For last Sunday’s session, we didn’t get into too much of a discussion of the inner archetypes of the Twins, because there was a steady stream of visitors who were interested in the Spinning Basket divination. However, we did have a small group who stayed after, put the question, “How does the energy of the Sacred Twins function in my life?” and then did the card search technique of going through their respective Tarot decks until they came to the first Major card with images of twinning or doubling.
I’ve had after-thoughts about one reading, where a male participant used “The Mythic Tarot” by Juliet Sharman-Burke. His central card was the Knight of Swords, which although not a Major Arcana card, features a picture of the Dioscuri, the young male twins that the Greeks and Romans associated with the sign of Gemini. The figures in this card ride together on a single horse, and they are moving to the right. This would suggest that the querent has got two masculine-identified twin selves harmonized and working in tandem as he goes into the future. I don’t recall what the right flanking card was, but the left flanking card was the Page of Wands, which features an illustration of Phrixus, the boy who rode a magical golden ram, (it could fly), to Colchis. In this card, the figures are moving toward the left. Interestingly, there are subtle references to doubling in this card. When a person rides an animal such as a horse, ram, or whatever in the Dream World of Tarot, that animal can be seen as a twin-self, a side of that person which is more in touch with the Animal Powers. In the original story, Phrixus had a sister, Helle [light], from whom he was parted when she fell off the ram as it was flying over the ocean. He subsequently also parted with the ram, which was sacrificed and became the golden fleece, (which became the subject of a quest).
In this case, there seem to be inner re-alignments involving the pairing and unpairing of different facets of the Self, with a progression toward somewhat more mature masculine energies, because Phrixus and Helle were children, while the Dioscuri were young men—and the energy of Gemini, generally, has an inquisitive, experimental “teenage” quality. Separating from the younger and feminine aspects may well have involved a certain sense of loss, and the sacrifice of the golden fleece may pertain to a diminishment of that youthful sense of inflation, that high flying exuberance of golden youth. Nevertheless, the energies being experienced are still fairly youthful, (though in the Mythic Tarot, these are expressed through the Knight of Swords warrior mode). In a middle-aged person, this could mean re-experiencing the intellectual life of youth, (which for some of us was in the Hippie era). The third card, which I can’t recall, may have indicated where these re-aligned energies are being directed.
Note that there is also a lot of Zodiac symbolism, as the ram applies to Aries, the Dioscuri to Gemini, and the horse they are riding on could apply to Sagittarius. (Last Sunday, the full moon was in Sagittarius, in opposition to the Gemini sun). This could mean that areas in this person’s life that are governed by Aries are currently becoming less of a focus, while he has got matters in the opposing signs of Gemini and Sagittarius working in tandem. There might also be a timeline involved, moving from Spring (Aries) to Summer (Gemini).
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Energies of Twinning
Picking up on the theme of the Sacred Twins in preparation for Sunday’s event, this is in keeping with the seasonal theme of Sun in Gemini.
If you have multiple Tarot decks, you might want to look through them to see which have good images of twinning or doubling. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck utilizes such images in the Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Devil, Moon, and Sun, (as well as Minor Arcana cards, like the Two of Cups). However, not all decks—even RWS spin-offs—bring in the same images. On the other hand, some decks may use images of doubling or twinning in novel ways, as in the case of Hanson-Roberts’ nursery rhyme-themed “Whimsical Tarot,” which features Jack and Jill in the Temperance card. In fact, in preparing for Sunday, I got out a number of decks and asked them to edify me on the theme of twinning; when I shuffled and went through the Whimsical Tarot, the first major “twins” card that came up was Temperance (Jack and Jill), flanked by the Two of Cups (the Owl and the Pussycat) and Two of Pentacles (Jack Sprat and his wife). If you come across any interesting new images in other card decks, I would like to hear about them, because I’m not able to keep up with all of the Tarot decks that are out there.
