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Lapis Philosophorum » energy

Reading #17: Moon Energy

Posted in Alchemical Tarot, Journal on September 26th, 2010 by Kristine Gazel

Another  Little Cross on my current situation. For Situation I got The Moon and for Challenge I got 7 of Vessels – The Tools.

From the Alchemical Tarot Study Group:

“Tarot wisdom: The Moon represents the night before the dawn. It is a time of patience, rest and reflection, in which the soft energies of the moon compel us to enter the waters of the unconscious, the heart of the mystery.

As the embodiment of the white stone, the Moon represents a level of mastery in which we are in control of our actions, because we are conscious of psychological influences which remain unconscious to others. We have been purified, and now enjoy freedom of choice in our activities, and patient acceptance of the activities of others”.

This is about being able to wait, and wait – and accept the waiting. To be aware of what is going out on the deeper, irrational and unconscious levels, and look with acceptance on whatever is going on the surface. With the patience comes strenght and mastery.

The Moon  is the White Stone, which in Alchemy preceedes the making of the Red Stone – the challenge now is to store and contain this White Stone, this energy; and decide which vessel is best suited for the task, which one is the right.

The golden chalice at the bottom will be the end container for what is at the beginning just a tiny drop dripping out. It is not meant to be used  or put in action just yet. Or to out it differently, it is not ready to be drunk quite yet. It is not finished. It has to be carefully kept, until the mixture  is ripe and ready.

Another aspect of this card – apart for choosing the right vessel, is the aspect of inner guidance – I will know – quitly and intuitively how to store this Moon Energy – by  listening to my inner voice.

Images from The Alchemical Tarot, copyright Robert M. Place, are used with kind permission. Visit the Alchemical Tarot website.

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Reading #9: Clarity

Posted in Alchemical Tarot, Journal on January 17th, 2010 by Kristine Gazel

After shuffling and when laying the two cards on the table, I silently ask for clarity.

I got; The Situation as the Lady of Vessels crossed by the Challenge as The Five of Staffs or The Burning Hand.

The Lady is standing on the water, on top of it, without being afraid of the powers it presents, both as a Force of Nature and as a Symbol of the Unconsciousness, that we are all in danger of being owerswimmed by,  at times. But not this Lady. She is mastering this element, in fact she is it’s personification.

The Alchemical Tarot Study Group says:

Tarot wisdom: You have poise, grace and self-control. Your inner beauty shines out. You have an inner appreciation of how you handle yourself. You are mastering what you have.

This is clarity and differentiation, intuition and being confident, as is also suggested.  But then comes the Challenge as presented by the Burning Hand.

The Burning Hand

Now, the Fives – in my book – is about disturbance, challenge, change, transformation and disintegration. And this is what this hand is telling about.

The hand is about creative energy but also about not getting burned by the very same creativity:

Tarot wisdom: You are enthusiastic and inspired by your work or other fires (channels for your energy). Your creative energy is at its peak, fuelled by the spirit. If your work is all-consuming, or if you are not in touch with your higher self, the message warns that you risk burning yourself up. Do not become a workaholic.

The Hand presents a challenge to status quo, a urge to use my creativity, and this brings about change. On the other hand – so to speak, it also represents a warning of a danger. Of what happens if this creative fire is not wisely guided and chanelled. That this can lead to burn or burn out.

I guess then, that clarity comes with the ability to balance cool water with burning fire and vice versa.

You got the cool water when the fever runs high …

Equilibrium.

Images from The Alchemical Tarot, copyright Robert M. Place, are used with kind permission. Visit the Alchemical Tarot website.

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Reading #7: January Energy Drain

Posted in Alchemical Tarot, Journal on January 3rd, 2010 by Kristine Gazel

In as much as I love the celebration of the New Year and the promises of renewal and transformation that it brings, I simply can’t stand the long, cold and dark month of January. I now feel totally drained by the very thought of it – lying there  ahead of us.

January simply sucks in Copenhagen.

Since this is my first post in the PDR this year, I think I should ask how I best take care of my self and my energy to meet January.  Maybe it is just a question of being neutral, and to know from which sources to renew my energy.

I guess I’ll simply do a modified celtic cross with 6 cards to understand my current situation, letting 2 be hope and fear too, so that I may understand what makes the very thought of January so depressing  and burdensome;

3

5   1/2   6

4

Let’s see how it works out:

1. This covers me: Lady of Coins. This is me – trying to keep my feet on the ground, appreciating the little things, Nature’s gifts, flowers and such. This Lady may be paying too much attention to the materialistic stuff, and too little to the Moon, and spirituality.

Well, I guess I try to do that, and the Yule spread encouraged me to do that, but also to find ways to work out practical ways to connect to spirituality (more about this in a later post).

Maybe I’m looking too pessimistic and practical on the time ahead, and on earthly matters – such as bringing children to and from daycare, getting to work, having enough sleep, money and what to have for dinner –  and not so much on the possibilities that also lies in these things?

