Only Endless Memory

Friday, November 14, 2008

Tarot - The Magician

So, I have been sick this week. I got a flu shot a few weeks ago, and now I am sick. It was not a live virus, but I just find it humorous that I get a flu shot for the first time ever and I think this is the earliest in the season I have been sick. I do think that my immune system is suffering from my lack of being able to sleep well because of my back pain.

I wake up constantly having to find a new position that hurts less. I would say a position that doesn't hurt, but I have not found one of those. It is just a matter of degrees of pain. I then eventually reach a point where I can't move into a position that I can actually sleep in and have to get up. Getting a new futon did not make getting out of bed any easier, I still have to use the chair and crawl out of bed. So, now that I have whined about pain long enough time to post this weeks tarot card.

The Magician

First thing I think of with the magician is that he is a worker of magic. In traditional decks, he has all the tools of magic laid out before him. This shows him as a man of wisdom and knowledge, much as a woman who works the craft carries knowledge and wisdom as well.

Being a card with a number one, it also usually signifies beginnings, things that have to begun to manifest. Another thing that most people know about magic is that it does not just happen. magic is not simply about the physical acts of ritual either, it is about the will and focus that we put into those acts. Therefore, I see this as a card that signifies a place of beginnings and opportunities and as well a need to focus our energies to achieve our desires. The possibilities and skills our all laid out on the table before us, it is up to us to take the steps toward bringing our goals to fruition.

Now to look at the Magician from the Fantastical Creatures Deck. The picture shows a winged cat sitting on a table with his front paws on a wand. laid out on the table are two books, a crystal ball, some runes, and some stones. Behind the cat are some shelves with more books, and a few bottles. There is a dreamcatcher on the wall, as well as what looks like herbs hanging from the ceiling. Light filters in through a single window. The cat also has a collar with a bell.

Once again, we see many symbols of the craft, tools of divination, and of learning. One of the things I see when I look at this is that it seems highly focused on the intellect. There are books all around, the divination tools, the wings on the cat and even the bell. All of these show the intellect which may give a warning of a reverse meaning of the card being to be aware of being too much into the intellectual that you miss out on being in touch with your emotions.

So, overall, I see all of the tools and knowledge is there an available for the person to succeed if they are willing to put forth the effort of will to do so. The thing to be wary of is to not lose oneself in the strictly intellectual and forget the emotional and spiritual components along the way as well.

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Friday, November 7, 2008

Tarot Card - The Fool

So, yea, I know I have not written in over a month. It has been a pretty crappy month which has mostly contained me being in pain because of my back still. There was the good news of Obama winning the election. There is also the news that I have a new doctor now because I got sick of the last one. I am much happier with the new doctor already. It is nice to have a doctor who will actually spend time with me and make sure she checks everything she needs to.

As the subject says, I am writing about the Tarot card - The Fool. I have gotten involved with a pagan group online that started an offshoot for Tarot discussion. I have loved tarot cards for many years now. I was first introduced to them about twenty-five years ago. My mother used to read tarot some, and showed me her deck. Of course, when I told her that I had someone ask me to read cards in their store her comment was "I figured you would do something stupid like that." My mother was not the most consistent person in my life. Anyways, the group started the tarot discussion and I did a write-up on the Fool. I am hoping that I can continue to do this for the whole deck.

Yes, It is ambitious for the person who can't keep up with a daily blog, but I am hoping that the group will inspire me. I also have some other pagan writings I would like to be doing over the next year or so. I have had a lot to think about over the last month. So, without further ado, this is what I have written about The Fool... seems fitting for my project.

Tarot – The Fool

The fool is a starting place in some ways, being the “start” of the deck, so I see it as a reference to beginnings in that aspect. I also see the Fool as a balance in many ways between the general impetuous nature that one would expect from the Fool and the wisdom that is also inherent in the role as well. I think of stories and traditions of the king playing fool for a day in many cultures and the the fool taking the place of the king. In this way, it teaches the king humility and allows them to be closer to his people.

I also think of the Fool in regards to the idea of tabula rasa: a blank slate which is there waiting for knowledge. In accepting that one is a fool, there is a great wisdom for you are able to open your mind and accept more possibilities then if you have preconceived notions.

For the first time as I am writing this I think I am understanding how reversals can be used. I have always had a hard time in the past doing a reading with any reversals because I tried to use the booklet definitions for what the reversals meant and they never made sense to me. As I think about it now, I see that the reversal in the case of the Fool could be a warning to be aware of going too far into the impetuous side of things, or to be open to new ideas (as in the blank slate concept), but do not allow yourself to be lead astray by the “foolishness” of it and to curb impulsiveness and gullibility with wisdom.

Now to actually look at a card and see if I get more impressions from it. I am using DJ Conway and Linda Hunts Fantastical Creatures Tarot. It is a deck I have looked at a little, but never tried to do a reading with, so the impressions are more fresh (in theory, at least). It could prove to be interesting as I look at it, because they are non-traditional images. Things I see that stick out in mind mind when I look at the art: 1) there is a path going off into the distance 2) the beastie that is the main figure is a sort of Quetzalcoatl looking thing that has two snake heads pointing in different directions and it is perched on a tree 3) the grass has pretty red flowers, but the sky is grey and stormy 4) there is a stone wall that has an opening for the path.

My quick breakdown of those various images are 1) a path can represent a journey, be it physical or spiritual 2) the beastie looking in both directions can either be a balance or confusion, like it isn't sure where it is headed 3) while things may look nice, pretty and easy from the serpent that is looking towards the ground, the one that sees the skies knows that there are dangers and things to be cautious of 4) the wall is an obstacle to be passed just as the clouds above are something to be weathered.

Bright Blessings!

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Posted by Badger :: 4:17 AM :: 0 Comments:

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