We’ll also get into the theme of “double fortune,” which the Chinese tie in with the symbolism of the twins, and also with the number “8,” which they describe as “the luckiest number,” (and have different ways of doubling it numerically). You might want to look at the 8s in your Tarot decks, to see how they are portrayed by the artists. Knowing the Chinese associations, we can talk about how some of the more negative traditional Tarot associations can be transmuted, and how 8s cards with positive images can be used in Tarot spells.
Back to the sign of Gemini, you don’t need to know anything about astrology to appreciate the twins symbolism. However, if you happen to be familiar with your personal horoscope, this can add another level to your Tarot reading. If you have had your horoscope done, take note of which of your astrological houses are ruled or over-lapped by Gemini, and which (if any) of your planets or points are in Gemini, because in the way that the Tarot holographically casts light on many different areas of life, the twins cards also offer insights into what’s going on in the areas of your life that Gemini presides over. Furthermore, in line with the double fortune theme, take note as to whether Jupiter or Venus make friendly aspects t your planet Mercury (ruler of Gemini), the cusp of your Gemini-ruled house(s), or any planets you have in Gemini.
Food for thought: the Gemini twins were known as the Dioscuri, and were very important deities in ancient times. (Why would people pray to twins? It’s understandable that people would pray to Venus for luck in love, and to Mars for luck in war, but what sort of human needs would they address the Dioscuri for?) When a number of the old gods were converted into catholic saints, the Dioscuri became the twin doctor saints Cosmas and Damian, patrons of healers. (How can we engage the Sacred Twins in healing issues?) In Santeria, Cosmas and Damian are identified with the twin Orishas known as the Ibeji. They are patrons of children, and people also believe they can double their luck and their money by honoring the Ibeji.
If you have multiple Tarot decks, you might want to look through them to see which have good images of twinning or doubling. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck utilizes such images in the Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Devil, Moon, and Sun, (as well as Minor Arcana cards, like the Two of Cups). However, not all decks—even RWS spin-offs—bring in the same images. On the other hand, some decks may use images of doubling or twinning in novel ways, as in the case of Hanson-Roberts’ nursery rhyme-themed “Whimsical Tarot,” which features Jack and Jill in the Temperance card. In fact, in preparing for Sunday, I got out a number of decks and asked them to edify me on the theme of twinning; when I shuffled and went through the Whimsical Tarot, the first major “twins” card that came up was Temperance (Jack and Jill), flanked by the Two of Cups (the Owl and the Pussycat) and Two of Pentacles (Jack Sprat and his wife). If you come across any interesting new images in other card decks, I would like to hear about them, because I’m not able to keep up with all of the Tarot decks that are out there.
We’ll also get into the theme of “double fortune,” which the Chinese tie in with the symbolism of the twins, and also with the number “8,” which they describe as “the luckiest number,” (and have different ways of doubling it numerically). You might want to look at the 8s in your Tarot decks, to see how they are portrayed by the artists. Knowing the Chinese associations, we can talk about how some of the more negative traditional Tarot associations can be transmuted, and how 8s cards with positive images can be used in Tarot spells.
Back to the sign of Gemini, you don’t need to know anything about astrology to appreciate the twins symbolism. However, if you happen to be familiar with your personal horoscope, this can add another level to your Tarot reading. If you have had your horoscope done, take note of which of your astrological houses are ruled or over-lapped by Gemini, and which (if any) of your planets or points are in Gemini, because in the way that the Tarot holographically casts light on many different areas of life, the twins cards also offer insights into what’s going on in the areas of your life that Gemini presides over. Furthermore, in line with the double fortune theme, take note as to whether Jupiter or Venus make friendly aspects t your planet Mercury (ruler of Gemini), the cusp of your Gemini-ruled house(s), or any planets you have in Gemini.
