Tarot Post – The Aeon / Judgement

 

XX-The Aeon / Judgement (△)(♇)

 

Judgement -The AeonThe Aeon / Judgement by G A Rosenberg

 

A New Aeon calls
all in radient glory
New Purpose Awakes.

 

What does a butterfly say when it hears the call ?
I crawled for so long
feeling earth and bark beneath me
Kept down by gravity
then one day I heard a call
I followed my instincts
and found…
Ecstatic darkness
points of light
and strange dreams
within the cocoon
with strange voices offering guidance
New colours and tones
previously beyond my sense
Then an awakening
I could fly in beauty
with understanding and insight
which I could not have conceived.
I was born anew in wonder
and reached heights unknown.
New challenges were there as well
I have lived ever since
calling the sky my own.
Today I heard the call again
and I prepare to enter
What will become of me now?

 

Up to now, the Major Arcana has been about reconciling the self in one form or another. The Sun marked the final resolution and combination of ourself with our shadow. The Aeon or Judgement shows the awakening or calling to higher purpose that comes afterwards. In earlier periods, this card was called Judgement and depicted the biblical calling forth from the graves at the blowing of the angel Gabriel’s horn. This had the implication that one had to die and be reborn in order to receive this higher calling. With the coming of a new era it is known that life is ever regenerating and renewing and that Death is illusory. We are constantly undergoing transformation and being reborn. Thus the card’s new title reflects the age we live in now.
The word Aeon itself means a distinct period. This card reflects that in our lives we have personal Aeons as well as the universal ones. Periods that can be clearly demarcated from one another usually by some transformative event such as getting married, coming out, changing careers or changed philosophies of life. We may even think of it in these terms. This was who I was in that period. This is who I am now. During those years I was someone else. In reality, these changes usually happen more gradually over a period of time but usually there is one moment of realization or some event that we use that reflects the transition. It is these transformative events to which the Aeon trump refers. That spiritual awakening that once had, can never be reversed.
This can be a time of tremendous upheaval in our lives. Change is seldom easy or without consequence. Yet very few butterflies complain that they are no longer caterpillars nor can we stay in the cocoon beyond a certain point no matter how much we may fear the transition.

 

Astrological Correspondent – Fire (△) Planet Pluto(♇)-The Aeon like The Fool and The Hanged Man cards have a double astrological attribute, a planetary one and an elemental one. One of the reasons for this is that in the hebrew alphabet (used on the tree of life) the letters are split into three groups. These are the three Mother letters (Aleph, Mem, and Shin which represent the elements Air, Water and Fire), Seven Double letters (Beth, Gimel, Dalet, Koph, Peh, Resh and Tau which represent the seven known planets Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun and Earth) and twelve Simple letters which represent the 12 signs of the zodiac. It all works rather nicely. However since these assignations were made three more planets were discovered in our solar system Uranus (who’s astrological nature fits well with Air), Neptune (a planet with a decidedly Watery nature and influence) and Pluto (a fiery influence). Some readers, deck designers and students of the tarot have connected the three planets with the three elemental cards. Since there is such a close fit and examination of any correlation can bring insight I include both possible influences in this writing.
Pluto’s influence is one of transformation and regeneration. It’s energy takes out what no longer works for our growth and development (sometimes forcibly) and replaces it with the challenges we most need. This is seldom a smooth transition. Pluto with its slow movement works mainly on a collective level, influencing generations and nations (ruled by whatever generation has come to power) more than individuals yet all are subject to its influence. Pluto takes us out of our own individual shells and transforms us towards the good of the all. Pluto as the planetary ruler of Scorpio tends to have influence over male sexuality as well
Fire is the elementary influence over the signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. It is a creative enthusiastic force. It influences the areas where we are courageous and where we feel moved to action. The influence of fire may become a bit domineering and tend towards a sense of self-righteousness yet it is also that which leads us on to both creative and spiritual endeavours.

