Spiritual Sunday #9

Introduction

There are quite a few cards in the Major Arcana. Twenty-two to be exact, but a couple of them are really hogging the spotlight in these readings. (Which is actually no surprise. I won't try to explain it all here.)

Last night as I assembled this reading (maybe I'll write about exactly how I do this next week), I noticed that our old pal The Hermit wound up at the very bottom of the deck as I shuffled. That meant there were 21 other cards I'd come to before getting to him -- at which point I said ... Ok, this deck is ready.

I do truly love the old guy. His image in many decks is frequently the most interesting of all. But c'mon. I've got the message already. Now we're all just waiting to see who comes out to signal that maybe we're making progress again -- in some direction. Unfortunately, signs of real progress didn't show up this week. We're still pretty much in stasis, waiting for Life and our inner world to align themselves again.

Enjoy the rest. I have a feeling when this finally breaks loose, it could turn out to be gangbusters. Through the years I've discovered that's how Life often works. But it could surprise us. I've also been wrong before. Once or twice.

Let's get started.

This week's layout

This week's theme

Golden Flower (Temperance in the traditional Tarot) = calm, peace, tranquility, "chilling out," taking a "just let it be" attitude, quietly observing, contemplating the situation, not doing anything really proactive.

Bottom line: Don't push the river.

This is the card that follows Death in the Tarot. Clearly, Death can signal the obvious ... a complete end to physical life, but even then it signals the end of a major phase of learning and development.

Death indicates closure -- and transformation into another state. Temperance, its successor, denotes a time of peace, contemplation, reflection, "summing up" ... and recuperation. You're still processing stuff -- and may not be ready to strike out in any definitive direction ... yet.

Again, this seems to say that you're coming to terms with how you've changed, what you've become ... and that you're still familiarizing yourself with who you are now -- someone who is different than who you used to be.

Sitting here, I remember @bigtom13 included a picture in a recent post of a shovelnose snake he and Sam found on their desert walk who was molting ... shedding his skin, cranky and defensive and possibly tender. (You know how new skin over a healing wound can be touchy and extra-sensitive.) Maybe that was more of a synchronicity than anyone realized at the time. Life can be like that, too.

This week's personal issue

The Mime (The Page of Rods in the traditional Tarot) = A spirit of exploring, being willing to take new risks -- sometimes just for the heck of it, the readiness to embrace new opportunities as you find them, finding a new project or field of potential that interests you, approaching life with a "let's see where this goes" attitude

In real life, this card often depicts a child or a young adolescent. (He embodies the exuberance and daring of the Fire signs ... Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, a child with that kind of presence and charm. He's likeable, fun but maybe takes a few more risks by way of "proving himself" than is actually prudent. He may wind up with a few extra scrapes and dings for his trouble.)

Realize that this may reflect an actual person or other ebullient "young spirit" in your life, but that he is also symbolic of a "new spirit" emerging in you. Obviously, he could represent this "new persona" we keep hearing about in these readings. He's made a little more progress in his "coming out" efforts than we've seen previously.

We met Fire energy in last week's Spiritual Sunday reading as the reversed Knight ... essentially the Page's Big Brother -- a guy a little farther along in his personal growth and development, but not yet able to express himself properly or directly. He was still trying to get his feet under him and figure out his focus. Looks like he's made some headway on that, so it's likely you'll notice the same in your experiences and inner work this coming week.

Pages in the Tarot don't have a lot of power, but they carry messages. This may manifest "in reality" as an inspiration that you investigate, the urge to move around or to travel -- physically or symbolically -- that you indulge which leads you to an interesting experience or realization, an Ah-HA! moment of insight. It can also take place in a conversation with yourself or someone else. This card is very reflective of who you are now on an emerging but still relatively immature level. There's a lot of new learning underway.

He is both an indication of a new cycle of experience that is being launched -- and an indication of "starting over again" ... on a higher level and wiser this time that you were before, but there is definitely a "back to Square One" feeling that come with this energy. Its potential can be very exciting -- but it's also a reminder of how much you don't know and how much of yourself, the world and everything you haven't met -- let alone mastered -- yet. Time for another course in self-understanding.

This week's emotional issue

9 of Mirrors (The Nine of Cups in the traditional Tarot) = happiness, satisfaction, emotional fulfillment, positive self-indulgence, being grateful, attracting what you want and need -- virtually without effort

(Hmmm. Look at the Sunflower image repeating itself here ... an echo of the one in the Temperance card above. Lots of Leo energy in this reading -- an emphasis on pride, confidence, self-promotion, personal style, "work only you can do," or work only you can do in that way -- because it reflects so much of your personality in it. No one can imitate that -- and succeed.)

(Also ... if you knew the odds against these guys coming up as consistently as they do from time to time, you'd be as amazed as I am at the way the Tarot works. That's why I may write a post soon about just how I build these readings -- so you can see and appreciate it, too.)

Well, we've seen this guy recently, remember? In the extra, "asking for advice" reading I did a few days back. So ... concentrate on happiness, concentrate on pleasing yourself, do things that you know bring pleasure and contentment, find the creative energy that expresses you authentically. When you find it, do that. And enjoy it.

This week's intellectual issue

4 of Scrolls Rx (The Four of Swords Reversed in the traditional Tarot) = needing time-out, needing to recharge, needing to recuperate and heal, feeling anxious, overworked, frustrated, stalled, feeling restless -- and needing to rest, feeling pushed and pressured ... and required to perform anyway

Well, it seems there's always one sourpuss at the party. And ... here it is.

This card often appears when you are being advised to Chill out for God's sake!!

The kicker, however, is that usually you are extremely distressed, worried, "up against it" in some situation of controversy, strife or conflict and you don't feel you can afford that luxury -- no matter how welcome it would be to just do it. This card may be saying "you don't have to do everything at once." You can afford some down-time. (In fact, you may not be able to afford not to take this advice.)

If you're ill -- get well. If you're stressed -- find the center again. You're not in as bad a shape as you could be ... but don't make this worse. You need to be able to think straight, be logical, make good decisions, be clear on your objectives, etc. And right now, you're not in a good position to do that. Fix this. (But don't let that directive add to your stress. Srsly.)

This week's practical issue

6 of Stones (The Six of Pentacles in the traditional Tarot) = sharing your resources with those who need them -- including the wisdom of your experience / things that can help people get along better in life -- or learn from your mistakes and discoveries; supporting things you believe in & want to see flourish; contributing "something of value," using assets wisely and constructively -- including your own talents, getting healthy and financially stable

So ... this is where to put your concentration this week -- on what you can do with what you have where you are, etc., that will create something useful, something you can be proud of, something that means something to you and to others -- and that represents a positive use of your investment.

There is a strong emphasis on sharing with this card's energy -- also on "filling a need." It indicates you have what you need to do something -- probably something impressive or something that would truly help other people find better ways to help themselves. You just need to make use of it -- or perhaps use it differently. Consider that as part of your agenda this week.

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