Your creativity continues to manifest in every area of your life today. A sense of excitement permeates your daily routine, and at times you may lack focus. Clear communication is important today.
About the Number 3
Theme: Expansive, Sociable, Dramatic, Diversified, Creative
Astro Association: Venus
Tarot Association: Empress
This Tarot Deck: Folklore
The image which emerged in the mid-1700’s gives us a more sophisticated rendition — that of the “scapegoated Goddess,” whose esoteric name is Baphomet. Volcanic reserves of passion and primal desire empower her efforts to overcome the pressure of stereotyped roles and experience true freedom of soul. Tavaglione’s highly evolved image (Stella deck) portrays the magical formula for harnessing and transmuting primal and obsessive emotions into transformative energies. As a part of the Gnostic message of Tarot, this fearsome passion and power must be reintegrated into the personality, to fuel the soul’s passage from mortal to immortal.
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Ice Runes are most commonly used for questions about struggle, conflict, and achievement. Ken is the rune of light and knowledge, driving away darkness and ignorance and revealing hidden truth. This rune also brings forth images of friendship and comfort. Ken is the light of inspiration, the light of imagination, and a beacon in the darkest hours. |
This Tarot Deck: Golden Tarot
Metals must undergo extremes of temperature, folding and pounding, but the end product is infinitely superior to impure ore mined from the earth. In this image, the soul volunteers the ego for a cleansing and healing experience which may turn the personality inside-out, but which brings out the gold hidden within the heart. (This card is entitled “Art” in the Crowley deck.)
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Jade Runes are most commonly used for questions about love, friendship, and relationships. Wunjo is the rune of Joy. Since joy is least frequently a solitary emotion, this rune often represents mutual or communal bliss. Wunjo is also seen as a rune of the gods and a rune of perfection, carrying with it the elation that blazes from the creation of a perfect work – perhaps this is the true joy of the gods, that they can create perfection. That aside, this rune does not focus on the struggle for perfection or on our inevitable imperfections, but rather on a job well done and the satisfaction that comes from it. |
This Tarot Deck: Connolly
Every one of us will occupy all the points on the wheel at some time or another. The cycle of the wheel is its lesson — and we can learn to take comfort in it (as we do when we celebrate our birthday). If you don’t like the look of things right now, just wait — things will change. Of course, if you do like the look of things right now, enjoy it while it lasts, because that will change too!
You’re more sensitive and intuitive than usual. You may find yourself having vivid dreams or even premonitions. Today you may wear the hat of mediator in a dispute, and you’ll do so with great success. Love and romance are also likely to have an effect on you today.
About the Number 2
Theme: Adaptable, Tactful, Gentle, Cautious
Astro Association: MoonTarot Association: High Priestess
General Meaning: One hears thunder unexpectedly! First comes fear, then a sharpening of one’s vision. Recall a close brush with danger — a falling branch, an automobile accident barely avoided, an escape from a potentially violent confrontation. Such incidents arouse every nerve fiber in your body in a brief wave of terror, but soon, once the danger has passed, give way to a heightened awareness of the world. The same process also occurs with other types of shock — the loss of a job, the sudden departure of a loved one, business failure and so on.
The lasting impact of a major shock can either be stimulating or debilitating, depending upon one’s strength of character. The critical factor is the ability to shake off fear, thereby transforming anxiety into a laser-sharp perception of the world around you.
When overtaken by crisis, the wise search their hearts for inner strengths in order to face their life with courage. This often means daring to take an unexpected path — to bounce back quickly and self-confidently after failures, to have faith in the eternal when confronted with death.
We tend to think of shock only in the context of unpleasant events. We can also be jarred, however, by the sudden release of tension that comes with unexpected joy or success. To keep your bearings in the aftershock of either trauma or victory, it is essential that your inner compass be aligned with ‘true north’, that magnetic force which guides you toward fulfillment of both your deepest desire, and your highest destiny.
