Daily Draw - Three of Swords, Magician, Knight of Swords

Watcher Angel Tarot- Three of Swords, Magician, Knight of Swords

The words that come to mind as I look over today's cards are "Synthesis of pain", which is a theme I have been seeing, possibly experiencing, quite a bit lately.

One of my 16 year old boys is a music aficionado, loves all of it, and is currently a little bit obsessed with Adele.  We had a deep discussion a couple weeks ago about the strength of her music, the power of the lyrics she has written.  The conclusion we reached was that her pain is so palpable, so immediate in these songs, that they draw you in, because we have all been heartbroken.  The beauty of the situation is that she has taken this pain deeply into the core of who she is, experienced it fully, and tempered it into a thing of great and terrible beauty.  Now it is no longer a part of her, and that is a triumphant story.

The Three of Swords is Sorrow, it is the pain we all feel from time to time, through our own fault or through none of it.  Pain is an equal opportunity emotion.  My understanding of The Magician leads me to see him as someone who has tools for changing reality at his disposal.  In this incarnation, he is Armaros, the Enochian angel who teaches the loosening of enchantments.  Pain and sorrow can be such exquisite bindings, but adopting Armaros' meditation practice, his acceptance of where he is while refusing to stay there if it does not suit him, can transform our pain until we are The Philosopher, here portrayed as the Knight of Swords, same suit as the source of the pain, but matured, tempered, and no longer jagged.  In the guidebook, Michelle Belanger describes The Magician as the card of faking it until you make it.  There are times in life when if we can just plaster a smile on our face for a few minutes, we may forget our great sorrow for those minutes, and that is an invaluable gift we can give ourselves in the midst of difficult times.  We can see this in the Knight of Swords card, the warrior whose battlefield is of the mind.  All warriors are intense, and this one is no different, with his penetrating gaze and fierce intelligence.  A Sword is a weapon that can hack and slash, or cut a very fine line.  The difference is in the intent and skill of the wielder.  Through careful management of how we view our circumstances, we can encourage maturation, and learn to grieve without losing ourselves in the grief.

Watcher Angel Tarot- The Fool

The shadow card of the reading is The Fool, portrayed as a wingless Shemyaza, who is the counterpart to Armaros, and his presence here indicates that the synthesis of pain is a vital part of the journey.  I can't learn to fly on my own, or to treasure it, if I never lose my wings.  he is willing to take the leap, and as something I need to know about this reading that I am trying to not see, the card speaks to the need to be willing to feel that pain, so that I can grow.

I had a specific question as I laid these cards, which was that I would like to know what to expect from my guest appearance on an internet radio show later today.  I do not see myself having this kind of process on air, though it certainly is possible.  I am as healed as the people I read for, at times.  My intuition, though, feels that I may be able to assist another person with these words today, and I am grateful for that.

At 5pm Mountain time today I will be a guest on Inner Voice Intuitive Hour with Jenny Sieck, giving readings and talking intuition.  Listen live, or in archive anytime.






These cards are from Watcher Angel Tarot by Michelle Belanger and Jackie Williams, self published at Spiral Fire Studio.

The Gate of The Priestess

Watcher Angel Tarot- High Priestess

I am currently writing a post for a beloved project that has sprang up from my great enjoyment of this page, Aaron's Rod, Aphrodite's Altar, which is an adults only blog where I tackle love and sex through the tarot (so please don't go if you are not of legal age or don't wanna talk/read about sex), and I am ready to write about The High Priestess.  At least, I think I am.  She may have other plans for me.

I am not finding her as easy to write about as I thought I would, and while in the silvery sliver of light from last night's moon I believed I had the thread, today the words are coming hard.

In this deck, The High Priestess is represented by Kasbiel, who keeps the secret name of God.  Unlike some High Priestesses, she seems to almost be inviting us in to learn her secrets as easily as we inhale her musky incense.  The veils of her keep are not stone castle walls, but they are just as imbreachable without her soft inviation.  She will not be taken by force, in any sense of the word, and perhaps my Taurean nature has been acting like a bull in a china shop as I tackle her entry.  I have been looking at her as a task, something I must do, and she is not responding to me.  My question today is, "How should I approach The High Priestess so that I can write about her?"

Watcher Angel Tarot - Six of Swords, King of Cups, Knight of Pentacles

Although I have previously disliked cards with keywords on them, a technique taught to me by James Wanless, just last week, has caused me to open up to the possibilities of using them more effectively with decks that choose to use them.  If I string a sentence together from these, I have "Passage through The Dilettante leads to The Artisan."  To me, that means I must become a dilettante, an admirer and appreciator of the arts in order to practice my own.  As I consider this in approach to writing about The High Priestess, I realize she needs to be approached with a more reverent and loving attitude than I have been offering.  I have been fumbling at her with clumsy fingers, grasping at her and insisting she show up on my terms, where she would prefer to be treated more deftly.  I have a tendency to want to "just get it done" but like all aspects of the Divine, the High Priestess wants all of me, not just what I am willing to give.

