Tarot Strategies for Life Change

Sagittarius and The Star

People born with lots of Sagittarius energy or a prominent Jupiter in their birth charts seem very comfortable getting around in this world. They are able to wiggle through situations that trap most of the rest of us. They are cheerful, optimistic, and... lucky!

In a word, they are comfortable in their skin. 

To me, Order of the Golden Dawn attributions notwithstanding, the Tarot card that best sums it up is The Star. 

In the Rider-Waite-Smith version, a naked woman pours water from pitchers held in each hand as she kneels facing into a body of water. One foot rests in the water and the knee of the other leg is planted squarely on the land while eight stars shine overhead.

The woman has no self-consciousness, she is totally comfortable in her environment. Wald Amberstone points out that when you see nudity in the RWS, the figure is open and direct, not needing to hide under the cloak of formality.

Sagittarians are like that--direct (sometimes to a fault), and unless they are bound up in their egos, easy to approach.

Rachel Pollak remarks that The Star depicts a reality where you have found your place in the Universe and The Star's figure imbibes the magic of her surroundings as natural as a newborn takes to mother's milk. 

Sagittarians and Jupiterians take a 'big picture' perspective. They find it important to discern a pattern to the Universe--that existence is not just some random event. And knowing that they belong gives an ease--a faith that the Universe will take of them that frees them from struggling.

And it really does seem that for the Sagittarians of the world that they are just a bit luckier than the rest of us.

But now that the Sun has entered the sign of the archer, we can all breathe in some of the fairy dust and all dance a little lighter.

Information vs. Wisdom and The Hermit

The Tarot Card of the Day for June 18th is The Hermit. 

The Hermit shows the image of a man dressed in white and light gray.He looks wise, dressed in long robes and a hooded head covering. He is clearly male with his flowing beard. He carries a lantern in his right hand--its light comes from a lowing six pointed star. In his left hand is a wand. 

He appears to be walking on top of snow covered mountain peaks. In the background is an icy blue sky. 

The astrological energy this week has emphasized the Mercury ruled signs of Gemini and Virgo. Dispassionate information seeking is the process of both Gemini/Virgo and The Hermit. But the Hermit's presence is a reminder that it is not enough to simply gather and organize information. 

Taking time and energy to gather and organize date can be enormously beneficial as long as it is not used as a way to avoid taking meaningful action.

The Hermit has advanced far on his quest for wisdom. And his quest takes him to high and rarified realms of higher knowledge and spirit. High on the snowy mountain tops, abstract and abstruse concepts rule. 

At these lofty heights, the Hermit risks losing touch with the 'real world' and common sense.

Higher knowledge and abstract concepts must be brought down to earth and rendered practical if they are to be useful.

This is equally true of people immersed in data gathering. As a Newsweek commentator points out about the BP oil disaster, it is easy to get hooked into debates about the numbers of gallons rushing out and lose track of the issues at hand. Data and abstraction is an effective mask for pain.

As for the Hermit himself, despite being led by the illumination of his lantern, his eyes are closed. He turns his attention inward to process the raw data of his search into inner wisdom.

The Empress - Moon Jupiter Uranus in Aries

 

It is fitting that the first Card of the Day that I am posting here is the Empress. 

Look at her. The Empress is pregnant with potential and possibility. And in the proper course of time, her pregnant belly will bring forth new life. 

All around her is growth and fertility. The feeling of the card is the same as my garden in mid-summer when I can cut fresh oregano and basil and in just a couple days it seems that new growth has replaced the cutting.

It is clear that nature wants us to share her abundance when she is so prolific. Plant a seed and it will grow. Share the fruit with your neighbors and the seed will proliferate even further. 

Much is unspoken in the card. During the summer months it seems as if there is no limit to the growth. But we had to get through a cold, tough winter to get here. And as the Sun turns, the summer will end, eventually. Then it will be necessary to harvest and preserve the summer fruits.

Today's card is an expression of this morning's triple conjunction of Moon, Jupiter (newly arrived in Aries) and Uranus. All in the sign of fresh starts and new beginnings, all at that powerful 0 degree point.

A new cycle is beginning personally and worldwide. Look to the place 0 degrees of Aries falls in your birth chart. This is where you are experiencing renewal and a burst of energy.

But remember that the Empress's baby is not yet born. Ripening is a natural process that occurs in its own time. The Aries energy tends to make haste and repent in leisure. Instead, take the steps to support the birthing process and know that the product of the birth has been a long time coming.

 

Tarot Card of the Day

Today is Sunday, June 6, 2010. With Jupiter and the Moon entering Aries and forming a triple conjunction to Uranus, I decided to embrace the energy and begin posting my thoughts about the Card of the Day.

