Cuatro de Oros — Tarot Lukumi

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Luigi ScapiniArtist: Luigi Scapini
Author: Emanuele Coltro Guidi

Conscious of my changing shape and lifestyle, I said

“Tell me something about my body,”

and drew this card, reversed.

I love this version of the Four of Coins. I love this deck.

 

Interpretation: “The power of the four elements is represented by the four towers of King Chango’s castle. We can see the four attributes of Chango on the coins. This card means power and economic and social steadiness, it is the power of a just leader.”

 

A small mythology: Chango, the god of thunder and lightning, was second to spring from the body of Yemaja and is the second-most powerful god of the Yorubas. He dwells in the clouds in an immense brazen palace, with a huge court and a great number of horses. Besides being thunder-god, he is also the god of the chase and of pillage. Veneration of Chango enables a great deal of power and self-control.

 

Coins are about money and material goods. Like many cards, the Four of Coins has both positive and negative aspects no matter which way it falls. I asked about my body— commonly seen as a material possession— tho the objective of many religions is to transcend such a limited viewpoint. Nonetheless, one’s body is a form of wealth— or poverty.

 

Thus, in this instance, the Four of Coins signifies accomplishment of goals and attainment of great physical ability. It indicates bodily conservatism and of a strong sense of self-preservation, as the body is often equated with the self. It indicates material attachment to the body and the physical realm. It warns of the risk of greed: of coming to value only the physicality of being. I must continually work hard to maintain the status-quo of my aging self and sustain my ongoing obsession with bodily preservation. I am forever trying to create order amidst the chaos, to bring a state of calm and stability into my life.

 

Veneration of Chango enables a great deal of power and self-control. Likewise, veneration of one’s body enables a great deal of power and self-control. In order to empower others, it is necessary to humble one’s self, let go of power, and release control. The Four of Coins reversed asks me to loosen my hold on my body as it is— or as it recently was. While difficult at first, this is an important aspect in my personal development, the development of my child, and the development of life unfolding now before me.

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The World — Dragon Tarot

Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Artist: Peter Pracownik

Designer: Terry Donaldson

 

Here I am back at the Dragon Tarot, where a slender dragon wraps it wings protectively around the world. The dragons in this deck seem to have all hatched from the same clutch of eggs. If I was going to draw a dragon tarot— which I won’t but if I did— one of my main goals would be to give the dragons all their own personality and unique features. After all, dragons are people, too. But I digress.

 

My mother is here visiting. We do typical mother-daughter activities such as walking the frozen wetlands of the nearby nature preserve and constructing built-in shelving so baby-to-be has some place to store its (her?) dozens of onesies. I know the shelving project will not be completed before she leaves: I will need to finish the drywall and painting. I have other unfinished drywall projects around the house. My best excuse for not finishing the other projects is that it is impossible to carry home an intact 8×4-foot sheet of drywall on top of a Toyota Corolla. Afraid of impending lethargy, I say to the deck— Tell me to finish the drywall! —Motivation comes easier with a foreman.

 

The deck hands me the World: a card of integration, completion, accomplishment, and travel— quite a powerful card for a seemingly simple request. Nonetheless. To integrate is defined as to combine one thing with another— such as to combine drywall with mud and tape— so that they become seamlessly whole. To complete is to finish a project. To accomplish something is to stand back and look at it with pride and say, “Well! That’s done.” To travel is to move on to the next thing. Despite how annoying I find the task of spackling, I don’t think my request was deserving of the World, which indicates there will be praise and celebration for my successful achievements. I won’t complain. I just have to do what the World has obligingly ordered me to do— ASAP.

 

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14 Temperance — New Age Tarot

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Walter Wegmüller[Sometimes it seems really manipulative to ask a question. I wanted to see what this deck had to say without asking.]

 

Artist: Walter Wegmüller

 

Temperance is defined as moderation or self-restraint, especially in the realm of eating and drinking.

 

About this card: “This is the conscious aspect of every measure or dimension. Yardstick of all knowledge and all laws governing light and dark, inner and outer form, weights and distances, proportions. […] The balancing of opposites: man and woman, day and night, high and low, etc.”

 

Divinatory Meaning: “Organize your life and work differently. Define boundaries. Control and adjust dimensions. Justice. Determine the right amount of work you should be doing and the right [amount] of food and drugs you should be taking.”

