed as the Hierophant. She’s sitting before two acolytes and sharing the secrets she usually guards.
The Moon in Taurus, or High Priestess in the Hierophant’s clothes, is a time of spiritual and emotional certitude.
There’s a sense that the truth can be explained, understood and incorporated into daily life. Rules can and should be followed.
Instead of trying to force others to recognize what you know to be certain, try using this time to simply share your emotional, intellectual and spiritual perceptions.
Celebrate the diversity of spirit in our world, while figuring out for yourself what rules, spiritual or otherwise, work best for you.
Spiritual questions and tradition are highlighted during this period. It’s probably important to you now to look carefully at the spiritual structures in your life. Why do you believe what you do? Who are your spiritual authorities and what gives them their legitimacy? Who decides issues of morality for you, your family and/or your community?
Many of these questions are answered with cultural traditions. Today, you’ll probably be examining whether or not the answers you’re accustomed to are still satisfactory. They might be or they might not be. Don’t be afraid to seek out your truth simply because it rubs against your comfort zone. Sometimes growth hurts a bit.
You might be asked to judge someone else’s dispute, or find the need to go to an authority for answers yourself. Keep your mind open, but your skepticism on. Ultimately, you’re the only one who can decide whether something makes sense for your life or not.
In the Tarot, the suit of Swords often represents mental energies, thoughts, decisions, and communication.
At their best the cards in this suit can describe new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a desire to educate.
At their more challenging, they point to arrogant attitudes, mental confusion, and divisiveness.
The Page of Swords is the youngest member of the Sword Court Cards. She brings with her a bustling energy, new thinking, and an emergent mental power.
The image from the Rider Waite Smith deck shows a young person brandishing a sword. The winds are blowing, her hair is flying, and the birds are hovering above.
Clarity is important to her. She’s trying hard to understand the world outside, climbing the hills to get a better view.
Like all the Pages, she’s just starting her journey and is filled with enthusiasm. It’s like each new idea is being thought for the first time, and she’s flying from one way of seeing things to another.
The Page of Swords can be rash, tactless, and occasionally a gossip, but it’s all in a search for truth. She’s really just trying to figure things out. And once she gets going, she’s a very fast learner.
Below is a video of a girl doing a sword dance. She looks just like the Page of Swords, right down to her pink shirt and pony-tail. Look how she swings that blade. She’s amazing.
The guy (brother?) who joins her with his little knife adds a truly bizarre twist to the whole show, but I appreciate his style as well. He’s like a Page in waiting.
And what about the old lady with the dog watching on? Could she be the retired Queen spending some time with the Fool’s dog?
Relax, stay calm and maybe even sleep on it. There’s been a lot on your mind lately, and some of it has been quite heavy. You need to slow down and reconnect with yourself.
Meditate on the changes you want in your life. Figure out where your strengths lie and take that route to your goal. It wouldn’t hurt to even reconsider the goal. Are you sure you still want it?
And don’t forget your spirit. Without it, the mental world can be pretty bleak. Trust your dreams and keep in touch with your soul. Make a truce with yourself – life isn’t always a battle.
A new sense of self and perspective on the world are available. But you have to be quiet and still to find them. Take today to figure it out. You’ll be stronger in the long run.
The other day I was listening to the first episode of Beyond Worlds’ Meditation Moments with Paris Finley. In it he teaches us how to make little Tarot card easels out of twigs.
I was barely ten minutes into the segment when I had to pause it and run outside to gather twigs myself. Fortunately, my yard was full of them and the hunt was easy.
I ran back in, found four elastic bands, a feather and some colourful string. Then I started the show back up.
While I listened to how the wood represents the four elements of earth, fire, wind, and water, I put together my own easel concentrating on the energies I associate with the Magnolia tree from which the twigs came.
Carl and the Easel
For me it was about love and sweet beginnings, new emotions, and the feeling of spring. I’ve always associated the Magnolia’s blossoming pink and white flowers with bubbling chalices of happy.
I’d like that type of energy to surround any card that sits on my easel, whether it’s a ‘happy’ card or not.
As you can see, I’ve posted a couple of pictures of my work, one with cat, and one without. My craftsmanship might be a little primitive, but I’m happy with the results.
With some more time and effort, you can make it really nice.
Magnolia Tarot Easel
The first card I pulled to sit in the new easel was the 9 of Painting, or ‘fruition’ from the William Blake Tarot by Ed Buryn.
Could there have been a more appropriate card?
Not only did the easel come to fruition by the end of the show, I love that a ‘painting’ card appeared to be the first to sit in it.
And the image in the card seemed to match the energies of the tree from which it was made, or at least the ones I was imagining.
In the picture, two lovers embrace in the centre of an open lotus-like flower. It’s perhaps a little more romantic than I had originally conceived, but it certainly fits the love theme.
And doesn’t that flower they’re sitting in look sort of like a fully opened Magnolia blossom?
If you want to make an easel for yourself, take a listen to Finley’s meditation segment below, and/or visit his site to get a more detailed description of how to do it.
And if you’re listening to the show and want to follow along, the handout they’re talking about can be found at Donnaleigh’s website.
In case you’re thinking my cat Carl is sweet and respectful of the Tarot, take a look at this shot.
The easel survived, but the meditative spell was certainly broken.
There’s so much to do right now you probably feel you can’t keep up. Don’t worry – you can.
Just keep things in motion and try to stay focused on whatever task you’re working on at each particular moment. You’ve got more than enough energy for everything right now, try not to give up.
Emotionally things might get a little hairy, but as with your work, you’re more than able to cope.
The changes going on in your life right now are good ones. You’ve put them into motion yourself and you’ll be just fine.
The Moon moves into Aries today and will stay there until Wednesday.
Translating this transit into Tarot Cards, it would be like the High Priestess is wearing the Emperor’s clothing. She’s in scarlet and armor and is ready for battle.
The Moon in Aries, or High Priestess in the clothing of the Emperor, is a time of intensified emotions. You might feel an increased desire to shape your own world.
Rather than sitting back in stillness, this transit encourages the loosening of emotional restrictions and the conscious expression of enthusiasm and/or passion.
It might be uncomfortable at first, but allow yourself to speak out loud. Take steps forward to let people know what you know and what you love.
Try to remain objective and open-minded while acting with determination and direction. It might sound impossible, but you can do both if you try.
