Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Judgement Rise from the Dead!


The Judgement card is a beautiful card, full of life and exuberance. In the card you see an angel sounding a trumpet calling the dead out of their graves. The symbol of Scorpio is around the soul of the person coming out the grave. We see the energies of the elements, however the element that steals the show is the element of fire. Fire as we know is an action and full of potential energy.

This card is all about rising above and being reborn. Do you hear the trumpet of the angel or are you listening to basal energies? The circumpunct is above the angels head is active awareness of the divine. The angel is often called Gabriel the angel of Communication. What is the card communicating to you?

Common interpretations of this card is that it's time to take a stand. It's time to rise above what’s going on around you. Look at all things with different eyes.
Release yourself from the constraints of humanity. The message has been relayed. You are the one that is holding yourself back from higher awareness.

The snakes on the card are not coiled to protect themselves this shows movement or transition. Sometimes we will sometimes draw within ourselves for protection, but that may cause us to miss an opportunity to move on to a different point in our lives. Drawing inside ourselves shows an ignorance, and resistance to change. We must stretch out and reach for that change in order to grow. The beauty of the rainbow only comes after the rain by the sun’s light being refracted through the water molecules in the sky. There are times, during a sun shower, that the sky will be dark. However, there is always a rainbow afterwards. This stands as a symbol of hope, and that we are able to weather the storms if we so choose. Water is a healing energy.

This card is all about rising above turmoil as shown by people with erratic energy around them. We must hear the call and become a better person despite, or because of, the struggles that we have endured. Many people say that the Death card is about death and rebirth. I believe it is more about death and endings. The start of a new beginning possibly. There are some ideals to beginnings, but I feel the Judgement card echoes it better. So here we have the cards flip flopped. The death card hints at resurrection, but is primarily focused on endings. The lesson here is that endings are essential to the beginning of life. The Judgement card hints at Death, but is all about resurrection. We must have hope in the future while understanding that, before resurrection can take place, death must happen. When the card is reversed, it may represent a need to be reborn from the client. They may want to rise above what is currently happening in their lives, but they may not know how. They could be in search of an epiphany, or some sort of awakening.

The keywords of this card are: awakening, epiphanies, resurrections, hope, and faith. It represents the conscious decision to rise above or make life changing decisions.
In numerology, the number 20 is 2+0=2. 2 is the number of wisdom. The soul that can encompass these elements has this wisdom, and they know when to fight and when to flee.

One final thought. For people who might study the Quabalah, notice the numbers associated with the Death card and the Judgement card. 2+0=2, and stands for wisdom from the Judgement card. The Death card is 13, or 1+3=4. 2 and 4 are both on the pillar of Mercy. The 2ndSephirah is Hockmah, or Wisdom. Beneath that Sephirah is the 4th, or Chesed meaning expansion, growth, or mercy. Both cards express mercy, growth, and understanding of their precedent energies.
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Monday, November 3, 2014

The Infamous Death Card


The Infamous Death Card



Of all the cards in the Major Arcana, the one that is the most misunderstood, steeped in taboo, and lore is that of the death card. Many times I hear a client who has never had a reading done say, "I am afraid to get the Death card." Sometimes they will say, "It's the bad one." Let me shed some light on this grim and beautifully macabre card. 

The Death card is associated with the sign of Scorpio. The house of Scorpio is all about endings and beginnings and cycles and changes. These energies are mysterious, secretive, and all about diving below the surface to gain wisdom and understanding. The scorpion reminds us that his stinger is painful and full of venom. However in order to grow and heal, things need to die to change. 
Rarely this card signifies physical death, however when aligned with certain other cards it may pertain to that. 

Take a moment to observe the card above. The card bears the emblems of Scorpio, the scorpion and its ancient symbol the eagle. This bespeaks the passion of death and the freedom that comes from it. When things end we are able to rise to a new level and ascend to higher consciousness.The skeleton above has two sets of arms, one pair is out stretched holding a scythe and the other in an embracing manner. This clearly says that death is welcoming and loving when accepted as it is, a natural part of life.  In the background, do you see a sun set or a sun rise? This answer is left to the interpretation of the reader and client. The flashing colors of a sunrise/sunset is the pictorial depiction of the phrase, endings and beginnings. 

The card is a signification of a dark night of the soul. These are the times that the client is going through and fleshing out uneasy situations in life. Permanent and sudden change are the hallmarks of this card. The card teaches that all things are subject to change. Often times these changes are sudden and can blindside us. Other times for example if it is reversed, it can refer to changes that are on the clients terms. This card is very ambiguous and should be looked it in accordance with the other cards around to it for further explanation. The placement is also important if you the reader use certain spreads. Again I always encourage looking deeper into your cards, it will make you a better reader and more accurate. 
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Four Aces, The Roots of the Powers of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water


The Four Aces




             

