All Natural

From the Tarot in de Herstelde Orde (Restored Order Tarot), the Empress:

Perhaps it is the relaxed way this Empress rests against her chair that brought to mind the words of one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver:

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

The Empress tells me to do what it is natural for me to do: love and nurture, create and develop. She doesn't try to tell me how to do it; like the stream behind her, it must flow naturally. If I can love and create without coercion, it will produce something both beautiful and pleasurable.  And the seeds of that fruit can be used to plant even more.

From the Oracle of Kabbalah comes the letter "Tet:"

artwork by Anya D. Starr

Tet is the initial letter of the word tov, meaning "good," and thus has become associated with goodness. The Zohar states its expression might be concealed and not easily noticed: "its good is hidden within it." The number associated with Tet is nine, and thinking of the Empress above, it was natural to make the connection with nine months of pregnancy. Tet reminds me that nurturing what is good takes time and patience. It will eventually materialize if I don't try to rush things along.