The King and I in June

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.

The Grimalkin Tarot, (c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

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.

The Grimalkin Tarot, (c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

To find out more about MJ Cullinane and her decks, click here

Cups, Cups, Cups and a Few Gallons

Radiant Rider Waite Smith

A new month heralds a post regarding my New Year Reading for 2021 and my card for May was the 7 of Cups. In the traditional card, we see a figure in silhouette looking at seven chalices each containing an object all floating on a cloud. There is some discussion among tarot readers as to what the various figures in the individual cups represent, which I won’t go into detail here. Collectively, I see the items as things we wish, long or dream for such as wealth, a home, success, companionship, etc. This card also suggests having many, or too many, choices or options available. Yet, the cloud suggests that the choices aren’t clear. Perhaps some, or all, of the choices are simply an illusion. They may not be there after all or they may not be what they seem.

Cups is the suit of our emotions and covers areas like feelings, intuition, our relationships and connections with others. With this card showing multiple choices, maybe even illusory ones, the overall meaning this card suggests is that of being emotionally overwhelmed with the many options potentially available.

For my New Year Reading, I used the Grimalkin Tarot, by MJ Cullinane, and in the 7 of cups in this deck, we see a cat staring dreamily into space, thinking of all the things a cat would dream, wish or lust for-beginning with the fish and going clockwise; food, water, a home, warmth, love, exercise, and peace.

Grimalkin Tarot (c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

Sometimes the tarot can refer to major parts of our life, like career or relationships. Other times, it can address the more mundane, quotidian aspects of life. And this has been one of those more mundane, but overwhelming times. For me. 

I’ve mentioned that I have begun some home remodeling projects. The first project, replacing the countertops, was finished last month and this month opened with my finalizing and paying for the choices I made for the second one, new flooring. While I wait for the flooring project to begin, I am anticipating the third project.

Painting the bathrooms.

I’m sure you can see where I’m going regarding choices and options. 

So many colors...I mean, choices or options

There are three in my house, or more precisely two and a half. All of which now have new granite countertops. All countertops have multiple colors in the granite and I first need to decide which of the colors to pull out, then where to put that color; on the wall, the trim or the accent. Two of the bathrooms have the same granite yet their layout is different which offers different options for painting. The vanity in the half-bath sits in a little alcove offering the option of painting the wall above the sink a separate color as an accent wall. The guest bath is more open suggesting the walls should all be the same color, though that option isn’t set in granite. But, which wall to single out is difficult. The colors of the countertops in these two rooms are white with various shades of gray and a literal sprinkling of red. But, the amount of red is so small, at least in the half-bath, this suggests the possibility of a more monochromatic room. Hmmm, sounds intriguing. Even more options.

So many browns!

My own bathroom countertop has a multitude of colors offering many more options. There are multiple shades and tones of brown, there is some black and a red with some brownish and purplish undertones. The sinks here also sit in an alcove-like setting offering an accent wall option. Then there is the commode room, or as I sometimes refer to it, the throne room. I might as well paint it too. Do I use the same colors? And if I do, should I use them in the same way, meaning the walls, the trim and the accent colors are the same in both rooms? Or do I mix it up? Decisions, decisions.

Once I’ve decided on the colors in the granite I want to highlight, I need to find the paint color which is the closest match to that particular part of the countertop. The shades and tones of paint can be so subtly different especially with the lighting, both natural and electric. The red is giving me fits, so I could just forget it and go in a very different, yet complementary direction. So many options.

Plus, I still have to shop for mirrors for all three bathrooms. Should they all be different to fit the room or the same to make it easy on my nerves and budget?

This month isn’t turning out to have 7 cups, but 7000!!

June brings the King of Wands...what will he bring, I wonder?

Radiant Rider Waite Smith Tarot

For information on MJ Cullinane and her decks, click here.

The Queen of April

The Queen of Wands was the Card for April in my New Year reading and it's time to see how she influenced me.

Or, how I used her.