 

Runic Correspondent – Inguz (“Seed”)inguzInguz is the bursting of the seed into fruition. It is the taking forth of all that we have and awakening to greater purpose. It is also the rune of male sexuality and of transformation. This is done through an awakening of the inner child. The rune also deals with the realization of one’s true will and reason for being. In Thelemic terms, this rune in its highest spiritual sense would represent the Knowledge and Conversation with one’s Holy Guardian Angel. Other runes associated with The Aeon or Judgement trump are Berkanos and Perthro.

 

Path on the Tree of Life-Path 31-ShinShin Means tooth and this path known as the Continuous Intelligence breaks us out of ourselves and connects us to our purpose in the universe. Shin contains three spiritual yods or points (and resembles a trident). It is the path of dispelling of the final illusions of being separate self-contained beings and shows us our connection to the flow of consciousness that runs through all things. It represents the spiritual renewal that we can gain through our connection to the greater life force. It connects the sephiroth of Hod (“Splendour”) and Malkuth (“The Kingdom”)

 

When The Aeon card turns up in a reading it may indicate that the querent is feeling a calling towards doing something more or greater in their lives than they have up to this point. It may come after events have shaken up their lives and it is the realization that with new insights that they have, they cannot go on living the same way they have been. The querent may have the idea that a shift has happened and that they need to actualize it in their lives. This can feel earth shattering but empowering as well. These changes will not be easy but there will be a propelling forwards as if once their intent is set out, things will fall into place and at the end of it they will have a new life. The card may also indicate a respite after a very confusing period, one in which the querent can find healing and support.

 

When reversed, the Aeon’s call is still felt, it is resisted by the querent however. Sometimes this may come from a feeling of unworthiness. It almost always comes from fear. It may be fear of change or it may be fear that one’s new life may not be acceptable to their family or loved ones. The querent may be closing their eyes tightly saying “No, nothing has changed, nothing has changed.” Yet something once seen cannot be unseen and the force of the Aeon is so strong that it has caused changes in how the querent sees themselves and the world around them. Outer change will follow in time no matter how strongly resisted.

 

And Now For Something A Bit Different (21st Century Word Slogans and Memes by Douglas Coupland)

 

“Anywhere is Everywhere is Anything is Everything”
— Douglas Coupland

 

Today I went to an art exhibit of the works of the writer/artist Douglas Coupland with the title of the above quote. It was an amazing exhibit and a remarkable reflection of what it means to live during the internet age… There was a room of memes – 21st century slogans that I thought I’d share some of for tonight’s blog. All slogans from the exhibit with perhaps the occasional comment from me.

 

I Miss My Pre-Internet Brain

 

Last week I was thinking how difficult it was to remember how I researched things and how different things were before I had basically the world of information at my fingertips. I know that my attention span has shrunk tho my ability to access information has increased. My short-term memory has decreased tho my ability to multi-task has reached an all time high. What’s even more mind-blowing was the realization that my fifteen year old son does not have a pre-internet brain and his generation sees things in very different ways than mine does. I am still working through the ramifications of that

 

The Natural Human Attention span is the length of one Beatles Song

 

“We’ve Never Been Smarter. We’ve Never Felt Stupid”

 

“Getting people stoked is the new power”

 

Yes, it seems like in today’s world of the meme and crowdsourcing, the more people who get the message and pass it on, the stronger the message becomes.

 

Once the Internet Colonizes Your Brain it can never be Decolonized

 

I Miss Feeling Clueless.

