Tarot Post – Seven of Swords

 

Seven of Swords (Futility)

 

Seven of SwordsSeven of Swords by G A Rosenberg

 

Beware the quick fix
Grab what you can and running
not a solution

 

 

How do I make it
in this messed up world?
Everything I try
bounces back in my face
I feel brought down
with little way out
and chances for happiness so few

 

I do what I can to make it
Take what I need to keep going
If I can’t survive as an honest man
in a world of greed and privilege
I’ll be a thief of their propriety

 

Playing their game
even in revolt
means I exist
within their frame
I’ll do just fine
and keep the flow
i give up parts of myself to survive
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suit of swords represents thought, ideas, plans and conflicts. Sevens represent our desires and wants and the paths and challenges we take to achieve them. What do we do when what we want to do conflicts with the framework in which we live. For many of us living in societies that for various reasons offer less and less freedom this question is becoming more and more important. It is possible to live conflicted in society and work the system, taking what we can for ourselves but quite often even tho this may mean our needs are met, our lives become more and more unfulfilled. It seems the very act of futility to be shaped by a society that we feel we should be shaping. We run the hamster wheel and yet at the same time we hope to find a better way of doing things. The gift of this energy may very well be the tenacity to keep on looking for that way and the knowledge that it must exist.

 

Astrological Correspondence – Moon in Aquarius – This energy tends towards intuition and group dynamics. It seems to hold a greater understanding of what is going on yet can be very remote and unfathomable even to itself. The Moon in Aquarius focuses on the greater good. The energy is open to all and disapproves of little yet finds it very hard to connect in a very ‘in the world but not of it’ way. More than anything else this energy needs the freedom to think what it wants and to live as it wants

 

I Ching Correspondence – 36) Ming I – Darkening of the Light

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The Trigram for Earth is over the Trigram for Fire — A wise and good man is afflicted by a person of dark nature who has power and authority over him. In this case the advice to the wise man is that he maintains his inner identity and fire despite having to outwardly go along with what the authority wishes and to hold tight to who he is. When one is free or in a just society, it becomes easy to shine out our presence. In a corrupt society, we must sometimes in order to maintain who we are, adopt a veneer of corruption ourselves.

 

When the Seven of Swords occurs in a reading, it may mean that we are having trouble expressing ourself in the environment we find ourselves in due to people whom we believe to be in authority over us. We may feel like we are compromising ourselves rather than surrendering who we are.It may also be that we are learning how to maintain our inner beings while living our day to day lives. It usually denotes a feeling of isolation and a need for self-reliance. This card may also mean thievery or underhandedness in our environment. It may also mean that someone close to us is hiding their true nature.

 

When the Seven of Swords shows up reversed in a reading it may mean that rather than only relying on ourselves, that we may need to consult others for advice on how to extricate ourselves from a tricky situation. It may also mean that we are finding it difficult to do what we need to do to get out of the troubles in which we find ourselves. It may also mean that we are feeling internal pressure to bring out into the open what we may have felt the need to previously keep hidden.

Obscurity, the Refuge of Incompetence

“It’s up to the artist to use language that can be understood, not hide it in some private code. Most of these jokers don’t even want to use language you and I know or can learn . . . they would rather sneer at us and be smug, because we ‘fail’ to see what they are driving at. If indeed they are driving at anything–obscurity is usually the refuge of incompetence.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

 

Is the purpose of language communication? I believe most of us would agree that it is. I wonder at times what it is that we seek to communicate. Do we mean exactly what our words say or do we carry another message? Do we use simple language that conveys simple meaning no matter how complex the idea. I mean “I love you” is a simple phrase yet it is one that can mean anything from “I’m glad you’re here” to “Do as I say” to “I need you to love me” and about 150 others. How often when two people speak does it seem as if despite the fact they use the same words, they are speaking two totally different languages. What’s worse is that they realize that communication isn’t taking place and are so busy blaming the other one that they don’t even realize this fact.
I have come to the conclusion that what we say always communicates something even if that something is “I have no intention of communicating with you. I will hold tight to the language I am using even tho you seem to have a problem understanding it. Then I will blame you for not understanding me. If I am not understanding what you say I will tell you that the problem lies with you.” Wouldn’t it be easier at times to drop the pretense and not claim communication in the first place? It would be more honest anyway.
Quite often experts in a given field will talk to laymen in the jargon of their field and claim they are communicating clearly. Tho this happens most often with doctors and lawyers and academics, I have also seen it done by philosophers and subscribers to spirituality. Jargon is their membership badge and rather than compare maps with others to the benefit of both, they use language to exclude,. “If you were one of us, you would get what I’m saying but oh so sorry you’re not”
Thus we go on building our towers of words and wonder when they crash to the ground under the weight of their own verbiage.
Blessings, G

