La Temperanza-Temperance-Matiging

Last September I had journaled here, on the Death Card. I was going through the Major Arcana, became distracted, and never got around to finishing what I had started. So, today, I want to move on to the 14th Major Card, Temperance.

When you look at the placement of this card, in the line up of the 22 Major cards, it has a rather dire set of friends surrounding it. Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, and the Tower. What a group of cards to hang out with. Ugh. I looked up a Traditional meaning, from the 'Complete Book of Tarot' by Onna and Rob Docters van Leeuwen. "Life on earth is over- the process of dying commences. The wanderer is now in a stage of transition.The dimensions of time and space unite, which makes further life on earth impossible. The Angel Rapheal receives and preserves the humans essences. A dying human has no more material wishes, is calm, modest, temperate.

Racheal Pollock states, the Angel resembles the Greek goddess Iris, whose sign was the rainbow. Rainbows represent peace after the storm. The card represents moderation, balance in all things, doing the right thing, no matter what the outcome. Sometimes it means doing nothing. Simply wait. You have an Angel right here, guiding you, let her do her job. This energy brings about balance and peace. Finding a way for all things to work out, even though we have no idea how it could happen. That's why there are Angels.....here to help us. If it does mean the process of dying, and it can mean dying to many things, in many ways. Each may be hard to let go of, but time to really let it go. Feels like a death, you may have to cry, grieve, write goodbye letters. It'll be ok.

If this card was to Speak, I believe it would say.....'I am Temperance, you need me because....'

If you are really following the path of the cards, you have already been through the Hanged Man, Death, me, yet to come is the Devil and the Tower. What you cannot see ahead, I can see. You are in a great cycle of change, Alchemy. It might feel like the worst is over, but I say not. You need to rest, trust your Angel to guide you. You need to do mundane things to ground you. You may need to reach out to others, going through the same dark, sunless valleys you are trudging through.

These are other 'Temperance' cards I added, I love the symbols from them. Again, an Angel. Raphael: 'He who presides over every suffering and every wound of the Sons of Man, the Holy Raphael. 1 Enoch 40:9'. His name means,'God has healed.' Whatever you have lost, grieved over, or if you are sick, he comes to heal you. Hold you, and not leave your side as you walk through the lessons of the: devil and the tower cards. Gently leading the loin and the lamb. Calm down, relax. The Milkmaid, taking care of the cow, blending the milk and the cream together. Daily tasks that keep us focused. And the beautiful maiden, offering her gift, I wonder what the bottle holds, hot tea perhaps? Wine, or would she be holding it up to be filled by someone standing outside the card? She is gentle and has a servants heart. Every day we face death. Maybe it's in giving up on a dream, a goal. Or feeling yourself change, and knowing we have nothing in common with our friends anymore, or our family. Who are we, and what is this sorta scary place of waiting.....for what? The next card in this lineup is the Devil. Our fear. Maybe letting go of our fear? Using this time of healing in silence, as a gift. And when fear knocks on the door, we calmly walk into it's lesson, and relax. Knowing we are not alone, that beautiful Angel is right here. Always. Never are we alone. Reminds me of the song....'time.....is on your side, yes it is...'

Today I used the Universal Fantasy Tarot, The China Tarot, The Aarcheon Tarot and the Tarot of Durer. All can be purchased through Amazon.com.

I have been so sick with the flu. I am getting better, I keep telling myself that, and I think I really am. I wanted to journal today, so I threw out these 4 cards to see what I may need to remind myself of. From the Llewelyn Deck, the 5 of Pentacles, the 8 of Cups, the 2 of Pentacles, and the Star.
.......Ah, the dreaded 5 of Pentacles...this would be my convertible top getting ruined by the ice storm, and is in the shop today, costing me about $700 to fix, and since I have $500 deductible, ha! Here is the $500 I have to pay. An act of God, they said. I think not. Just a bad storm, and I am grateful this is all it will take to fix it. This 8 of cups, Valentines Day, I am sick in bed with the flu, sad, alone, feeling so sorry for myself. Woe is me. The 2 of Pentacles, up and down. One day, is yes, and one day, a no. Be flexible.....and ah.....the Star. Prayers are
answered, I feel good. No more chicken soup and Kleenex. Hope is a good thing. As I am writing this, a little bird is singing it's heart out, right outside my window. The sun is shining, it's cold, cold out there, but somewhere amid the broken branches of all the beautiful trees, sits one little bird, singing. That's all I need today. A sign. A good sign.

