Week at a Glance: Scythe and Lady

Follow up on Nov. 3 reading

Click _HERE_ to read last week's post if you wish.

My cards for the week of Nov. 3 from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand by Ciro Marchetti (U.S. Games) were LILIES (30) and BIRCH/BROOM (11). I also drew a clarification card: BIRDS (12). From my own interpretation combined with the comments on the blog entry, I watched for an argument [Birch/Broom] or misunderstanding [Birds] with someone I consider to be wise or perhaps an older person [Lilies].

The only incident that I see as possibly related is a very minor disagreement I had with my elderly mother about whether she should be trying to push a large couch across the garage floor by herself. (She wanted to sweep the floor -- hahaha -- BROOM, get it?) I live three minutes from her house and would have been happy to come and help her (something I have told her many, many times). So this type of conversation has occurred before, with me scolding Mom and her arguing that she doesn't want to "bother" me. Interesting.

Reading for Nov. 10

Now, let's see what the Gilded Reverie Lenormand says about the coming week.

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

We have SCYTHE (10) and LADY (29).

Like the suit of Swords in the Tarot, the SCYTHE cuts "both ways." It can be used as a tool or a weapon. Ciro Marchetti notes that it can represent "a call to action."  The LADY could represent me or a woman I am going to encounter or interact with. In her book The Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle, Sylvie Steinbach writes that "Scythe + woman = decisive person, surgeon, leader."

It is interesting that based on the placement of these two cards, the Lady is gazing at the Scythe with a contemplative expression on her face, as if considering what she might do with that particular tool/weapon. I think perhaps I am going to be faced with the need to make a decision this week, a decision that could lead to "cutting something away" or "cutting through something." How will I choose to wield the Scythe?

Listen to the Animals: Walrus

For this new Tarot Notes feature, I am planning to pull one card each week from a different animal-themed deck to represent an important message from that animal.

If you are interested in finding out who your own Animal Guides are, you can get an Animal Guides Reading through my _Etsy shop_ or my _Web Site_.

This week my deck is Steven D. Farmer's Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, illustrated by Bee Sturgis (Hay House).

Before I draw a card, I want to share a wonderful dream I had last night (or early this morning). In the dream, I was introduced to two large owls and two tigers. All four creatures were basically tame and affectionate with humans. I learned a command (which I cannot remember) to call the owls to me. The dream was vivid and realistic in a tactile sense when it came to the softness of the owl's feathers and the tiger's short, somewhat coarse coat.

Let's see which animal comes forward for me in this one-card reading.


It's the walrus, the perfect animal to lead off this series! This creature has long been one of my totems and favorite animals. I even have a collection of walruses of all kinds. Here are a few of them:

If you can read the card, above, you will see that it says:

"Remain vigilant about the current situation;
pay attention to signs and omens, and let
them dictate your choices."

I confess that I do not strongly associate "vigilance" with walruses. What stands out with them for me is the fact that they are clumsy and awkward on land, but very graceful in the water. Symbolically, this may refer to the importance of being emotionally "fluent" with less (if any) emphasis on physical or material skills.

Here is a picture of a walrus I took gliding on his back through his "swimming pool":

Although adult walruses have few predators, they still need to be vigilant just as any animal needs to be vigilant. A young, weak, or sick walrus can easily fall prey to a killer whale or polar bear.

According to _Wikipedia_, in an article that boasts a great many credible references, the walrus appears in several myths and stories of the Arctic peoples. I especially like the story of the old walrus-headed woman who rules the bottom of the sea, who is in turn linked to the Inuit goddess Sedna.

6 of Swords: Astrological Associations

Astrological associations for the Minor Arcana cards typically involve a planet, a zodiac sign, and/or a house. The attributions established by the Order of the Golden Dawn (OGD) are by far the most commonly used. However, there are other associations out there. As a professional astrologer, I find it interesting to compare and contrast these associations. (The use of astrological associations with Tarot is completely up to the reader. This is intended to be interesting and fun!)

Credits for the decks and books mentioned in this post can be found _HERE_.
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SIX OF SWORDS

Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley

For Crowley and the Order of the Golden Dawn, the Six of Swords is linked with the planet Mercury (thinking, communication, the mind, logic, reason) and the sign Aquarius (a Fixed Air sign known for being innovative, idealistic, humanitarian, and intellectual).

Crowley titles the card "Science" and notes "The perfect balance of all mental and moral faculties, hardly won, and almost impossible to hold in an ever-changing world, declares the idea of Science in its fullest interpretation."