 

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Multi-FitFitness of Mind and Spirit by  G A Rosenberg

 

CommunionCommunion by G A Rosenberg

You Shall Be Free

“You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care, nor your nights without a want and a grief, but rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound.”
― Kahlil Gibran

 

Can you picture a life free from care, free from want never with anything to grieve over? Can you imagine no challenges that come up, no arguments or trouble? Wow, then what would it take to encourage growth? How would I see where my blind spots were? I can’t imagine that a life like that would be anything but stagnant. I want to have challenges that I learn from. I want to know grief and sometimes anger and hurt. I want to know them for what they are and find the joy and lesson that comes from dealing with each one. I will dare the thorn for the gift of the rose’s beauty always.
Blessings, G

 

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New GatewayNew Gateway by G A Rosenberg

 

The Eye of the StoneEye of the Stone by G A Rosenberg

The Battles Won Behind Your Forehead….

“Your battles inspired me – not the obvious material battles but those that were fought and won behind your forehead.”
― James Joyce

 

To the young mother
working two jobs
and still finding time
to give your baby a smile
and so much love
while taking a class or two at a time.
sacrificing sleep
for the promise that your daughter
may have it a bit easier

 

To the young man
on the street
working day labor
who’s parents kicked him out
because of who he loved
or dreamt of loving
He manages to resist
disease and habit
believing it will get better
if he makes it so

 

To those who search within
who know that there’s more than this
and work towards achieving it
To those who go without food or a home
yet don’t give into despair
To those who wake to nightmares
yet still find themselves able to dream
Thank you for teaching me
love, courage, hope and tenacity.

— G A Rosenberg

 

I have been privileged in my life to have known and seen many varieties of experience. I have seen so many people who have had it tough in every way possible and yet managed to still go on ever hoping for more. I have seen people who have struggled (and thrived) with physical and mental disabilities  or mental health issues. People poor and in need or rich and in need of hugs both inner and outer. It amazes and inspires me our ability to persist despite almost any adversity.
Blessings, G

 

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Cave of Lost LoveCave of Lost Love by G A Rosenberg

 

Drop TunnelDrop-Tunnel by G A Rosenberg

The Slow-Burning Phoenix

“But the worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself; you lie in wait for yourself in caverns and forests. Lonely one, you are going the way to yourself! And your way goes past yourself, and past your seven devils! You will be a heretic to yourself and witch and soothsayer and fool and doubter and unholy one and villain. You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame: how could you become new, if you had not first become ashes?”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Shot-down and reborn in flames
another of life’s eternal games
I rise up and begin again
another day of health and pain
 
My heart flies first it seeks a home
an end to too much time alone
chapter and chapter in that tome
and so I follow, and so I roam
 
and in the end I seek the fire
better than this muck and mire
to dream to finally expire
to this final goal I do expire
 
yet back to life I rise and rise
no one sees what’s in my eyes
hope and longing, the reprise
on and on with no surprise
 
A sign of hope, I am for all
They listen closely for my call
to rise again from funeral pall
a new day’s dawn, sun’s fiery ball

— G A Rosenberg
 

I speak a lot about change and how each moment is a new beginning. We can rise phoenix like over and over no matter how many times we crash and burn. Each moment of our existence becomes a new beginning that everything that came before was merely a prologue. The brass ring of a new start is out there for all of us. All we need to do is reach out and grab it. Reach out.. and admit that we are willing to make a change either small or complete. The phoenix needs to burn in order to rise again and that takes fuel, a sacrifice of who we are for the person who we may become. What do we want to change and what are we willing to give up to make it happen? Sometimes it is only the doubts that we can change yet each of us has this ability within us, It takes resolve. If we don’t burn away the parts in ourselves that no longer serve us, the universe has a tendency to do it for us. Thus we all become the Slow-Burning Phoenix.
Blessings, G

