My Verse is My Vice

 

That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.”
― Walt Whitman

 

My verse is my vice
for my words sprawl
like a gutter drunk
speaking unintended truth
thru the heartache of blurred vision.
Such tricksy a thing is language
and so easily misconstrued.
yet still I’ll contribute
poetry for play
and spectate all the while
for there is magic here
and power for those who wish it.
Roles taken on
to catch kings’ consciousness
and to fill beggar’s bowls
We, stars all, shine brightly
in our flight across the stage;
joyful even in our misery.
Intermission is over
and a new act begins.
— G A Rosenberg

 

Blessings, G

 

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TouchTouch by G A Rosenberg

 

Orracular VisionOracular Vision by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – The Hermit

 

IX-The Hermit (♍︎)

 

The Hermit The Hermit by G A Rosenberg

 

Guide me to wisdom
The old man put down his lamp
“This will point the way”

 

I follow the call to the mountains
and journey within
to find my way,
Realization comes in its time
as will connection to
the knowledge I seek
and those who teach it.
I cultivate the wisdom seed within.
When that seed has burst forth
I will emerge
and guide others
on their own path.
— G A Rosenberg

 

There are times when the outside world and its demands on us start to feel overwhelming. Perhaps we have become disgusted with the superficial aspects of our day to day existence and want to take a break from it and focus on ourselves. We know that we are capable of far more than what we have shown so far and are looking for ways of developing these aspects of ourselves. This is the energy of the Hermit trump.
In many myths and legends (especially ones that follow Joseph Campbell’s hero cycles), there is a wise ancient who appears and guides the hero to the next step of his journey. Often this guide will take the hero to the start of his next challenge and leave him to undergo it on his own. No one can take the journey of another tho many of us need either internal or external guidance to get there. The Hermit represents that guidance. He has withdrawn from worldly pursuits to gain wisdom and knowledge. He spends his time in study and meditation to learn what he needs to in order to guide others along the way. He is the initiator of consciousness in others and has undergone many internal challenges of his own.
His lantern contains a star with six points. This indicates his dual purpose of withdrawal for his own development and his willingness to show the way to others. For what good is knowledge or wisdom if they remain unshared?

 

Astrological Correspondence – Virgo (♍︎) – The Virgo energy is exacting and detail oriented. It’s strongest desire is to be helpful and has very definite ideas on the best way to do this. Virgo’s behaviour may seem unemotional and controlling to others but only with the best intentions in mind. Virgo lives mainly in its own head and can be very withdrawn. It is a restless mercurial (its planetary ruler is Mercury) energy that wants to get things done in the most efficient way possible.Virgo has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong and can be fairly inflexible and somewhat narrow minded. It has put a lot of thought and energy into maintaining its viewpoint and hates the idea that all of that work has been wasted. Virgo is as critical of itself as it can be of others and may need help getting past this.

 

Runic Correspondence – Isa (‘Ice’) -Isa – isaIsa represents the frozen stasis of Ice. It is a time to have little outward activity and to go within for a period of self-development. It is a time to withdraw and focus on the internal self. Like icebergs, most of who and what we are lies underneath the surface. Also like an iceberg, it is this hidden part that can often do the most damage tho when we learn to harness it, it can be the most powerful part of ourselves. Thus Isa is also the rune of control and self-discipline. Another rune that is associated with the Hermit is Jera.

 

Path on the Tree of Life-Path 20-Yod-The meaning of Yod is hand.Our hands are both the main instruments of our will in terms of doing things on the material plane but also a means of communication. We can take others by the hand to help them but we can also hold up our hands to say enough. Yod connects the sephiroth of Chesed (“Mercy”) with Tiphareth (“Beauty”). It is referred to in the Sefer Yetzirah as “the intelligence of the will” and represents the preparation of each being to receive primordial wisdom. Yod numerically equates to 10 which contains all things within itself and indeed in the hebrew alphabet yod is a component of each of the other letters.

 

When the Hermit comes up in a reading, it may mean that it is time for the querent to withdraw from his normal day to day activities for a period of reflection and/or meditation. This withdrawal may be a physical one but it can also be an emotional one. It may be a period where while things feel stagnant or in a holding pattern for the querent, there is a lot happening below the surface. By shifting their concerns to what is going on inside, it may hasten clarity of purpose. The Hermit can also represent a teacher, guide or mentor showing up in the querent’s life who will help them come to the next stage in their development. This guide may be internal rather than external. It may be a time of initiation for the querent who has been inwardly preparing to go to the next level in whatever arena the reading pertains.

