Monthly Archives: January 2011

Message in a Bottle 4

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This week’s cards are the Eight of Wands, the Nine of Swords and the Page of Swords.

The message in the bottle reads:-
“You Are Not Your Fear”

Eight of Wands, Nine of Swords, Page of Swords

There seems to be an enormous amount of energy in these cards. Fire and Air are on friendly terms with each other and there is a sense of progression as we move up the numbered cards and end in a court card.

The Eight of Wands often comes up in my own readings to represent the internet but it can signify any situation where there is a sudden up-rush of energy and ideas. The Eight is a rapid flow of information, a source of inspiration. It can signify speedy developments and sudden opportunities that need a fast answer and quick action. Astrologically the card relates to Mercury in Sagittarius. The internet is a vast pool of collective thoughts and beliefs from across the world. It is worldwide connections, multiple languages, the willingness to go far, to travel, to share the word.

Sometimes when I see this card I am reminded of moments when I look at the huge amount of emails I have to process – communication from friends, notifications of new blog posts, interesting newsletters, queries and requests. Then there are the updated feeds that I want to read, podcasts I want to listen to, the endless notes made as I come across this and that on the net that captures my interest, warrants further investigation and has potential for…well something…And I haven’t even mentioned Facebook yet…

The point with the Eight is yes it is wonderful to feel inspired and to have a spring in your step. The sky is clear, nothing stands in your way, buds (ideas) are growing. But the wands are still up in the air, they haven’t fallen to earth yet and when they do, inevitably some ideas will prove lost or unworkable.

And then sometimes, even when everything looks wonderful in daylight, when night falls it finds us sleepless and fretful. The Nine of Swords is a grim looking card indeed however I find it almost always suggests that our anxieties are far worse than the actual situation.

The swords hanging above the central character seem like a prison cell. The figures on the base of the bed look like they are fighting a duel. But notice that the blanket is bright and covered with astrological symbols. In sleep we connect with the universe. Nightmares are never welcome but they do tell us the truth. In fact, nightmares can be the universe’s way of screaming the truth at us so we finally listen.

The Nine of Swords shows how we lose connection with our own source of wisdom by worrying too much, by feeling hopeless, by fearing what lies ahead. ‘Mental anguish’ is often the phrase used for this card. It can relate to guilt (misplaced or not), self-punishment and anxiety connected to depression. Astrologically Mars is Gemini dissipates energy, not knowing in which direction to move.

The Page of Swords stands nimbly at the end. The wind billows around him, birds fly above him. He has his sword at the ready. His weight is on his left foot whilst his right remains flexible to shift to rebalance if necessary. His sharp eyes miss nothing. This youngster only wants to know the truth and he will keep listening until he finds the nuggets of information he was looking for. Occasionally he doesn’t hear correctly and Chinese whispers ensure. Occasionally he hears things he shouldn’t. We can admire him for standing up for what he thinks is right but because he is still young, he sometimes gets it wrong. Sometimes he says too much and people get hurt, other times he seems like all talk and not enough action.

The Page and the Eight of Wands seem to be ganging up on the Nine of Swords. It feels as though we are being asked to cut through our fears because there simply isn’t the time to engage them. There is an urgent need to root out the problem, to lay to rest the issue, to let go of it, to simply stop beating ourselves up on what we did or didn’t do. Release and reconnect. There is a need to take a step back and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. I am drawn to write that we may be called upon to defend our ideas but we must choose wisely which to defend and which battles to let go. We must challenge those fears that get in the way of us acting on our inspiration.

The release of fear is often accompanied by a huge boost in energy. Last week I finally made myself go to the dentist after experiencing nightmares about my teeth falling out for the past year. Well aware of the more subtle meanings to this common dream, I also knew that it was very literal. I’ve only been to the dentist once in my adult life due to being terrified of them! Well, I was terrified of them. My spirit eventually forced home the message that I was far more frightened of losing my teeth than of the dentist and it really was time to face my fear. The Nine of Swords came up in my own reading to tell me to stop fearing the worst and trust myself (and the dentist)! The universe answered my prayers by showing me the way to a lovely new dentist who could not have been kinder or more compassionate if he tried (that and the prayer of no-fillings please!).

So coming home with a head full of sparkling, clean teeth I felt an overwhelming sense of release. The fear I have lived with for many years has finally dissipated leaving me feeling lighter and more energetic.

We need to be free to act and have space to move. We need to really listen to all the options and discern what is right for us. We need to sift the wheat from the chaff and stop tormenting ourselves over what may or may not happen. Stand tall and stay flexible, the winds of change are blowing…

Message in a Bottle 3

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This week’s cards are Justice, the Seven of Cups and the Eight of Pentacles.