 

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New Growth FormingNew Growth Forming by G A Rosenberg

 

Healing RingHealing Ring by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – Seven of Cups

 

Seven of Cups (Debauch / Illusory Success)

 

 

G`Seven of Cups (revised) by G A Rosenberg

 

Distractions appear
Most of them so appealing
Some may not be real

 

Escaping through choices
that promise success
shadows, visions
lead to excess
Dreams are good and dreams reveal
tho used to avoid, our dreams conceal
we build our choices
so carefully
the god like mask, the hidden enemy
Would you like a ghost
or castle in the sky?
or a dragon or snake to try
Each one seems to offer what’s sought
I’ve found my purpose once again thought
then they fall away yet another false trail
yet one more of my layers stripped, unreal
Purified, simplified, I still seek the Grail..
— G A Rosenberg

 

Cups deal with our emotional nature including love, both that as in a relationship between two (and rarely more) people and that of friends and companions. Sevens represent our desires and wants and the paths and challenges we take to achieve them. So often we feel a deep need to feel successful that we become willing to settle for the trappings of success. As long as we have a large income, a beautiful spouse and a large home, does it matter that we still feel unfulfilled and unhappy? As long as we have the respect and love of our community does it matter that our marriage is falling apart and that our kids hate us? As long as we pursue spiritual and ontological understanding does it matter that we are homeless and cannot feed ourselves? In all three of the above cases, we pursue the illusion or appearance of success, depending on our description for it rather than working towards complete self-actualization and fulfilment. In reality all of these cups are ours to drink from and to bring together into the reality of success rather than the illusion

 

Astrological Correspondence – Venus in Scorpio – Venus in Scorpio is a magnetic and intense energy. It shows imagination and sensuality but reveals very little. It is a promise undelivered, an attractive tease that will show you every dark desire you have and indulge you in it fully and completely but ultimately will not in itself fulfill. It is delight and delirium.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 14) Ta Yu – Abundance

 

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The Trigram of Fire is over that of Heaven. It is a time of victory, success and abundance that is meant to be enjoyed but it is not the end of the story. It is very easy during such times to get caught up in overindulgence and forget that while one chapter of the story may be over, the novel itself is still very much in progress and there is much to be done before the end. The Fire that is in the sky is that which burns the brightest to the senses yet it is not the most intense of flames nor is it ultimate fulfilment.

 

When the Seven of Cups shows up in a reading, it can mean that several choices have appeared but that most are illusory promising a lot but offering little. There is one choice that may look less promising but it is a lot more real and will ultimately be more fulfilling. The card may also point out that what the querent is currently doing in their lives may be fun but may not be as worthwhile as they are pretending it is and that they may be concentrating on pleasure and instant gratification rather than joy. The Seven of Cups may also be referring to a false sense of confidence, a belief that we have won where our success may truly be an illusion because of something that we have overlooked.

 

When the Seven of Cups turns up reversed in a reading, it may mean that the querent has come to a time in their life where they realize that they have been settling for the quick fix rather than concentrating on what is really important and fulfilling to them. It may also refer to hidden problems or dangers revealing themselves after a time of complacency. It may also refer to a time when all the choices and opportunities that we fooled ourselves into thinking that we had are quickly vanishing and what remains is that which is essential to our being

From Victim to Creator

One of the fundamental differences between the Victim Orientation and this one [Creator] is where you put your focus of attention…For Victims, the focus is always on what they don’t want: the problems that seem constantly to multiply in their lives. They don’t want the person, condition, or circumstance they consider their Persecutor, and they don’t want the fear that leads to fight, flee or freeze reactions, either. Creators, on the other hand, place their focus on what they do want. Doing this, Creators still face and solve problems in the course of creating outcomes they want, but their focus remains fixed on their ultimate vision.
~ David Emerald

 

