Tarot Reading for K. July 26, 2018

 

Question: What are your next steps in bringing your gifts to the world?

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Position 1: Body.

The pysical world, concrete actions, your physical body and your health.

THE HIGH PRIESTESS

 

The High Priestess embodies the hidden wisdom and power of the moon, the feminine. You see her seated between two pillars, one dark, one light, representing the balance of polarities - male and female, spiritual and physical, dark and light. She is crowned by the triple moon, showing her mastery of waxing, waning and fullness, showing how she holds within herself all aspects of womanhood and all phases in the cycle of life. A crescent moon rests at her feet, showing that she is also grounded in the mysteries. Behind her hangs an elaborate tapestry of pomegranates, symbols of the underworld and the season of Samhain. The equal armed cross over her heart shows she has embraced, too, the powers of all the elements held in balance with love. She holds the sacred torah in her hands. She holds, essentially, the power of all wisdom and mystery traditions within herself.

 

Of course the High Priestess is an archetype, but how do we manifest her in our bodies, in our lives? To me she says remember to be like the moon. Remember that all things wax, become full, wane, and go dark. Allow yourself these cycles in your life: with each moment these cycles are part of you, as you breathe in and breathe out. With each month these cycles are part of you, as you watch the moon wax and wane, and feel its influence on your physical energy. With each year these cycles are part of you, as the sun slowly waxes to full intensity at the summer solstice and wanes to near darkness at the winter solstice. Remember to embrace moments of stillness, moments of darkness, in your life. Remember to let your body's energy levels wax and wane. Remember to embrace the balance of light and dark, the balance of fire's passion, water's emotional and spiritual coolness, air's keen intellect, and earth's strength and endurance in your whole self. As you share your gifts with the world, you model not only the exercising of talents but also a way of being in the world that brings us to wholeness; and this way of being embraces all of the mystery of life, including the shadows, including the fallow times. The truth is that mastery and power require us to flow through all parts of life: resisting any aspect of the self can drain us. Practice this balance every day as much as possible in order to bring your gifts to the world in a way that sustains and nourishes you fully.

 

Position 2: Mind.

Thoughts, ideas, attitudes, assumptions. Our emotions can be wrapped up in this part of life, too, as our thoughts often become our feelings.

THE HIEROPHANT

 

The Hierophant is a figure of great authority, and this archetype harkens back to a time when spiritual leaders were some of the most powerful members of society. He is seated on a raised platform above the crowd, between two pillars that represent both the gateway to the mystery AND what holds up the structures of society and our lives. His elaborate crown represents connection to the divine through the opening of the crown chakra, and his staff is, in its way, just another wand, a source of energy and power. The Hierophant has come to this position of power and authority through much study and much dedication to his path. His feet rest on an altar bearing two keys - he is grounded in the keys to truth and knowledge.

 

You have worked and studied to attain your current level of expertise and knowledge, and also a degree of success, marrying spirituality and material success with great skill. But perhaps, somewhere in your thoughts, you are uncertain of whether or not you really have the right to hold this position? This card says yes, you do - so long as you maintain the divine connection, your crown open to receive the inspiration of spirit, your hand on the wand that brings the spark of power. Know the power doesn't come FROM you, it comes THROUGH you. The Hierophant may be blessing those before him, but he is also pointing upwards, toward the realm of the divine. He knows any power he has, he receives from the universe for the good of the world. Know you are a channel, and in this way you don't have to be responsible for others: spirit is responsible for them, and will work through you. Also know you don't have to understand 100% percent of how it all works. Think of yourself almost as a straw, through which divine love and energy can nourish the world - but it is up to the recipient to draw what they need from that straw. The straw itself merely creates a channel. You have worked to become a very good straw, one that won't crack under the pressure, one that can bend if necessary. Maintain this flow, maintain the clarity that helps you know your only responsibility is to allow the flow to come through you. Keep your thoughts in line with spirit and you will be fine.

 

Position 3: Spirit

Your spiritual life, magic, divine love, truth.

THE MAGICIAN

 

The Magician is the solar, masculine counterpart of the High Priestess. He, too, holds the balance of all the elements, as evidenced by the cup, sword, wand and pentacle on his altar. He holds aloft a white wand, drawing power from the gods, from the sun, and directs it toward the earth, where beautiful flowers grow. He has achieved true mastery of the arcane arts, and he directs the power of spirit for the growth and nurturing of the earth.

 

I find these positions interesting, because I see the Magician as the ACTIVE principle of spirit and magic, while I see the High Priestess as the RECEPTIVE principle, the turning inward, the dwelling in secret places for the growth of the spirit. Yet here we see that feminine receptivity in the place of the physical body and mundane action, and we see the active principle in the position of spirit. But this whole reading points to the achievement of balance of all aspects in order to allow your gifts to flow effortlessly into the world, so perhaps it's no surprise.

 

So then, act from the prompting of spirit. Be active in the spiritual realm, and receptive in the physical realm, at least for now. The Magician promises you have assembled all the tools you need, and probably all the skills you need as well. All that remains is to open the channel of yourself and let that energy pour out into the world.

 

Viewing everything together, I feel you are in a place now where your focus is on becoming a receiver for the divine. It is not quite time to leap into a new venture, but INTENSE forces are building for you, INTENSE empowerment as well as INTENSE love are filling you up. With three major arcana cards present, I believe the cards are saying you are stepping into your soul's true purpose. Your next step is nothing less than the work of god - but of course, the work of god through each of us takes a different form, which is where I believe that balanced embrace of all parts of yourself, of all elements, is key. Your purpose will not be like anyone else's.

 

The very most important thing now is to open your heart and mind and listen, listen, listen intently to the guiding of spirit, because something life-transforming is growing within you. Accept who you are, even the parts of you that you aren't comfortable with - your shadows, your limitations, your doubts and fears along with your triumphs and talents. And accept your soul's purpose as it is, in all of it's blessings and challenges, whether it seems too grand to be possible or too simple to matter ... it is what it is, and it is right for YOU, and through you, it is right for the world.