The Contract Tarot – Four of Virtues and Cosmic Principles

Fours are about structure and stability. This card is about being detached to what has come before, being bored with the same old-same old and wishing for a bit of something else.

Let’s look at it more closely.

The background is a vast expanse of space. There is a star in the center – the Dog Star, Sirius. The word ‘detachment’ curves around it in a light embrace. Emotions are flat, we are detached from what was and really don’t have much emotion to invest in what will be.

Below this is a tiger resting his head on his paw. The word embracing this image is ‘bored.’ This guy is just that, bored. He has no interest in stirring anything up and all he wants to do is be left alone to take a nap. All is done and he’s in no hurry to move.

Below the tiger you find purple iris. Iris was a Greek goddess. Her name meant rainbow because she was the messenger between heaven and earth. I used this symbol to signify how our complacency affects our manifestation. We put in effort to accomplish something and, once it is accomplished, we are bored with it but, remembering how much effort was required, we are not interested in anything else quite yet. This is our break, our stopping point. Like momentum, when you manifest anything, if you don’t keep the momentum going, it requires more work to get close to where you were and accomplish something more or different. The key here is to push past our detachment and boredom and realize there is something more on the horizon.

The symbols above the ‘C’ are for the Moon and Cancer. The symbol above the ‘P’ is the symbol for water.

The Tree of Life path is Chesed (mercy) in Beriah (creation).

What do you see in this card? How would you interpret it?

Until tomorrow… Love, light and blessings!

25: Trailblazing… managing expectations

I woke up this morning to a forecast of winter returning next week for a short visit! How could that be? I was expecting that Spring had truly sprung and winter was but a distant memory! It’s not unusual to have winter in April here.

You might think that my expectations for weather are pretty silly… and you’re probably right. What struck me about the thoughts that ensued weren’t that they were silly expectations, it was that I had any expectation at all and that it had been in my thoughts unabated and quietly forming without any real conscious effort on my part. Imagine that… unabated and quiet thoughts forming without conscious effort! Humph!

This brings about the awareness that, while I realise that manifestation starts with thoughts and that I have been making a concerted effort to control my thought process, the expectation that I could do that with any real success may be just as silly as my expectations about the weather.

Our minds work with such complexity on so many levels that, to control our thoughts, is nearly an impossibility. But like an AA meeting, awareness and admission are the first steps to conquering whatever is taking over your life.

So, how do I manage my expectations? Expectation is like a virus that plants itself and seeks to replicate itself as quickly as possible and overwhelm your defences. An antibiotic won’t do. There is no pill to take, no medication to take that will control this virus.

Perhaps the best way to manage expectation is to become aware of it in the first place as it works away quietly in the background trying to hide away from your radar. Once you become aware it is happening, you make a choice: is this expectation important and valid or is it folly and unnecessary?

If it is the latter, choose to let it go with love. You can say, “Thank you, but I don’t need to worry about this anymore.” The expectation was there to alert you to something for consideration. It has done its job well. Let it go. It is unnecessary.

Whew! Now that should cover about 99% of expectations I have. I can clear that cache from my memory banks. Now, back to work… ♥

Today, I have drawn The Fool – 0. I am using the Thoth Tarot illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris.

 What an appropriate card for today. This card is about creative potential and trust.

Letting go of expectation and trusting that all will be well is exactly what I need to do today. He is fertile, thought, infinity, trust, abundance, creativity, potential, everything and nothing. He is the end and the beginning.

He ends the last cycle and begins afresh with new eyes, new dreams, new creative potential. He is sure of his way because his faith/trust is so strong. This is such a lovely card that supports creative pursuits.

Let’s look at this card a little more closely. The Fool is wearing a diamond on top of his head which represents Kether – the Crown of the Tree of Life. Behind this is a rainbow halo which symbolises the enlightenment that Kether provides. He has yellow skin which is the colour of Air, the attribute associated with him. His yellow horns signify creative force and his yellow shoes signify the Sun, the creative light of life. He wears a green tunic and tights. Green is the colour of the fertile Earth. He wears the symbol of the Sun at his root chakra and this not only signifies the creative potential of the genitals, it also represents base human consciousness like a newborn babe. He holds in his left hand what looks to be like a pinecone on fire, a firebrand that travels over his head to meet the cup he holds in his right hand. This cup has a pyramid base and a bowl. He is emptying the contents onto the ground. The firebrand signifies creative fire, the pyramid base is the male phallus and the bowl is the female womb.

