Mabon 2011

I am still such a witch at heart. I practice Nichiren Buddhism now, but I will always be a witch. The word "sabbath" comes from the Celtic word "sabbat". In the Wheel of the Year there are eight sabbats, or days of high celebration based on the seasons. Most years September 21st is called Mabon, but this year it will fall on the 23rd. This holiday is  the Autumnal Equinox and marks the beginning of fall and is the witch's Thanksgiving and special rituals are performed to give honor to the God and Goddess. For more information, check out Rowan Pendragon's wonderful blog. So I decided to do a spread based on the meaning of this holiday.









~Magickal Graphics~

1. Where am I now in my life?                                                                                
2. What do I need to be most thankful for right now?
3. What do I need to respectfully let go of?                                            
4. What else is still left for me to harvest?                          
5. What do I need to complete before Samhain (Halloween)?
6. How can I get the best possible results?    
      
                                                          2    

                                             4             6          5




                                                  1             3                                            
(laid out in the shape of a star)

1. King of Wands- ok, this is most definitely one of the last cards I would have thought I'd have gotten in this position because kings are all about success and accomplishment. And right about now, I ain't too accomplished or successful. But as I studied the card, I see the mirror behind the king. I am now doing a lot of reflecting on ways to create the life I want, one lived with passion and joy. As I look at this king's face, he looks kinda sad and depressed. I'm not sad or depressed now, but I dang sure am not setting the world on fire. I'm going to have to give more thought to why this card came up in this position. Maybe it means I'll get hired for the flight attendant position I applied for.

2. Queen of Swords- I think this is my trainer/physical therapist who is a QofSw/Aquarius. I am so thankful for how far she has brought me in regaining my physical health and strength!! She's an air sign, assertive and very focused and goal oriented. I know my earth sign, much slower paced behavior can drive her crazy!! She is a wonderful friend to me who has been an angel in so many ways.

3. The Hierophant V- I need to let go of worrying so much about getting things "right"!! What will others whom I see as being in positions of authority think of me. I need to let go of any guilt I feel for not being where I "should" be in my life. The yellowish-brown sky is making me think I need to do work with  my solar plexus charkra. That is the chakra of personal power.

4. 8 of pentacles- The first thing I notice is the castle wall; I need to have a safe haven, a true home for myself. For some reason the blocks looked like bones for a second. I need to continue working on strengthening my spine. The 8ofP is also about training, education. I think this shows me getting invited to go to F/A training, which would be fantastic.

5. 3 of wands- I first notice that this angle is looking back and card 4, looking back at training, and the 3ofW is about things coming together, signing a contract, a deal made, creative forces coming together. Since training is 5 weeks, I can't be finished with it by Oct 31. I notice the steps the angel is on and her beautiful clothes. I need to take all necessary steps to be ready for training. Practice interview techniques, learning the 3-letter city codes, and having a couple of interview suits. I also wonder if that means I am going to the Witches Ball in New Orleans on Halloween and I need to get my ball gown.

6.Chariot VII- Be more decisive and stop letting my emotions run me ragged. I've got to stop getting all caught up in how things are going to work out when I can't see the how and just focus on why and how awesome it will look and feel when they do.
                                          

Gitter dun!

I recently got the Dark Angels Tarot and let me tell you, not only do I love it but my guides are doing backflips! I will have to do an interview with the deck later today. Right now it's hard because in addition to the usual problem of not having a scanner, now I have the additional issue of being kinda far out so my cell reception is all but non-existent, so I can't usually upload the pics from my phone. *sigh*

So I do asked my guides what they wanted me to know today. These cards really seem to want me to do the Rockstar reading when I use them (center card is the focus, the other two support it). I got the 3 of pentacles, Ace of Swords, and 10 of swords. I laid down the 3ofP before laying the other two. The first thing I noticed was the 3 pentacles are at the top of the card and that made me hear Snoop Dogg saying, "I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind". This card is about the completion of a project and the recognition earned from doing so. This hits a few points for me. I needed to take care of some financial stuff, and had just done so before I did the cards. The angel on here has started a sculpture, but to me it doesn't look finished. And the lady in the background is like she is saying, when are yo going to finish because I want to purchase it! I need to finish setting up the FB account for Creole Moon Tarot and send out Twitter invites. Ferol over at Living Tarot just gave me a huge compliment the other night on the comment I wrote on her nightly FB question. I've had some very pressing shit to worry about as of late, like, a place to live and all, so this has made me more scattered that the usual (God and Goddess, scary!)  I need to master the art of not getting so damn side-tracked. I am the worst at not finishing projects.
The AofSw (and aside for Rhiannon Faulkner's, this deck has my favorite now) has been on my mind a lot lately. I need to do a post just on it. But this cracked me up and then even more so when I pulled the 10ofSw! I mean, can you get much more of a neon sign that you need there are things that may be very challenging or scary, but I need to see to the end, start to finish! In stead of the usual dread that goes with the 10ofSw, in this reading it just said what one of my dearest friends says when he completes a task, "Done and done!" These two cards show cutting the bullshit and getting it over and done with so you can rest without stressing that there is still more to do. Get'er dun!

