Polarity In Balance

Balanced polarity is the theme of today’s tarot reading. One card from the Major Arcana along with two Court cards, one from the suit of Pentacles and the other from Swords surround a card from the suit of Cups. Earth, Air, and Water are represented with Fire absent from the reading. The overall numerology is 1 or new beginnings.

The Father of Pentacles, Justice, the 2 of Cups, and the Mother of Swords comprise today’s tarot reading from the Wild Unknown Tarot deck. I can’t say enough about this deck. Its black and white hand-drawn cards reflect motion, elemental energies, and are full of unexpected color. The deck’s creator, Kim Krans, uses animal life in lieu of people in her drawing of the Court cards, replacing the Page/Princess, Prince/Knight, Queen, and King with Daughter, Son, Mother, and Father. She uses snakes to represent Wands, Owls signify Swords, Deer for Pentacles, and swans represent Cups. The Major Arcana is drawn using animals and trees.

The effect is earthy and grounding and I love this deck.

Since Justice and the two Court cards appear to surround the 2 of Cups, I switched the Father of Pentacles with the 2 to make the 2 of Cups the significator of the reading. Because here’s the thing. Established spreads with everything in its place are nice to use, but sometimes cards are pulled that may not be in the order they should be. So I move the cards around if another grouping makes more sense. Divination is a fluid experience whether it’s with a pendulum, tarot cards, or runes. Sometimes placement matters, but I’d rather draw cards and then arrange them after the fact if it makes more sense to do so.

Beginning with the 2 of Cups we see two chalices placed next to each other with two red roses leaning against them. The roses cross each other, their red color signifying love and passion. Polarity that is unified and balanced along with partnership and reciprocity are signified by this card. Whether it’s balance within or without, the 2 of Cups illustrates the deep connections we have with others as well as with the self. When receptive and projective energies are in balance, our relationships are satisfying and beneficial.

Justice is card eight of the Major Arcana in this deck, placing again in its traditional order. A. E. Waite created the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and renumbered Justice as card eleven, moving Strength to card eight and most decks use his ordering. Crowley uses the traditional ordering in the Thoth deck but retitles Justice as Adjustment. In fact, he retitles and renumbers several cards in the Thoth deck so this sort of thing happens in Tarot. I recently purchased the Sola Busca Tarot deck and the Majors are comprised by military generals and rulers. All attempts to understand what they represent have left me exhausted, so I just use the Minor cards from that deck in readings.

Two black and white scruffy-looking cats look back at the reader separated by a downward pointing sword suspended over a black and white diamond shape. Justice signifies balance and alignment along with legal issues. The angled lines in the background meet in the center of the diamond representing both physical and spiritual influences. Judgment is suspended to allow trust to emerge. The two cats represent justice and balance, faith and unconditional love and the need to get this right.

A large stag stands regally, his horns reflecting elemental balance, while a pentacle radiates from above. The Father of Pentacles is wise, steady, and practical, having built his legacy over a lifetime well-lived. His focus is on protecting and providing for his family and his self-discipline has yielded steady growth and wealth.

Well, this may be one of my favorite cards, but then Queen/Mother of Swords is a favorite card in any deck. A white owl, its feathers tipped in black, stands atop the hilt of a thin black sword. Horizontal lines make up the background of this card suggesting a calm presence. But the look in her eyes tells a different story. The Mother of Swords looks out at the world as if to say, don’t even think about it. Not one to suffer fools gladly, The Mother of Swords is graceful and perceptive, her intuition strong when deception surrounds her. She looks through others, knowing their deepest secrets. A powerful witch and empath, the Mother of Swords cuts through illusion, standing in her own power and truth.

Polarity is expressed in everything. The Fourth Principle of Polarity from the Seven Hermetic Principles found in the Kybalion tells us that everything has a dual nature. Heat/cold, above/below, male/female, dark/light are among the many examples that exist in the universe. Everything has an opposite. All things in balance. One isn’t valued more than the other; both expressions exist along the same continuum. Each side exists in the same reality and is necessary to the other, each side its other half.

Whenever one aspect of Self becomes stronger than the other, problems arise. We see this now with the toxic level of masculinity that’s obnoxiously everywhere. And it’s getting worse as some toxic men believe it’s now acceptable to run protesters over with their cars. And then there’s the guy in the Oval Office who seems to support this mentality.

The acquisition of wealth as well should be kept in balance. When it’s not, the focus is on gaining more and more wealth at the expense of people. We see this imbalance as Congress and the guy in the Oval Office want to take health insurance away from millions of people and see anyone of color as a danger and an affront to their white man’s existence. DREAMers are now in jeopardy after coming out of the shadows believing it was safe to do so. And when the hurricanes hit, some in law enforcement saw that as an opportunity to round up undocumented immigrants, one motel reportedly selling them out for $200 a head.

The stag, cats, and owl seem to ask us, now what? Are we going to come together in unity or are we going to continue toward further division and hate? Peace requires balance and respect. Will we do that? Will we leave behind the vitriol and division and replace it with respect and dignity for all? Will we value once again our unified presence and come together in love?

We need a new beginning. Besides, how much more can any of us endure?

Blessed Be