Behind the Fool is a background of yellow diamonds. Yellow is the colour of Air and the diamonds tie this to Kether. An arrangement of flowers can be seen between the Fool’s legs. One is a white rose, the other four are lilies. The infants below the flowers represent the ‘solar twins’ found in the Lovers and the Sun. A rainbow-hued spiral circles three times around the fool. This is attached to his heart chakra and is the link between the higher and lower energies of the chakra system.

A dove, vulture and butterfly fly towards the Fool’s heart. The dove,  the female symbol of Venus and the male influence of Yod (20 rays of light), is thus a hermaphrodite, and signifies the descent of spirit to matter. The vulture represents Mut, the Egyptian Mother-goddess, the creator of all things. The butterfly represents the soul and the symbol of Air. This represents the soul entering the unborn babe in the womb. The Fool is, like a newborn babe, trusting and full of potential.

There is a strange image on the spiral over the Fool’s left rib cage. It looks like it has pinecone head and the body of a caduceus supported by the blade of a sword. The caduceus and the sword are symbols of air. The pinecone suggests a Thyrsus, the staff of Dionysus, a symbol of creative energy.

The grapevine that sprouts from the Fool’s heart chakra ties this figure to Bacchus and Dionysus. Suspended from this grapevine is a bag of coins. The symbols on the coins are for the planets and the zodiac and represent the powers potentially available for the Fool to use.

Finally, a tiger and a crocodile are apparent near the base of this image. The tiger represents Leo. The color is reddish-yellow and this represents the world of Assiah (action – one of the four worlds associated with the Tree of Life). The crocodile is the symbol of Saturn, the devourer and a carryover from the Universe, the end of which the Fool takes on as he initiates a new cycle.

I know, there is a lot to this Fool! He is initiating a journey of discovery and growth. He is a newborn, trusting and full of potential.

Until tomorrow… Love, light and blessings!

11: Pathfinding… curing for strength

There are times when things must rest. In cooking, you must allow things to rest for tastes to flourish! In crafting, you must allow things to rest so they can cure and be strengthened. In public speaking, you must let things rest to give more silent power to pauses. In teaching, you must allow things to rest so students can process what they have just been taught.

Resting is an important part of what we do to allow our bodies to process, to cure and to power up for the next phase. I am resting. I am resting my thoughts so they can easily make sense of and present to me a more full and glorious picture of atmosphere, scene, interaction, colour, and spirit. I am resting my eyes, my arms and fingers so when I begin the next phase of writing, I will be able to sustain the exercise long enough to make good headway.

Do you find the need to rest? While I don’t like to rest because I am impatient and want to just get on with things, I honour my physical person and the need my body has to re-energise, rejuvenate and regenerate. Take time to rest and allow your body the breathing space to create!

Today, I have the Princess of Wands leaping out of my deck! I am using the Thoth Tarot illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris.

What a girl! All the yellows, golds, oranges and reds in this picture are fantastic! Does she have the tiger by the tail or does the tiger have her? Is she bringing the sacrifice to the altar or is she the sacrifice? She holds a scepter with the Sun blazing away at its end! The flames surround her but do they consume her? Does she control the flames or do they entice and control her? She is audacious, thrilling and completely self-assured! She does not appear here to be the least bit modest or uncertain. She is courage and enthusiasm, beauty and power!

This card is such a brilliant card to draw on any day! Today, this card speaks to me in the way that it assures me that there is courage and brilliance to my planned rest period. When I rest, I problem solve. I see complete stories in my introspection. I meditate and find answers to queries about interactions, possibilities and uncertain alliances. I can be free to create, to amend and to renew in my rest. This is a brilliant way to allow inspired spirit to speak!

So, today I will rest. What will your day bring? Until tomorrow… Love, light and blessings!