2. This crosses me / hope and fear: Six of Coins. The children – my children – understands how to have a playful attitude towards the earthly and practical matters – the practicalities of everyday life. So I guess yes – I do look too pessimistic and practical on these things. I can learn from my children. I can learn about love, generosity and play in everyday life.

3. This crowns me: Three of Coins. I sometimes tell my querents that this is about their ideals, about what they want to do with their life, their longings, wishes and ambitions. And this tells me, that – yes -what I want to is to work creatively.

4. This grounds me: The Chariot. Will power – ego drive. Stuff has to be done, I have to do certain things, in order to get going. I do that excellently, but sometimes it bores me – and I may go too fast. From The Alchemical Tarot Study Group:

Tarot wisdom: The Chariot shows us what can happen when we become impatient. Alchemical heating is a patient process – the alchemist should not add too much heat too fast. As we draw closer to the Stone, we glimpse it, and want to get to it as quickly as possible.  It has been hidden from view–now it is in plain sight. But getting there, to spiritual wholeness, is not a fast process. We must check our impulse to charge off, and proceed more slowly and carefully. We must stay centered.

The Chariot offers us exuberance, energy, ambition, and willingness to take on a challenge. These are good traits that can serve us well, as long as they are properly managed and tempered. The long distance traveler knows how to pace himself so as not to burn out before reaching his destination.

So I’ll have to use my will power, but also be wise and go patiently.

5. This lies behind me: Queen of Staffs. I have experienced creative and emotional energy during x-mas, for example by writing, reading and being with my family. This energy I’m leaving now, and the thought of this – feels like the energy drain, that initiated this reading.

3 of Swords

Three of Swords

6. This lies before me: Three of Swords.The feeling that my thoughts have everything to do with my pessimistic attitude and approach towards January is very much confirmed by this, and it tells me that I must look at my own expectations to grow and get out of my winter blues.

Again from The Alchemical Tarot Study Group:

This card represents pain and suffering, but also shows how our suffering can lead to new growth. In the book Place says that the eye symbolises the soul and suggests and awakening consciousness. He also says that suffering is necessary to achieve the consciousness of the higher self.

Because this is a sword card, and represents the mental realm it is also important to ask what part your own thoughts and expectations and mental habits play in your current suffering. Is the suffering a wake-up call to encourage you to change your mental patterns to enable growth? If the rose is the goal of Alchemy then suffering can be seen as an opportunity to grow and to become all that we potentially can become.

So: The Chariot tells me to be in control, patient and go steady. I have to work on my attitude, be wiser, and look and learn from the children. I have an real opportunity to learn how my own thought patterns play a crucial role for my energy level, and that I do have the responsibility for changing my attitude, and thereby my energy.

Otherwise January will suck and the three swords will cut me, and my expectations will fullfil themselves as a painful prophecy.

Images from The Alchemical Tarot, copyright Robert M. Place, are used with kind permission. Visit the Alchemical Tarot website.

1. Centrum ”This covers you”

2. Det, der kommer på tværs ”This crosses you”

3. Det højere Selv ”This crowns you”

4. Det ubevidste ”This grounds you”

5. Nærmeste fortid ”This lies behind you”

Nærmeste fremtid ”This lies before you”

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Reading #2: How can I balance my life?

Posted in Alchemical Tarot, Journal, Meanings on January 13th, 2009 by Kristine Gazel

This year I’ve decided to focus on Temperance. The idea of Temperance (and the card also) is very much about Equilibrium and Balance.

Therefore I asked the cards about how I can best balance the different aspects (roles, task and identities) of my life. As a mother, a wife, as a co-worker, a friend and as, well, me. How can I make all that a whole person?

In a short while I’m going back to my job after 11 months on maternal leave, and would like to know how to balance things so my life with my little projects, work, family etc does not end up being too stressfull and chaotic. In fact I’m a little bit afraid to get drained of energy in the swing of things.

I drew 10 of Staffs: The Phoenix : rebirth, strengthened by ordeal, renewed strength; 3 of Staffs:  The ship: a new wave, reinforcements, replenishment;  and the Lovers: The Minor Conjunction, love, sex, attraction, coming together.

One of the things I have to get used to by this deck is that Place connects Staffs (or Wands) with the feeling function, not the intuitive function, of the Psychological Types coined by C.G. Jung. So the two Staffs card makes this very much about feelings and about valuing. (Appearently feelings should not be confused with emotions. Emotions can rise from all of the four psychological functions).

There is some passion in this reading, I should say.

10 of Staffs

The Alchemical Study Group at AT says about the 10 of Staffs: “The phoenix represents the birth of a new personality. Tarot wisdom: You have been transformed by your experiences. You have been tested by fire; your old self has died away, and a new self is being born. You are renewed .”

During the months of my maternal leave and by giving birth to a new little child, some changes have already happened to me. A transformation has taken place, so that I am actually ready for the new phase in my life. I can start anew. I am also at a point in my life where I am proactively starting changes for myself. For example I’ve decided to let go of my overweight and a lot of bad habits. Im ready to let go, purify, and let something new into my life. 

There certainly is a lot of power in this image of fire. 