 

This card reminds me I am having a hard time organizing and balancing my life right now. I am having an easy time staying in bed a large portion of the day, saying to myself: I am tired: rest is good. I am having a hard time motivating myself to exercise.

 

I am having an easy time procrastinating with household projects, instead spending time doing things such as browsing the internet for things I think I need or things I think I need to know or writing this silly blog— although this silly blog is just about the one activity I do with commitment.

 

I am having a hard time remembering to eat foods that are good for me (green! green! green!) and eat on a schedule and not to just eat everything in sight with the excuse that I am growing my baby— I am a bit old for this baby-having activity and would like to grow a healthy baby.

 

I am having a hard time finding balance. Will I ever feel balanced? Is life just one long, drawn-out balancing act? Is it ever easy?

 

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Ten of Pentacles — Tarot of a Moon Garden

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Artist: Karen Marie Sweikhardt

 

Tell me something about my relationship with the wilderness, I asked,
and drew the Ten of Coins, reversed.

 

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness—
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.

 

— The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, translated by Edward FitzGerald

 
 
 
The Wilderness is all the riches in the world, unspent. The Ten of Coins reversed betrays poor resource management. The recent past of wilderness and human kind has been a fun relationship with no commitment on our side. Our side. All of us and not just me or you or him or her or them, them, them— I speak in plural, all of us, for none of us are here alone amidst the Wilderness. As humans, we are one— and one against the Wilderness, it seems, judging from our actions as a whole. Stability has been undermined. Vast wealth has been squandered. True lovers of the Wilderness weep with a sense of loneliness and loss. The wealth was there and it is gone, ill-spent, the future left unplanned, our children wildland-impoverished. Only the wealthiest of all have found a tree to sing beneath amidst the Wilderness— and know that Wilderness is paradise enough.

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King of Pentacles — Bruegel Tarot

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Guido Zibordi MarchesiArtist: Guido Zibordi Marchesi

 

Interpretation: “Experience. Generosity. An old sparrow will not enter a cage. (An expert will not let himself be cheated.)”

 

—What is jealousy? I asked

—and drew the King of Coins, reversed.

 

Jealousy is a strong feeling of envy. It is an intense effort to hold on to one’s possessions and it is often associated with distrust, suspicion, anger, and other negative emotions.

 

This King of Coins is a powerful man who has an abundance of security, control, power and discipline. He generates a lot of his self-worth from what he has accumulated and what he can share with others. Reversed, he is materialistic, possessive, and jealous. Experience has taught him little about kindness. He will accommodate others only if it is to his own advantage. At times, he will do anything for money.

 

Easily impressed by social status, this King-Put-Upside-Down will readily fulfill requests of those he deems above him. A social snob, he dismisses those with lesser authority and status. He is a name-dropper and a braggart. He is a user, and will not think twice about the injury he causes others in his pursuit of money, possession, and power. If he is a workaholic it is out of greed and he does not share; otherwise he expects others to look after him financially.

 

The inverted King is often abusive toward his family, wielding disciplinary power, rigid authority and inflexible control as weapons. Failing to show his love through positive means, he excels at suppressing the spirit of others.

 

 •1•

Jealousy is a Blindfold that lets
the Jealous One run face-first into Greed.
Blind with Envy, he flails his arms
Oppressing those who navigate around him.

 

•2•

The Jealous Sparrow locks its cage
and huddles inside with its seed.
Protected from intruders, a Jealous Bird
will never find its Freedom.

 

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4. The Emperor — Napo Tarot

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Created by Betty Lopez; Designed by Napo

 

Interpretation: This Emperor looks at the past with eyes that emanate light. He sees the structure on which the present is built: custom, history, and religion. His thoughts and concept of life are geometric and static. He is a paternal, chivalrous man whose actions have great impact on his people. Tho very respectful of tradition and customs, he is not necessarily open-minded and therefore often seems dominant and prejudiced.

 

I generally dislike the Emperor. He reflects rules and regulations. Although I enjoy a harmonious society, I sometimes have issues with structure and often question authority. Rules and regulations are necessary, but many rules and regulations are not necessarily the best. Nonetheless, there must be some basic social structure to prevent anarchy and chaos.

