Prudent Forethought

This week I'll be using the Alchemical Tarot Renewed along with the book Alchemy and the Tarot, both created by Robert M. Place and published by Hermes Publications. Paired with it will be the Oracle of the Radiant Sun deck and book set, created by Caroline Smith and John Astrop and published through Eddison-Sadd Editions. The draws for today are the Chariot and Vision:

Few things are brought to a successful issue by impetuous desire, but most by calm and prudent forethought. ~Thucydides

           Place illustrates this Chariot with Phaethon, son of Helios (the god who drove the Sun chariot across the sky). The boy managed to talk his dad into letting him take the reins one morning. Unfortunately Phaethon had more enthusiasm than skill or sense, and he ended up scorching fields and drying up rivers on his maiden voyage. Progress toward any goal requires more than just desire, but knowledge and self-discipline as well. We need to know what is worth paying attention to and what is simply a distraction. The card Vision shows the Sun in Pisces (good fortune paired with understanding and sacrifice). It seems to underscore the traits of a skilled charioteer who wants to reach his objective without leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Abraham Lincoln nicely summed up the need for such preparation when he said: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax."

Just saw on Amazon that the Oracle of the Radiant Sun (which has been out of print) was released again in 2019.

One Step at a Time

From the Golden Tarot, the Nine of Swords:

I dislike seeing a man in this card not because I don't think men worry, but because behind most men there is a woman planning, making preparations and doing.  Sexist?  Probably, but here in my household I'm the one responsible for making the holidays happen.  Now that it's holiday "crunch time," my tone of voice is short, and I've developed a twitch in my eye.  But I know what to do... I go for a long walk.  I tell the committee in my head to take a break, and I let all my senses loose in the natural world to occupy my brain with something besides mental gymnastics.  It's like taking a deep breath with my mind...

From the Yantra Deck comes "Vision - creating beauty:"

The Kamakala Yantra shows a lingum (the masculine) surrounded by 16 yonis (the feminine).  The "vision" here is not necessarily of dancing sugarplums, but the imagination being combined with the intellect that will allow the physical manifestation of something.  Unfortunately with creation there are no short-cuts or magic wands.  Like my daily walks, I must take one step at a time toward my objective.