Twelfth Day of Christmas: Hermit

What is the most uncharacteristic thing I can do right now?  What extreme in my life is ready to transform into its opposite?
9-Hermit-Fluorite

A repeat of the third stone. 

Our tarot group issues worked out very well.  I’m very pleased and grateful that everyone worked together to decide what needed to be decided, with no personality clashes in sight!  I’m going to continue as facilitator through the end of 2014, so I’m thinking that my usual Hermit tarot self, studying, reading, and creating on my own except for group meetings, is about to change into a more active communicator and coordinator for the group.

I’m not unwilling to come out of my shell and be more social in other aspects of my life either, even though I’m a classic introvert, who needs plenty of alone time to recharge my energy reserves.  We’ll see what 2014 has in store for me on the social front!

And if we go in the opposite direction, transforming into a Hermit, perhaps I will have the opportunity to change from a Hierophant, studying and learning about spiritual topics, into a Hermit, who puts spiritual learning into practice to create a better life for myself.  This is something I could do right away.  We never have to wait to begin a beneficial spiritual practice!

Thank you for joining me in my journey through the twelve days of Christmas.  (Send me an email if you would like a copy of the themes all in one place.)

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Eleventh Day of Christmas: Fortitude

What needs balance in my life?  How can I increase justice in myself and in the world?
8-Fortitude-Tiger Eye

Another repeating stone:  Fortitude was also the stone for the First Day.  And now we have Justice and Strength together, according to the Golden Dawn, the two interchangeable virtues!

With great power comes great responsibility.  I have a good bit of power in relationships in my life now (and not always for a good reason, but that’s a different story).  But that just means I have to use it wisely and humanely.  I’m not the kind of person to throw my weight around, but I am probably susceptible to taking advantage of a situation that is going in my favor without wanting to take a closer look at why that is really happening.  Fortitude here is a warning not to just assume that everything that goes my way is the best for everyone involved.  I DO need to examine causes and conditions, and be wary of doing, or NOT doing, exactly what I want just because I can!

And as far as justice in the world, the same ideas apply.  We can never speak up enough times to say: 
Might does not make right! and
The Golden Rules is NOT “he who has the gold makes the rules”!

I don’t want to get complacent on world justice issues either!

Tomorrow’s theme, for the last day of Christmas:

Twelfth Day, January 5, Upside-Down Day (Temperance).  Twelfth Night marks the end of Christmas and the beginning of Carnival, and its theme is role reversal.  Medieval celebrations were an outrageous one-night reign of a peasant Lord of Misrule.  Victorian parties featured a cake with a bean and a pea baked inside.  Whoever got the bean and pea in their slices were the king and queen of the party.  Shakespeare’s gender-bending play of the same name perfectly illustrates the topsy-turvy nature of Twelfth Night.  Temperance is the virtue of blending and uniting opposites, recognizing and incorporating the values of both ends of a spectrum.  What is the most uncharacteristic thing I can do right now?  What extreme in my life is ready to transform into its opposite?

I’ll read on this later.

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Tenth Day of Christmas: Lovers

What is my greatest inner strength?
6-Lovers-Rhodochrosite

This is the first repeated stone in the twelve days readings.  Which goes to show how important love is!  I find it very comforting to learn that my greatest strength, my super power, if you will, is Love.  Love truly is a super power, and it can be anyone’s if they wish it!  My first thought when drawing the stone is of the love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Obviously, as my strength, these are aspirational, a guide to what is possible for me.  May I grow into the powers of love this year.

Tomorrow’s theme:

Eleventh Day, January 4, Justice Day.  The virtue of Justice is about more than just following laws and rules.  It encourages concern for and actions relating to fairness, causes and effects, and the delicate balances of society and nature.  What needs balance in my life?  How can I increase justice in myself and in the world?

I'll read on this tonight.

 

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year! 

 

Ninth Day of Christmas: Hanged One

How can I honor and help my friends?  How can I be a good friend?
12-Hanged One-Sodalite

 

This topic was brought to the forefront minutes before I did this reading.  My tarot group is going through some changes, unfortunately bringing the possibility of personality clashes.  I’m friends with everyone involved, so I hope all can be settled amicably.  And, more selfishly, I really don’t want to have to suffer through any potential agitation or negativity that might come up.

Hanged One is telling me that the way I feel like handling this is also an effective and good way, that is, to hang back, don’t jump into any fray, and stay outside any heated controversies as best as I can.  Maintaining friendships on all sides is more important than coming down on one side or the other on the issues being discussed.  I just need to stay willing to be suspended, waiting for the dust to settle, perhaps helping the settling process, but definitely not helping kick it up!

Considering the water correspondence, Hanged One is telling me I should “lay me down like a bridge over troubled water.”  (I hope all turns out for the best!)

The theme for January 3:

Tenth Day, January 3, Strength Day.  This is the feast of Genevieve, patron of the city of Paris.  As the panicked people of Paris were about to run for their lives before the advancing army of Attila the Hun, this lone young woman convinced them to stay put and pray for deliverance instead.  It worked–Attila turned aside to attack another town.  Later, when Paris was conquered by different army, Genevieve persuaded its leader to show mercy to civilians and release prisoners of war.  Never underestimate the power of inner conviction and resolve.  What is my greatest inner strength?

I’ll read on this tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Eighth Day of Christmas: Fool

How can I honor my teachers and spiritual friends?  How can I be an effective teacher or mentor?
0-Fool-Clear Quartz

As I was thinking about the question, I was considering who my teachers are, and I realize I don’t really have a tarot/divination teacher, probably because I like to go my own way with my studies, and that probably makes me a bit of a know-it-all. 

Fool is an appropriate answer to those considerations!  To be a better student, honor my potential teachers, and be a better teacher myself, I need to consciously cultivate beginners mind.  Someone doesn’t have to know everything in order to teach me something.  And, like the teacup in the famous Buddhist story, if I’m already full of knowledge (and myself!), I’m not leaving any room for more learning to come in.

The humility and openness of the Fool are great assets to a serious student.  And the Fool isn’t just open to learn from anyone, he’s also open to learn from anything, his own mistakes or wrong turns, or those of another, a fortuitous coincidence, or a beautiful sunrise or pretty flower on the roadside.

Fool is also an auspicious stone for New Year’s Day.  It’s the hopeful, open, empty sky at the beginning of the beginning of the major arcana.  May I live through the new year in a way that fulfills the Fool’s shining promise!

I wish you a happy and fulfilling new year as well!

The theme for tomorrow:

Ninth Day, January 2, Friends Day.  This is the feast of Basil the Great, best known as the “Father Christmas” of Greece, a friend to children who brings them gifts on January 1.  He was also a founder of Christian monasticism, organizing and writing guidelines for the monastery where he lived, worked, and worshiped with his best friend, Gregory of Nazianzus, and his brother, Gregory of Nyssa.  How can I honor and help my friends?  How can I be a good friend?

I will read on this later today.

Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!