Category: Prose Writing

Tarot Post – Queen of Cups

Queen of Cups (Water of Water)

 

Queen of Cups (N)Queen of Cups (Reimagined) by G A Rosenberg

 

 

She knows how I feel
Not touched by hand nor heart she
takes away my pain

 

Receive me O Queen
I know you understand
you take my pain and my pleasure
my words and my deeds
I may never fathom you
here in your beauty
yet you have found my depths
and shown me your silvered fineness
in return

 

“I walked with her to her apartment, She invited me in. We waked to her living room. She guided my steps as she followed close behind, her hand gently motioning the way.
It seemed she could listen for hours and understand my entire being as each part was accepted and absorbed into those deep grey eyes of hers.
Even tho I felt her comprehension, I had no knowledge of what she felt about it all, only that there were dephs there I could never fathom. Gazing at her was like looking into a mirror of my soul but who knew what lay behind that silvered glass.”
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suite of 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.Queens are the receptive and nurturing form of the energy. As Water of Water in an elemental sense they take everything in giving the feeling that it is all received, understood and appreciated in full. Somehow the Queen of Cups conveys this without showing any outward sign of being affected by it at all. She has an amazing sense of aesthetics and will surround herself with beauty and yet this is as much a sense that she carries around with her more than acting from any need. She is a dreamer of beautiful dreams and she reflects back everything we show her with a sense of love. Her depths are not easily fathomed and very few if any will get to see what’s beneath the surface. She is fair and generous towards all.
At her most negative tho, the the love and honest reflection of what we show her is lost given way to distortion and manipulation.

 

Astrological Correspondence: 21° Gemini – 20° Cancer Elemental: Water of Water – The combination of the omnidirectional interest of Gemini and the sensitive intuitive home builder of Cancer shows someone who wishes everyone to be comfortable around them even at the expense of a mask of the deepest neutrality. They love to feel that they are helping and providing for others and make wonderful tho at times dictatorial hosts / hostesses. They may have an element of moodiness tho they will seldom show it except to those with whom they feel close.

 

I Ching Correspondence: 58)Tui – Joyfulness

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The trigram of the lake is doubled over itself. While the surface appears to be yielding, there is great strength within. Twice the strength of the lower two lines of the trigram express themselves in the gentleness of the yin line. There is a lot of reflection within this hexagram and the two lakes together can act much like two mirrors facing each other to reflect itself in an infinite picture of a still lake.

 

When the Queen of Cups shows up in a reading, there may be a call to be open and receptive to who or whatever comes your way. Remember being open to someone does not mean being in agreement or even siding with them as it is to hearing them out. The card may also refer to someone in our environment who is there for us in a maternal way, generous, caring and social tho possibly quite remote. This person feels like someone who will listen and make it all better or at least who will or can understand. This card may also represent ourselves and may be telling us to be as open to what goes on beneath our surface as we are to the voices and cares of those around us.

 

When the Queen of Cups turns up reversed, it may be referring to someone who has become out of touch with the needs of others (consider the story commonly told about Marie Antoinette who when told that the Peasants had no bread was believed to reply “Let them eat cake.”) This person may have let ambition get ahead of compassion and may be manipulative and dishonest while portraying a gentle hearted generous facade.

 

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Shadow Dragons in a Crowded Head

“I finally figured out that I’m solitary by nature, but at the same time I know so many people; so many people think they own a piece of me. They shift and move under my skin, like a parade of memories that simply won’t go away. It doesn’t matter where I am, or how alone–I always have such a crowded head.”
― Charles de Lint

At times I feel like a combination of memories and people I know. Their voices and beings rolling around inside of me. They are all myself, as Walt Whitman said “I am large. I contain multitudes” and we all do. Sometimes I believe that we draw people into our lives who express all the different aspects of our being. We can even see which aspects we’ve neglected by the type of people we are currently encountering and how we feel towards them. In my experience, the people who get to me are those who exhibit aspects of myself that I have yet to reconcile. Behaviour that I’ve either balanced or haven’t needed to I can pretty much shrug off. In this way, people who irritate or infuriate me often become my most appreciated teachers as they point the way to those parts of myself I don’t want to face.
Blessings, G

