Hierophant – Daily Draw
The problem with pulling a Major Arcana card for a daily draw is that the issues it addresses are so huge. The daily draw is meant (for me) as a meditation on the events in a given day. When I am visited by an archetype, I have a hard time rendering it in terms of a twenty-four hour period of minutiae, and making sense of the randomness of life.
Or seeming randomness.
The Hierophant asks me to teach, or to learn something, of a holy nature. He brings with him a moral sensibility, ideas of right and wrong, deeply rooted traditions, and reverence for concepts of Truth and Beauty that are so much larger than our individual selves.
Of course, that must be the message for today.
While I look to the daily draw for the everyday, sometimes the Tarot wants to give me a nudge. Drifting off course can be disastrous. A tiny deviation from a set course can eventually bring you to a place that is miles away from your intended destination. As it is in the physical life, so it is in the spiritual (as above, so below). I have certainly veered away from my spiritual studies, meditations and prayers, due to various stresses and distractions. Today the Tarot tells me, ‘enough excuses’. Truth and Beauty are calling, and it’s time once again to strive to put my feet back on the path that leads to them.
Page of Cups – Daily Draw
From my Daily Card Journal:
Who knows what surprises may arise from your heart?
Do you love yourself? Do you understand how important it is to do so?
Sometimes we are surprised by our own thoughts, actions or desires. What have you been keeping a secret from yourself lately?
Are you denying something inside – some deeply rooted need or idea – that you keep hidden because it doesn’t quite fit within your chosen ‘peer group’; because you fear being judged or laughed at? Are you worried about what others will think?
–
Lately I have been trying to determine how much of my inner self is fit to share with others. I think we all go through this. We craft a personality to show the outside world, with varying degrees of honesty depending on how close someone is to you. From intimate friends and family, to close friends, to associates and the general world of potential friends and strangers. It’s not that we are faking anything, it’s that we may fear that what we hold deep inside might not be understood, and we may fear being judged or rejected by those who’s association we seek, and those with whom we must associate on a daily basis.
I believe that’s why these were the thoughts that surfaced today, when I first saw this card on my reading table. My immediate reaction was to give myself a hug and to feel loved and accepted. Then I thought about ways of releasing some of the ideas and feelings that I have been holding inside for some time. There are certainly constructive ways to reveal oneself to the rest of society without fear, and without alienating or angering others. You don’t need to blurt it out, you can just be yourself in the most positive manner available to you. But the important thing is to find ways to be true to yourself, both inside and on the outside. And to always find ways to continue to grow while staying true to who you truly are.
Pretending
It’s fortunate that I’ve never pulled the Tower for anyone I’ve read for besides myself. Not yet. I will really have to mask my reaction when it does happen, because this is the only card that provokes a strong negative response in me.
When things are out of alignment in one’s life, in a relationship, a job situation, financial or health issue, etc., it is very easy to ignore it and just continue in an undesirable direction. It is human nature to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ and pretend that everything is okay, because it is easier than doing the work needed to clean up the messes we make, or allow others to make.
Sometimes changes must occur, sometimes the changes are needed. A sudden but relatively quiet upheaval can allow much-needed light and air into one’s life. It may be painful, but one can then breathe a sigh of relief and get on with things. Usually this is what the card Death signifies. But sometimes the circumstances to do not occur quietly. The situation can suddenly adopt the attributes of a raging wildfire, and one can feel things spinning rapidly out of your control. Quite often this is because they have been ignoring the misalignment of energies in their life. This is when the Tower might make an appearance.
Of all the cards that I might pull from a deck when reading for myself, this is the one I really do not ever want to see. I’m a quiet, private sort of person. I’d rather see Death in a reading for myself, because at least I know the pain will be private, and the healing will be personal. The Tower will have none of that, it always demands cannons firing and bombs bursting in the air. It may very well be my own fault that the Tower rises out of the earth at my feet to fix the mess I’ve made by pretending everything is okay. However, that doesn’t make it any less traumatizing.
The Tower only appears when it is needed. Focus on getting through it. Once the storm resulting from the fire and thunder of the Tower passes, the sun does actually emerge and the birds will begin to sing again. This is important to remember if you find yourself in the middle of a Tower storm. Just remember to keep breathing, and continue to trust that things will be okay. In fact, it is likely that your situation will be improved by the energy of the Tower, however difficult that may be to believe while you are while in it’s throes. The earth may shake, but it will stop shaking eventually and you can rebuild whatever was destroyed. And when you rebuild, it will be an improved design, stronger and safer, as long as you take to heart the lessons to be learned from the Tower.
Death
We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.~Joseph Campbell
Hanging on to the past, holding a grudge, reliving injustices in your mind till you can’t function; these are all examples of a life where the energy of the Death card would be a welcome relief. But what about a life that is coasting along just fine?