Wands is the suit of our ambition, drive, passion and creativity. It’s connected to fire energy which gives us the steam to push ahead with our goals, our dreams, our ambitions.

Rider Waite Smith Tarot

In the traditional card, we see a red headed woman seated on a throne. Yet, she is not seated in a manner befitting a queen, with her knees and ankles together. Her pose suggests she is ready to jump into action to pursue her ambitions. She is dressed in a yellow tunic, holding a sunflower in her left hand and a wand in her right. Three sunflowers also adorn the tapestry behind her throne. There are two orange lions rampant between the sunflowers. Yellow and orange are the colors of the sun and fire suggesting the heat and passion of the suit as well as fire energy.

In the Grimalkin deck, by MJ Cullinane, we see a beautiful orange colored cat standing on a throne, gazing fixedly off into the distance as is the queen in the traditional card. She obviously spies something. We also see a bright sun and a few sunflowers as well as a couple of flames reminding us of the energies of the suit. 

The Grimalkin Tarot,
(C) 2020, MJ Cullinane

With all this passion and fire energy, the Queen of Wands is one passionate woman. She is a woman driven to succeed. Nothing, or no one, stands in her way when she sets her mind to achieve something. She is adventurous, bold and daring. 

This past month was a most lackluster month. The lethargy that overcame me was so heavy, it was all I could do to take my walks in the mornings. I think I’d fallen into a pandemic depression. I kept waiting for the Queen of Wands to show up, for some creative spark, some passion to drive me forward. But, I could not find her. I did decide to get my first vaccination and took the closest appointment location near me, but I don’t think it was the Queen’s energy that pushed me into making the decision.

But, I did finally decide to do something I’d been contemplating for years; begin some major home projects. So, I strolled, masked and sanitized, into Home Depot to begin the process of new flooring for my upstairs rooms and some new countertops in the kitchen and three bathrooms. The carpeting was still the original from when I bought the house in 2003 and had seen some much better days. I wasn’t ready to tackle a complete kitchen remodel but was definitely in need of some new countertops which were also the original white tile but now with some cracks and broken tiles in the kitchen. The appliances were in decent shape and I believe if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Unless, it’s time to sell the house.

The salespersons in each department were very helpful, patient with all my questions and quite knowledgeable of their products and procedures. I was going to start with the flooring and then move to the countertops after. I set up the appointment for the flooring measurements and was given a worksheet to sketch my counters and get my preliminary measurements for the estimate. Upon returning to the store with the countertop measurements, one of the granite patterns I wanted was on sale, but only for the next week. Needless to say, I decided to reverse my plan and the flooring would wait.

The process was seamless and went without a hitch. Someone came out to take the official measurements and sketch the plan. He suggested that I should have new sinks on hand in case the existing ones were damaged upon removal. So, I traipsed back to Home Depot and selected five sinks. I found my way to the stone works store to select the actual slabs that would become my new countertops. Now to wait for the installation.

The receptionist in the main office of the installers tried to tell me it would be a one day job, but I didn’t believe her. I mean, one kitchen, and three bathrooms in one day? Puhleeease. I knew it would be two and then one more day for the plumbers to show up and reconnect my new sinks. The crews, both the installers and plumbers, were dedicated workers and did excellent work. The old countertops were demolished and the new ones were installed in two days and the plumbers showed up the next day and connected all five sinks within about three hours.

With the flooring, which is almost ready to go, I ran into some more challenges. I now know what a stair nose is. I had planned to put laminate in the upstairs rooms (4 bedrooms and their closets, two bathrooms, and a linen closet) but to carpet the stairs to eliminate possible slippage. Well, as I was putting laminate on the top landing, it needed a stair nose to finish the connection between the riser and the landing. It seemed every color of laminate I was considering did not have the matching stair nose. I’d take a few samples home, find one I liked, go back to the store and have the salesperson make the adjustment in the preliminary quote. We’d make the call to pay for it, only to discover, it had no matching stair nose. The salesperson suggested I could buy a very plain stair nose and try to find a matching, or comparable, stain. Somehow, that sounded easier than I felt it would be. After my third or fourth try and by now I even knew how to search for stair noses, I thought I’d found the one only to find out that by the time I went in to make the purchase, there were no more matching stair noses. But, I took it all in stride. What more could I do? 