I had some mixed feelings about posting a Card of the Day. There are others who draw a card of the day and post it online. Ultimately, that CotD reflects their inner reality. On that level, you may resonate to it or not. 

So this CotD is mine. But as with all new beginnings, the path will take unexpected twists and turns. Especially when you begin with a triple conjunction to Uranus.

Over time I expect to see patterns. Which cards are being drawn, which are not? Is there a preponderance of a given suit or a lack? Same with the majors.

But unlike many who draw a CotD, I am looking for resonances with the current astrological weather. So consider the posts here along with the companion posts on The Astrologer Says to form a metaphysical weather report and provide guidance in the twists and turns of daily life.

I recommend that you also draw your own card of the day, note it and your reactions and see what happens over time. I assure you it will be most revealing.

Uranus in Aries and The Fool

Tonight will bring a long awaited event in the astrological community, Uranus will enter Aries. Prognostications have ranged from the apocalyptic to the sublime when astrologers have talked about possibilities of horrendous terrorist attacks coming soon to your backyard to mind-bending technological breakthroughs.

Given that Uranus changing signs, just like any planet changing signs is an indicator of an energy shift, and that Uranus is holding up its end of the bargain in forming existing tense outer planet configurations with Saturn and Pluto, it is realistic to be prepared for everything.

And, when astrologers talk among themselves, they do have a way of framing worst case scenarios as most probable outcomes. 

But dinner table conversation at astrological conferences and forums has to give way to everyday life. 

So, in my humble opinion, it is critical to find ways to cope with what will most certainly be a wild ride.

I think we can learn a great deal from the Tarot card, The Fool.

The Fool represents the spirit of viewing the road ahead with anticipation and excitement. It is the spirit of innocence and freshness. Yes, there might be a cliff just ahead, but for now there is the warmth of the delightful sun on the skin and the company of his white canine companion.

Now is the time to venture out and explore the new landscape and become actively engaged. 

The truth of the matter is that you chose to live here at this point in time, so you chose to be part of this amazing process of transformation that is changing global society and Mother Earth, not to mention your own personal life.

The message of The Fool as I see it, not to mention Uranus in Aries, is to get out there. Then you can become a participant and put your stamp on the new world that is being created. 

The Hierophant and the Pope

Students of mysticism and the occult have found various correspondences between a given Tarot card and an astrological sign or planet. One that is particularly interesting is the Hierophant. Traditionally the Hierophant is associated with fixed earth or Taurus (Thank you, Wald Amberstone). 

As an astrologer, I think of the Hierophant as a gatekeeper of the 9th House. To me, the 9th House is where I look regarding issues around higher education and knowledge, organized religion and philosophy. In the 9th House the search for higher wisdom is institutionalized and organized religion, by its very nature is institutionalized. 

After all, the Hierophant's garb is definitely Pope-like--after all, he is called Il Papa in some decks.

The 9th House is associated with the sign Sagittarius and Sag, the Archer is seeking truth. Oftentimes when he finds it, or when he thinks he finds it, he regards it as THE TRUTH--no other interpretations need apply. Anyone who has run into a dogmatic Sag knows exactly what I mean.

And a weakness in the execution of many institutionalized religions is that they see their way as the only one. Of course, this may be as much a product of power seeking and politics as much as religious fervor. 

If the Pope is the earthly personification of the Hierophant, then current scandals around the Pope and the Catholic Church's bureaucracy show that his earthly representative wears feet of clay.

But if you can accept the card as a representative of an archetype, unspoiled by human frailty, then the Hierophant is much more likable. He becomes the personification of the Pope in the eyes of a young, innocent child. He is the guide to an ageless collection of wisdom and teachings.

It is by looking at the Hierophant's role from the perspective of his agelessness and the permanence of the teachings that a correspondence of fixed earth makes sense.

Tarot, Retrograde Planets, The Four of Swords and More

Earlier I wrote an article about the RWS Tarot card, Four of Swords. 

I talked about the startling resemblance between the card's imagery and a photograph of a the tomb of John the fearless, the second duke of Burgundy. The tomb dates back to the medieval times and shows a sculpture in the likeness of John laying supine on top of the casket with his hands clasped in prayer, just as the figure in the 4 of Swords card.

The article describing the piece explained that John and his wife, Margaret of Bavaria, laying next to him, were both depicted as laying on the tomb with his eyes open--they was awaiting judgment.

In other words, they had left the physical world, but they were in limbo. They hadn't been assigned their new place in the spiritual realm.

Many transitions are like this. We don't just go from one place to another in a smooth motion. Instead the journey stops and starts. And there is frequently a block of time when it appears that little is happening at all. 

But these periods of apparent inactivity or gridlock often means that the action is happening internally or on some level where we are not aware of it. In astrology these periods might be expressed as planets in retrograde motion.