Justice, Seven of Cups, Eight of Pentacles

The message in the bottle reads:-
“Build your dreams, they are your truth”

I have a love-hate relationship with the Seven of Cups. In readings for myself it usually comes up to say ‘Leah, all these possibilities are great but hey are you actually going to DO something?”

I have a confession to make before the court. I am a daydreamer. In my defence I have Jupiter square Neptune in my chart and Neptune is also in a wide opposition to Mars in the 10th. I dream at night, I dream in the day. I can easily lose a few hours here and there just daydreaming. With many planets in the 9th house, I get lost in visions of the future, what it would be like to do A, B or C. All of them have a promising outlook. I can’t choose just one.

Right now I have around 5 books I want to write right now, around 70 articles for Lua to write and that is without the album of songs I want to finish and my other website to maintain. I want to learn to paint mandala’s, fill my journal with wild colours, play my guitar, wander through the city taking photographs…

And filled with my visions of what could be and might be, sometimes I sit, hypnotised by possibilities until the day has passed and nothing has begun. Indecision chains me with too many options to see the right choice because they all FEEL right.

This is the lure of the Seven of Cups. The card is represented astrologically by Venus in Scorpio. Venus is in detriment in this sign and we get a sense of it within the card. The shadowy black figure reaches towards a mirage. The snake hisses a warning from above and a ghostly, creepy figure seems to rise from the top central cup, it’s aura blood red – warning! This card seduces and overwhelms the senses. When the Seven of Cups appears we want to indulge in a fantasy, film, drugs, sex – anything to take us away from the harsh realities of life and the need to take concrete action. Venus is at her most alluring in Scorpio, she plays on the sensation and the pleasure principle. She wants to have it all. Our shadowy figure can’t pick on single thing because everything looks just too good to be true. But imagination is strong and charged with possibilities

The Seven represents illusions. Nothing is solid in this card. We are deluding ourselves if we think it is.

To the left of the Seven of Cups we have the Justice card. By element these two cards are neutral to each other but there is a relationship between them as Venus (Seven of Cups) rules Libra (Justice).

The figure in the Justice card is certainly under no illusions. Her job insists that she can only look at the world logically and without prejudice. Her Venus works for fairness and whilst outside the courtroom this lady may be refined and kind, seated on her throne she will not be swayed by seduction or senses. The sword she carries in her right hand shows the is ruled by her mind. The balanced scales in her left hand suggests that she will not let her past experience or emotional baggage get in the way of a fair judgement.

The presence of Justice beside the Seven of Cups suggests to me that there is a higher need to make a choice and stick with it. It’s important that we weigh up our decisions using logic rather than being driven by the pleasure principle. Creative energy abounds but that energy needs to be channeled. Sometimes having too many options can be just as paralysing as not enough.

This can be a wonderful time to reflect upon your dreams but the cards urge us to make a choice. If we don’t use our heads as well as our hearts, all our dreams could simply be castles in the air.

Notice that Justice and the Eight of Pentacles both have their hands full (of tools) and in both we can see the right foot clearly. I’m reminded that we need to ‘put our best foot forward’. It’s time to make our hands busy and get down to work.

The Eight of Pentacles is represented in astrology by the Sun in Virgo. The card is on friendly terms elementally with the Seven of Cups. Certainly when learning a skill or trade, we need the imagination to see things through to the end. When we have a dream, we need to keep that vision in mind. The Eight of Pentacles however reminds us that there is great satisfaction to be had in the humilty of service. Our young pentacle maker is under no illusion (his back is turned to the Seven of Cups). He knows he has much to learn and a way to go but he works hard and willingly. The more he gives, the more his craft gives back to him. There is a sense that rather than looking at the beautiful end result (the dreams of the Seven of Cups), we need to start right at the beginning. Afterall, prospecting for gold starts with your trousers rolled up, standing in a river for hour upon hour searching for nuggets.

With Major Arcana Justice appearing in the pack just before Saturn is due to turn retrograde in Libra, I feel as though the universal energy is reminding us that we need to put our dreams into action. Make a decsision and do what it takes to see it through to the end. We can perfect our craft along the way.

As for me, I’ve put aside my dallying and focused on writing and research taking one practical step each day towards my dream. Rather than trying to do everything, I choose a project and work on it until it is complete. Okay, so I do have about three projects all going at once but they are short, medium and long term goals so they don’t get in the way of each other. I realise now that the other ideas don’t just disappear – they are still ready to be picked up in the future. It’s not easy and sometimes I catch myself drifting but that shadowy figure in the Seven of Cups threatens to haunt my dreams if I give up because it’s just too much like hard work. I am determined to carve out my place in the world, make manifest my dreams. They have sat too long in the clouds.