A Stair Nose

I then figured it out, I was going about this the wrong way. I looked for available stair noses, then would go back to the store and get the samples that appealed to me. Lo and behold, the eighth time was the charm. As of this writing, the materials are being ordered, I’m packing everything in my upstairs (alone, because of COVID restrictions and all my friends are back at work anyway) and am aiming for an end of May deadline which is not fixed in granite. 

I guess the Queen’s energy was what I needed to light my fire to get these projects going, to kick my ambition into gear. I’m ecstatic with how the counters turned out. I still have some work to do in the bathrooms; prep the walls for painting, deciding on the colors, shopping for new mirrors and then hanging them. Maybe the Queen's energy was there all along waiting for me to seize it. Carpe Regina!

I learned a lot about myself in this process. I can only control my reaction to situations that don’t go according to plan. And quite a lot didn’t go to plan. I had wanted a different color of granite than what I ended up with, but it was no longer available and hadn’t been for quite some time. I am quite happy with what I did end up with. I learned not to take the receptionist’s word for how long a job will take. I’ll see how this holds up once the flooring begins. I also learned that sometimes what we think we want might not be the best in the long run. I also learned to be more like water and less like rock. It’s best to go with the flow in the beginning because the water will eventually erode the rock away. Besides, going with the flow is better on the blood pressure.

On to May and the Seven of Cups. It already seems appropriate.

Radiant Rider Waite Smith Tarot

For more info on MJ Cullinane and her decks, please click here

The Ace of March

It’s time to check in with my New Year Reading for March albeit a bit late. I drew the Ace of Swords for March.

Ugh. But, also not so ugh.

As I’ve mentioned at least once or twice before, Swords is the suit of the mind and covers thoughts, logic, reasoning, intellect, truth and communication. All that mental stuff. Swords are a bit pointy and sharp which therefore can, and often do, inflict pain. Mental pain. But, no pain, no gain. In this case, no mental pain, no mental gain.

Radiant Rider Waite Smith Tarot

This is why Swords is not the most welcome suit to appear in a reading. Especially, when they appear en masse.

Aces are the beginning of the story of their suit. They are like seed being planted, an opportunity for growth in the realm of their suit. So, the Ace of Swords would be an opportunity for mental expansion; i.e., more learning, better communication, for finding out the truth or gaining some clarity, or it could be an opportunity to cut through the crap and see things for what (or who) they truly are. This could refer to an external situation or an internal one. 

Yet, the Ace is only the opportunity; the energy is there. We see that in the traditional card with the Sword being offered by a giant hand emanating from a cloud. The cloud symbolizes that which we cannot see. I view the cloud as Life, the Universe, Spirit, or even God. One only has to seize the opportunity being offered. When a server offers appetizers at a banquet, it’s up to us to decide if we want that particular item or would rather wait for some other perhaps tastier hor d'oeuvre. Yet, sometimes opportunities pass us by. And we may miss out on that last appetizer we spotted earlier because we thought there'd be some left when we were ready. But, alas, we missed out.

The Grimalkin Tarot,
(c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

Therefore, carpe opportunitatem. And I carpe'd as best I could.

In the Ace of Swords from the Grimalkin Tarot by MJ Cullinane, which I used for this year’s reading, we see a cat poised on the hilt of a sword. This cat is clearly focused, ready to pounce on the birds above securing its destiny as a predator, a skilled hunter. Seeing itself for who it is.