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Jade Runes are most commonly used for questions about love, friendship, and relationships. Gebo means gift, and like any gifts, the rune may be understood on many levels. Gifts are generally positive things, for both the giver and the recipient. In many cultures however, gifts and favors carry with them an obligation to respond in kind. It is for this reason that gifts, and hence the rune Gebo, are frequently symbolic of friendships, marriages, alliances, mergers, and other bonds between people or organizations. Gebo is a strong rune and the unions represented are strong as well. Moreover, Gebo is not reversible, as true friendships are not easily undone. |
This Tarot Deck: Cagliostro
While the hourglass was an identifying feature on the earliest Hermit cards, more modern ones have shifted the metaphor, showing more or less light released from his lantern. In either case, the Hermit card reminds us of the value of time away from the hubbub of civic life, to relax the ego in communion with Nature
Today brings with it a grand opportunity for healing your mind and body. Get rest, and treat yourself to a massage or some other rejuvenating ‘time out.’ You may have a conversation later in the day that helps you strengthen your bond with another.
About the Number 9
Theme: Encompassing a love for all, Compassion, Patience, Selfless
Astro Association: VirgoTarot Association: Hermit
General Meaning: Substantial progress and increasing prosperity is pointed to. In whatever forms it takes, periods of increase are exhilarating, as long as you go with the flow while it lasts and keep the interests of others in mind. Like white water on a river, periods of increase are often of short duration; it furthers one, therefore, to shoot the rapids now, while the opportunity is there.
A good sense of direction in times of opportunity involves commitment to the needs of one’s cohorts and dependents. Only by realizing that to lead is really to serve, can an effective leader contribute to a lasting increase in prosperity for all. In times of general increase, those who contribute most directly to the common good will also receive the greatest rewards.
When opportunities for increase arise, supreme good fortune comes to those who act swiftly and boldly, while avoiding the trap of letting their actions be only self-serving. If you aspire to a position of prominence, the most enduring strategy is to work to raise the tide of your entire pond, rather than to try to swim upstream on your own.
When the times favor prosperity, and when leadership is in the hands of the broad-minded, supreme good fortune results.
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Spirit Runes are most commonly used for questions about mysticism, spirituality, and religion. Inguz is the rune of completion and fertility. The presence of this rune suggests that tasks which have been initiated will come to fruition. This rune is associated with Ing and Frey, it is this connection that explains its connotations of both fertility and sexuality. The variant of this rune shown here is reminiscent of the twin strands of life, and of the challenge and rewards of bringing together things complimentary. |
This Tarot Deck: Angel Tarot
The feminine soul-force contains a persuasive power that can nurture and induce cooperation from others, stilling disruptive energies by harmonizing differences in the spirit of collective good will.
You may feel a strong need for answers and knowledge. This could very well be a time of soul searching for you, and you might feel a bit lonely. Your head may be in the proverbial clouds, so exercise caution when dealing with mechanical items.
About the Number 7
Theme: Quiet, Insightful, Analytical, Mystical, Intuitive
Astro Association: CancerTarot Association: Chariot
This Tarot Deck: Art Nouveau
Huge wheels and frisky steeds speed the rate at which the driver’s willpower can be realized. This kind of charge makes more of the world accessible to anyone ambitious enough to seize the Chariot’s reins. But there is danger in this feeling of freedom, because of the increased rate of change and its power to magnify mistakes in judgment. As a seasoned warrior, the Charioteer is called upon to be extra attentive to the way ahead
When you think of “Water” what comes to mind? A tranquil lake, gentle rain, or raging sea? Whether magical element or just a simple cup of tea, water can be a very special part of your life.
Water Spirits
Every body of water is an entity. Each lake, puddle or pool has a unique life-force all its own. It can be as vast as the sea, or as small as a two-sip potion bottle – any body of water has a personality just a little bit different than any other. Can you feel the personality of your bath? Can you feel a certain comfort within a place where you swim regularly? Try to sense what makes each body of water different than another.
Water at Home
A home is a very special place. It holds all the elements, and surely combines them into spirit. Water is an integral part of your home, like any ecosystem. The bathroom, the kitchen, the plumbing surely are temples for your own home’s personal aspect of water. When you visit the home of a new friend, make an effort to drink their tap water to take in a bit of the unique personality of that place. It may help you get a better feel for where you are, and all that resides there. Perhaps it is no accident that one of the first things someone offers a guest is something to drink. This concept is not limited to someone’s home. Going on a sales call or job interview? Grab a quick drink when you get there!
Healing Waters
Water is used in a variety of healing rites. Most magical people are quite aware of healing energies in teas, brews and baths. Next time you use one of these devices, try specifically addressing the water aspect within your magic. People often focus on the herbs used in their potions. But don’t forget the water spirits within your hot cup of tea that washes these herbs into your steamy Circle. Magic is often the chemistry of mixing things, thus mixing the energies they possess. Together, water and herbs make something very special, more so than either could do alone. Employ the water you drink to help swallow an aspirin; see the “liquid” in your cough syrup. Most over the counter drugs come in both liquid and tablet form. Perhaps this choice can help fit your magical need? When might a liquid work better than a solid, or vice versa?