Although the people of Haiti and Chile may disagree, to many, it appears that 2010, to date, has been a time where little has been accomplished. The US Congress has effectively been rendered powerless over its gridlock--despite great effort, it has yet to pass health care reform, for example.

If you are feeling frustrated or stuck, take heed of the caterpillar's journey. It enters the cocoon where, it seems, it is rendered completely inactive. But when it emerges, it will have been transformed into a butterfly.

The early part of the year has been beset by a parade of retrogrades. As each planet returns to direct motion, it will release pent up energy. 

Mars goes direct in less than two weeks.

But for now, we are like the warrior lying in the tomb in the 4 of Swords Tarot card.

Stay tuned.

Scorpio and Clutter Continued

It felt good to sign the contract with my personal organizer. It felt like a big step. Now I could go back and blog and tweet about it while patting myself on the back.

I managed to pick away at some items in time for weekly trash pickup. But nothing substantial. Still every paper that is shredded and every item that makes it out the door is a step in the right direction.

Tomorrow I face reality. My organizer is coming and we are going to attack the garage. To echo my inability to run away, the moon is traveling through no-nonsense Capricorn while the Sun continues its journey through Scorpio. The combination echoes the Saturn/Pluto square now in force.

To be continued.

More Thoughts about Scorpio, Pluto, Death, Life and Personal Power

The best use of astrology is using the energies in play in a constructive way. The following experience illustrates the point.

Last week I felt very proud of myself. I did something I long resisted. I broke down and called in a professional organizer to help me organize and rid my house of the clutter that has been choking me.

As a creative person, antiseptically clean and neat desktops and shelves were never my style. And clutter grows naturally. An old boyfriend called the clutter in my living quarters "organic." 

But after the death of my father a year-and-a-half ago, I was only partway through reorganizing my house to have it suit my needs. Enough clutter occupied the space to make it difficult for me to do some activities I've long wanted to do. Like create a painting studio and making my office a more functional and comfortable place.

And while I resisted spending the money, it was costing me money every month in storage fees that had gone up once again.

And I was hitting a brick wall. I was finally ready to let go and bite the bullet.

So I made the call. The person I called was a professional organizer I had gotten to know from an old networking group. Back then, I felt too self-conscious to have anyone I knew even casually take a peek at the garage, closets and other spaces in their glory...

Being the astrologer that I am, I took a look at the ephemeris after we had made the appointment. Sure enough, the appointment coincided with Sun's annual conjunction with my natal Saturn in Scorpio, we were coming up to the annual Scorpio New Moon and Transiting Saturn was square to Pluto. Saturn is about structure and constriction, Pluto is about purging. 

And just to cap it off, the Moon would be finishing its transit through Virgo at the time of her initial consultation.

Much is written about the difficulties of Pluto and Saturn energies and I have personally experienced my share. And going forward with my de-cluttering project does not inoculate me from Saturn or Pluto's harsher effects. But signing that contract felt right and I felt lighter knowing that I was finally going to face this issue head-on. 

The hard work begins.

The Wisdom of Cancer

People born with an emphasis of Cancer's energy in their astrology charts are deeply intuitive and keenly perceptive about emotions and what lies beneath the surface, over time gaining wisdom that can be used to heal and teach others about these matters.

But at this time of year, with the lunar cycle beginning in Cancer, we all become honorary Cancerians regardless of where our birth-chart placements lie. This is just a fancy way of saying that Cancer's energy is more accessible now. 

Honoring our intuitive perceptions is not always easy in a culture that values analysis over feeling, even though we need both to function in a balanced, healthy way. The Cancer lunar cycle is a good opportunity to rebalance if you tend to be very left-brain driven. 

There are many ways to encourage the voices of our intuition to speak to us. Generally anything you do to quiet outside noise, provide yourself with down-time and quiet, and stimulate your right-brain will help. So these would include meditation, alone-time while driving, paying attention to dreams, taking solitary walks, listening to soothing music, even doodling. 

That is because quiet is necessary to hear the voices of instinct and deep emotion that lie below the surface.

Perhaps the most important encouragement you can give your intuitive process is to refrain from judging too quickly. Intuition and emotion both contain truths that are akin to poetry as opposed to scientific research. But intuition's language comes across as impressions, symbols, fragments, and feeling which must be first be translated into words and then interpreted. It is easier just to disregard them.

As a water sign, it is also useful to know that Cancer's movement is not linear. Its symbol, the crab, moves in a sideways direction. A straight line is not always the shortest path to your objective.

By honoring Cancer's energy, by spending some quiet time listening to your intuitive perceptions, you rejuvenate your inner self and plant seeds for creative expression that germinate when the next lunar cycle begins in Leo.