Lapis Philosophorum

My question this sunday is What shall I focus on in the coming week?

Again I turn to the simplicity of the little cross. I chose to read card 1 as the internal focus and card 2 as the external focus.

Card 1: Ten of Vessels. This card I have not seen before. A gigantic vessel or rather a system of ten vessels. Or actually I think it is a still. I guess this is about purification through destillation. In regard to my own wishes and plans about writing it has to do with letting the process take its own course, let it simmer for it self and thereby riping, like wine. 

Place calls this card the Still – and the keywords are connectedness, a network, the Internet. It makes sense, since much of my communication and writing takes place on the internet and – I hope – in connection with other people.

The Alchemical Tarot Study Group quoting from the companion book says:

An alchemical still is composed of ten vessels united into one still. In ten, the many come back to the one.

Tarot wisdom: No one is emotionally separate and alone. Harmony comes from recognizing your connections to others. Don’t isolate yourself–you need others to make your way in life. On a spiritual level, recognize your part in the greater whole of the divine cosmos, and know that the function of each individual is essential to the harmony of the whole.

As for creativity I guess this is about acknowledging that it all comes from and all goes back to the same source. Inspiration comes from the great Vessel, and is to be given back. Inspiration can not be held as it is in a constant flow or circulation.

Card 2: Lady of Coins. This Lady I’ve met one or two times before. Again she reminds me of my daily business and routine, and about continuely appreciating doing them, being in the now. Carpe Diem!

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

The first week of Januar. Went. Not well, but it went. My sinusitis came back. Copenhagen is freesing. I feel like hibernating until February. I’ve written about spiritual practise today, but frankly, I feel blocked and doubtful right now.

So what is it about? Let me do a little reading – The little Cross again; The Situation crossed by the Challenge:

The situation gives me The Empress: Here we have the Alchemical Vessel personified by the Mother Goddess herself.

Again from The Alchemical Tarot Study Group:

Alchemically, the Empress represents the alchemical vessel, which nurtures the creation of the philosopher’s stone. She continues the process of dissolution of the prima materia, begun by the High Priestess.

Tarot wisdom: The Empress signifies the potential to bring forth great abundance, the bounties of life, a spiritual flowering. She is grounded in the earth, and therefore in the material world, which helps us keep our center as we probe the spiritual planes. However, we cannot take this abundance for granted. The alchemical womb must be watched and tended, lest it abort, and we be forced to start anew.

Again, I think this has do with grounding and nurturing. I guess I simply tend to forget this, while (still) feeling self pity about January.

I guess I will meditate on this card for the next week, and try to nurture the aspects of everyday life that has to do with the Goddess. And nurture my children, husband, and myself as mother and wife, and woman of course.

I’m afraid I has been withdrawing into myself  and that is not a way to tend to this alchemical vessel, I think.

Crossed by Two of Swords as the challenge:

I’m being involved in thought processes, that are too airy, too dualistic, too intellectual.  If I let it be, I might find a compromise of wisdom (the owl) in a entirely different place, than where I look for it now. Maybe it is a conflict between emotion on one side (the sword with the red handle) and rationality on the other (the sword with the blue handle). Or maybe it is this dichotomy itself that is the problem.

So here I read the Challenge card as an obstacle, something that prevents me from going to the source of the Goddess, so to speak. I’m simply troubled with thoughts and rationalizations. Maybe the owl is telling me to hover over this and that is in doing that I find wisdom.

By the Empress, and pointing back to my last reading, by Children.  In this particular reading I see the Empress’ child, Eros, symbolising both children, childish things and Love.

And the Two swords also points back to the Three swords from last week; That thoughts and mental processes can sometimes be a problem in it self.  I can actually forget what is most important in the midst of them.

But then I’m gently reminded.

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

This is a brief summary of The Sacred Days of Yule Spread.
Since the actual sickle of the Seven of Pentacles came out at the end, my focus will be on the practical aspects of the spread, or how can I use the messages of the cards/the spread practically – to the extent that this is possible?

Overview
I drew 5 Majors: World, Rebirth, Justice, The High Priestess and The Lord
1 Sword (Princess)
3 Cups (Prince, Ace, Queen)
3 Pentacles (King, Five, Seven)
No Wands

This seems to be about obtaining a balance between the emotional, intutitive, irrational, feminine powers on one side, and masculine, rational, structural and protective powers on the other.

I have the feeling that I should use the latter to protect my path towards and my work with the former. There is no wands. No Fire. Except from the Lord if we say that he is elementally connected with Fire.

So this about the equilibrium between rational and irrational and about connecting with earth (grounding) in order to flow (creatively, spiritually and intuitively). The last card most of all reminded me to use this in a down to earth, concrete manner.

Advice
So let’s see – what the cards could be telling me – about this aspect:

1. Prince of Cups: Keep up my interest in dreams, especially be aware of the male figures in them.
2. World: Allow my light to shine, and other’s as well. Do not envy.
3. Rebirth: Accept my calling, take steps to follow it.
4. Justice: Decide that this is my path. Be fair towards my self and others.
5. Princess of Swords: Cool it. Be calm, distanced and objective whenever appropriate and possible.
6. High Priestess: I did what first came to mind; started reading Women who run with wolwes.
7. King of Pentacles: Be mild, trustworthy and generous, yet strict if the situation demands it.
8. Ace of Cups: Dive in (actually I first wrote “divine in”) – accept my true source of power and energy.
9. Queen Of Cups: Nurture myself to allow myself to open up to this source.
10. 5 of Pentacles: Don’t worry.
11. The Lord: Define boundaries, limits and structures to create space, time and energy (for example by working less).
12. 7 of Pentacles: Be practical, be concrete.

Actually, it’s like the whole spread is saying “Do something about it, come on, you can do it” or simply: “Just do it”.

What is it then, that I should just do?

I think it is Writing. Funny then, that there are no Wands, but I guess, it lies in the Ace of Cups; it is all there. All anyone can ever need of inspiration, creativity and love. The gifts of the Goddess.

Birth of Freyja: – Dec 27th. This card points to issues of love, luck, artistic and creative expression and female wisdom.

Ace of Cups
I do feel lucky, drawing this card.

The is a lot of abundance happening here – if I may put it that way. And again the Moon Sickle hangs high in the night sky – or the morning sky – because it seems like the Sun is rising in the east. The Goddess is in the form of water pouring herself out in five streams. I think I’ve learned that five is the number of Venus (and in the norse mythology Freya) – the goddess of love and luxury.

This card is about dreaming, inspiration, creativity and love, according to the book. Well, I do not need the book to see that. And so it seems to accentuate and second the meaning of the position. This is the gifts of the Godess. This is available to everybody – including me – if they understand how to connect with her spirit as does the High Priestess.