I admit it. I have a problem understanding why so many have this need to live in the painful areas of their past reliving over and over again how they were hurt and who hurt them . They play this movie in their minds sometimes for decades after it has ended. Understand please I am not negating how they were hurt nor am I saying that they should ‘just get over it’ I regret the fact that they were hurt so badly that they have given up all agency in their lives to the past hurt and often use it as an excuse to not take responsibility. “I’ve never been able to find a good relationship because my father never loved me enough.” “My first boyfriend hit me and now I can’t trust men””I had this disease when I was younger and people laughed at me and hurt me and even tho it ended years ago, I can’t live a normal life because of the trauma” So much hurt and so much pain still being clung to when life could be so much better for them. All they have to do is find the courage to start a new chapter and rise like the Phoenix from the seeds of the old.
Blessings, G

 

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FractAstraledFracastraled by G A Rosenberg

 

ArrayedArrayed by G A Rosenberg

Expect Great Things

Quote of the Day – March 26 2013

 

“Think, dream and expect great things. For would you rather be correct in your perception? Or would you rather be exceptional in your life?”
― Christopher Babson

 

We are all exceptional. Some of us are lucky enough to realize our exceptionality. We learn with time and effort to shine forth our identities, take on our aspects and shout out who we are without fear or worry of who may hear or who may care. We take responsibility for what we do and what we say even if it gets misquoted and never take on the role of victim or victimizer no matter who tries to cast us in this role. The most important quality I find that exceptional people share is helping others to realize their own exceptionality. Can you imagine a universe of self-aware exceptional people?
Blessings, G

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Mad WorldMad World by G A Rosenberg

 

VisionsVisions by G A Rosenberg

 

Tarot Post – Seven of Wands

 

Seven of Wands (Valour)

 

Seven of WandsSeven of Wands (Revised) by G A Rosenberg

 

Feeling Courageous
These challenges can be met
We’ve faced worse  before

 

So much stands before me
that I must face
Seems daunting
my friends shake their heads
but hey I got this
It’s nothing I haven’t faced before
just a bit more of it tis all
I could fall apart or stand tall
I know which one I choose
you’d do the same in my shoes
Courage feels good
so glad I tried it on
It’ll be so worth it when I’ve won
Victory we’ve owned before
what’s one more battle, one more war
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suite of Wands deal with force-creative, spiritual, and vital. Sevens represent our desires and wants and the paths and challenges we take to achieve them. The Seven of Wands energy represents our drive to move forward and advance no matter what challenges may be in our way. It represents courage in the face of adversity and the confidence that we can have the outcome that we desire even tho the odds may be stacked against us. Quite often this energy represents individual effort and courage as opposed to a group dynamic. Facing fears and obstacles we may only face defeat once, while if we avoid conflict and give into fear then we live in a state of constant defeat.

 

Astrological Correspondence – Mars in Leo – The Mars in Leo energy is confident, dramatic and passionate. It is a very optimistic energy and there is a flare to everything it does. Its antithesis is disloyalty. Mars in Leo thrives on adversity and loves a challenge. It may play to the audience on its way to whatever its next challenge may be.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 43) Kuai – Break-Through –

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The Trigram of the Lake is over that of Heaven, When that much water has risen above the clouds, then rain is sure to come. This hexagram deals with removing evil or obstacles. It represents standing resolutely against any remaining problems that may be in our path no matter how large or small. Quite often this is done with no outward dislike but with a zero-tolerance for whatever blocks us from our goals.

 

When the Seven of Wands shows up in a reading then it is a time of courage. We may be asked to defend ourselves and our position against challenges. This may happen in physical competition or in an academic situation such as defending one’s thesis or engaging in a debate. The Seven of Wands councils holding to what we know is right no matter how many oppose us.It may also represent a question as to our motive in engaging in conflict. Are we doing it to defend what is right or are we doing it because we love conflict itself. Quite often the love of a dramatic conflict may become something of an addiction as the need to prove one’s courage over and over again. The card may also represent the ability to discern when a conflict is winnable or not.

 

When the Seven of Wands occurs reverse then the querent may be in a state of hesitation or equivocation and need to find their inner hero. It may also represent a time when it is not necessary to prove one’s courage just for the sake of it.