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ProjectionProjection by G A Rosenberg

 

Snakes on a PlaneSnakes on a Plane by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – King of Cups

 

King of Cups (Fire of Water)

 

KIng of Cups (N)King of Cups (Reimagined by G A Rosenberg)

 

Father of Wisdom
let me drink from your deep cup
and so, gain insight

The Cup King’s Lament

Another person helped.
They all speak to me
tell me their secrets
who they are
in their secret  hearts
They ask me ‘how?’
They ask me ‘why?’
and they ask me
‘what should I do?’
Most often when they talk
they tell me what they need to hear
I repeat it to them
and they leave
smiling
calling me wise
calling me understanding
calling me knowing
yet where are the words
I tell myself?
I listen and I understand
but I can’t act
tho the need for action compels me.
I consider and I feel
sometimes I even know
or understand
but what are the words
that will move me?
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suite of 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.Kings are the leaders, the shakers, the initiatory force or person that get things moving. The King of Cups is thus active in receptivity. He listens with patience and tolerance and is known for his wise council. He moves with grace and lives up to the Bruce Lee adage “Be Like Water”. He flows this way and that and finds many things he enjoys but few either deep or lasting. He is calm, honest and understanding and often is a healer or therapist. He also tends to be very self-contained. So contained in fact that tho he may feel the need to take action, he often finds it difficult to do so preferring his internal life. He may dream of a life of action but lives it vicariously through the help he gives to others.

 

Astrological Correspondence: 21° Aquarius – 20° Pisces Elemental: Fire of Water – This combination of Aquarian and Piscean traits tends to be romantic and visionary tho may find things of a practical nature to be more of a challenge. They would have amazing insight tho be rather difficult to move when they do take a stance. There may be a tendency towards escapism with this combination as well, either in chemicals or alcohol or in the drugs of romance and sex. Because there is an aspect of their nature that is both attracting and attracted, they may find themselves often in romantic understandings. Still they have an intuitive knack for finding their way through difficult conversations with others.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 54) Kwei Mei – The Marrying Maiden

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The trigram for Thunder is over that of the Lake . The Lake is still, open to the stirrings of the Wind and the Thunder and yet mindful of how it is influenced by them. There is a need to balance the external force and fury with internal calm and forbearance and be fluid enough to bear whatever may be encountered while having his essential self unmoved by it. There is an intuitive grasp of relationships both internal and external and a realization how they may be affected by external forces.

 

When the King of Cups turns up in a reading, it may be speaking of someone who is looking to you for advice and objective council. It may also refer to someone who can advise you and who may be able to influence your situation for the better. The King of Cups may also refer to a time when you find yourself frustrated because you desire to take action but either cannot decide what action to take (especially in a romantic situation) or cannot bring yourself to do so. The card may also refer to a time when things are very romantically fluid for you.

 

The King of Cups reversed in a reading may be referring to someone in your environment who is unreliable and untrustworthy or very manipulative. While they may be quite charming they may also be quite moody. The card may also be speaking to someone who is being unfaithful or a time when we may have been unfaithful in our relationships. The reversed King of Cups may also involve a time in our lives when we or someone close to us are letting our emotions control rather than having any kind of equanimity.

 

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Boundary Disputes

“The simple fact is that we live in a world of conflict and opposites because we live in a world of boundaries. Since every boundary line is also a battle line, here is the human predicament: the firmer one’s boundaries, the more entrenched are one’s battles. The more I hold onto pleasure, the more I necessarily fear pain. The more I pursue goodness, the more I am obsessed with evil. The more I seek success, the more I must dread failure. The harder I cling to life, the more terrifying death becomes. The more I value anything, the more obsessed I become with its loss. Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries
and the opposites they create.”
― Ken Wilber

 

