As Above, So Below for Thursday, 31 August 2023

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Significator Runes: Hagalaz (9, Norn rune of the past, witch rune, transformation within a fixed framework) and Carcer (self-imprisonment)

Cards: 4 of Cups (4, Water, Minor Arcana), 4 of Pentacles (4, Earth, Minor Arcana), and The Sun (19/1, Fire, Major Arcana)

Overall numerology: 9+4+4+19=36=9 (endings, completion, spirituality, generosity, messenger)

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Beginning with Hagalaz, there could be something in your life that needs transforming from a higher perspective. And given that Carcer suggests self-imprisonment, it could be that it’s your choices or perception that needs some reevaluating. And with the overall numerology of nine, it’s possible that how you’re seeing something is changing or transforming.

One note about the run on 4s with the cards: four can suggest practicality, but it also indicates feeling grounded. So, in the case of this reading, it reinforces the idea that there’s an underlying fear of risk or stepping outside your comfort zone.

Moving on to the 4 of Cups, we see a hand reaching out from a cloud holding a golden chalice in offering to a man who is sitting on the ground with his back against an oak tree. His arms and legs are crossed in a defensive posture while three more cups are standing upright on the ground in front of him. In short, he doesn’t seem to see what emotional resources he has and is unwilling to take what is offered. The 4 of Cups describes emotional defensiveness or restriction which would align well with Carcer. It’s also suggesting that the man cannot step outside his comfort zone and is emotionally stuck and unwilling to take an emotional risk. 

Next, the 4 of Pentacles illustrates a King who is out away from his kingdom (note the dual like separating him from where he’s sitting and the kingdom behind him) who is displaying his wealth for others to see. One coin sits atop his crown, two more are beneath his feet, while he holds fast to a fourth coin in both hands in a shield-like fashion. Although this card can suggest taking a conservative approach by holding onto resources, it can also suggest miserliness.

Together, both 4 cards are suggesting that there’s a resistance when dealing with your emotions and how practical you are which could align with Carcer and the idea of refusing to step outside your comfort zone to see a situation in a different way. Both 4 cards reflect passive or receptive energies (Water/Earth) and the decision to keep yourself from moving in a new direction is likely fear based, and you’re unwilling to take a risk or use the inner resources that you have to make a different choice. 

Finally, The Sun, the 19th card from the Major Arcana, suggests new beginnings and awakening. We see a child on the back of a white horse suggesting purity. A red flag blows in the wind while sunflowers rise up behind a grey wall. The Sun fills the upper portion of the card with light. The Sun suggests happiness and fulfillment, the self, clarity, and success. And it suggests that we awaken to a new truth.

SUMMATION

So, it looks like there could be something today that leaves you feeling emotionally stuck or feeling risk-averse. With Carcer, it suggests that this stuckness could reflect perceptions that restrict you from considering other choices. Hagalaz provides the way out by using higher awareness to transform your perceptions and emotions so that you can step outside your comfort zone and see a situation in a new way.