While I don’t see myself as a skilled hunter, let alone an unskilled one, I did seize my opportunity to cut through some crap and focus on some inner truths. I also took a risk, stood up and spoke my truths in a couple of places. Yes, it did cause some mental pain to do so. But, it did eventually clear the air. Or some of the mental clutter, at least. Even though I feel I could have seized a bit more of the Ace's energy, I do feel what I did seize gave me some more focus on my life. 

Still, every little bit helps.

Baby steps.

Now to keep the momentum going, remain focused and move on into the rest of April and greet the lovely Queen of Wands.

The Grimalkin Tarot,
(c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

For information on MJ Cullinane, her tarot and oracle decks, click here.

The Birds

Like many of us, I have a pretty set morning routine. And an evening one, too. But, for this post I want to focus a bit more on my morning one.

Once I’m out of bed, gone downstairs and have my morning tea paraphernalia ready, I do my morning meditations and light their corresponding candles. Then, I check my vitals, take my morning meds, do my journaling, and finally, like Mary Poppins, I feed my birds. But unlike her, I don’t sing. In fact, the only way I can carry a tune is by transporting sheet music. The routine isn’t always in this order, but it’s close enough. Once all that is done, I pour my first cup of tea, grab a little bite of something to eat as to not necessarily have my meds on an empty stomach. Then I gird myself for a brief glimpse of the news. Too much news can trigger my anxiety and raise my blood pressure, so I limit my intake. Sounds like a pretty boring or typical routine, I know. 

The breakfast crowd on a slow day

My favorite part of my morning is watching my birds. Well, they aren’t mine, as they are wild, but I feel they are mine as I feed them and they seem to know my house as they are often waiting for me on those extremely rare mornings when I sleep in. Fortunately, they’ve scattered enough seeds on the ground that they find something to eat until I fill their dishes. Yes, dishes, plural. Plant saucers, actually.

Two dishes get a finch mix, one dish gets a mixture of raw peanuts and sunflower seeds, and the last one gets both sunflower and safflower seeds. By the early afternoon, all the dishes are pretty empty because the lunch crowd polishes off what the breakfast rush left behind.

Finches in the bath

I get a variety of neighborhood birds; a couple of species of Sparrows, House Finches, Doves-both Mourning and Collared, California Scrub Jays, and on rare occasions, a Mockingbird, some California Towhees, and a Black Phoebe have dropped in. I think these last three are more insectivores as they don’t approach the dishes. Hummingbirds do visit as well, but get their sustenance from some of the flowers I have and some Goldfinches have begun using my fountain as a water source and birdbath. I haven’t seen the Golds at the feeding dishes, so I’m not sure what and where they are eating.

Two squirrels have also found my home and are regular visitors.

The doves, sparrows and finches go for the finch mix and safflower seeds, while the jays prefer the peanuts, as do the squirrels, but both also like the sunflower seeds. The jays and the squirrels seem to have some sort of an understanding about who gets to eat before whom. Bucky, the first squirrel to discover my yard is usually an early arrival, though the jays sometimes beat him to it. On those mornings when they don’t, they will patiently wait while he decides what to do with his peanut; either eat it then and there or bury it somewhere in my yard. I think he eats it then and there to keep the jays away. “More for me!” he must be thinking.

What I find fun is observing their behaviors. The doves, sparrows and finches just walk around the table and in the dishes, occasionally nudging at someone to get out of the way. The squirrels and jays will get the peanuts and sometimes eat them at the table, on the fence, in one of the trees or bury them in the yard. I’ve noticed up to four jays at one time and even among them, they have a pecking order. While one jay is in the dish, any other jay is waiting their turn, perched either on the back of a chair, a branch in one of the trees or on the top of the umbrella, sometimes there will be a jay in all three places when there are four vying for some peanuts.

While it’s been interesting watching their feeding behaviors, I’ve made some other interesting observations. I can easily tell the sparrows from the finches and can identify the males from the females in the same species due to different coloring, aka sexual dichromatism. But, how to tell the female sparrow from the female finch as both are a dusty brown color? In reality, it only matters to the males of their own species, but enquiring minds also want to know. Thank goodness for Google, I can now tell them apart. I am also reasonably sure that Bucky is a male squirrel, as is Junior, the second squirrel to wander into my yard. Again, thanks to Google.