On the Surface

At face value the Ace are the beginning of each of something or some sort of energy quality. The ace of cups could show the beginning of an emotional relationship. The wands could represent a new action taking place. Pentacles can be showing a new structure or framework starting. Take note it can also show the beginning of new financial resources. Finally the Swords is new intellectual realization or thought process. Each of the elements are associated with these cards and each have different qualities as well.
  • Cups - Water, feelings, drama, intuition, compassion, feminine energy, and healing.
  • Wands- Fire, passion, energy, action, force, power, drive, masculine energy.
  • Pentacles- Earth, structure, protection, material matters, feminine energy, and growth.
  • Air- Swords, the mind, intellect, communication, truth, plans, and speaking ability. 
Each of the Aces generally have a hand on them. This is due to there connection with Kether on the Tree of life. The symbolism is to show that these qualities come from Source, the beginning. The hands are in a different in masculinity and femininity. The feminine elements have lady like hands and the masculine elements have male hands. 

Dig Deeper

When we dig deeper in these cards, do notice that all the aces have hands that are clutching the proper tool associated with them, except water. We need to understand that water is a receptive element. It is a very giving element, all about reception. The others are more controlling, active, and in charge in nature. That's not to say that water can't have these qualities as of control as well. Water just happens to be to the most fluid and sometimes difficult to control. 

When the reader says that these are the 'roots of the powers of' an elements they are saying that this is the primal unadulterated energy of that element. This energy can go either way if it's upright or reversed. It is always best to pull a few cards to understand what these cards are trying to express. 

These cards may also be defining certain events in the clients life. For example if the first card is Ace of Pentacles, it may be indicating right off the bat, that the client is a very grounded person, very structure oriented, and protected. They are possibly in the process of building something or maybe they simply came into to knew money. 
The Ace of Swords can be talking about some sort of victory on the horizon as well. We see that because on the card there are symbols of victory, the sword, crown, olive, and palm frond. I have seen this show up in a unique situation where a client was arguing with their friend. The client was speaking truthfully, and not the half-assed truth, but THE TRUTH. The friend was not happy about it. So it was interpreted as the client brought the intellectual and logical truth to the friend. 

You may also consider looking at how the cards are place as a movie. One such reading showed the the King of Swords, the Ace of Swords as the cross over, point facing the Queen of Cups. Immediately, my gut said the king had hurt the queen with the truth. So you see sometimes interpretations are not all that necessary, look at how the images are being presented to you as if it were telling you a story. 

When using the Aces, be sure to pull a few cards to get a good grasp on understanding them and how they relate to the reading and the conversation you are having with the client. Remember that these are the beginnings of something and need to be looked at deeper. I always recommend doing this with the card if they are reversed. Remember that if these are the roots of the powers of that element upright, (extremely good attributes) the reversed would be the extreme opposite.



Good luck! 
Lord Auriael, The Prince of Swords

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Monday, October 27, 2014

Ten of Pentacles

Ten of Pentacles


On the Surface

The 10 of Pentacles is one of my favorite cards in the deck. It is always a welcome card into a reading. Pentacles are associated with Earth, which links it to material pleasures or in this case material wealth. This is also a card that emphasizes wealth manifested in the earthly realm, due to its connection with the number 10, which is Malkuth. 

There are many ways to interpret this card, and it has manifested with me personally in each of these ways. If the card shows up in the past, it refers to wealth attained or not attained (reversed) in the past. When the card has shown up in the present portion of the reading, it has read similarly to the prior explanation of the past. When it is the future portion of a reading, it is wealth on the way, or not. 
Dig Deeper

When we dig a little deeper we see that this card becomes more complex. The numerology with 10 will reference events or things that have ended or may begin again. Be sure to look at the other cards around the ten to find out what may be starting over or ending. Ten is a number of manifestation, endings, and beginnings. 

The astrology on the card is Mercury in Virgo. Mercury the messenger is using the the analytic, detailed oriented energy of Virgo to attain wealth. When we pay attention to details, but do not get consumed with them, wealth arrives more slowly, but the results are more long lasting. This card also speaks on the subject of discrimination. Mercury is representing the mind and Virgo the subject of discrimination. When we use our mind to sort out the discriminate through the details we attain a wealth of knowledge and the mind is stronger.  

Wealth doesn't always have to reference material desires either. For example you may have a simple 3 card spread like:  the Tower (Past), Wealth (Present), and Valor 7 of Wands (Future). In this instance the cards would be saying that the client had a complete reconstruction of some sort of foundation. This reconstruction was acute and possibly difficult. As you move through the reading the cards actually become highly positive. The Ten is saying that in the present they have overcame this tough time and from the reconstruction, they are actually better off. It can also be saying the reconstruction is over and their mind is enlightened. They have a stronger mind because they are able to discriminate which battles to fight and how to pay attention to the details. Finally, the last card is saying their future is filled with resiliency, courage, and valor. Mars in Leo is emphasizing that the resiliency and valor will benefit them substantially.

Always look for the deeper meaning of the cards. When the deeper meaning is interpreted you will find that it connects the whole reading together and ultimately the client to the reading as well. The lesson, never take things at face value!

Blessings, 
Lord Auriael, The Prince of Swords



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