Water Divination
Some people scry as a means to foretell the future or answer questions. Scrying is the act of gazing meditatively into a shiny nebulous surface, like a crystal ball. Fill your cauldron with water and see what shimmers on its surface — whether by moonlight, candelight or just bathroom nightlight. Oh, you don’t own a $200 cast iron genuine witchy cauldron to fill? Try any household vessel, perhaps one that fits your specific need. For example, if you seek financial guidance, try using the jar you store your loose change in. A new beginning? How about your morning coffee cup. Love? Perhaps a vase you might use for a dozen red roses.
For divination, you may want to try saving water to re-use over and over again each time you scry. Perhaps this water, just like you, will become more adept at scrying with practice! You might experiment with the specific type of water you want to use. When might water from the ocean work best? The rain or morning dew? Try collecting waters from the special places in your life, the stream where you picnic, the lake where you camp. Use your creativity here. Is there enough room in your freezer for a chunk of the first snowfall?
Another form of water divination might be to merely spill it on a flat surface. Which way did it run? Towards a specific direction? What does this direction mean to you? Try dropping something magical into a pool of water and count the ripples it makes. Four? Five? Do you find meaning in this number? Water is a very flexible thing. What new ways can you create to divine with water?
Your Own Waters
Perhaps the water we are closest to, but notice the least, is the water within our own bodies. Each of us carries around gallons that we borrow from our surroundings via the moisture within food and drink. We store it for hours, days, maybe even weeks, and carry it around like a little magical charm. Remember this the next time you share a drink during a special moment. A bit of that moment stays with you within the water you drank. Magical people instinctively feel the magic within their own waters. Ever notice how some people put a little something extra into licking and sealing a special envelope? It becomes a magical act!
Matter can be charged with your own personal energy, like the way a chair becomes warm when you sit on it. Water is especially receptive to storing energy. What energies does water hold within your body? Note that just about every emotion is expressed with water. Our water enables release, catharsis, getting it out of our system – whether tears of joy, a nervous sweat, or acts of love and pleasure. When we get too sad, too happy, too excited – water is what we often cast forth.
When you drink in water, take in what you need from the world. Ask for new things, new benefits, new wisdom and experiences. Just drink them all in like making a toast! And when you expel water, casting it out of your body, think what you’d like to cast out into life’s magical currents. Taking in, then sending out. What could be more magical than that?
The West
One popular belief assigns each element to a direction, with water corresponding to the west. My guess is that this began in England where the ocean actually is in the west, where the storms blew in from, thus fitting the geography and beliefs of the people who created the system. When members of the modern Craft community came to America, they continued the custom of looking to the west for water, even though the nature and geography around them was actually quite different. Water is one example of the choice whether to follow tradition, or modify our customs to fit the unique situations around us. I live on the east coast of North America, where the Atlantic Ocean is only 60 miles to the east. Yet most people I know turn their back and face west for water. Experiment with what direction feels most like water; try sensing what works best for you. You may find that the direction really doesn’t matter much. Someone I consider quite wise once reminded me that “water is where you feel it.”
The Water Cycle
Can we learn from the cycle of Earth’s water supply? Water vapor rises from the ocean, crystallizes to form a raindrop, falls to the Earth, runs its course through life’s rivers and streams, returning to the ocean, its source, to vaporize once again, perpetuating water’s cycle. Are we any different? Even today, Pagans sing about a drop of rain flowing to the ocean, returning to its source, the source of all life. This song even tells where we come from, and reminds us that we shall return. Think about the words. (Z. Budapest; 1971, Spring Hill Music.)
Look at the branching shape each tiny stream has as it feeds a larger brook, which then feeds a mighty river. Now look at the veins in your own arm. Perhaps it is the nature of small things to flow together, forming something larger. What other parts of life work the same way? What small things flow into you? And what do you join with to form something greater?
Like us, water also has many lives. The same H20 molecule that sits upon your sweaty brow today may have once been a teardrop in a lover’s eye or raindrop in a raging storm. It may even have once been part of an icy comet that hurled to Earth ions ago after whirling round the galaxy.