Living in complacency can be a trap as much as dwelling in a negative head-space. Sometimes you think you have what you want, and it is only when something comes along and shakes up your world, that you realize that you have been allowing yourself to be held back from a richer, more fulfilling life.
It doesn’t have to be the earthshaking energy of the Tower card. Sometimes it’s far more subtle, and it sneaks up on you. Sometimes while you’re crying in the dark over some dear thing that you’ve lost, you began to feel a small bud fight to emerge from deep underground. Don’t let the pain you’re experiencing overwhelm it, let it grow.
This is the power of Death acting in your life.
A Cat’s Prayer
For Siofra. And for all kitties everywhere.
As I lay me down to sleep
I pray Bast my soul to keep,
I pray Bast my soul to take,
And transport it to the sandy lands
Where my forebears worshiped were,
Where my ancient kin were much revered
And where the cat first learned to purr.
As I pad on velvet feet
I pray Bast will give me mice to eat,
And as I use my litter tray
I ask that she will find me play,
In her bright heaven where all cats,
Are stroked by Bast’s most blessed hands,
And bask and gambol in her care,
Remembering Egypt’s ancient sands.
As I kneed upon your knees,
I hope that Bast is greatly pleased
To see her child at rest and play,
Fed and cared for every day,
And when I reach that glorious place
And gaze upon her feline face,
I’ll ask that Bast will grant you grace
To join me in eternal play.
Author Unknown
Harmony
This card’s primary meaning for me is harmony.
Cups deal with matters of the heart and emotions. This card quite often reflects a romantic relationship, although that is not the only meaning. As with all the other cards, context is important. It can also mean a harmonious partnership between friends or business associates. It can represent an arrangement between siblings or other family members in caring for parents, grandparents or children, who may not be cared for adequately by their own parents. I have found this to represent the bond between a human and a beloved pet on more than one occasion. The important thing to keep in mind is that it deals with emotional bonds and relationships. These can take many forms.
It can also represent a unity of opposites, as with the energies of Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy. In this case it may represent opposing forces within a single psyche, as when an individual must find peace within themselves over an issue, and is striving for inner harmony. Between two or more people, it may mean a striving for balance among opposing personality types. But it is a favorable sign that folks are willing to work together to achieve this harmony among themselves. The opposite might be found in the Five of Wands which usually represents competition among associates, sometimes a healthy competition and sometimes contentious. In the Two of Cups, this would indicate a non-competitive effort to resolve differences and find common ground.
In most cases it is a positive card, reflecting love, friendship and cooperation.
Downward Facing Dog
This is primarily a Tarot blog, but I do like to share other things from time to time, if I think they are interesting or may be beneficial to others. I’ve been practicing Yoga for a few years. I thought I’d share a pose that has really helped me when I get into my dark moods.
Like many people, I battle with depression most days. It’s something I’ve had to manage, in various stages of intensity, since childhood. I’ve tried the drugs, and talked to the shrinks, and changed my diet and all that. Some things help and some things don’t. But these days, when the depression demons come to visit me, I just sic my Dog on them.
Adho Mukha Svanasana, also known as Downward Facing Dog, is one of the poses in the traditional Yoga Sun Salutation sequence. But it is also practiced as an asana on it’s own. I think it may be my favorite pose right now. It certainly has helped alleviate my dark moods.
According to Yoga Journal magazine, Downward Facing Dog,
- Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
- Energizes the body
- Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
- Strengthens the arms and legs
- Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
- Helps prevent osteoporosis
- Improves digestion
- Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
- Therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis
Notice the very first thing they mention is calming the brain and helping to relieve stress and depression. It’s really uncanny. I don’t know how it works, but it does. Yoga for Women says,
With regular practice, Downward Facing Dog rejuvenates your whole body. An inverted pose, it allows for the reversed flow of gravity and increases the flow of blood to the head and heart.
Perhaps the increased flow of blood to the heart and head has something to do with it. However it works, it is certainly helping me. After coming out of this asana, I feel a tremendous sense of peace that stays with me for the rest of the day.
Child Pose is the recommended counter-pose for Downward Facing Dog. I actually use Child Pose a couple of times in my practice. It really stretches out my back, which is also a source of trouble for me. It’s the perfect compliment to the Dog. But the Dog still rules. It’s the highlight of my daily practice.
Thought for the Day
You can reach a point in your life when you realize that you need to be exactly who you are, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You have to accept yourself for who and what you are and live with that. You have to do what you love and accept what comes of it.
It’s a good thing. It’s a liberating moment.
All that is truly beautiful and meaningful in this life was created by people who understand this.
Don’t let anybody make you feel guilty, inadequate, stupid or insane for being true to yourself.