 

Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Drawn in Darkness Drawn to LightDrawn in Darkness Drawn to Light by G A Rosenberg

 

Opening ExpressionOpening Expression by G A Rosenberg

Having Potential

 

“I am what I am not yet.”
― Maxine Greene

 

When I was younger, I was told by far too many people how much potential I had. It always freaked me out. It took me years to even grow into any of the potential that people saw in me because I was so busy running away from the possibility of doing it wrong. potential is infinite tho and we are always on the way to becoming something and usually that something is ourselves. We humans are stars and we contain more than we’ll ever realize. Since then I have not only allowed myself to reach some of the potentials people saw (and have rejected others) but I have grown a lot more comfortable with the idea of having potential. Oddly enough tho at 53 very few people say “You have a lot of potential.” I say its an odd thing because each one of us still here in the physical are in a constant state of becoming. The woman who wrote the above quote lived well into her nineties and never stopped exploring in her field and in any other area of life she was interested in. We are constantly in a state of becoming that which we are not yet.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Nice Night For ItNice Night For It by G A Rosenberg

 

Wandering AfieldWandering Afield by G A Rosenberg

The Honest Heart

 

“Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, you raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to open up, without resistance or shyness, and face the world. You are willing to share your heart with others.”
— Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

 

Yet so often we keep our hearts hidden even from ourselves. How many of us are willing to open up that much? Basic honesty, living without lies seems the most difficult thing to handle. We lie for the stupidest reasons also. We don’t say what we feel, not out of fear of hurting someone but out of self-protection to avoid angering others or causing conflict. We end up all too easily becoming passive aggressive shells. What would be so bad about saying, “No I don’t want to do this?” or “This is not what works for me” or even “I disagree”
Honesty gives way to more honesty while lies cover up the essential self and are soul killing. The first part of letting the world tickle your heart and exposing that ‘raw and beautiful heart’ has to be a willingness to be slapped rather than tickled and let the truth of who you are shine through. We cannot call ourselves fearless if we fear to tell the truth.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Invitation OfferedInvitation Offered by G A Rosenberg

 

Night Flower2Night Flower 2 by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – The Sun

 

XIX-The Sun (☉)

 

The Sun (F)The Sun by G A Rosenberg

 

I see us clearly
Sunlit love in the garden
I have made it home

 

Seduced by the beauty
Of a fire-lit sky
Reflecting gold
on the water
I sit here
as my spirit sails
In wonderment and understanding
I’ve been taught
To live in truth and walk in beauty
Amazing aspirations
I appreciate how far I’ve come
Yet my journey has barely begun
Can’t wait to see what happens next
And yet feel no rush.
I love this
and the life, world and being that have
brought me here
-G A Rosenberg

 

After the long dark night, we have the Sun. The shadows resolve themselves as we see that we are the ones who have cast them in the first place. The Sun trump means that on many levels we have reached and integrated our shadow selves and are able to live realized and complete lives of joy and laughter. It does not mean necessarily that we have realized what it is we must do with our new understanding. That comes later. It means tho that we have everything in perspective in a truly golden moment. We see ourselves as spiritual beings with a strong central core of self and with that understanding very little can phase us. We have regained our inner sense or innocence. it is not by coincidence that most portrayals of this card show garden imagery as in sense we have regained the garden and can now play both with child-like wonder and renewed understanding of who we are.

 

Astrological Correspondence – The Sun (☉) – Essentially the Astrological Sun is who we are at the core of our being. It might not be the self we show externally to the world or even ourselves, that is the ascendent. The Sun is our central nature, our core being. It is this reason why so many people, guided by newspaper and magazine columns tend to believe that their sun sign is the be all and end all of astrological influences. Other planets govern such things as our aspirations, who and what we love and fight for, our desires and our dreams but our Sun is our basic identity.
The sun influences our health and vitality. It is connected with royalty and with one’s paternal influence. It also has influence over our personal leadership style.

 

Runic Correspondence – Sowilo (“Sun”) sowiloSowilo means literally sun and is the rune of highest purpose. It is an energizing rune that energizes the chakras and revitalizes the body. It is also a rune of guidance and enhances psychic abilities. It strengthens the will and helps transmute force into action. It is a rune of completeness and victory. Other runes associated with the Sun trump are Gebo and Kano.

 

Path on the Tree of Life – Path 30 – Resh – Resh means the head. Since it connects the sephiroth of Hod(“Splendour”) ruled by Mercury and Yesod (“foundation”) ruled by the Moon, it can be seen as the path by which we use our reason or intellect to understand and realize our dreams. It is the path of fulfilment and realizing ambition and has been referred to as the General or Collecting Intelligence. It is a path of vitality and charisma.