Sexing the doves was a bit harder as the genders don’t have different coloring. Well, obvious different coloring. It turns out the males have a very pale light blue crown on the top of their head. They are also slightly larger than the females, but just slightly. I’m still working on telling the jays apart.

Speaking of male and female doves, their courting behaviors are hysterical. It appears only the males coo. I’ve begun to suspect it’s when they are ‘in the mood’ so to speak. He bobs his head and if the female shows no interest, the male will get a little more persistent and chase her a bit hoping to wear her down. He keeps cooing and sometimes hops after her like a little rabbit. It’s so funny to see a dove hopping. Bounce, bounce, bounce.

The collared doves

The collared doves are much larger than the mourning ones and a much lighter color. So far, I’ve only seen one pair with one slightly larger than the other leading me to believe that was the male. Lo and behold, once I looked up to see the larger one mounting the smaller one right on the back of one of my chairs. I asked them if they would mind getting a room, but they ignored me and finished their deed. I hope I get to be godfather to any chicks that hatch. The female, or the one on the bottom, disappeared for a couple of days after that, so I began to worry. But, she turned up shortly after. Maybe she was nestbuilding.

Bucky

Bucky and Junior, the two squirrels, have their own issues. I suspect Junior is younger as his tail isn’t as bushy nor is his body as big as Bucky’s. But, I think Junior is nearly full grown. Oh, the squirrel squabbles these two get into when Bucky sees Junior going after the peanuts. Bucky chases Junior all over my yard and into the neighbor’s warning him all the way.

I’m also beginning to learn some of the birds' calls. There is the gentle chirping of the sparrows and finches that greets me in the morning hours. But every once in a while things get a bit raucous and it’s either a sparrow spat or a finch fight. Though what they could be spatting or fighting over, who knows? 

There is one other visitor I haven’t shared and is responsible for much of the bird splat I get on my windows. That is Cooper, the local Cooper’s Hawk. Coop likes to swing by for some breakfast, too and to the best of my knowledge hasn’t been too successful in my yard. So far. Though I have seen quite a few feathers on the ground but those could also be due to the feral cats in the area who also use my yard as a hunting ground as well as a litter box. When Coop swings by checking out the menu, all the birds hurriedly scatter and some hit my windows. Once, Cooper and Bucky seemed to be having an issue over who had the right of way at the top of the fence. I knew Bucky could push Junior around, but Cooper? Turns out Cooper had been lucky and had a dove or a pigeon on the fence and wasn’t interested in squirrel for breakfast. At least, that morning. Whew, Bucky, that was brave of you! And a close call.

Coop

Now, that I’ve retired and the pandemic has kept me at home, I’ve begun noticing what happens in my yard. The more attention I pay to what goes on around me and study the different details, the more I learn. With the help of Google, at times. Perhaps, that can be a lesson for all of us. Slow down and notice what goes on around you. You may be surprised at what you see.

Now, if I can only find out who is digging the holes all over my yard at night.

But, I do have a theory. 

A Knight in February

The Knight of Swords
Radiant RWS Tarot

Well, we’re into a new month and it’s that time. Time to check in with my New Year's Reading.

My card for February was the Knight of Swords. I have a love/hate relationship with Swords. It is the suit of the mind and covers thinking, reasoning, logic, truths, and communication. As we all know, the truth can be painful, just like a sharp, pointy sword. But, often we need to hear the truth in order to let go of what no longer serves us. 

Or, conversely, we need to express our truths to others, no matter how painful it may be.

The knights of a tarot deck can be a bit tricky to read. They represent the age of an idealistic young adult; those who are setting off on their life journey after doing all their studying and learning as it relates to the theme of their suit. This age can either be a bit still tentative in their self-expression or don’t know their limits and be too forward as it relates back to their theme.

