Taking Care of Business

This week I'll be using the Animal Totem Tarot, created by Eugene Smith with a companion book by Leeza Robertson; the set was published by Llewellyn. I'll also be using the Blum/Gern Rune Cards created by Ralph Blum and illustrated by Gabrielle Gern with publishing by Connections. Today's draws are the Knight of Pentacles and Sowilo:

What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it. 

― Heartsill Wilson

Prairie dogs are named for their habitat and warning calls, which sound similar to a dog's bark. The extensive underground colonies they dig can be recognized by the mounded holes at the burrow entrances, usually 30 to 50 per acre. These mounds serve as lookout points and as a way to keep water from entering the burrows. This Knight of Pentacles reminds us to be good stewards, to protect and care for what we hold dear. Sowilo ("sun") represents positive energy and drive, encouraging us to grow and thrive. While the Knight emphasizes what is external, Sowilo points to the wholeness of our lives, bringing to mind Rumer Godden's words: "...everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person."

Alert Determination

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Page of Wands; from the Rune Cards, the Sun (Sowilo):

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction. 

—George Horace Lorimer

You can almost see the radiating excitement of this stoat, quivering from the tip of his ears to the tip of his tail. Playful and energetic, stoats are skilled hunters, taking rabbits that are twice their size. Potter describes this Page in kind: having alert determination. When everything new twangs your antenna, it can be hard to focus, but this Page has learned to lock onto his target. Sowilo (Sun) indicates energy and drive, an auspicious sign of success. More energy - have mercy! No wonder this Page is vibrating. He might not make the best choices on the way to his objective, but his drive will keep him going around whatever challenges he finds. As William Feather put it, "Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."

Purpose Paired With Bliss

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Knight of Cups; from the Rune Cards, Sun (Sowilo):

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

When salmon have matured, they migrate up freshwater rivers to spawn, swimming with determination and purpose. Potter suggests the self-sacrificing Knight of Cups believes he also serves a greater purpose. This compassionate fellow knows through experience what researchers have now discovered: altruism has a positive effect on subjective well-being, including life satisfaction and positive emotions. Yet the Sowilo (Sun) rune reminds us that even the most devoted person benefits from time soaking in their own beam of joy and vitality. As Joseph Cambell explains:

[Sacred space] is an absolute necessity for anybody today... Our life has become so economic and practical in its orientation that, as you get older, the claims of the moment upon you are so great, you hardly know where the hell you are, or what it is you intended. You are always doing something that is required of you. Where is your bliss station? You have to try to find it.

Slow Engine of Destruction

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the Page of Swords; from the Cedar Runes, Sowilo:

Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip.

~Richard Steele

The Page of Swords always likes to have an intellectual edge, so she and the swans have a daily gossip fest. She explains that it's important to have as much current information as possible, although most of the scuttlebutt shared is greatly exaggerated or untrue. Gathering such hearsay is simply a way for her to feel like she has an advantage over others. She has not yet learned that this is a sieve that will never fill and hold what she seeks. Sowilo is translated as 'sun' and considered a guide to success. The rune poems call it the light of the world and the destroyer of ice; it gives clarity, shows us the truth, and thus destroys any deceptions. It would suggest the Page take a clear look at her self-serving motives for gossip and see that it doesn't really serve her at all.  

What Matters Most

From the Animal Totem Tarot, the Two of Wands; from the Blum/Gern Rune Cards, Sowilo/Sowelu:

          Gliding gracefully through the water, a stingray searches for a bottom-dwelling meal. Stingrays have a network of tiny sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini surrounding their mouths that detect the bioelectric fields created by other animals in the water. Once located, they use their hard teeth to clamp down on shells and chew through them to get to the food inside. The Two of Wands reminds us that we too usually have a sense of whether to stick with what we're doing or try something new. When it alerts us, we should act. However, Sowilo/Sowelu refers to the Sun and indicates wholeness. Perhaps before pursuing something new, we should make sure our relationships, health, and other areas of our life are not suffering and in need of attention.

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Discern What's Real

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Knight of Spring (Wands); from the Haindl Rune Oracle, 'Sig/Sowilo:'

          This fellow's mount says a lot about him - the European hare can run 37 body lengths per second. With his eye to the telescope, the Knight of Spring/Wands is always eager to see what's over the next hill or around the bend in the river. Full of energy, charisma and fun, there's never a dull moment with this guy. But anything that makes him have to settle in one place and take care of too many details will make him restless and irritable. He might plan a huge party, but he assumes others will set up and clean up afterward. He's exciting to be around, but you better bring your dustpan and broom if you tag along. Sig/Sowilo represents the power and energy of the sun. The Nazi SS corps adopted a double sig as their symbol, as they saw it as a symbol of victory. While they were behind much violence and many deaths, they were not successful in the end (thank goodness). Symbols might be impressive, but they mean nothing if the person or group behind them don't stand for something worthwhile. While I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, neither should I judge a package by its brightly colored paper and ribbon.

