Every morning I sit on my sofa with my coffee and am blessed enough to be able to watch the sunrise out the front door. Sitting there, I realized that Ace energy is present every single morning with every single sunrise.
Not quite my view, but you get the idea. Could correlate with the Ace of Wands.
And I realized also, in a more visceral manner than the intellectual manner I had previously understood Ace energy, I realized it is also present in each new birth.
“My hair! I”m not ready!” My first thought was Ace of Cups, but Ace of Pentacles is very apt as well. The emotional aspect, as well as the birth waters, but Pentacles because humans are so tied to the earth, and every creation of a new human is a new earthly creation.
In each empty page before a writer begins to write:
Ace of Swords, Ideas
As well as every empty canvas before an artist begins to paint:
“Guilty Conscience”- is a key phrase I never really connected with the Nine of Swords until seeing the above graphic after listening to the various parts in Great Expectations where the protagonist Pip is tormented by anxiety after committing some heinous (to him) deed that he was sure he was going to be punished for. The first glimpse we get of the Nine of Swords in Pip’s experience is after he has agreed to steal food and a file for an escaped convict:
from Chapter Two:
“My thoughts strayed from that question as I looked disconsolately at the fire. For, the fugitive out on the marshes with the ironed leg, the mysterious young man, the file, the food, and the dreadful pledge I was under to commit a larceny on those sheltering premises, rose before me in the avenging coals.” (Dickens)
***
“Conscience is a dreadful thing when it accuses man or boy; but when, in the case of a boy, that secret burden cooperates with another secret burden down the leg of his trousers, it is (as I can testify) a great punishment. The guilty knowledge that I was going to rob Mrs. Joe – I never thought I was going to rob Joe, for I never thought of any of the housekeeping property as his – united to the necessity of always keeping one hand on my bread-and-butter as I sat, or when I was ordered about the kitchen on any small errand, almost drove me out of my mind. Then, as the marsh winds made the fire glow and flare I thought I heard the voice outside, of the man with the iron on his leg who had sworn me to secrecy, declaring that he couldn’t and wouldn’t starve until to-morrow, but must be fed now. At other times, I thought, What if the young man who was with so much difficulty restrained from imbruing his hands in me, should yield to a constitutional impatience, or should mistake the time, and should think himself accredited to my heart and liver to-night, instead of to-morrow! If ever anybody’s hair stood on end with terror, mine must have done so then. But, perhaps, nobody’s ever did?
It was Christmas Eve, and I had to stir the pudding for next day, with a copper-stick, from seven to eight by the Dutch clock. I tried it with the load upon my leg (and that made me think afresh of the man with the load on his leg), and found the tendency of exercise to bring the bread-and butter out at my ankle, quite unmanageable. Happily, I slipped away, and deposited that part of my conscience in my garret bedroom.”
(Dickens)
***
“I was never allowed a candle to light me to bed, and, as I went upstairs in the dark, with my head tingling – from Mrs. Joe’s thimble having played the tambourine upon it, to accompany her last words – I felt fearfully sensible of the great convenience that the Hulks were handy for me. I was clearly on my way there. I had begun by asking questions, and I was going to rob Mrs. Joe.
Since that time, which is far enough away now, I have often thought that few people know what secrecy there is in the young, under terror. No matter how unreasonable the terror, so that it be terror. I was in mortal terror of the young man who wanted my heart and liver; I was in mortal terror of my interlocutor with the ironed leg; I was in mortal terror of myself, from whom an awful promise had been extracted; I had no hope of deliverance through my all powerful sister, who repulsed me at every turn; I am afraid to think of what I might have done, on requirement, in the secrecy of my terror.
If I slept at all that night, it was only to imagine myself drifting down the river on a strong spring-tide, to the Hulks; a ghostly pirate calling out to me through a speaking-trumpet, as I passed the gibbet-station, that I had better come ashore and be hanged there at once, and not put it off. I was afraid to sleep, even if I had been inclined, for I knew that at the first faint dawn of morning I must rob the pantry. There was no doing it in the night, for there was no getting a light by easy friction then; to have got one, I must have struck it out of flint and steel, and have made a noise like
the very pirate himself rattling his chains.
