Mantis .'s Blog, page 6

7 of Wands: Extracting Powerful Wisdom

Some challenges in life appear to extract the divine wisdom in us. Without them, we would be left utterly unaware of our own power. All the 7’s in the tarot are numbers of wisdom. Sure, they often indicate a challenge of one kind of another. 7 of Swords, for example, is a call for mental agility as we navigate ethically tricky or otherwise complicated scenarios. What the card is pointing to is the divine intelligence that we possess, ever available to guide us through, and not just announcing a ...

At Peace with Non-Closures. A Reading for Humanity!

Not everything in life will come to a closure, at least not anytime soon. Some issues or dreams stay pending for many years. Some are forgotten before they even really “conclude.” In today’s reading, Death Reversed asks us: are we alright with the non-closures of life? Can we be completely at peace with the non-endings, the lingering questions, the unfinished chapters that remain open? This is particularly true for non-closures that depend on deep, years-long soul-work. Can we be available for t...

The Lovers & Gemini: Awakening in a Reflective Universe. Historical and evolutionary connections.

This is the fourth post of the Astrology of the Major Arcana series, in which we will delve into the astrological associations of the tarot. In the first post, we briefly reviewed all of the rulerships of the Majors. Then, we tooked a look at The Emperor & Aries; followed by an analysis of The Hierophant & Taurus. Next: The Chariot & Cancer.

The Lovers is the sixth card of the Major Arcana of tarot. Classically depicting, in the Smith Waite tradition, a couple of humans protected by an angel ...

Two of Swords: Meditating at a Crossroads. A Reading for Humanity.

At any moment in our lives, the Two of Swords offers us an invitation: do I rebuild, or do I keep growing? Do I need to step back, or do I forge ahead in the current path? The circumstances of our lives are ever changing. Change is really the only constant. It’s quite alright to change direction, but do I really need to? Two of Swords gives us a chance to get clear. The blindfolds traditionally depicted in this card are not ones that have been put on us so that we can’t see. Instead, they are th...

King of Cups: Impactful Engagement from a Centered Place

The King of Cups shows us a way of relating to the world that is connected, engaged, yet centered and emotionally stable. This is no easy feat. At times, it may feel like we exist in two emotional modes: either we connect with what is happening in the world around us, completely losing our grip on our feelings; or, we completely disconnect and shut down in an effort to protect ourselves. Pressed by the urge to act and participate, and to correct what is wrong, we lose ourselves in the process, a...

Self-Sufficiency in an Oppressive World. A Reading for Humanity.

I pulled The Devil three times this week. While this card had some personal messages for me, such as feeling chained to responsibility and work, I couldn’t help but notice that The Devil is also speaking about what is going on in our society.  Knowing that the Cosmic Tarot, created in the 80’s, has strong social and political themes, I decided to bring out The Devil from that deck. Notice how it shows individuals chained to an industrial, patriarchal system of oppression. A decaying world order ...

The Moon: Finding Your Inner Night Vision

The Moon is currently in its New phase in the sign of Gemini. We thought we would take advantage of the moonless sky and go star gazing with my telescope in the high desert, in the middle of the night last night. I am so glad we did; it was a beautiful and healing experience. Even though the Moon was not up in the sky for us to see, her presence had been summoned by the very fact we were going out for a New Moon night adventure. Besides, earlier in the day, I had pulled The Moon card in the taro...

10 of Swords Reversed: Forgiving the Arrows of the Past

10 of Swords Reversed. Can you forgive yourself for the arrows of the past? For every year that has passed, you bear a different knife that still stabs you on the back. You may feel like you ruined your future because of the mistakes of another time.  There would be hope if it weren’t for this and that decision, you may think to yourself. Think not these things. These bridges between past and future are but constructs, my dear. Many of them are imagined. The reality is much more free. The ropes ...

Knight of Cups and Death: a Comparative Analysis

Am I only now paying mind to how similar some of the components of the Knight of Cups and the Death card are? Both show a horseman riding to the right, their horses with the right legs lifted. Both riders are armored and hold up an object: the Knight bears a cup; Death, the white rose flag. A river flows on the background of both cards. Both cards are connected with the Water element: the Knight, via its suit of Cups; Death, by its rulership by Scorpio, a water sign.

Could the connection...

Gratefully Expanding. A Reading for Humanity!

Energy of the Moment: The Empress and The Sun. We continue growing within the walls of our own worlds, whatever limitations may be there. As we connect to our journey day after day, and as we inquire with our soul on a regular basis, The Sun shines the light of awareness upon our path. Whatever we need to grow on, that is shown to us. Whatever we need to expand on, that is revealed to us. Wherever we are called to be fully appreciative and grateful for, we are led to. The energy is one of...