Follow If You've Been Down the Same Road

So I saw a post on Craigslist for an apartment. I had seen it last week but I dragged my feet and didn't act on it so I thought in my indecision it was gone. I saw it just now and was like, "wow...is this a second chance??" So I whipped out my Faulkner Tarot and did a 3 card. First row is the pros of taking it, the second is the cons:

Row 1: 9 of Swords, 3 of wands, 0 The Fool
....Ok...this is pretty damn clear...Hello Krysten!! 9ofSw is the nightmare card, and I had one last night. Taking this place will end the insane amount of stress that being in limbo is causing. The sleeplessness, the nightmares, the clenching my teeth which leads to my hair falling out of my damn head (lovely!) and the endless tape recording of thoughts reminding me of how fucked up things are. The graveyard scene on this card says to put those ghosts to rest. I'm not really living right now, just kinda existing, floating from place to place, like a ghost. The church window shows I need to go inside a safe place. (Like a permanent place of residence...ya think!) The 3ofW shows a deal has been made, there is a fair exchange. Funny, yesterday I kept hearing the phrase "fair exchange is no robbery". The Fool 0 is all about taking a risk. He has no fear, he makes the decision to take a leap of faith and he goes for what he wants. He has trust that his experience mixed with the love of the Universe will lead him down the right path. The bright sky and the rainbow stands out most to me-- good luck from out of the blue. I think the Fool also means a house move as the Brits say. The elemental dignities work great in this trio. Fire is flanked by two air cards. The fuel needed to take action, make decisions, is present to feed and strengthen my will.

Row 2: Page of Pentacles, Queen of Swords, The Chariot VII
Again, the glaringly obvious....the Page of P shown here is adorable little Lola in reality, but the cards are telling me that I know EXACTLY who she is in this reading...ME. My inner child! I'm supposed to be the QofP but I'm not acting like a mature, responsible adult,  but like the scared little girl who loves to get lost to fantasy, just like Lola in her princess gown and feather tierra as she hides from the world behind her wand. The wand also says I have exactly what it takes to create the magick I want to occur in my life, but like the Buddhist proverb says, "A sword in the hands of a coward is useless." Which is exactly what the QofSw is thinking as she looks back at the Page. The QofSw is a very bold, direct, balls-to-the-walls decisive woman. She cuts through the shit and keeps it moving! And The Chariot shows the back and forth time and time again I've been  doing will only continue. Hell, it literally shows it! Philly to New Orleans! The constant moving from pillow to post I've done the since last Nov! And when I think of elemental dignities, this poor QofSw is in utter hell in this position. She is trapped between earth that won't budge and water that is too wishy-washy! And together those two are just making mud!

Ok....time to call the guy about the place. And get over the fear of him thinking I'm a total flake and telling me to kiss off. Which is really just my Shadow sides opinion of me huh....

Facing Fear About Another Move

The first thing I notice is that 4 outta 5 cards are water; I've got to get inspired (no wands cards), get grounded (no pentacles). At least there is one air card and it's a major. I chose to use a spread that Lisa uses on Tarotize. First card is the situation, card 2 is what's influencing it, 3 is advice or action to take, 4 is the outcome if card 3 is followed.

I have to post the pictures later unfortunately...

The 6 of cups today shows me how the girl is courageously yet calmly facing something very scary. Since this cards traditionally has to do with past emotional connections, I feel like she is telling me to think of past situations that I have dealt with scary things by choosing not to fight them but to face them head on. I have to do this like she is treating the bear. From a place of patience and calm and compassion. I tend to be very very hard on myself. The ground they are on looks like a turtle today for some reason. This is a slow process for me, but I have to keep going. And I have to do it at my own pace and not compare myself to other people who are much quicker in dealing with things. Yet the primary situation I am dealing with makes time a huge factor. It needs to be dealt with and a solution like yesterday! Or more like last week actually! The castle is so far away. I am still looking for an apartment and I am scared shitless. I ran from Hurricane Irene and ended up running to another tropical storm. I feel like this is telling me to face the fear of going back to Philly. It's really hard to look for a place there when I'm 900 miles away. Where will I sleep if I go back tomorrow?? That would be the big giant bear I have to face and what is making me very slow to want to go back.
What's crossing is Justice XI. I see the snake first and it looks like her sword has the snake pinned in place. I had a dream the other night about snakes all around me. They were however not actually hurting me physically. Again the theme of facing fears. Maybe I will find a sense of balance when I do. I see how very calm Lady Justice is and her soul is singing. Damn I wish my soul was a peace enough to sing. Her eyes are closed and she is concentrating of manifesting what her soul longs for. (This card also makes me think of a certain legal situation. Wonder if that is about to get wrapped up??)
Advice is to stop blaming myself for things beyond my control. Would I treat anyone else as harshly as I do my self? No. Balance my emotions. I see now there is a snake with a sword, but it is a caduceus here. And I notice they are on a bed. I need to get back to work with my trainer to continue to heal my back. And I do have to buy a new mattress.
The outcome seems to show a new chance for peace if I can just stay calm and ride out this storm. I see her looking ahead to something, so I will pull another card for clarity.
HA!! The 9 of Pentacles!! The card that is my ultimate goal of aside from the High Preistess and this deck has my absolute favorite version of it! It screams Independence, security, self-confidence and the financial means to take care of myself! It's like she is looking at the Ace of Cups and showing her she can do it!

Have a Magickal Saturday

Just feel like posting something and since I am camera-less at the time, I found this lovely graphic. Happy Saturday!


Magickal Graphics

Dancing In the Street!!!

Omg if this works, I won't know whether to kick myself in the ass for a month because I am JUST figuring out how to do it or strip and dance ass-naked down the street to Mardi Gras music!!! Here we go:

Lotus Flower, Tarot Dame, Lisa at Tarotize , Theresa, Tarot Elements, Tarot In a Tea Cup


YESSSSSSSS!!!!
Philadelphia, PA! Dancing in the street!! (actually, Luling, LA right now)