 

The Reversed Hermit may also mean withdrawal from the day to day but the motives are more in question. Is the querent using the time away to work on themselves or are they avoiding something they don’t want to deal with in the outside world? It may mean that too much focus has been on study and internal work and now it is time to take a break, relax and integrate what they have learned into their lives. It may mean that the querent has become a bit too self-absorbed and/or self-indulgent. The Hermit Reversed can also mean immaturity and a refusal to grow up.

 

Listen

 

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
― Alan Wilson Watts

 

Listen. Can you feel the force of life itself listening through you? There is a river of being that flows through us and is part of us. Everything that we perceive is part of that river and if we shut off all the static, the judgements, the emotions that block that flow, we can watch and hear what happens. A universal perspective isn’t easy but its a great perspective to get into. Knowing for the time that we do it, there is no right or wrong just being. There is always time for what comes next.
Blessings, G

 

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Masked RegretMasked Regret by G A Rosenberg

 

To Be Reborn From the FlamesTo Be Reborn From the Flames by G A Rosenberg

 

Street of Hazy Dreams (Redux)

 

Gods and Memories
Spectres walking through the brain
I bicycle by

 

This is one of the first pieces I did way back in 2010. I played around with it a bit today. It’s rather fun and I didn’t wish it totally lost to memory.

 

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Street of Hazy Dreams (redux)Street of Hazy Dreams (r) by G A Rosenberg

Better to Try Than Fear

 

Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say “yes” to life?”
― Paulo Coelho

 

I want to make mistakes. I want to have messes to clean up and things to make right. I want to know that I have taken chances in my life and tried new things. A life free from mistakes is a life that is stagnant. For how can one learn to do something correctly without first making an error or two along the way. Luckily for me this has never been much of an issue. I just take responsibility for it and move on. It’s usually just that simple. I would rather make a thousand errors than avoid trying something new out of fear. How about you?
Blessings, G

 

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Maelstrom SpiritMaelstrom Spirit by G A Rosenberg

 

Orchestrating the Sunset (Abstract)Orchestrating the Sunset by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – Justice (Adjustment)

 

VIII-Justice (Libra ♎︎)

 

Justice (F)Justice by G A Rosenberg

 

Silent but not blind,
teach me inner harmony
Holder of the scales

 

Poised between paths
seeking to balance
past choices made
to create my future.
Yet every choice
brings consequences
and every action
swings the pendulum
creating more need
for adjustment.
What is fair
in this existential balancing act?
I seek to be just
and blind myself to
black and white
I will act from guidance within
I have learned my place
in this world
and it is mine alone
to change what I can.
and leave alone
what I cannot.
feelings cannot sway me
nor can thought
for it is now what i want
but what I will
and the scales will be balanced.
— G A Rosenberg

 

When we find ourselves on our own in this world we are faced with a number of choices. Even the smallest decisions can have lasting ramifications on our life. Occasionally we will make ones that seem to damage us in some way. We choose the wrong job or partner or develop habit-forming indulgences. We end up having to face the consequences of these decisions either circumstantially, emotionally or mentally. Do we learn from our past missteps and take more responsibility for our choices armed with that knowledge? Do we overcompensate by choosing the exact opposite only to suffer a different set of consequences? How do we find balance between the two and take full charge of our lives? This is the lesson of the Justice card.
In the long run the decisions we make really don’t matter as much as our willingness to claim them. Life will work with whatever we give it to teach us the lessons we need and growth is unavoidable. The greater our ability to take on the responsibility for our own spiritual and emotional growth, the faster it will happen. By accepting what life has taught us so far and using that to govern our further actions we find that balance within ourselves.
There are certain things that will happen to us such as natural disasters, injury or sickness that we aren’t responsible for yet still have to deal with. Part of learning responsibility is realizing what is and isn’t our fault. While we might not be able to control these events, we can still control our response to them instead of falling into pits of self-pity or remorse. It is both in the act of response and how we respond to everything that we face in life that determines our growth. How fast can we adjust to the changes and regain our equilibrium.