Hajo Banzhaf and Brigitte Theler (in Keywords for the Crowley Tarot) describe the energy of the card as: "Innovative (Aquarius) thinking (Mercury) and philosophical, scientific (Aquarius) perceiving (Mercury)."

The Whispering Tarot by Liz Hazel

Liz Hazel's astrological associations for the Six of Swords align with those of Crowley and the Golden Dawn: Mercury/Aquarius. Hazel's DMs for this card include: "display of talents and knowledge; clever resourcefulness; a proclivity for science or art; moving up on the ladder of one's profession; travel for intellectual purposes; messages share with public; advertising." And those are assigned to the well-dignified Six of Swords. Ill-dignified: "a plan gone awry because of misunderstandings or garbled communications; overconfidence in abilities; efforts derided by one who wishes to undermine capacities or prevent progress."

One World Tarot by Crystal Love

Crystal Love associates the Six of Swords with the second subdivision of Libra (natural ruler Venus; subruler Saturn). She writes: "Saturn brings grief and trouble to this subdivision but promises success after obstacles and difficulties have been overcome, or toward the latter half of the life. Difficulties may be many and may relate to marriage or partnerships in general..." She notes the following "Traditional Interpretations": "Moving away from imminent danger. Travel or a new home. Success after anxiety."

The Mandala Astrological Tarot by A.T. Mann

Like Crowley and the Golden Dawn, Mann associates the Six of Swords with the energy of Mercury in Aquarius. Mann calls Swords Five, Six, and Seven "The Clouds of Aquarius," and links the Six of Swords with the period between January 30-February 8. Yellow is the color associated with Mercury and violet is associated with Aquarius on the King Scale of Color.

Mann's divinatory meanings for the Six of Swords: "New experiences and progressive thinking in group situations must be judged quickly and then stabilized for maximum effect. An awakening of the conscious mind inventively." Reversed: "A tendency to be too idealistic when confronted with reality leads to loneliness and isolation. Unconventional behaviour can lead to antagonism and chaos."

_The Tarot and Astrology by David Thornton_
(illustrated in this blog by the Universal Waite tarot deck)

_David Thornton_ associates the Six of Swords with the placement of the planet Mercury in the Eleventh House (House of Friends, Hopes, and Wishes). The Eleventh House in astrology is associated with the sign Aquarius.

Thornton's description of the energy of the Six of Swords is: "Progressive thinking, an interest in invention or reform."

_Tarot Dynamics System by Anna Burroughs Cook_
(illustrated in this blog by the Universal Waite tarot deck)

In Anna Cook's TD system, Subject Card Six signifies "Commitment." The key word for the suit of Swords in this system is Challenging, which gives us Challenging/Commitment(s) for the Six of Swords. In astrology the Sixth House, ruled by Mercury, is commonly known as the House of Work and Service (among other things). The sign associated with the Sixth House is Virgo. However, Cook uses the second decan of Aquarius (subruler: Mercury) for the Six of Swords.

A.E. Thierens, PhD. (Astrology & the Tarot)

Thierens notes that Mercury is lord of the Sixth House. He associates the Six of Swords with "The element of Earth on the Sixth house, and the Virgo-particulars expressed in 'earth' become the 'ways' that carry the message from the centre, the heart, to the parts of the system." His keywords for this card include: "route, way, canal, conveyance, nervous system, a course, a voyage to be made, a cure or even emigration." He also writes that the Six of Swords can represent a vision or materialisation from the "other side" and may also refer to "the passing over to that side, the crossing of the Styx, which seems to be indicated by the picture of this card. The cusp of the seventh house in the horoscope is 'the end,' in the same way as the ascendant is 'the beginning.'"

(Note: If you are interested in learning more about this system put forth by Thierens, I recommend the book referenced above.)

In summary, for the Six of Swords we have:

• Crowley, Hazel, and Mann with a Mercury/Aquarius association
• Love with Libra /Venus/ Saturn
• Thornton with Mercury/11th House (ruled by Aquarius)
• Cook with the second decan of Aquarius (subruled by Mercury)
• Thierens with Earth/6th House (ruled by Mercury/Virgo)

According to Arthur Waite, the Six of Swords refers to a journey, route, or way (especially by water). The Rider-Waite-Smith card shows a ferryman carrying passengers, with rough water shown to the right of the boat, and smooth water ahead. Taking into account the prevalent astrological association of this card with the planet Mercury and the Air sign Aquarius, I do get a strong impression of mental "travel" or perhaps a "journey" using some form of electronic communication. Aquarius rules electronic devices.