Food for thought: the Gemini twins were known as the Dioscuri, and were very important deities in ancient times. (Why would people pray to twins? It’s understandable that people would pray to Venus for luck in love, and to Mars for luck in war, but what sort of human needs would they address the Dioscuri for?) When a number of the old gods were converted into catholic saints, the Dioscuri became the twin doctor saints Cosmas and Damian, patrons of healers. (How can we engage the Sacred Twins in healing issues?) In Santeria, Cosmas and Damian are identified with the twin Orishas known as the Ibeji. They are patrons of children, and people also believe they can double their luck and their money by honoring the Ibeji.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Plans for June 7th Session
Hey, everybody! I’m looking forward to seeing some of you on June 7th, 1 p.m., at the Triple Goddess.
I’m thinking about starting with the Spinning Basket divination, which I can do for individuals as they arrive. Because I do these demonstrations for purposes of teaching, and because we also want to draw on the collective wisdom of our spirit mentors, others are invited to kibitz. Also, in the shamanic belief that we can alter our own dream of reality, and that other people have a role in constructing our reality, we typically conclude individual sessions with the basket by inviting our friends to add extra symbols of luck to the arrangement.
Then, by way of demonstrating a simple magico-hypnotic induction for better health, I’ll pass around some grape juice. Last Sunday the TV news show “60 Minutes” did a feature on resveratrol, a substance in grape juice and wine, which switches on an anti-aging gene. Some folks may remember my “dark chocolate induction” for influencing brain modules involved in the stress response, so this will utilize similar principles, with the grape juice.
After that, I will demonstrate a Tarot technique for learning how the archetype of the Sacred Twins is active in your life.
I’m thinking about starting with the Spinning Basket divination, which I can do for individuals as they arrive. Because I do these demonstrations for purposes of teaching, and because we also want to draw on the collective wisdom of our spirit mentors, others are invited to kibitz. Also, in the shamanic belief that we can alter our own dream of reality, and that other people have a role in constructing our reality, we typically conclude individual sessions with the basket by inviting our friends to add extra symbols of luck to the arrangement.
Then, by way of demonstrating a simple magico-hypnotic induction for better health, I’ll pass around some grape juice. Last Sunday the TV news show “60 Minutes” did a feature on resveratrol, a substance in grape juice and wine, which switches on an anti-aging gene. Some folks may remember my “dark chocolate induction” for influencing brain modules involved in the stress response, so this will utilize similar principles, with the grape juice.
After that, I will demonstrate a Tarot technique for learning how the archetype of the Sacred Twins is active in your life.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Finding Meaning in Little Details
Things pertaining to the Ancestor World and the Faery World often engage a type of “elder wisdom” which makes connections between seemingly unconnected events. To pick up on some of the things that came up on the May 3rd session, when we were drawing “Faeries Oracle” cards to pick out “Faery Friends,” one individual pulled the card, “Myk the Myomancer.” Myomancy is the art of divining by the tracks and movements of mice, so this card is about finding meaning in small things. Some of the Faeries Oracle keywords are “small clues” and “details.”
This reminds me of an interesting real life case of making connections, and it involved mice. Some years back, but not too long ago, there was an outbreak of hanta virus in the West, with many of the incidences on Indian reservations. The disease control authorities were initially unable to identify it and figure out what was going on. However, a number of elders recalled a similar outbreak in the past, and they noted that it had occurred in a year when there had been a lot of rain, a lot of pinyon nuts, and a lot of mice. As it happens, hanta virus is borne by mice, which proliferate when abundant rains produce a larger crop of pinyon nuts. We often make fun of old peoples’ rambling reminisces of things that seem trivial, but here’s a case where the memory of a bunch of little environmental details pointed to something significant.
This also reminds me of something my brother, a retired police detective said: it is usually the little, throw-away type details that crack the cases. The “Myk the Myomancer” card would obviously be a good talisman for someone who is in the business of noticing little things and making connections, such as a detective or researcher.
This card is also self-referential, being relevant to the Tarot and other types of Oracles, for here, too, we are looking for patterns that can provide explanations and help us make predictions. Whenever we find images in the cards that relate to other little things that are going on in our lives, this is a delightful affirmation of the holographic nature of reality. Among people who believe in fairies, it is commonly claimed that Fairy World energies are involved in helping to generate little coincidences, and in prodding us to notice them.