Message in a Bottle 2

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This week’s cards are the Three of Swords, the Page of Cups and the King of Wands

Three of Swords, Page of Cups, King of Wands

The Three of Swords always sends a shiver down my spine. As I drew this card what instantly flashed in my mind was the photo of a redwinged blackbird, one of the thousands that were found dead in Arkansas on New Year’s Day. The fish leaping from the Page of Cups confirmed my feeling that this was the issue the cards addressed.

The Three of Swords commonly shows a heart break, the piercing devastation you experience when the one you love leaves you, when you are betrayed. The heart never seems to heal, the pain is relentless. In the background we see rain – tears are shed.

Yet the Three of Swords can also suggest a necessary evil, the pain one feels when a septic wound is lanced. It pierces. It heals.

Swords is an anagram of words. Words can cut, words can kill. Words can be misread, misused, misrepresented, mis-spelt. We are often caught in the spell of the media, riding the wave of hysteria or worse – meekly accepting the fodder of explanation thrown after the initial mass sale has been made.

Dead BlackbirdThe media says it’s a phenomenon, a coincidence. They even created a new word an ‘aflockolypse’. Yet in the same breath they offer insubstantial ’causes’ that grate on our sense of reason. It happens all the time they say. It’s probably high altitude, hail or fireworks, eating poisoness grain, unusual weather. The reports, the reasons sound to me like a reaction, a fever against the fear of ‘Revelations’

The Three of Swords relates to Saturn in Libra. Saturn is exalted in Libra. He stands strongly for justice, he brings stability and balance. He sternly insists we take responsibilty.

The Page of Cups is reflective, child-like, as yet unable to control his emotions. He acts on instinct alone. He loves with abandon. Can we take ourselves back to this state of wide-eyed innocence after the bitter betrayal of the Three of Swords?

Can we bear to look in the holy grail and have hope, or will Pandora fly laughing in our faces?

The Page represents the creative force that moves us, intuition, art. He brings a sense of renewal, the delight as inspiration bubbles up from the unconscious into a poem, a song, a painting.

We are a work of art, humanity as a whole an ever-changing creative force which has the power to destroy or the power to birth.

In the final card we have the King of Wands – we shift from pip card to ascending court cards. We move up to sit at the feet of the King with the tiny salamander. The King holds a stout wand which contains newly sprung leaves. When I look at him, it is as though he has thrown his robe to one side as he prepares to move. His eyes gaze into the distance. This man has a vision. This man has faith.

The salamander peeps from the right hand side of the card. These little creatures have an incredible ability to regrow their limbs if they lose them. He is there to remind us that all is not lost, that we can regenerate – just as trees burst into life in Spring. The salamander is linked to the element of fire. In real life it is cold-blooded and able to adapt to it’s environment, as can we, if only we try a little harder…

The three cards drawn represent Air, Water and Fire. Where is Mother Earth?

The birds fell to earth
The fish landed on shores in their thousands.

If this were a dream I would say that the birds falling represent ideas that are no longer viable. The most famous bird that could not fly was the Dodo which became extinct. There are perhaps beliefs we hold which can no longer be upheld in the current climate. The world has moved on and so must we. The fish coming to the shore suggests that something is poisoning our deep unconscious. If you are a fish out of water, you don’t belong. These fish cannot be eaten, they can’t nourish us. All we can do is clear up and clear the way. It is as though the collective unconscious has been purged of that which is of no further use. It’s harsh and it’s cruel and maybe we caused it. Maybe we tipped the balance too far this time and the dreaming Earth gave us a nightmare to wake us up; pierced us with a word

Revelation

Whilst we shiver or laugh at the suggestion of Revelations, I simply note the word itself. Revelations – something is revealed. Now things have been purged, maybe, just maybe we can finally start working with the truth.

Blackbird picture from The Daily Mail

Message in a Bottle 1

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This week’s cards are The Hermit, The Magician and the Ace of Cups.

The Message in the Bottle reads
“You are in safe hands”

The Hermit, The Magician, Ace of Cups

The Hermit relates to Virgo, the Magician to Mercury and the Ace of Cups to the element of Water.

As I scan the cards, my eye is caught by the fact that in each of the cards there is a hand holding an object – a lantern, a wand, a cup. There is a sense of needing to rise to the challenge, to raise our hands and let what we hold within them be clearly seen. It is a time to be open, to be non-confrontation, to cast away secrecy.