 

Astrological Correspondence-Libra (♎︎)-Libra, symbolized by the scales, is the sign of harmony and balance. The Libra energy wants things to stay in balance and on an even keel and will do anything possible to reestablish things that have gone awry. Libra works best when it is in tandem with another. The Libra energy is intensely curious especially about others and can be extremely charming. At times tho there is a tendency towards gossip, perhaps causing a bit of disharmony that it can later balance out. Libra’s planetary ruler is Venus and love and beauty are strong motivators. The sign is the diplomat of the zodiac and works hard to find the best compromise between disputing factors. As an air sign communication is one of Libra’s gifts and it will talk its way out of difficulty.

 

Runic Correspondence-Tiwaz (“Tyr” or “Tiw”)tiwaz
Tiwaz is the rune of that symbolizes universal justice and the idea of sacrifice of the individual for the good of society. It governs the idea of fairness and compassion for the good of all. The Norse war god Tiw whom this rune represents was a warrior and diplomat. The rune represents the knowledge that justice will win out over adversity tho courage will be needed to see it through. Another rune that is attributed to Justice is Nyd.

 

Path on the Tree of Life-Path 22 Lamed-The Meaning of Lamed is ox-goad. If you remember the meaning of Aleph, the path represented by The Fool translates as Ox. Just as the ox goad will conjole the ox to stay on its path, the idea of universal justice and balance keeps us from straying too far off our paths in any direction. It connects the sephiroth of Geburah (“Severity) with Tipareth (“Beauty”). It is known as the ‘Faithful Intelligence’ as it does what is necessary, even tho it may seem severe to keep us in balance.

 

When Justice turns up in a reading it can often mean that things are working out in a fair and balanced way. The querent is facing the natural consequences both positive and negative of his actions. It would benefit them to realize exactly how their past choices have brought them to this point. It can also mean that the querent is facing a decision that will have both major and minor consequences for them and they need to be very conscious of the direction that they choose. Justice means that it is time to be honest with oneself and others and encourages the querent to be fair in their dealings. It is a great opportunity for self-knowledge. It can also mean that there are legal issues at hand for the querent and that the outcome will be a fair one.

 

Inversed, the Justice card may indicate that there are ways in which the querent is being dishonest with himself and others. It may mean that they are refusing to take responsibility for what is happening and seeking to place the blame elsewhere. It may mean tho that the querent is facing dishonesty or unfairness from an outside source and is trying to deal with it as best as possible. Reversed Justice can mean that they need to take the high ground and act honourably even if others around them aren’t. It may also mean a legal decision that is not in the querent’s favour.

 

Never Stepping in the Same River Twice

 

“The joy of life consists in the exercise of one’s energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means simply to die. The eternal mistake of mankind is to set up an attainable ideal.”
— Aleister Crowley

 

Each moment a new beginning
Each line a new verse sung
Coming alive to the challenge
finding new ones to be slung.

 

Never want to find a day
that’s like the one before
Never want an end to striving
there’s no call I’d ignore

 

For stopping to rest
feels like ending the quest
of learning what I’m about
the universe awaits
and I’ll dare all the fates
and I know that I’ll win out </h4
 

Staying alert to the pathways
I walk along in my day
Embracing the new in everyday life
never settling for just ok

 

Never want to settle for
a routine that’s safe and non-varied.
I never walk down the same street twice
if conscious, its not necessary.
— G A Rosenberg

 

Blessings, G

 

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Indigo Test PatternIndigo Test Pattern by G A Rosenberg

 

KingdomKingdom by G A Rosenberg

 

Dreams and Shadows

 

“Nights through dreams tell the myths forgotten by the day.”
― C.G. Jung

 

In our dreams we see wonders. Some of them give us positive feelings. We dream of loved ones or walk in fantasy realms. Others are more unsettling. Our own personal symbols of darkness come and threaten us in some way. Our fears play out and we wake up haunted. Yet what one person finds deeply unsettling another might find entertaining. Is it because some of us have darker shadows than others and a greater list of what we are unwilling to face? WIf we can look at our fears in the light of day than our dreams may become lighter. Perhaps tho its easier to externalize our shadows in dreams and work them out there. I guess it all depends on what we’re willing to face.
Blessings, G

 

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I Dreamt a Skewed LandscapeI Dreamt a Skewed Landscape by G A Rosenberg

 

Guardian of Dark DreamsGuardian of Dark Dreams by G A Rosenberg