At the same time, this card (from the RWS) has always made me think of "ferrying dead souls across the Styx" as Thierens points out. I am also fascinated by his comment about the cusp of the seventh house meaning "the end" and the possibility of "a vision or materialisation from the 'other side.'"

Week At a Glance: Lilies and Birch/Broom

First, allow me to follow up on my Oct 27 Week At a Glance reading.

Looks like I need more practice with the Lenormand (not surprising, as I've only just recently started trying to read with it). I say I need more practice because not much that happened this past week seems to relate to the cards I drew on the 27th (at least not to my knowledge).

I'll go through and make a few comments. If you want to read everything I wrote about these cards, the original post is _HERE_.

1. Someone I will meet, what comes out of that meeting.
Book (26) + Rider (1)
My interpretation: I am tempted to take the Book card literally, as I expect my first self-published book to be printed this week -- or at least to come very close. However, this could refer to any of my previously published books and someone I might meet related to one of them. I hope the "unexpected situation" is pleasant rather than unpleasant.

Although I didn't actually *meet* anyone new or have a *meeting* per se, I did receive unexpected, unpleasant news concerning my self-published book. Fortunately, the problem was relatively minor and the illustrator and I figured out a way around it. But it was disappointing nevertheless, and time was lost.

6. Something that will help me.
Bear (15) + Anchor (35)
My interpretation: Being in a financially stable, secure position will help me.

This is pretty much true every week of my life but this past week I did something really stupid to the car that required expensive repairs, and being financially stable and secure certainly made that experience "bearable." (Get it? LOL)

9. Something nice.
Fox (14) + Child (13)
My interpretation: Since this is supposed to refer to "something nice," perhaps my suspicions about someone being "tricky" or "deceptive" will turn out to be wrong, and I'm being encouraged to believe the best and stop looking at things with a jaundiced eye. I also have plans to go to a restaurant called "The Fox" with my sister this week, where we will sing karaoke and presumably have a nice time.

I think this definitely referred to singing karaoke with my sister at The Fox. The Child card is perfect, since our connection naturally goes back to childhood (she is 7 years younger than I, so I remember her clearly as a very young child). Singing together also brought out the "inner child" in both of us, and we had a very nice time. I was also introduced to a song that is apparently an internet sensation, though I had never heard of it: _What Does the Fox Say?_

After giving the other cards and their interpretations a lot of thought, I don't see a connection to the events of the past week for me. Perhaps I am just not seeing something that is there, or perhaps more practice with the Lenormand will sharpen my interpretation skills so that I can deduce what the cards actually refer to.

So.... not to be defeated, I am going to do a smaller Week at a Glance reading with the Gilded Lenormand (Ciro Marchetti / U.S. Games Systems Inc.), using just two cards. I am asking the deck to show me what sort of energy, circumstances, or personal qualities I need to be aware of during the upcoming week. Here we go!

My cards are LILIES (30) and BIRCH/BROOM (11)

From a personal perspective, I associate lilies with death and rebirth or resurrection. I can relate to the interpretations I have seen elsewhere that include peace, contentment, satisfaction, purity, and nurturing. This card can also be seen to represent a "father figure" or even an older woman or "mother figure." The Lily can represent sexuality. Astrological references are Saturn (wisdom) and the sign Capricorn.

Personally, when I see Birch/Broom (traditionally known as The Whip), I think of sweeping or cleaning (with a broom), tidying things up, and/or punishment or an attack (the birch whip). Traditionally, this card tends to represent conflict, strife, arguments, violence, exercise, or sports. Apparently it is also seen to represent sexual power and possible misuse of that energy. Astrological references are Mars (sex) and Pluto (deviance) and the sign Scorpio.

These two cards seem to me to represent opposing energies: peace vs. conflict, nurturing vs. abuse, calm vs. agitated, and so forth. In her book The Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle, Sylvie Steinbach describes this card combination as "passive aggressive, stubborn pain, yoga, tai chi."

I think I can rule out yoga and tai chi here, as I have no interest in either one. It seems that both cards are associated with sexuality, but I honestly don't see that as a primary focus for me. Perhaps this pairing simply alerts me that there are likely to be ups and downs this coming week, "a time for war and a time for peace" and all that. Perhaps I will need to be a "lily" that diffuses a "birch/broom" moment, or maybe I will need to wield the whip myself to address an undesirable situation?