As soon as the great black velvet pall outside my little window was shot with grey, I got up and went down stairs; every board upon the way, and every crack in every board,
calling after me, ‘Stop thief!’ and ‘Get up, Mrs. Joe!’ In the pantry, which was far more abundantly supplied than usual, owing to the season, I was very much alarmed, by a hare hanging up by the heels, whom I rather thought I caught, when my back was half turned, winking. I had no time for verification, no time for selection, no time for anything, for I had no time to spare. “
When I had exhausted the garden, and a greenhouse with nothing in it but a fallen-down grape-vine and some bottles, I found myself in the dismal corner upon which I had looked out of the window. Never questioning for a moment that the house was now empty, I looked in at another window, and found myself, to my great surprise, exchanging a broad stare with a pale young gentleman with red eyelids and light hair.
This pale young gentleman quickly disappeared, and re-appeared beside me. He had been at his books when I had found myself staring at him, and I now saw that he was
inky.
‘Halloa!’ said he, ‘young fellow!’
Halloa being a general observation which I had usually observed to be best answered by itself, I said, ‘Halloa!’ politely omitting young fellow.
‘Who let you in?’ said he.
‘Miss Estella.’
‘Who gave you leave to prowl about?’
‘Miss Estella.’
‘Come and fight,’ said the pale young gentleman.
What could I do but follow him? I have often asked myself the question since: but, what else could I do? His manner was so final and I was so astonished, that I followed where he led, as if I had been under a spell.
‘Stop a minute, though,’ he said, wheeling round before we had gone many paces. ‘I ought to give you a reason for fighting, too. There it is!’ In a most irritating manner he instantly slapped his hands against one another, daintily flung one of his legs up behind him, pulled my hair, slapped his hands again, dipped his head, and butted it into my stomach.
The bull-like proceeding last mentioned, besides that it was unquestionably to be regarded in the light of a liberty, was particularly disagreeable just after bread and meat.
I therefore hit out at him and was going to hit out again, when he said, ‘Aha! Would you?’ and began dancing backwards and forwards in a manner quite unparalleled within my limited experience.
‘Laws of the game!’ said he. Here, he skipped from his left leg on to his right. ‘Regular rules!’ Here, he skipped from his right leg on to his left. ‘Come to the ground, and go through the preliminaries!’ Here, he dodged backwards and forwards, and did all sorts of things while I looked helplessly at him.
I was secretly afraid of him when I saw him so dexterous; but, I felt morally and physically convinced that his light head of hair could have had no business in the pit of my stomach, and that I had a right to consider it irrelevant when so obtruded on my attention. Therefore, I followed him without a word, to a retired nook of the garden, formed by the junction of two walls and screened by some rubbish. On his asking me if I was satisfied with the ground, and on my replying Yes, he begged my leave to absent himself for a moment, and quickly returned with a bottle of water and a sponge dipped in vinegar. ‘Available for both,’ he said, placing these against the wall. And then fell to pulling off, not only his jacket and waistcoat, but his shirt too, in a manner
at once light-hearted, businesslike, and bloodthirsty.
Although he did not look very healthy – having pimples on his face, and a breaking out at his mouth – these dreadful preparations quite appalled me. I judged him to be about my own age, but he was much taller, and he had a way of spinning himself about that was full of appearance. For the rest, he was a young gentleman in a grey suit (when not denuded for battle), with his elbows, knees, wrists, and heels, considerably in advance of the rest of him as to development.
My heart failed me when I saw him squaring at me with every demonstration of mechanical nicety, and eyeing my anatomy as if he were minutely choosing his bone. I never have been so surprised in my life, as I was when I let out the first blow, and saw him lying on his back, looking up at me with a bloody nose and his face exceedingly fore-shortened.
But, he was on his feet directly, and after sponging himself with a great show of dexterity began squaring again. The second greatest surprise I have ever had in my life was
seeing him on his back again, looking up at me out of a black eye.
His spirit inspired me with great respect. He seemed to have no strength, and he never once hit me hard, and he was always knocked down; but, he would be up again in a moment, sponging himself or drinking out of the waterbottle, with the greatest satisfaction in seconding himself according to form, and then came at me with an air and a show that made me believe he really was going to do for me at last. He got heavily bruised, for I am sorry to record that the more I hit him, the harder I hit him; but, he came up again and again and again, until at last he got a bad fall with the back of his head against the wall. Even after that crisis in our affairs, he got up and turned round and round confusedly a few times, not knowing where I was; but finally went on his knees to his sponge and threw it up: at the same time panting out, ‘That means you have won.’