This reminds me of an interesting real life case of making connections, and it involved mice. Some years back, but not too long ago, there was an outbreak of hanta virus in the West, with many of the incidences on Indian reservations. The disease control authorities were initially unable to identify it and figure out what was going on. However, a number of elders recalled a similar outbreak in the past, and they noted that it had occurred in a year when there had been a lot of rain, a lot of pinyon nuts, and a lot of mice. As it happens, hanta virus is borne by mice, which proliferate when abundant rains produce a larger crop of pinyon nuts. We often make fun of old peoples’ rambling reminisces of things that seem trivial, but here’s a case where the memory of a bunch of little environmental details pointed to something significant.
This also reminds me of something my brother, a retired police detective said: it is usually the little, throw-away type details that crack the cases. The “Myk the Myomancer” card would obviously be a good talisman for someone who is in the business of noticing little things and making connections, such as a detective or researcher.
This card is also self-referential, being relevant to the Tarot and other types of Oracles, for here, too, we are looking for patterns that can provide explanations and help us make predictions. Whenever we find images in the cards that relate to other little things that are going on in our lives, this is a delightful affirmation of the holographic nature of reality. Among people who believe in fairies, it is commonly claimed that Fairy World energies are involved in helping to generate little coincidences, and in prodding us to notice them.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Ancestor World
Hey everybody, I’ve been wanting to discuss some of the Fairy World insights that came up in the May 3rd session at Triple Goddess, but end-of-semester stuff has kept me from my blog. So, in the upcoming days I’ll turn my attention to various things related to the Froud Faery Oracle and such, but for starters, I want to provide that reference on ancestors. We were talking about how Fairy World energies can be experienced in different parts of our lives, as in relation to Nature, healing, the Dream World, domestic routines, craftsmanship, and more, including through relationship to the Ancestor World. Traditionally there has been a great deal of overlap between the elfin folk and the dead, because in many different ethnic traditions, the dead can become nature spirits or fairy folk; also, there are many stories about fairies who attached themselves to particular families and their descendants. That led to a discussion of our ancestral interrelatedness, and I cited some facts, but couldn’t remember the author.
So, the book I was citing is “Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins” by Steve Olson, [pp.46-47]. Olson himself was citing the work of Yale statistician Joseph Chang, whose computations revealed that just about anyone who lived before a certain date and was successful in having a line of descendants is likely an ancestor to everybody else in the world. The quote I had referred to was this: “If a historical figure who lived more than 1,600 years ago [i.e. before 400 A.D.] had children who themselves had children, that person is almost certainly among our ancestors. Everyone in the world today is likely descended from Nefertiti … from Confucius … and from Julius Caesar …” This crosses racial boundaries, because there was so much travel and interchange among widely different peoples in the ancient world, due to the Silk Road, the expansion of the Roman and other empires, etc. Olson states, “… if 800 years ago our ancestors included even a single European, African, or Asian, then 1,600 years ago our ancestors included most of the adult population of all three continents.”
Of course, if we admit past lives, then we are also ancestors to ourselves.
For the greater part of human history, our ancestors have believed in fairies and other types of Nature spirits, house spirits, etc., and have tried to cultivate good relationships with them. Among them, a number of those ancestors will have had a special rapport with different fairies, including individual fairies and tribes of fairies. Consequently, when certain fairies come up when divining with the Froud Oracle, the Fairy Ring, or any other decks that represent fairy types, we might consider, as an additional level to the interpretation, whether we are reactivating an ancient relationship—whether through ancestral or past life connections—and how that might also pertain to ancestral and past life issues that might be making themselves felt in the present.