How do we avoid creating these boundaries? Recently a FaceBook friend of mine dragged me into… er…invited me into a group she was part of. She and I have many philosophical and spiritual interests in common so I was fine with it. I didn’t have the opportunity to investigate it until today and found myself oddly fascinated.
As many of you know, I find it important that  be as open as possible to other belief systems. I jokingly call it the elephant’s path after the story of the seven blind men and the elephant. As Ken Wilber says “Everybody is right” That is everybody has their own part of the truth and the trick is finding the value in each one and integrating it. In this way even if we never gain apprehension of the whole, we can gain greater and greater awareness of what the shape of Ultimate truth may be.
This group purports to teach its members how to end fear. The method seems to be to work hard at ignoring anything that may possibly cause fear. They assert that various religions have caused fear in their followers for centuries so therefore any thoughts of God or gods or religion will only instil fear so they really discourage thinking on those matters. I suppose the same holds true for war and possibly  hurricanes and illness as well. Integrating this one may be very difficult . I can see where starting with a clean board may be productive but very few of us can realistically do this.  When people bring up subjects that violate what they see as productive thought they resort to ridicule and anger. It seems as if in putting up boundaries against the things they feel may instil fear that they have actually become more fearful. Puzzling.

Blessings, G

 

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OfferingOffering by G A Rosenberg

 

Astral CascadeAstral Cascade by G A Rosenberg

The Eyes of Youth

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
― Franz Kafka

 

We were walking towards the car and I kept stopping, entranced by the beautiful shapes the storm clouds were making. They were blending into each other and the distant mountains obscuring in fractal like patterns way superior to any art I’ve ever played with. The people I was with kept walking without even glancing upwards. Even when I pointed it out they grunted in agreement and just kept going. I was puzzled but took a few pictures and then ran to catch up.
This continued on the ensuing ride. We had a fantastic view of the mountains with the clouds mist forming amazing patterns around them highlighted by the moon approaching full overhead. The conversation in the front seat continued oblivious to it. I started to dwell on this a bit. What everyday beauty do I miss in my life and how do I pay attention to more?
Perhaps it is a matter of aesthetics. We all see beauty in different things. One of the wonderful things about most children that I’ve met is that the younger they are the more beauty they perceive. They perceive beauty irrespective of age or youth, irrespective of the brand names of clothes and irrespective of the smooth nature of the skin.  Many children seem to be able to perceive beauty in almost everything and everyone. I need to get me some of that perception. It is a power that I realize has faded and I want it back.
Blessings, G

 

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CHiron EyeChiron Eye by G A Rosenberg

 

Crimson RadialCrimson Radial by G A Rosenberg

Tarot Post – Page of Wands

 

Page of Wands  (Earth of Fire)

 

Page of Wands (N)Page of Wands (Reimagined) by G A Rosenberg

 

“Let yourself be you
Love as an equal always”
echoes the youth’s laughter

 

The Magic of one day
as I dream myself anew
each future grander than before
and all of them befitting
I’ll be as unstoppable
as my dreams are now
They’ll all come to see
the realization
of my talent
Even now
I am unleashed
bringing news of the future
“There’s going to be one
and it WILL BE bright”
Express with me
what you desire
in your creativity
and your life
The breaks are off
and we’ll burn bright.
Let’s Go!
— G A Rosenberg

 

The suite of Wands deal with force-creative, spiritual, and vital and are associated with the element of Fire. Pages (or Princesses as they are called in many decks) represent the grounding or emergence of the energy involve. When we ground fire, we bring all the energy of the spirit into the physical. The Page of Wands burns brightly with an amazing enthusiasm that quickly becomes infectious. He or She is full of ideas of where they want to be and what they want to be doing and they are constantly on the move. They have very little in the way of filters and will say anything especially if it will get a rise out of their audience but this is done with total guilelessness. The Page of Wands due to their charm is able to pull off saying and doing almost anything and their behaviour is unique to themselves.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 27) Yi-Nourishing –

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The trigram for Thunder is under that of the Mountain. There is a constant abundance of nurturing energy that constantly comes to the surface. It is tempting to give way to a form of gluttony and to try to take it all in at once (an impossibility but one with possibly damaging consequences but it is better to absorb it as needing enjoying having all of one’s needs met.
The hexagram also talks about the importance of what and who we nurture with our energy. Do we save it all for ourselves, do we try to help all or do we throw our support towards people and organizations that can help more than we can on a person by person level? There is a sense of beginnings and youth in this hexagram and perhaps that is why it resembles in many ways an open mouth as we nurture best quite often with our words and ideas.