From the images, combined with my understanding of tarot, I see that while there may be a battle raging on, in this moment, and maybe only for this moment, I am to put down my Swords and focus on the beauty that surrounds me.  The King of Cups is in full mastery of his emotions, and is a bit of a showman as well.  Embracing these qualities will help me to achieve my goal of the day, to practice my art.  Artistry requires form and function both, and while I have been plenty willing to function, my form has needed some help.

Watcher Angel Tarot- The Lovers

The shadow card of the reading is The Lovers, as represented by Na'amah.  My favorite series of books ever is written by Jacqueline Carey, and begins with Kushiel's Dart.  The denizens of her carefully crafted alternative world worship beings much like Enochian angels themselves, and one of their foremost deities is Naamah, the blessed precept they adhere to, "Love as thou wilt."  This echoes Mr. Crowley's, "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law... Love is the law, love under will."  In the topography of my own spirituality, the Holy Spirit figures largely, and is the Divine Feminine aspect of the Trilogy.  The Holy Spirit, being the creative hand of God/dess upon the earth, makes appearances in many cards, but perhaps is strongest for me as The High Priestess.  I have made a mistake approaching her with demands upon my lips, rather than praises and soft requests.  I have been demanding that she hand over all her secrets to me, when I know very well she is a gatekeeper, and will give me nothing I don't dive deep into my own psyche to retrieve for myself.  This is actually love of the highest order, the journey she is willing to guide me on, though, like The Fool, I must be willing to go.  The High Priestess is connected to The Moon, the card of shadows and the need to trust what we may not be necessarily able to see.  I have to trust this feminine aspect of God, and of myself, or her secrets will remain a mystery to me.  Lovers give and receive graciously.  They do not demand.







These cards are from Watcher Angel Tarot by Michelle Belanger and Jackie Williams, published by Spiral Fire Studio.

Love on American Idol?

I was chatting with Tierney, who writes The Daily Draw, highly recommended tarot reading, about the chemistry we both perceive between American Idol contestants Elise Testone and Phillip Phillips.  Since I have these magical cards at my disposal I decided to pull a couple and get to the bottom of this.  The first card represents how Elise feels about Phillip, the second how Phillip feels about Elise, and the third card in the middle is the energy that is currently flowing between them and the potential of their relationship.

Fantastical Creatures Tarot- Two of Pentacles, Ten of Cups, Judgment

How does Elise feel about Phillip?  Two of Pentacles: These dancing fey are totally adorable together, which is the feeling I get when I see these two singing together.  They balance a ball of pure energy between them.  I think that Elise feels the energy between them, and sees they make magic together when they sing.  She may almost float on air around him.  However, they have many things to juggle at this exact moment and she may be quite aware of all the pressures around them.  She may even have a love interest at home, and she is trying to balance her personal feelings with her big dreams and "regular" life.

How does Phillip feel about Elise?  Ten of Cups:  This image is literally the Muses.  She is inspiring to him, she understands his art, and frankly brings him joy.  He can picture a happy ending with her.  However, to choose one muse may be to forsake the others, and he may not be ready for that just yet.

What is the energy between them?  Judgment:  In this time and this place, they are equals, equally talented, equally important, equally beautiful.  They are great foils to each other.  However, the nature of this competition insists that won't always be the case, at least as it relates to this television program.  Even so, the basic nature of their relationship will remain constant, and they have great potential to evolve and grow together.  Because this is the only Major in the reading, I believe it carries the most weight.  I believe they will either part ways completely after the show, or remain close throughout their lives, no room for middle ground, acquaintance level relations.  No matter how the romance aspect of the relationship plays out, at this moment the relationship is a pivotal one, and may remain so.

There is definite potential for a love blossoming in these cards, and no red flags to nay say the possibility.  These are cards of people who certainly have the ability to build upon their chemistry to create a beautiful relationship that defines them both for many years.  It depends on how they arrange their priorities and what they both desire for their futures.

As for me, these are my favorite singers of this year's crop, and I will cry big fat tears when either of them may go home.  I think they should sing together forever because they complement and enrich each other, becoming more than the sum of their individual artistry.  Good luck to both of them, on the show, in their future careers, and in love!





These cards are from Fantastical Creatures Tarot by D.J. Conway and Lisa Hunt, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.