 

When the Sun comes out in a reading, it indicates a time in the querent’s life where they are filled with confidence and the Sun is truly shining. It seems like even things that would normally be distressing are taken in their stride. Laughter and abundance are present and realized. This may often come after a time of confusion when the positive aspects of life were difficult to realize. The Sun is always shining even when there is the illusion of night. If the Sun shows up in a past position it may, depending on the other cards mean either that the querent is trying to recapture that positive feeling or has let themselves be thrown by whatever has come up that is obscuring that sun. In a future position it may easily mean that good times are ahead even if it doesn’t feel that way in the present. There is a clarity and simplicity associated with the Sun card. The Sun may also mean that the querent has realized or will realize a new level of understanding and insight as if they have been handed a new key to understanding. The Sun may have the simple mundane meaning of travel to warmer, sunnier climates.

 

When the Sun is reversed, the positive energy is still present, tho the querent cannot see it. Either worries about the outcome of the present situation or lack of self-confidence may be obscuring the view. This may happen because the querent is overcomplicating the situation and jumping at shadows. Perhaps what is missing for the querent is clarity and some inner work is needed to allow the sunlight in. The inverse sun may also indicate that the querent is being too optimistic and Polyanna like in their view of things and they are missing things that they should be paying attention to. It may also mean that the querent needs to simplify their lives and remove things that are blocking their sunlight and causing undue complications and stress. Perhaps they need to go within and meditate on what’s positive in their lives so they can see it more clearly.

 

Sense Nonsense Doggrel

 

“The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.”
― C.G. Jung

 

The unforgiving reason
the cursing of because
the illuminating question
seeing the future that was

 

Finding sense in nonsense
and somewhere in between
I seek to find you seeking
the me I’ve never been

 

No reason in my rhyme
the clock is unforgiving
my verse is unrehearsed
is there life in living?

 

The dream that I had waking
the distance seen up close
the paradox unraveling
along the path I chose

 

Yet in this senseful nonsense
the centre may be still
I may find you peaceful
if that is my will

 

Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 
 

Images Shifting in Multicoloured FlamesImages Shifting in Multi-Coloured Flames by G A Rosenberg

 

Ye Artist Melting into the BackgroundYe Artist Melting Into the Background by G A Rosenberg

 

Bearing Witness to the Joy of Another

 

“Suddenly summoned to witness something great and horrendous, we keep fighting not to reduce it to our own smallness.”
― John Updike

 

A few weeks back I wrote a bit on bearing witness to the pain of another and how we need to let our loved ones feel their pain at times without trying to fix it. I realized tonight that that is only the half of it.A friend of mine was telling me about the insights he had while on a pilgrimage. He was excited and transformed and I found myself wanting both to ask him questions and perhaps bring him down to earth somewhat. I held back from doing this and let him communicate what he would. Part of me figured that there would be time enough for questions at a later point and part of me was coming to a realization. If we need to experience our own pain and breakage without someone providing a buffer for us don’t we also need to be able to experience joy and healing without interfering. I don’t mean by this that we shouldn’t feel joy when our loved ones are happy, of course we should. I simply mean that the last thing needed at the point of healing or realization or joy is well-intentioned unsolicited advice. It is possible to be present with someone and bear witness to both their joy and sorrow without needing to steer it or help it along. By being present, we can perhaps connect to something within ourselves.
Quite often seeing someone experiencing the extremes of emotion can be frightening. Perhaps we can relate to the times that we have felt intense feelings and fear that loss of control and what it may bring. It is those very extremes that can often give us the most insight into ourselves and the universe and to deny that to ourselves and others is to rob them of this. At times it is better to be a silent wingman than the driver of the car. It is definitely more appreciated.
Blessings, G

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Archway to a Strange LandArchway to a Strange Land by G A Rosenberg

 

Fiery GoodbyeFiery Goodbye by G A Rosenberg