The Knight of Swords represents a young adult full of fresh perspectives, ideas and thoughts with grand desires to express them. This Knight also believes that their truths are correct after all the learning and studying this Knight has done. This Knight can have difficulty accepting others’ opinions as also true. The Knight of Swords is often too quick to speak, failing to take into consideration what effect their words might have on the listener; therefore often coming off as brash or rude. 

All four knights in the traditional Rider Waite Smith tarot deck are on horseback as all good knights usually are. Each horse is in a different pose suggesting speed. This Knight’s horse is at full gallop, suggesting this Knight moves quickly and directly to express their ideas; often, without consideration for the outcome or consequences. There’s that youthful exuberance. Or inexperience.

The Knight of Swords
Grimalkin Tarot, (c) 2020
MJ Cullinane

In the deck I used for this year’s reading, The Grimalkin Tarot, by MJ Cullinane, we see a cat leaping out of a tree after a bird. This cat is so focused on the bird that it has not taken into consideration what might happen to the horse once the cat lands on or near it. 

In life we sometimes get so focused on what we are thinking or saying, we don’t take possible consequences into consideration. We can also get so caught up in our own thoughts and ideas that any other perspectives are seen as wrong. 

I had an opportunity to teach my study group. Teaching is also part of the suit of Swords as it involves communication, ideas and learning. All of which are part of teaching. One person communicates their ideas for others to learn them.

I was teaching some exercises on using the Tarot to heal our Chakras. Our Chakras are energy centers in our body through which our life force energy flows. They can become blocked and therefore cause some emotional upset. There are a few different ideas and perspectives on them and how to heal them, so I knew I had to be cautious and just teach what I had learned and respect any other differing opinions. 

In other words, I had to rein in my inner Knight of Swords.

In prior posts, I have discussed my issues with others' opinions regarding politics, the pandemic, what is safe and what isn't, as well as my personal approach to life; especially as I try to live for the greater good of all. Here is where my inner Knight of Swords would brandish his sword and try and drive his point home often without success as the others were operating in their own world and point of view.

All in all, I felt the class was a success and was grateful for the Knight to show up alerting me to the energy I’d be needing in February. Now to keep this energy going more often.

On to March and another Sword.

The Ace.

The Ace of Swords
Grimalkin Tarot, (c) 2020
MJ Cullinane

For more information on MJ and her decks, please click here.

Temperance in January

January was named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. As such, he is depicted with two faces; one facing backward, the other forward. Perhaps this is why we often reflect back at the year ending as we also look forward in anticipation of the new year just beginning. What changes can we make to improve ourselves in the new year?

When I pulled the cards for my New Year Reading, I wasn’t surprised to see Temperance show up. To start off the New Year with a major card suggests it’s going to be a strong opening month.

Temperance,
Radiant RWS Tarot

In the traditional Rider Waite Smith card we see an angel standing with one foot on land and one foot in water while pouring water from one chalice into another. The positions of the feet suggest an attempt to remain grounded while in touch with emotions, symbolized by the water. I can also picture the angel pouring the water back and forth between the two chalices; from one into the other and back again, almost like a mixologist would do to find the perfect balance of ingredients for a cocktail. We also see a road leading from the water to a crown symbolizing our ego in the distance, suggesting that as we travel this path of balancing our emotions and groundedness, it will lead us to a greater sense of self.

And that is the message of Temperance-balance yourself between two extremes; emotions and groundedness, strengthen yourself but don’t be either a bully or a pushover, find the middle of the road of the extremes.

I used another artist/tarot reader’s deck this year for my reading, The Grimalkin Tarot, by MJ Cullinane. She themed this deck around cats. (For more information on MJ and her decks, click the link below.)