So, the book I was citing is “Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins” by Steve Olson, [pp.46-47]. Olson himself was citing the work of Yale statistician Joseph Chang, whose computations revealed that just about anyone who lived before a certain date and was successful in having a line of descendants is likely an ancestor to everybody else in the world. The quote I had referred to was this: “If a historical figure who lived more than 1,600 years ago [i.e. before 400 A.D.] had children who themselves had children, that person is almost certainly among our ancestors. Everyone in the world today is likely descended from Nefertiti … from Confucius … and from Julius Caesar …” This crosses racial boundaries, because there was so much travel and interchange among widely different peoples in the ancient world, due to the Silk Road, the expansion of the Roman and other empires, etc. Olson states, “… if 800 years ago our ancestors included even a single European, African, or Asian, then 1,600 years ago our ancestors included most of the adult population of all three continents.”
Of course, if we admit past lives, then we are also ancestors to ourselves.
For the greater part of human history, our ancestors have believed in fairies and other types of Nature spirits, house spirits, etc., and have tried to cultivate good relationships with them. Among them, a number of those ancestors will have had a special rapport with different fairies, including individual fairies and tribes of fairies. Consequently, when certain fairies come up when divining with the Froud Oracle, the Fairy Ring, or any other decks that represent fairy types, we might consider, as an additional level to the interpretation, whether we are reactivating an ancient relationship—whether through ancestral or past life connections—and how that might also pertain to ancestral and past life issues that might be making themselves felt in the present.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Fairy Activities
Hi All! There have been a great many things I have wanted to communicate since the last post, but this exceptionally demanding semester has kept me from my blogging. However, I am looking forward to next Sunday, when we will explore some ways that fairy energies are active in your life. I will be handing out "fairy friends" from the Froud deck, and then I will demonstrate a number of things that the fairy cards can tell us, including some ways that they can interact with other card decks.--See you then!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Generating Magical Surprises
Today’s chat session at the Triple Goddess was about surprises from the Universe, and we used Page of Cups imagery in the exercises, because many Tarot decks portray the Page gazing in surprise at a fish that leaps out of his cup. (In Jungian psychology, a fish emerging from the water represents new psychic life emerging from the ocean of the Unconscious; the fish also symbolizes fertility and abundance.) We practiced a little Bibliomancy by taking various books off the shelves, reading random passages aloud to the rest of the group, commenting on what meaning these passages might bear for different people, and then inserting fish stickers (with their backing still on, so they don’t mar the books) into those parts of the books, so that the people who eventually buy those books will have the Page of Cups experience of having a fish jump out at them. It’s the little surprise that brings new life up to the conscious level. Then, we did card-search Tarot readings focused on the Page of Cups, to find out where we can manifest magical surprises, followed by Tarot spells, (with a different one for each individual, but assisted by a whole-group visualization to enable each individual to evoke some delightful surprises).
However, I forgot to mention that you can help the process of manifesting lucky surprises in your life by arranging little delights for other people. This is a way of priming the pump for magic, because you are affirming the fact that you can take charge of reality by generating surprises. Find clever ways, even if small, to create surprisingly pleasant experiences for the people in your life. For those who participated in today’s session, you might think of ways that you can activate imagery or information from your Tarot reading or spell, or from other things that came up in today’s session. (For example, you could entertain your family with a little drumming.) The Tarot can also help you with suggestions. You could ask the cards, “What can I do to arrange some special surprise?” and then do a card search to see what the Page of Cups is gesturing toward, or just do a regular reading for suggestions, [such as I describe in my book, “Tarot Your Everyday Guide”], taking your cues from the cards.
However, I forgot to mention that you can help the process of manifesting lucky surprises in your life by arranging little delights for other people. This is a way of priming the pump for magic, because you are affirming the fact that you can take charge of reality by generating surprises. Find clever ways, even if small, to create surprisingly pleasant experiences for the people in your life. For those who participated in today’s session, you might think of ways that you can activate imagery or information from your Tarot reading or spell, or from other things that came up in today’s session. (For example, you could entertain your family with a little drumming.) The Tarot can also help you with suggestions. You could ask the cards, “What can I do to arrange some special surprise?” and then do a card search to see what the Page of Cups is gesturing toward, or just do a regular reading for suggestions, [such as I describe in my book, “Tarot Your Everyday Guide”], taking your cues from the cards.
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