If I could think of a way to get this message out to everyone living, I’d do it. Too many lives have been wasted in an attempt to live up to other people’s ideals.
Dammit! Go out and dance in a thunderstorm if that’s what makes you happy. The hell with it. What’s the point of being alive if you can’t truly live?
Do what they say you can’t do. Believe what they say is unbelievable. Perform miracles. Cry, laugh and greet Death, when he comes, with a smile.
Yeah, it’s simple and everyone says they understand this. Then why are so many people not doing it? Myself included.
Lemniscate in the Sky
A lemniscate is the mathematical symbol for infinity. A mobius strip can be used to demonstrate the idea of infinity, in a strip of paper which is twisted and attached at the ends, forming an ‘endless’ two dimensional surface.
In the Waite Smith deck it can be seen above the head of the Magician. Here it can be understood to symbolize the fact that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. Energy lasts forever, in whatever form it takes. The Magician channels this energy to manifest his will upon the world around and inside himself. Once he has learned to master this energy, he has an infinite resource at his disposal to effect these changes in accordance with his will. (In the Waite Smith deck this symbol can also be found over the head of the woman in Strength, at the top of the wreath in the World, and featured as the juggling motions of the figure in the Two of Pentacles).
In this photo, you see what appears to be a string of pearls, with a twist, hanging in the sky. It’s called The Analemma. We say, ‘the sky is the limit’, as a way of suggesting an ‘infinite’ number of possibilities in a given situation. It is fitting then, to find the symbol of infinity in the sky.
You would expect that if you looked at the Sun at the same time each day, from the same place, it would appear at the same location in the sky. You would be correct, if the Earth were not tilted, and if its orbit around the Sun were perfectly circular. Because neither of those things are correct, what you get in this case is this pattern in the sky.
The Sun will appear at its highest point in the sky, and highest point in the analemma, during summer. In the winter, the Sun is at its lowest point. The remainder of the year makes up the rest of the analemma pattern.
Photographing the analemma is a daunting challenge, simply because it takes an entire year to get the complete image. According to Sky and Telescope Magazine, more men have walked on the moon than have successfully photographed the analemma. The very first successful image of it, was taken by Dennis di Cicco.
Grasping infinity is difficult for the human mind. Meditation on the lemniscate can help us to grasp and understand it. In the Tarot it points to the endless energy available to us once we learn to tap into it. And in the Analemma, we have another of nature’s wonders to remind us of the infinity of energy in it’s many manifestations.
Balance Point
In an effort to address my thoughts on where to take my Tarot practice, including this blog, I drew one card for a nudge in whatever direction would be best. I chose my Hudes Deck, because I was feeling very stressed out at the time. Mentally, I had climbed the high-dive ladder at the pool, and I was finding it difficult to take that last step into the air, anticipating the plunge into the shock of cold water. I have not turned to the Tarot for my own needs in quite a while. It was a bit like going to an old friend and adviser for help, after a long period of not speaking to them at all.
Tarot can have a quirky sense of humor of it’s own sometimes. Seeking a card to focus my actions, I drew a card that is hardly an ‘action card’. And yet, upon reflection, there is the ghost of action here. As actions can occur in the imagination, there is action to be found in the Six of Pentacles from the Hudes Deck.
The first thing this card said to me was, ‘balance’. This image is one of symmetry. The perfectly balanced pentacles, both on the scales and in the air around the gentleman’s head. The center post of the scales, pointing perfectly at the chin, through the center of the face and on into the infinity above, divide the image neatly in two. After all, what else is necessary to move forward than to be perfectly balanced? Indeed, while riding a bicycle you will get nowhere without a good sense of balance.
There is an element of choice here as well. Which one is better, or are they the same? Items are weighed on a scale to determine which is heavier. In the mind, things are weighed to determine which is wiser, saner, more desirable, or less likely to fail in some manner. Sometimes the choice is one of ‘a lesser of two evils’. It is still a choice, and choice is an action. A mental action, but an action nonetheless.
He certainly looks bored, doesn’t he? Hesitation in life can lead to ennui, to endless stalling. Once that malaise sets in it can be difficult to shake it off, and accomplish the simplest tasks. One would rather sleep on, than arise and greet the day. Depression can be a deep pit that is very difficult to escape.
The pentacles deal with material, corporeal things. The body, possessions, money and practical considerations relating to these things. One of my motives for asking where I need to take my practice, is a need to discover a means to earn my keep in this world, to be of some benefit in this life, using my Tarot cards. I believe the card is telling me that I need to put things in order first. I need to seek a balance within, as well as in my daily life, as a foundation from which to act. It seems ‘getting my act’ together seems to be the first step that I must take, before I can travel any further.
Unfortunately, this is not one of my strong points. But it’s likely that is the very reason why I am being directed to do so.