Water Magic
Perhaps the most common water magic is washing away something unwanted; we wash things to cleanse. Often the physical act of washing can have a magical component as well. When you shower, do you sometimes wash away more than just the grime of the day, making your stress-relieving shower a magical act? Have you ever rinsed out a glass or piece of clothing for a special occasion, and visualized the desired outcome of that occasion? When I wash my car, I pray for safe travel. (From the bathroom, the bedroom, and even the garage — Kitchen Witchery exists in every room of the house!)
I know someone who has slept on the same waterbed for a decade. This person respects (and actually talks to) the water within this bed as something sacred, like a magical familiar. Why not? Just imagine the energies this water holds. It becomes warmed by your body heat, hears a decade worth of dreams and passion. It provides the bliss of restful sleep. No other body of water can ever be that intimate.
Like anything magical, water is multi-dimensional. Make a list of properties you associate with water. Which aspect fits your magical need? Not only does water wash, but it nourishes and helps things grow. (Perhaps it is no accident that our first meal of Mother’s milk comes in liquid form.) Water is the place where life started, creating a new beginning for primordial Earth. What new beginnings do you yearn for? Water is the ink in your pen, the wine in your clinking glass. It freezes solid, yet steams away into vapor. Water makes ripply splashy noises, and swirls round and round into spiral whirlpools. Forget what you heard when you were nine years old – please do play with water!
Link
6538 Collins Avenue # 211
Miami Beach, FL 33141
AnthLink@aol.com
Everyday Fire
By Link
It is around us every day. We see it, touch it; we are sometimes burned by it. It is the warmth of a comfortable place to sit, and the roaring blaze that devastates an entire village. It burns within every beat of our heart. Fire.
Fire is Change
Fire is around us everywhere. The energy of Fire is often quite obvious, but sometimes can be tricky to spot. Do you have a special piece of jewelry? Most times we look at an object and see its earthy solid form, what it looks like today. But the metals in your jewelry took their present shape by being forged at temperatures higher than we might imagine. And as long as they retain that shape, they retain the impact of Fire. Fire is energy. Energy has the power to change things. In fact, the symbol for Fire (a triangle pointed upwards) is a Greek symbol called Delta – which means change. Think how the energy of events in your own life have “forged” you, changed your life and shaped you into what you are today.
Fire is Light
Much of the work and play we do is aided by Fire. Reading uses Fire, since it requires light, usually either Sunlight or electrical light — both very Fiery indeed. Next time you read something, give a special “thank you” to the light energy which carried its joy off the page to the gleam in your eye. Take note that whatever change in the world caused by reading – every classroom, every election booth, every love-letter – comes to us via the light of Fire.
Fire is the Sun
What else depends on light? Photosynthesis: the act of turning Sunlight into food. Plants do this everyday. All our food, our incense, our herbal medicines, our wooden homes, all contain the Sunlight stored away over the years by plants. Feel it? Recognize the Sun’s stored flame next time you hold an object made of wood. When wood burns it actually releases this solar energy into a fiery glow. Feel the warmth of the sun next time you enjoy a camp fire, fireplace, or simple votive candle. There is something very primal within Fire. From cave-times to today, people huddling around an open flame regard it as something special.
Without question, people notice how Earth’s agricultural breadbasket nourishes us. But what nourishes the Earth with enough energy to create such delights? The sun! Mother Earth contains the solid materials, the building-blocks ready to construct this bounty. But Sunlight provides the energy to ignite life, turning the fields green and growing.
Sunlight also charges people with a special glow. Try soaking up the Sun on a hot summer day. Store it within you. Whether you feel it or not, the Sun’s energy changes you a bit, like the way a glow-in-the-dark watch shines after you hold it up to the light. Feel the Sun’s flame within you. Is there a special part of your body that reacts to the Sun more than others? Maybe after hours of soaking up its energy, you have Sun-hair, Sun-skin, Sun-eyes? Do more intense things happen to you after you’ve been in the sun? Do people treat you different? Perhaps they sense a little bit more radiance within you.
Fire is Magic
We often recognize the magic of water and herbs when brewing our magical teas, but the heat in our hot steamy cup also contains Fire. Next time you seek healing energies from a cup of hot tea, direct the Fire energy within its heat to work for you as well. Ask it to speed your recovery. You might find working with all the elements within your cup works better than any single one alone.