He seemed so brave and innocent, that although I had not proposed the contest I felt but a gloomy satisfaction in my victory. Indeed, I go so far as to hope that I regarded myself while dressing, as a species of savage young wolf, or other wild beast. However, I got dressed, darkly wiping my sanguinary face at intervals, and I said, ‘Can I help you?’
and he said ‘No thankee,’ and I said ‘Good afternoon,’ and he said ‘Same to you.’
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1942. Print.
Waite, Arthur E.. “Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot Deck.” Smith, Pamela C., Designer,
(Reissued in collaboration with Miss Sybil Waite and Rider & Company, London),
U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 2003, Stamford, CN.
Inspired by the Knight of Wands exploration, I went through the entire Rider Waite deck and pulled out the cards featuring horses that are in addition to the four Knights.
I found three. Interestingly, all the horses have riders and all the pairs are traveling in the same direction, to the right (and future?). Two are Major Arcana, one is Minor. The Minor Arcana card was of the Wands suit. ALL the horses are WHITE. There is an object in the shape of an orb and in similar placement in all three cards: the sun in the Sun card, the laurel wreath in the Six of Wands, and … what is apparently the White Rose of the House of York, in the Death card.
Also interesting, is the fact that these three could easily symbolize the three major phases of our biological life span: Childhood, Adulthood, and Older Age.
Lined up numerically, they would be:
Since the originators of the Tarot cards didn’t do anything by accident, this is interesting to explore as well. The numbers are 6, 13, and 19. If looked at still as the three major phases of biological lifespans, the Sun would be in the Older Age and Endings placement. If we think about it, our infancy and childhood really is the beginning of our biological decay – our spirits are eternal but the bodies we incarnate into are not, and they begin dying the minute the leave the womb.
I suppose Death could be feasible in the Adulthood placement too, as it is possible it is meant to remind us that our entire lives are illusions of life, and that as adults, we are in full blown Death phase? Could be.
And the Six of Wands in the Childhood placement. When a child is born, it is generally celebrated and heralded with joy and adulation. That is true. So even though the figure in this card is an adult, the adulation he receives could be said to be reminiscent of the birth of a new baby. So I guess that could make sense.
Horses generally symbolize Freedom, so freedom is a theme that will be found somewhere, somehow in each of these cards, as well as in the cards of the Knights:
Www.pure-spirit.com says that “Although the horse was present in many different cultures, they represent the same concepts of freedom and power. In some cultures, white horses stand for the balance of wisdom and power. In others, like Christianity, the white horse is a symbol of death. The horse is a universal symbol of freedom without restraint, because riding a horse made people feel they could free themselves from their own bindings. Also linked with riding horses, they are symbols of travel, movement, and desire.”
All seven of these cards do indeed do mark a transition from one sate of being into another. The Six of Wands takes a person from obscurity to acclaim. Death, from one plane of existence to another; the Sun, from darkness to light. And the Knights are all about movement and change within their respective elements and suits.
And finally, its interesting that there are seven of these cards. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, by Rachel Pollack separates the Major Arcana into sets of seven with each set representing a phase of enlightenment while on earth.
Could this set of seven cards as a whole also be representative of something important in the experience of a soul?
So I”m upstairs on my hands and knees (not as exciting as it first sounds) scrubbing away at the Revenge Pooper’s (a whollllllle OTHER blogpost!) latest “SPOT” on the rug …
And I’m NOT happy about it.
This is like his 10th non-acccident.
I hate my house, family, pets, and life.
Fuck My Life, btw.
I stop to take a break and text my girlfriend of forty years Tamara Perrin Florea in Ohio.
“Do you ever wonder if maybe we are ghosts and that’s why no matter how much we clean, or how many times we clean the same thing, it never gets clean, ever? It just stays messy? If we are ghosts that would also explain why no one (kids, husbands, pets, whoever you have around you) ever HEARS us too! Maybe we’ve died but just don’t know it because cleaning is all we know and we don’t know how to stop???”
Radiant Rider Waite
This, my friends, is the Ten of Swords energy.
The Ten of Swords can be about death and endings, but sometimes it’s just about so much drama, or so much more drama than is necessary.
Please note the TEN swords this person has been stabbed in the back with, as opposed to the ONE that would have done the trick just as easily!
So the next time you’re doing something you despise doing and you feel really, really, sorry for yourself and bitter about doing it?
You’re communing with this Tarot card’s energy!
Disclaimer: no humans were hurt during this blog post, and I felt better the minute I texted my girlfriend. I felt so good I left the rest of the nefarious “spot” for another day, bought some moscato coolers, and called it a day!