 

Tell me something about my trip to New York.

 

I am (I think) going to NY City for a weekend in February to take a yoga workshop at Baby Om Yoga to learn to do yoga with my up-coming baby and learn to teach others the same. There are no such classes in the area. The Emperor reminds me that the teachers I am going to learn from have a history of studying Iyengar yoga, whose structure and precision I adore. But workshops always cost a lot of money and I highly dislike driving. This results in cost/ benefit event-anxiety on my part. Over and over I ask myself:

 

Is it worth it? —Only time will tell.
Can I survive without it? —Of course!
Will I make use of my new knowledge? —Yes, at least for myself. But if it is only for myself, I could just learn and practice and innovate from their book; I do not need a teacher training. I do have a 500-hour certification with Ana Forrest and I have taught in the past, but I am terrible at marketing my vast store of abilities.
Could I be doing something better with my time? —Perhaps, but at the rate I’m accomplishing things, I probably won’t.

 

The Emperor has a strong desire to see ideas manifested on the physical plane in the form of material gain or accomplishment. He says to me— You know, you won’t have an opportunity to take such a workshop after your baby is born. You cannot learn structure in a void: you need to learn structure from others to provide structure for yourself. You have no experience with babies. Look at the past: learn from others.

 

I have a strong desire to feel as tho I have not wasted my time chasing some intangible golden goose. I say to the Emperor— Keep coming back to remind me you are here. I will keep pushing you away and desiring your return.

 

 

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Strength — Tarots Oreste Zevola

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Artist: Oreste Zevola

 Tell me something about a little boy’s anger.

 

Upright: Strength, courage, patience, control, compassion

Reversed: Weakness, self-doubt, lack of self-discipline

 

This card represents not physical strength, but inner strength and the power of the spirit to overcome any obstacle.

 

Strength is great stamina and persistence, tempered by an underlying patience and inner calm which reveals great composure and maturity. Inside each of us is a passionate, reactionary side that sometimes shows its Beastly-face. It takes great Strength to bring instinctual reactions into balance with the greater good.

 

Strength does not act out in rage or hatred, but looks at the situation with love and compassion. Strength’s calm inner-voice is often drowned out by the hubbub of emotion and fear. The qualities of Strength appear once raw emotion is transcended; this creates a silence where spiritual wisdom and intuition may awaken. Strength is a higher level of awareness that allows one to take responsibility for the Self, master the Self, then let the Self be the master of its world.

 

Strength offers love and patience to tame the Beast. She gives space to the needs of others. She forgives imperfections. Thus, she creates a safe and trusting environment of gentle influence. Strength is the Beast Whisperer.

 

Strength says: Conquer your fears; control your impulses. Be strong, assertive, and persevering. Do not lose patience with yourself or what you are doing. There is no room for self-doubt. You have the strength to tame the beasts within yourself. If you are pushing too hard, withdraw and be patient. This time of trouble, too will end.

 

Tame yourself. Subdue the the Beast with love & peace.

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Five of Cups & Six of Wands — Tarot Piatnik Wien

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Rudolph PointnerArtist: Rudolph Pointner

 

I said, “Tell me something about song,” shuffled this deck thoroughly and drew the Five of Cups— previously pulled from this exact deck on December 7th.   The five of cups is disappointment or loss. I will interpret it this way: I am shy of my voice. I love to sing, but am afraid to do so in the presence of others. I wish I could remember all the words and melodies that move me, but this is rarely the case. The five of cups is a sad song, still beautiful, perhaps even more so for its loss.

 

*    *    *

 

Rudolph PointnerFor something new, I shuffled again and said, “Tell me something about sacred song.” I pulled the Six of Wands, upside-down.

 

About wands in general, this little booklet says:

“…[the significance of an object depends] on the way it is viewed. Who is wise sees an object in its entirety, for his is the capacity to recognize the oneness in the multiplicity.”

 

And about this card in particular:

positive meaning— encouraging news; negative meaning— depressing information.

 

The act of god singing the world into being is the most sacred song conceivable.

 

Swami Tripurari writes:

Those that vibrate the names of God in order to achieve liberation, thinking that any name of the divine is equal to any other, may encounter transcendence as a vague experience… // This understanding of transcendence is considered to be elementary by those who maintain that the divine name is a “supramental” sound representation of Godhead. // For those engaged in pure devotion, vibrating the supramental name is both the means and the end of their culture of divinity.

