In Healing Retreat and Reflection ~ Tarot for 8 Dec 2016

Snow is falling (and not just on the blog), I’ve been shopping, and now I’m ready to be stuck inside for the next week, although I hope it doesn’t come to that. I shuffled the cards of my Thoth deck and drew three cards, counting until I reached thirteen each time. Interesting that Death came first, the 13th card of the Major Arcana. Among other synchronicities, my birthday is on October 13th, and the edict issued  by King Philip to execute the Knights Templar was issued also on October 13th, 1307. Some were ancestors.

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David tells us that Thirteen is the number that bonds multiplicity into oneness.¹ Death itself suggests clearing away the old and embracing new opportunity. Change is upon us. Representing the Crone aspect of the Goddess, Death is about dying and becoming, rebirth and transformation. It binds multiplicity into oneness by bringing everything to a conclusion before beginning anew, the final moment of transcendence into something else. And in the Thoth deck, Lady Frieda Harris’s skeletal Grim Reaper appears to be dancing a jig, in joyful anticipation of new experiences.

The Queen of Cups is such a beautiful card from Crowley’s Thoth deck. A natural witch, Lon Milo Duquette tells us:

Her image is of extreme purity and beauty, with infinite subtlety; to see the Truth of her is hardly possible, for she reflects the nature of the observer in great perfection.²

Her reflection in the pond before her suggests she reflects or mirrors what others wish to see, standing in observance of all. She can be loving, less so if out of sorts. Cups reflect Elemental Water, therefore our emotional presence. Intuitive and empathic, the Queen of Cups looks out in dreamy observation, her true self hidden from everyone.

The 9th card of the Major Arcana completes today’s reading. The Hermit reflects Divine wisdom and discretion, retreat and withdrawal from the world. The Hermit accesses all realms of consciousness at will, reflecting aligned Source Presence. The lantern in his left hand gives the light of Divine wisdom to all, Hecate’s three headed dog, Cerberus his protection. From Duquette:

Wander alone; bearing the Light and thy Staff! And be the Light so bright that no man seeth thee! Be not moved by aught without or within: keep Silence in all ways!³

Here we have another reference to hidden. The Queen of Cups true nature remains hidden as she reflects aspects of others. And now Higher Self is counseling the Hermit to let his light of truth be so bright that is message is what’s felt. In retreat, he experiences enlightenment, the egg surrounded by a coiled snake and sperm suggesting regeneration and rebirth.

Well it appears that more Crone influence is in play today. It seems to be a running theme of late. Stepping back in reflection of all that’s going on seems to be the best choice of action. Change is happening whether we like it or not and it will be some time before we know how it will all shake out. But until then, observation along with moving around all that we can in nonresistance seems to be the right choice.

A Crone chooses her battles. She knows when to act and when to observe, when her assertions will be readily accepted, and when she’ll face resistance. And now as the snow falls, the Crone waits in observation, staying hidden until just the right time when she’ll have the greatest effect. It’s the time for strategy, not reaction.

The numerology of the reading is 13 and 9, reducing to 22, the Master Builder number. Of course I regard 13 as a Master Witch number and I rarely reduce it to four, but I could and it would reflect the energy of Gaia, our foundation and structure. 22 as the Master Builder manifests our dreams into a successful reality.

Through reflection and alignment we have the opportunity to observe events as they unfold without reacting in haste. As we heed the wise Crone’s counsel, we are mindful of the effects of our actions, choosing that which heals and unifies over that which destroys. And perhaps, like the number 13, we’ll bind our multiplicity back into oneness.

Blessed Be

 

 

References:

1. Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian). The Meaning of The Number Thirteen (13).  http://www.betemunah.org/thirteen.html
2. DuQuette, Lon Milo. Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot (p. 184). Red Wheel Weiser. Kindle Edition.
3. DuQuette, Lon Milo. Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot (p. 120). Red Wheel Weiser. Kindle Edition.