Another new Tarot Deck!!! Oh, happy day! This one is 'Universal Fantasy Tarot' by Paolo Martinello. Very Sci-Fi, artsy, surreal. I honestly like it. The only thing I don't, is, it has so many images on each card, your eyes are drawn to several things at the same time. A little hard to focus with. But, I do love the colors, the images, the details in each card.

This morning, I ask my cards....how is this issue with my father going to turn out? Any body else out there with family crap they worry about? Welcome to my world.

Here is the first 3 cards I drew..King of Swords, 3 of Swords, and the 2 of Pentacles.

He is hashing this over in his mind, bringing 3 of us pain, (me, him and his girlfriend), waving 2 flags of distraction. This 2 of Pentacles can mean, give it 2 months to work itself out, seems to be a dance he is still wanting to dance. Personally, I would love to talk about it, get everything on the table and find out what the problem is. He is in control, and until he wants to get out of that 3 of Swords card, silence reigns. In this 3 of Swords card, it looks like a, don't go there, just go away. How true. So, for now, drop it, let it go. OK....... got it. So, I drew 3 more cards to see how this will ultimately work out, if at all, ever.

I drew the 2 of Cups, the Ten of Cups and the King of Wands. Here they are.....

Ahhh, relief. A healing, a joining of forces. Happiness. The home is home. But he comes up as the King of Wands, and it's his choice when and how this works out. So, my job is to shut up ( not easy for me) and wait. He really does see me, and know what I need. The window she stands in, in the 2 of Cups, is a window of time that he sees. Thank God. I was wondering if he really even cared about this whole mess. I believe he does, care, and may even be doing something the right way. I need to stop worrying......OK...got it. I'll relax. Stop trying to fix it.

February 1: Full Moon in Leo Heightened emotions are always a feature of full Moons, and when mixed with Leo, oversensitivity is probable. The tendency is to allow your ego to have a bit more voice than it should. At its best, Leo is the sign of healthy self-expression, creativity and leadership. There is so much boldness and strength in this sign, and if you can step forward in a great way, people are sure to take notice. From now until the next new Moon on February 17, see if you can cultivate a more fun-loving, confident approach to life. Be the Sun in the center of your own solar system and shine brightly.

The full Moon. It was on the first, and is still hanging out bringing out the crazies, emotions, frustrations, yada, yada.

This is the brand new 'China Tarot', Artwork by Der Jen, and can be purchased at Lo Scarabeo. The artwork is so beautiful. The only thing I don't like is the Minor Arcana ( numbers 1-10),they are each just the images of the element. But, the Major Arcana and the Court Cards are absolutely lovely.

These are the cards I drew tonight, The Star, the Moon, and the Knave of Chalices.

I see a woman wishing, hoping, praying, for something so dear to her. She is beautiful, yet she stands alone. Wrapped in green, with the aqua colors floating around her, her heart is so open. Full, like the Moon on the next card. Then she sits, the huge golden Moon beside her, her face turned away, almost out of site. She wears little, kind of seductive, enticing, yet I see no one in this card also. In the next one, she is dressed and ready to go. She is offering her cup to someone outside the picture, her eyes are on him. I would say it's a him, as these are all watery cards, and influence out emotions. The knave would be the messenger card, so without words, she speaks. And he hears.

Pray, wait, walk. This full moon time is not the best time to do impulsive things. Just wait, the timing is coming, just not tonight. She offers her heart in a humble way, gentle, her face is finally in full view, and sweetly serene. It's all about the timing. Wait, wait.