 

In other words:

Some say the personality of the divine is contained within the Name. Through the medium of sound, the world comes into being; through divine sound it can be properly understood. Those who chant the names of God knowing the sound of the Name itself is divinity beyond conception— devotion beyond knowledge— those thus purely engaged in sacred song become a spiritual self-manifestation of the universe— become the spirit of the the universe itself.

 

In conclusion, the Six of Wands, interpreted as pulled upside-down:

Song has the most powerful significance for a person depending on the way it is viewed. Who is wise hears the sacred Name in its entirety, for theirs is the capacity to recognize the oneness in the multiplicity

—depressing information for those of us afraid of the power of our own voice.

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Six of Swords — Fantasy Showcase Tarot

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

George MetzgerArtist: George Metzger

 

Interpretation: Upright— Escape from oppressions; a water journey; sending forth of a representative in one’s stead. Reversed— Stasis; inescapability of difficulties; unfavorable outcomes.

 

Yesterday I came across a blog article by Alec Satin called 37 Best Tarot Questions. I like the question: “What should I look out for?”

 

This image shows three cloaked people on a boat in very deep water. It is drawn in such a way that I have a good view of what is above and what is below. In truth, without the perfect angle, water’s seemingly transparent surface most often distorts or obliterates the view of what is on the other side. Water is the medium.

 

[This entry is interrupted by a news-flash from my younger sister, who quickly reveals something to look out for—]

 

The water is the Media whose waves of Propiganda

obscure the Terror of the outsize Corporation

whose deep pockets sink the Boat of Innovation.

 

STOP PIPA (Senate 968) & SOPA (HR 3261)

Imagine a world without craigslist, Wikipedia, Google, barefootfool, [your favorite sites here]…

News Corp, RIAA, MPAA, Nike, Sony, Comcast, VISA & others want to make that world your reality.

80 Members of Congress are in their sway, 30 against, the rest undecided or undeclared.

★ ★ ★ Please take a minute to tell your Members of Congress you OPPOSE PIPA & SOPA ★ ★ ★

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE STRIKE

CLICK HERE for MORE INFO & EASY ACTION ITEMS

Learn More: Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic
Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress

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Page of Cups — Ship of Fools Tarot

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Brian WilliamsArtist & Author: Brian Williams

 

I can’t sleep. My body is a new, strange, ever-growing size. My hips hurt when I sleep on my sides. I get nauseous when I sleep on my back, quickly triggered by my constant hovering in a semi-nauseous state. I really just want the entire bed to myself so I can flail around without injuring or waking my partner. Failing that, I rise, clean the fishtank, sort some dry beans left to soak, put away the dishes, tend the woodstove, eat a sandwich, surf the web for information on sleeping, and finally ask the tarot deck: “Tell me something about sleep.”

 

Brian Williams says about this card’s meaning: “A wanderer, impulsive quester, wayward pilgrim. An emotional and poetic person, a seeker on life’s journey. Side trips and detours, the unexpected moments of travel, the pleasures and perils of a poor sense of direction. Rediscovering one’s intended path.”

 

The fool on this card has at last found his path after a lengthy bushwhack. On the path there is a shrine: a holy or sacred place, dedicated to a figure of awe and respect. The shrine points the correct direction: a well-traveled path. I know this traveler. I have been him a hundred times or more. The delight of gaining one’s bearings is enough to make one wander off the path almost as soon as the path is found. All who wander are not lost. Finding one’s self and finding one’s self again, over and over, is a thorough state of meditation. That which seems like aimless roaming can be the most thorough search for self-awareness.

 

Eventually the wanderer finds a path so enticing, he does not notice he’s actually following a path instead of meandering through woods and wilderlands. The path is well-trodden not because people follow it, but because people find it. It is a path of inner-wisdom, of following one’s dreams, of intimate knowledge of sacred and holy places not as destinations, but as places created by the journey itself.

 

What does this card tell me about sleep? Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, among other things. It is as impossible to wake up without sleeping as it is to find one’s self without noticing one is at least slightly lost. Or have I got that reversed?

 

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