Jeff's Journey 1111: July 2021

We’re halfway into July and I haven’t posted about my New Year Reading and the card for June. This procrastination has been hanging around for quite a while. June’s card was the King of Wands and when I drew it, I was intrigued as to what the cards were suggesting, because the Queen of Wands would be my card in April. If I remember correctly, I didn’t quite live up to her energy then. I don’t feel I stepped into the King’s shoes this month either.

Rider Waite Smith Tarot

Wands is the suit of fire, meaning quick and decisive action. It is that fire inside us that pushes our ambition, drive, motivation and passion. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, the King is seated on his throne staring off to the left, perhaps a bit upset, concentrating on something that seems to have caught his attention. He appears to be leaning slightly forward and is left hand is pulled back, as if readying to help him stand and spring into action. We see evidence of fire energy all throughout this card from the color of his hair and robe to the flame-like points on his crown. There are salamanders on his cloak and on the tapestry behind him and one on the ground near his feet. Salamanders have long been associated with fire energy as quite a few species are bright orange in color. Also, there are two lions on the tapestry representing Leo, one of the astrological signs associated also with fire energy.

The King is quite motivated and goal oriented. He is active and is driven to succeed. He thinks on his feet using his life experiences to make his spontaneous decisions. Nothing stops him from succeeding at his goal. He is a creative thinker. He is also quite charismatic and uses his charm to get those around him to help him succeed. Yet, he doesn’t do this in an egotistical way but he sees his success as the success of his team.

The Queen is also very goal oriented and conveys the energy of a woman who is working in a male-dominated goal-oriented atmosphere. She feels that simply because of her gender, she has to work twice as hard as the King does in order to prove herself and to be taken seriously so, she is more driven to succeed than the King.

Another big difference between the King and Queen also has to do with their respective genders. This may come off as sexist, but it describes the different energies as it relates to masculine and feminine energies. The King, representing masculine energy, is more in his head and sees his opportunities analytically. He reacts to changes rationally where the Queen, being of feminine energy, is more emotional, or intuitive. She reacts from her heart or intuition.

In the Grimalkin Tarot, by MJ Cullinane, we see an orange tabby sitting on a throne with what appears to be a lion’s head in the armrest. There is also a salamander by the cat, climbing onto the throne. The cat is reaching for a wand with a bird perched on it, seeming to take action to catch the bird. This is a cat wanting to spring into action. The sun in the upper corner is the ruling astrological element for Leo as well as a source of fire.

I’m in the middle of a home remodeling project that seems to be taking its sweet time, like molasses trying to flow downhill in January in the Arctic. Maybe having my house in disarray since mid-May has been the reason for my procrastination or even a mild depression, let alone full-blown frustration. While I do have a date for the project to begin, it has taken a while to get that date. There was a delay in shipping for one of the components. Once that component arrived, I had to wait for someone to schedule the delivery date. Then, when it was all finally delivered, I waited and waited for the installers to call. Ultimately, I went to the store where I had purchased the materials, spoke with the woman who scheduled the delivery with me who then called the installers with me in the store. A day later, I had a date which was a month away. So, the materials have been sitting in my living room since then as they have to acclimate to the temperature of the house.

In the meantime, I was purchasing the materials and doing some of the prep work for the third project because my goal is to get these projects done as I want my house back to normal.

Maybe in retrospect, I did slip the King's shoes on for a bit if even to try to take charge of the situation and get this project going. But, even the King of Wands has to realize and adjust to those elements even he can’t control like shipping delays or installers with full calendars.

August should be interesting; I drew the Emperor Reversed. My first reversed card of this year.