Taking a Risk

This week I'll be using the Dark Goddess Tarot, created by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince and published by Arnell's Art (now available from Schiffer Publishing). The oracle I'll be using is the Tattwa/Tattva Cards, based on the teachings of John Mumford. Today's draws are Aphrodite/Siren of Water and Ether - Seed of Fire:

Your playing small does not serve the world. 

—Marianne Williamson

Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, and desire, represents the Siren of Water. Her message for us today is "Love is a risk you must take." What we choose to love - whether a person or a passion - requires vulnerability and the willingness to face possible rejection or change. Yet if we take the risk, we might find fulfillment and a meaningful purpose that transforms us and others. Ether: Seed of Fire symbolizes incubation; we give our 'fire' the space to burn. Rather than a desperate search for true love or something to passionately inspire us, we simply stay open, listen and observe. That spark will eventually get fanned into a blaze and a way forward. 

Growth Stimulation

This week I'll be using the Dark Goddess Tarot, a deck created by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince and published by Arnell's Art. Along with it, I'll be using a digital set of Tattwas Cards. Today's draws are Witch (Queen) of Earth and Ether: Seed of Fire :

           Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of war as well as the arts and love. It sounds a bit contradictory, but the common denominator is stimulation. A seed kept in a glass vial will never sprout; it needs to be provoked and invigorated by the soil, sun and rain. I once had a boyfriend who was probably the nicest man I ever dated - he never argued with me or questioned anything I believed or wanted to do. But having him as a partner was similar to being protected like that seed; I would never grow beyond my own assumptions and opinions. Many people are content to carry their preferences and prejudices around in a little thimble. But what happens when this Fire is placed in the expansiveness of Ether? It can grow, but it must have fuel to burn just as the seed needs its own stimulation. Circular reasoning -  providing evidence for the validity of an assertion, which assumes the validity of the assertion - will only burn itself out. We all need to have our ideas challenged, so we can grow and develop beyond them.

Irma Update: Kudos to the city I live in for being prepared! Our city leaders had a fleet of utility trucks ready to roll as soon as the storm passed. Since the tornado (in January of this year), they've had trucks following every utility line in every neighborhood and radically cutting back any branches that overhung the lines. By the time Irma arrived, shelters were in place, emergency numbers and websites were given out, and all non-emergency businesses were closed. Today, almost everyone has had their power restored, except where huge trees fell on homes or transformer poles. We've got lots of debris (some I will need to use a chainsaw on), but everything else is okay at my little abode. Thanks for all the good thoughts sent this way!

Incubation Period

From the Dark Goddess Tarot, the Nine of Fire (Wands); from the Tattwa Cards, "Ether: Seed of Fire:"

          Chantico is the Aztec goddess of Fire, both of the hearth and of volcanoes (which gives a hint at her power). She firmly believes in protecting what is treasured. Lorenzi-Prince writes, "Focus on your energy level. If the fire of your spirit is low, block those things that drain it. Invite those things that feed it. If it is running too hot, make sure it stays under your control." Wise words for a guardian who needs to stay alert, but rested; ready for action, but calm and composed.
           Fire of Ether's keyword is "incubation," a word that means keeping conditions favorable for growth and development. If I know I've got a big day coming up, whether it's a challenge or a celebration, it makes no sense to run around like a wind-up toy until I'm exhausted. Of course neither should I sit around and eat chips on the couch. These two cards suggest avoiding procrastination, yet not allowing manic paranoia to overtake my preparations.