The Alchemical Study Group at AT says about the 3 of Staffs: Tarot wisdom: Your ship has come in. Energy has been put out, and now it returns in reward. What you have been waiting for is arriving; the project will be complete. Or, the message may point to the arrival of reinforcements to help out in a tough situation.

3 of Staffs

I guess that this means that I need not to be afraid to get drained. I have the power in my self to sustain, and there will come reinforcements from my reserves, as long as I stick to my course. Here I also have in mind the UW 3 of Wands. I also think of this ship in connection to the Six of Swords, and my soul journey, I’m going to embark on this spring. That will provide me with energy too.

The Alchemical Study Group at AT says about the Lovers, that “The Lovers mark the first or lesser conjunction of the masculine and feminine principles, symbolized by the union of the Emperor and the Empress, with their spiritual essence, Sol and Luna, in the background. This is called the alchemical wedding, and was depicted in the texts as a wedding ceremony, or more often as a consummation of the marriage. […] [A]nd ideally balance between the male and female aspects of our personalities. The Lovers are in harmony with each other, and therefore with the entire physical world”.

The Lovers are in fact doing what the Temperance is ultimately doing on a more sophisticated level: Mixing and combining opposites; female and male energies, solar and lunar. This is the alchemical wedding in the more mundane, sensual form. I’m also thinking about my husband and about my marriage, and that tending my love for and with him really is a key to make things work – of course. All you need is love. Well, love certainly is the x-factor to make the world go around. That goes for our little world too.

Lovers

Something is also telling me that a key to balancing and healing (making whole) my life is passion. To be passionate about things. If some activity does not “do it” for me or fail to make me want to “just do it”, it has to get out of my life. 

The overall message seems to be : The balance will be right. Just do it.

Images from The Alchemical Tarot, copyright Robert M. Place, are used with kind permission. Visit the Alchemical Tarot website.

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Summary – the Sacred Days of Yule Spread

Posted in DruidCraft Tarot, Journal on January 3rd, 2009 by Kristine Gazel

I will now try to make a quick summary of the whole of the Sacred Days Of yule Spread, where I look more on the cards themselves than on their positional meanings.

I allow my self to also see this as what could happen to or in me (as a process of transformation) in the upcoming year of 2009.

I drew 4 Majors; The Hermit, The Star, The Strength, and The Fferyllt.
I drew 3 Courts: The Princess of Wands, The Princess of Swords, and the Queen of Wands.
I drew 2 fives; 5 of Pentacles and 5 of Cups,
8 and 10 of Wands, and 6 of Swords.

Thereby Wands are best presented, then Swords – and then Cups and Pentacles by one card each.
The dynamic element of fire is thus dominant, especially by counting the Strength and The Fferyllt in.
Also there is a dominance of female energy in the cards, the Princesses and the Queen, and three Majors depicting aspects of the Goddess.

I think this has something to do with stop hiding my true Self in the shadows (Hermit), and instead letting myself grow and let my potential flourish more in the open. Something new can take it’s beginning and something is on its way (The Princesses and 8 of Wands). But I have to rid my self of outburnt, old energy (10 of Wands) and let go of feelings of or fear of loosing and abandonment (The fives). I think this has to with a feeling of guilt. I also think that this will be a slow, quiet process as depicted in the 6 of Swords. And I do know what this process is, and that it will and must be slow.

The Princesses tell me that it has also something to do with creativity and getting in touch with my spirit through knowledge, learning and rationality (Princess of Swords). Maybe even through writing – which would be the natural way for me to express my creativity. The Queen of Wands as the final card tells me about manifestation and maturation of the sexuality and creativity as represented by the Princess of Wands.

Finally there is The Star, The Strength and the Fferyllt. It seems that I will be in contact with some feminine, very strong energies. They are about Tranguility, about Blending and Balancing energies, and not to be afraid of being in Power.

Overall this is about not being afraid, of letting things go and to be confident in my Self.

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A working definition

Posted in Tarot on November 16th, 2008 by Kristine Gazel

Recently I wrote an introduction to Tarot on my danish web site page about Tarot Reading.

The writing process, that did in fact resulted in a sort of essay, gave me a clearer understanding of my own view upon the Tarot, and a working definition:

Tarot is a language of symbols, that we understand intuitively and with which we communicate with the unconsciousness to get a deeper understanding of the possibilities that lie latent in the Now.

I also understand the Tarot in terms of Energy: I think the Tarot in itself pictures different kinds and levels of energy in a symbolic form.

Therefore I see the Magician as the card that in itself symbolises or
personalizes the Tarot. Both because he master the energy – divine or unconsciouss forces – and because he has the Tarot symbols as tools on his table. He has the elements in his power.

The Magician master the Now perfectly, and he is connecting using himself as the channel of energy the heaven and the earth. He has the lemniscate
hoovering above his head, the symbol of infinity and endless possibilities. The roses and lillies symbolizes what we need to understand and have in our hearts to master the Tarot: Love and Purity.

The Magician symbolizes paradoxically both potential and manifestation at the same time. Nothing is impossible for the Magician.

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