In her interpretation of Temperance, we see a cat walking a narrow ledge across a stream of water. One side of the stream is calm and then flows over the ledge down into some turbulent waters below, while some fish are leaping over the ledge into the calmer waters, all in front of the cat. Yet, the cat remains focused on crossing to the other side, not letting the fish distract it. Understanding that chaos and darkness are as much a part of life as calmness and light is key to finding balance. Finding and maintaining that balance will lead us to a path towards a solution. Yet, we can only find that path in moments of calm inspiration.

The Grimalkin Tarot
(c) 2020, MJ Cullinane

I found this card to fit January for a number of reasons.

Here in the US we are transitioning into a new Administration from the turbulent waters of the prior one into seemingly calmer waters of the new one. It still is early in this Administration and we are headed into uncharted waters with our first biracial, female Vice-President. I am sure there are some citizens of this country who might like to leap into these uncharted waters and stir things up to test her. As a country, we must remain focused on the goal of remaining united, however difficult that might be at this time and not let those leaping fish disturb these new waters.

Yet, this was my reading, not hers. Or the country’s.

I found myself very frustrated and anxious earlier this month. Yet, I tried to remain calm, grounded and balanced. I kept focusing on what I could do to remain in the present moment and not get caught up in what was going on around me where I had no control.

I had to keep my eyes on that goal. I had to get to the other side. In this case, it was past Inauguration Day. I needed to see that transfer of power and needed to see it happen peacefully.

I also had to maintain balance surrounding this pandemic and those who choose to still ignore what health officials continually remind us of:

• Wear a mask, and wear it correctly-over your nose and mouth;

• Practice social distancing-six feet (2 Meters) apart;

• Stop getting together with people outside your household;

• Stay home as much as possible-except for essential business.

With four newer, mutant, potentially more contagious strains of this virus running around (one was found each in Britain, South Africa, Brazil and California-though the latter is not as widespread-yet), I feel we are not out of the woods, nor will be for quite some time, as this is where we are with the common flu virus-new strains are constantly mutating to avoid vaccines. 

Yet, I can only manage myself. I am prepared to wear a mask the rest of my life, if needed. With all these new variants appearing, I just may have to.

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

I also found myself drowning in my own thoughts. Particularly over prickly conversations I anticipate having at some point in the future. When, exactly? I don’t know. Would I even have them? Would I need to? Yet, there they were formulating in my head, just in case I needed to have them. They were also formulating in various formats so I could be prepared for any scenario that might occur.

In my training to be a teacher, we were trained, drilled and reminded ad nauseum to anticipate all the questions our students might ask as we prepared lesson plans. Yet, invariably a student would ask a question I hadn’t anticipated. (And I don’t mean “Can I use the restroom?” Or other such questions. I always anticipated those.) So, this may be where my anticipating these conversations comes from.

These pre-conversations were galavanting around in my head, especially when I found myself in down time or in those pesky moments when I am trying to get to sleep or those hazy moments of not being fully awake in the morning; those semi-hypnotic moments were we drift in and out of a dream-state. During these times, I would focus more on my body and its contact with the bedclothes. Could I feel the sheet against my foot or my arm? Could I feel the weight of my hand as it lies upon my chest? What about the weight of the blanket, sheet and bedspread combined? But, maintaining this focus isn’t very easy when you continually awaken between 2:00 and 4:00 AM, daily.

Urban Crow Oracle
(c) 2020 MJ Cullinane

In her Urban Crow Oracle deck, MJ Cullinane refers to these types of conversations as ‘ghosts’, as these are conversations we wanted to have or feel we should have had in the past yet still haunt us. But, how can a conversation we feel we need to have in the future be a ghost? Maybe they’re just a premonition, or a pesky poltergeist? 

I think here is also where I need to invoke Temperance. I need to be aware that I may have to have these poltergeister-ish conversations, yet remain unsure of how they’ll go. There will be unexpected turns, comments I hadn’t anticipated and I’ll just have to deal with them at that time. Just like in teaching.

I’ll have to be okay with that.

And keep my eyes focused on the goal.

Maintaining balance.

Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash

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