Harvest is right here. But there is still information to be benefited from if willing to travel the distance to get to it.
Also harvest yet to be picked.
FRUIT: Fruit are symbolic of fertility and ideas and plans coming to fruition (Biddy Tarot Symbolism pdf).
LEAVES: Leaves symbolize growth and vitality (Biddy Tarot Symbolism pdf).
RAINBOW: The rainbow is a sign of Universal protection, happiness and ideal states of being (Biddy Tarot Symbolism pdf).
In a garden. What is garden symbolism? GARDENS: Gardens offer the ability to enjoy the beauty of nature in peace and comfort. Gardens are also safe and relatively private, providing space for retreat, relaxation and contemplation. Gardens represent the fact that people have the power not only to control nature, but also to improve it through nurturing and caring for the earth. Think of a beautifully landscaped garden that is both aesthetically pleasing and a sustainable food source. Gardens are also living metaphors of perfection. They represent cultivation and growth, all leading towards a natural paradise of perfection. (Biddy Tarot Symbolism pdf)
Share your own insights
in the comments below!
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Fiery K. Tarot is currently running an $11 Summer Sale on Tarot Guidance and Readings; email fiery.kaleidoscope@gmail.com or text 410.490.6357 to order your reading, and hone in on the heart of any decision, crossroads, or question!
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(Feature photo just desktop wallpaper from the site: ognature.com.)
(In an effort to maximize my time and energy in the Biddy Tarot Certification Course, I’ve decided to start journaling (which is blogging for me) about the weekly cards from which I pull inspiration and guidance towards my monthly goals. This is not authoritative information, just my personal notes.)
This week’s card is the Ten of Cups.
When I pulled this card a month ago, when I was doing my lookahead to the weeks in the month of May, I was using my usual deck, the Sacred Circle Tarot, by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason.
I had written in my notes, “Work is done. Crop is to be enjoyed.”
Numerical symbolism End of a cycle and simultaneous renewal. In the realms of numerology, 10 also reduces down to 1 (1+0=1). And so, can also symbolize all the things that the number “1” does. (Biddy Tarot Numerology Chart) Anthony Louis phrases 10 as being “a transition point from one cycle to another . . . a number of completion and final ending. (Tarot Plain and Simple,)”
Astrological symbolism ..which planet rules the card… Golden dawn says mars/pisces (To me, Mars is a Fire planet, so I don’t get that, but I don’t much like Golden Dawn anyway?) Water : cancer, scorpio, pisces Hindu decans – pisces scorpio (no clue what that (decans) is) (Tarot Plain and Simple, by Anthony Louis)
Elements symbolism water
Season and direction correspondence Astrologically, The suit of Cups corresponds with the direction of North and the season of Summer.
The pagan traditions that I am familiar with cite Water (the cups) as corresponding with the direction West and so the season of Autumn.
I’m sure there are other traditions and cultures with other correspondences, but Autumn and West is what I work with. I can’t even wrap my head around North and Summer but – astrology is an ancient science so I’m sure they are more correct than we are? Either way – everyone chooses what makes sense to them and that’s what you work with.
6/18/18 Note: Water and the Cups and the West being correlated with Summer makes more sense to me now, with Swords ruling Autumn, Wands ruling Spring, and Pentacles ruling Winter, but I still personally work with Swords /Spring, Wands/Summer, Cups/Fall, and Pentacles/Winter, as I was taught that the directions follow East/Spring, South/Summer, West/Autumn, and North/Winter.
Major Arcana card The Wheel of Fortune, or as my deck names it, simply The Wheel.
The ten cups of this card are full with the various good things of the harvest, the culmination of all the efforts of the farming year. They represent achievements of various kinds. The fruits depicted all have various symbolic meanings and energies, and play their part in our harvest celebrations.
Divinatory Meanings:
You are now reaping the rewards of all your efforts. It is a time of great happiness within the family and you will experience the joy of true friendships. This situation has firm foundations and will be long lasting.
Reverse Meanings:
Your well ordered environment will be disrupted in an extreme fashion, perhaps by the birth of a child or by a troublesome teenager. This card heralds family quarrels and the loss of friendships.
Some Key Words: Peace, joy, happiness, contentment, love, family life, a good reputation, honor, virtue, harmony, a happy hearth.
I am now working with the Radiant Rider-Waite deck –
Fiery K. Tarot 