 During training you're not taught to study the thousands of fake bills, for example, you are taught to KNOW the authentic ones. So, no matter how the counterfeit is disguised, you will immediately discern that it's not real. ―Yvonne Pierre 

Pocket of Light

This week I'll be using the Greenwood Tarot, created by Chesca Potter and published by Thorsons. The oracle I'll be using is the Rune Cards, created by Tony Linsell and Brian Partridge and published by Anglo-Saxon Books. Today's draws are the Eight of Arrows (Swords) and Sigel/Sowilo:

          This card accurately depicts the darkness of last night; the Dragon returned to the South, bringing strong storms, tornadoes and flash flooding. I finally fell asleep around 5 a.m. this morning after being on watch all night. Potter describes it as thoughts of loneliness and struggle with a need to reach out. I will admit to thinking "We're going to get walloped again," as I watched the continuous lighting and listened to the hail hit the roof and windows. My support and connection was weather.com on my phone; in the darkness it allowed me to "see" what was going on. Thankfully this morning we still have electricity and no trees down (though we do have a moat around the house). The Dragon is supposed to reawaken later today, but at least the sun will be out when it returns. Sigel/Sowilo means 'sun,' and the poem associated with this rune is welcome today:

Sun ever proves a joy to seamen

when they cross the fishes' bath

Till the brine-steed brings them to land.

The warmth and clarity of the sun does chase away the negative thoughts that tie my insides into knots. Symbolically it reminds me not to give in to paranoia or despair in those dark nights, but to keep my pockets full of light too.

Sturdy but Stubborn

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the King of Pentacles:

This king is as sturdy as the trunk that makes up his body. The crop of acorns his branches are producing speak of his skills in finances. But because he "has," he is often flooded by the "have nots" who want to stand under his tree and gobble whatever nuts he drops. But this king will have none of that; he's generous, but he doesn't want to become like one of those self-feeders you buy for your pet. He'd rather give you an acorn, explain how to cultivate it, and let you grow your own crop. For him, self-sufficiency is the golden ticket. The only vice of the King of Pentacles is his stubbornness when someone suggests trying something new (he's big on tradition). If the winds of change blow too hard, he's liable to be uprooted and fall over.

From the Cedar Runes come "Sowilo:"

The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers

when they journey away over the fishes' bath,

until the courser of the deep bears them to land.

~ Anglo-Saxon poem

The rune Sowilo means "sun" and is associated with hope and success. In the Icelandic poem, it is called the "destroyer" of ice. Both these poems make me think of being stuck (frozen) without a solution to a problem. I used to hate it when people told me to "sleep on it," but now I know they were on to something. The more I try to force a solution, the more it seems to hide. But when I relax, my intuition can kick in and offer ideas and guidance. I'd do well to avoid the King of Pentacle's stubborn mindset; instead I'll keep a window open to allow fresh air to blow through.

Seeing and Accepting

From the Tarot of Timeless Truth, Judgment:

Here the Universe (depicted as a woman) shows a young lady the truth about herself.  Her strengths and her weaknesses, her actions and their consequences, are laid bare.  It is not meant as a moment of shame, but a time to see clearly so she can move forward, using her assets to work on her flaws.  The goal is not perfection, but a willingness to grow.  I also don't need to emulate someone else, to become a carbon copy of them.  I should strive to do as Stephen Gaskin states:  "You have to be true to yourself, but you have to be true to your best self, not to the self that secretly thinks you are better than other people."

     From the Rune Cards comes "Sun/Sowilo:"

Sun ever proves a joy to seamen
when they cross the fish-bath-sea,
till the brine-steed brings them to land.
~Anglo-Saxon Rune poem

In this image, the sun pierces through dark storm clouds, bringing light to the voyagers on the ocean.  I generally get up before the sun rises, and when I venture outside, I'm always surprised when what I think I see turns out to be something else.  For instance this morning, what I thought was a pinecone turned out to be a large toad.  Light shines in the shadows, helping me to see what I need to acknowledge.  Once accepted, it can help me navigate with greater clarity and purpose.

 

Swimming Goggles and Hiking Boots

From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the Queen of Cups:

Not only is this queen at home in her element, she revels and dances in it.  She doesn't want to be just an observer, she prefers to be in the flow of things.  But this tenderhearted, empathetic woman has more going for her than being in touch with her emotions.  She has a deep psychic well from which she draws; her intuitive sense is so sharp, she feels it in her body in addition to knowing it in her mind.  The Queen of Cups reminds me to be sensitive to all around me, not only from information provided by my five senses, but from my inner guide too.

     From the set of cedar runes today comes "Sowilo:"

The Sun is ever the hope of seamen
When they fare over the fishes' bath,
Until the sea-steed
Brings them to land.
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem

Sowlilo ("sun") is a rune of guidance and success.  The tricky thing about this guide is that it will take you to the doorstep only; I am the one who must do the work if I want to successfully bring things to fruition.  I have the tools I need and a map to show me the direction, but I've got to put on my hiking boots and get moving to reach the destination I'm seeking.