Your home is well-charged with Fire. I often look to my heater’s pilot light as a perpetual candle flame that always stay lit. A home is rarely without Flame. Its lights, its electrical devices all breathe Fire’s life throughout your house, transforming it from a cold dark place into a warm happy home.
People often find special magic within color. Fire burns with a variety of colors. Copper burns green; silicon (like sand or glass) burns yellow. If you like working with Fire, and color, try creating a Flame that matches the color of your desires. But be ecologically aware – whatever you burn ends up in the air and the ground where its ashes remain. Try to keep it simple.
People work with Fire in many ways. Ever notice someone trying to start a difficult car? They make facial expressions, utter words of encouragement; they even do some rather interesting rocking motions – anything to crank electricity from the car’s battery to the starter and into the engine!
Gotta light? Ever notice the way someone acts when they light a cigarette for someone else, someone they desire? Its like they communicate right through the flame as it is passed from one person to another.
Passing the Flame
Try passing a flame from one place to another, like lighting a candle or incense stick from somewhere special on your altar. I like to pass flames from one candle to another, thinking about how one candle gains the gift of life from another. If you use a candle in magic, when might you want to light its flame from the Goddess candle on your altar? The God candle? Or perhaps the candle of a particular direction? Is there a particular source of flame that might work best for your intent? If you own a car, what type of special work might you do with the flame from your car’s dashboard lighter? From your kitchen stove? What fires await within that matchbook you took as a memento of a special place? For some fun, try lighting a Fire with a magnifying glass, starting your flame with nothing but the light of the Sun!
Fire is Divination
Fire can be used for a variety of divination techniques. We’ve all heard of scrying into tea leaves, but what about scrying into the ashes left behind by a small fire, perhaps in your trusty cauldron, or maybe in that same heat-resistant mug you use for tea. Instead of pouring water on your fragrant leaves, light them aflame! Try burning special woods or herbs, parchment, photos, old pay stubs, the daily news. What might work best to answer your particular question? Besides looking at the ashes, did you notice anything unusual about the flame? Did it peak in any particular direction before going out? What does that direction mean to you? For a new experience, take a blank piece of paper and wave it over a candle flame, close enough to leave black soot marks, but not close enough to ignite. Interpret these sooty shapes and designs the same way you would a cloud in the sky. Do you see a pair of lips? Perhaps a bunny rabbit? What do these shapes and symbols mean to you? (“Faerie Realm,” Ted Andrews, Llewellen Publications.)
Fire is Alive
Each flame is a unique life form, a unique spirit unlike any other. It has life and breath, it is born, consumes, grows, then flickers out, leaving behind an empty shell. Ashes to ashes. Are we any different? Try sensing the spirit in the flames you encounter. What makes “this” candle just a little bit different than the other? Try communicating with the engine spark that moves you from one place to another. Acknowledge the energy that warms your bath, rings your phone, gives you a tan or just keeps your heart going one beat to the next. Try whispering softly to even the bathroom nightlight. Some of these flames might just answer you back!
Link
6538 Collins Avenue # 255
Miami Beach, FL 33141
AnthLink@aol.com
Exercise leadership today, and don’t hesitate to push your ideas and agenda forward. Others will look to you for direction. You’re also likely to meet someone new. Today is a day of progress if you don’t let fear get in the way.
About the Number 1
Theme: Masculine, Creative, Independent, Aggressive
Astro Association: MercuryTarot Association: Magician
General Meaning: The attraction is strong, but the relationship is not destined to last. So, be careful — the magnetism of polarized forces may not be what it seems. An apparently harmless, but potentially dangerous, energy has attracted attention to itself and is pulling on a stronger one. The ancient image is of a bold but immature girl who uses her charms to gain influence with a stable, powerful man. The man dallies with her, thinking that it can do him no harm. Ha, famous last thoughts! When power shifts into the hands of those unprepared for it, harm comes to all parties.
Still, you need not fear meetings with those whose positions are widely different from your own, as long as you can remain free of ulterior motives.
Be especially wary of temptations that arise because of your connections to important people. Generally, it is best to combat such temptations by snipping them in the bud before they can flower. Just as soon as a dangerous liaison presents itself is the time to take note and speak up. On the other hand, there are times when the meeting of the yielding and the strong turn out to be opportunities for truly positive and constructive relationships. The difference between careless connection and a relationship of depth lies in the motives of the heart. How sincere are you?
Witches Of The Craft® 
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