We move from nine to the number one (which is repeated). Nine is the last number in the numerology cycle. After number nine we have number ten which reduces to the number 1 again. So we have reached an end and moved to a beginning. The Hermit suggests that there is a period of contemplation necessary, perhaps to assess where we have come to and where we are going. The Hermit isn’t a lonely figure, he is strengthened by the Magician beside him as Mercury rules Virgo. With the lantern in his right hand, he shows the way forward. The Hermit supports himself by his strong faith symbolised by both the lantern and the staff.

All of us need silence at some time, a moment to catch our breath and go within. The Hermit champions those who seek the answers inside. He teaches us to find the right question. The Hermit is the monk living in a cave, the wildman of the woods whose cottage we stumble upon when we can’t see anything but the trees.

The Magician looks us straight in the eye. Surround by the four elements he shows us the creative potential in everything if we can only trust ourselves just a little bit more. Yes the world sometimes throws us a wild card but it’s what we do with it that counts. The Magician reminds us that everything came from nothing. Whilst the Hermit is inward looking, the Magician looks out, actively taking the lead to communicate to the world what he wants. Like Mercury he sees associations between things, he networks, he connects. He shows us that we have everything we need if only we can choose to use it. With one hand raised to the sky, one to the earth and the infinity sign above him, we are reminded of ‘as above, so below’. There is a strong sense of needing to be aware of universal law. Again there is a reminder that we are not alone, we to are part of a Greater Pattern.

In the Magician the lantern of the Hermit has been swapped for the wand. It is as though through inner contemplation, we find the way to our inner creative power. By finding ourselves at the centre of the universe, we not only flourish but so does our love. The ace of cups is the healing chalice. The dove descending is suggestive of spirit animating water. Life is abundant. We must trust. We need to work with the tide, not against it.

There has been too much separation between individual people, between races, between religion, between countries. Now is the time for us to reconnect with each other and find our similarities instead of marking our differences. What is common to us all is the capacity to love. The bird of peace flying down into the ace of cups carries a tablet engraved with a cross within a circle. This ancient symbol represents the archetype of self, of inner and outer harmony, and representative of the Sun and the Earth. Dating back to Palaeolithic times, this symbol calls for unity from the depths of ourselves. It also represents manifestation of the will of spirit.

The message of the cards seems to suggest that by gaining inner peace, we become the architects of destiny and ultimately we are able to offer peace to the outside world. We all have the capacity to show unconditional love to another.

What follows is a random meditation on the three cards…

“All is well” said the Hermit as I met him on the trail. It’s funny, he doesn’t often speak. He continues to gaze down, looking at his feet. I know that whilst he looks old, his eyes are sharp. He watches for beetles and other grubs. He walks lightly on the earth and steps over them.

I know he’s been here for years, in this quiet place. It feels isolated, cold and dark but the light from his heart is warmth enough. He pulls his ragged cloak around him and bids me to sit beside the fire for a while. He doesn’t stand on ceremony. His appearance doesn’t bother him. He knows that it’s what you have on the inside that counts. He wiggles his toes before the firelight and sighs. I know it’ll be a long time before he speaks again but sometimes the firelight catches his eyes and I know he’s smiling. I watch the sparks rising, feel the warmth in my own heart.

After a time I nod into sleep, lulled by the quiet. My heart beats a slow and restful beat and sometimes I think it is the pulse of Mother Earth. I open my eyes and it’s daytime. The Hermit has gone and in his place is the Magician. He’s whistling loudly, busy with the day. He seems to be doing several chores all at once and I blink as he flits from one to the other. The grove has burst into flower, everything around me heavy with blossom. The leaves seem to vibrate, the trees giggle. The world feels like one big puppy wriggling with anticipation. He says

“Life is In – Formation” He speaks slowly so that I understand the double meaning.

The Magician pulls fruit from the trees and prepares me breakfast. I notice that he constantly seems to adjust his posture, alter his thoughts as if to blend in to the backdrop. He ushers me to the table. I eat amongst the four elements, aware that what I give out I take in and vice versa. With the Magician, everything is a paradox, a lesson and a gift. Quite often he talks in riddles and I find myself laughing at his stories even when I don’t understand them. He touches my head, my hands, my feet – makes me sacred again, instead of scared.

After my food I go down to the lake to wash my hands and face. As I am cleansed, the water Goddess rolls up from the depths and holds out an overflowing chalice. The bird of peace flies with her. Inside I know that I am reborn over and over into this life. And I also know that there is nothing that can’t be washed clean, nothing that can’t be forgiven – especially within myself. The Hermit taught me to look within, the Magician showed me I have everything I need, the Goddess of the lake shows me how to give back. I know that I’m in safe hands.