 

When the Page of Wands shows up in a reading, it may mean that a younger person with lots of energy and a winning personality has entered our life It may also represent a time in our lives when we feel adventurous and are ready to try anything and everything especially if it is new. It is a protected time and one of new beginnings and new found freedom so we should go for it with confidence. The Page of Wands may also refer to some good news that has come our way.

 

When the Page of Wands turns up reversed, it may mean that our steps towards exploring new possibilities have faltered a bit as we encounter some obstacles. It may represent a time of indecision and lack of confidence in ourselves. Perhaps the situation has proven to be a bit more complex than we led ourselves to believe and we need to cut back a bit and take simpler baby steps on our new route. It is important tho that we continue to keep moving forward however to avoid giving up on ourselves and our direction totally.
The Page of Wands reversed may also represent someone in our environment who is raging because they haven’t gotten his or her own way. This person may have much less depth than we thought and may be seeking to blame others for their difficulties as they find it impossible to believe that they could be at fault.

To know but not Be sure…

“Just Say Know”
― Timothy Leary

 

“What is important is to spread confusion, not eliminate it.”
― Salvador Dalí

 

Yes we can know but then not consistently and what we know can often lead to doubt. Confusion? Let’s hope so. If I know with too much certainty than I can no longer learn for learning implies ignorance cured. May learning be the destination but may the confusing journey last an eternity so that each thing learned bring  joy and yet more questions, more contradictions and yes more confusion. Confusion is the area outside of our maps. Confusion exists outside our comfort zone and confusion causes leaps. May the mists of confusion and the clear skies of knowledge continue to interact with my understanding forever.
Blessings, G

 

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Life FormsLife Forms by G A Rosenberg

 

Staring into the AbyssStaring into the Abyss by G A Rosenberg

Returning for the First Time

“Arrival in the world is really a departure and that, which we call departure, is only a return.”
― Dejan Stojanovic

 

If we truly change from our experiences and learn anything than we never return so much as constantly arrive to see each previous stop as if for the first time. Is that a trite observation? As much as we may love the familiar and as much as it may give us a sense of continuity and home, isn’t there value in ever seeing even that which is most familiar to us as if we were seeing it for the first time? When is the last time you discovered something new about your partner and spouse? How about your parents or your pets? It seems in accepting the familiar it becomes all too easy to take it for granted and so lose appreciation. What would it be like to constantly see the familiar through new eyes?
Blessings, G

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Freudian Light Show

 

 

Freudian Light Show by G A Rosenberg

 

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Into the Woods

“Into the woods
to find the thing
that makes it worth
the Journeying”
–Stephen Sondheim

What is my motivation? That question that is oft asked by actors is a worthwhile one to reflect on. Why am I doing this? If I as a a vegetarian find myself at a steak restaurant, am I here because of its amazing salad bar, to please my carnivorous family, both or neither?  What need is being satisfied?
I feel that there is much I can learn from just about anyone. When I start learning from one person in particular, especially about a way of life or a school of spiritual thought do I follow them wholeheartedly or do I use my discernment and sift through what they have to offer for the parts that ring true. Caution needs to be taken in this because what is true and what feels good can often be too very different things.  So often tho people who see themselves as being teachers want people who will follow their teachings exclusively. They realize the time calls for answers yet often their shadows get in the way of their substance.  Perhaps the answer is to allow influence from all but full sway to none. Thus my motivation of seeking truth is honoured without losing myself fully in the process.
Blessings, G

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Stained Glass TwilightStained Glass Twilight by G A Rosenberg
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The Necessity of Wilderness

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…”
― John Muir

 

Back in Washington State for the first camping trip of the year. The rain is coming down and yet we’re staying relatively warm and enjoying family time and nature. I’m looking forward to some quality communing and meditation tho my posts for the next few days might be a bit sparse. Still this quiet time is for recharging and contemplation so I can bring back the good stuff.
Blessings, G

 

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