Happy Birthday Aries, and welcome SPRING!!!! 

It’s time for some fresh new energy and action ’round here! Also time to think about what "seeds" we'll all be planting in our lives.

The Major Arcana card associated with the sign of Aries (ruled by the fiery planet Mars) is none other than the Emperor. Carrying the energy of the number 4, The Emperor is all about structure, foundation, action with purpose and being accountable for your actions.

In the Emperor we find qualities of leadership, authority, problem solving, truth seeking and “law & order”, as well as the “Great Father” archetype. He is an impartial ruler and protector of the oppressed. Jungian psychology connects the Emperor with the animus, or masculine aspect of feminine energy, which helps us act on and express our own thoughts and ideas. Through the Emperor our attention is called to how we “rule” our lives, how we order, organize and motivate ourselves in our activities.

From the article “Karmic Astrology” by Martin Schulman:

” And it was morning as God stood before his twelve children and into each of them planted a seed of human life. One by one each child stepped forward to receive his individual gift. To you, Aries, I give my seed first that you might have the honor of planting it. That for every seed you plant one million more will grow in your hand. You will not have the time to see the seed grow for everything you plant creates more that must be planted. You will be the first to penetrate the soil of men’s minds with My idea. But it is not your job to nourish the idea nor to question it. Your life is action and the only action I ascribe to you is to begin making men aware of My creation. For your good work I will give you the Virtue of Self-Esteem.”

On the Emperor’s throne we see the symbol of two ram’s heads. These symbols associate the Emperor with the Egyptian god Amun-Ra, and indicate his reminder to us that we have the power to set and follow our own goals. This card also contains references to the Egyptian god Zeus, as well as the mythological story of the retrieval of the golden fleece in “Jason and the Argonauts”.

Meditation 
Focusing on the image of the Emperor, think about what “seeds” you wish to plant in your life. Know that you have the power and the ability to make great things happen all around you. Even though you may not want to (or be able to) stick around and watch ALL those seeds you’ve planted grow to maturity, your task may only be to “get the ball rolling” for some of them; or to be an inspiration to others. All that fire energy behind the Emperor commands a call to action. Be bold, go out there and make your desires known. Form a solid, structured plan, then follow through with action!


Keywords
Structure, order, impartiality, truth, law, father, protector, defender, authority, regulation

 

Behold, the Fool.  About to step off a cliffside and freefall into the land of the unknown.  Carefree, smiling, completely unaware, inexperienced and going along blindly with the flow of life.  All of his possessions are packed up in his sack, and yet he has no idea what they are capable of nor how to use them.  He skips along, daydreaming, humming to himself, with his barking companion trotting alongside his heels, maybe trying to warn him of the potential fall ahead.  Paying no attention and enjoying the sunshine on his back, the Fool happily continues on with outstretched arms, embracing the energy of the universe with his mind on his dreams.  Ahead of the Fool, anything is possible!  He is stepping into the future without fear, hesitation or judgement, open to all possibilities.  He places such complete trust in his path that he does not question what lies ahead...he simply allows his feet to continue walking and enjoys each moment of the journey. 

When we find ourselves facing challenge after challenge and obstacle after obstacle along our own path, often it's a signal we're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and it's time to be the Fool...just let go, trust in God and allow the synchronous ways of the universe to guide us along.  Though he may wind up facing a different direction than he intended, the man who is struggling to swim against the tide would expend much less energy if he floated and allowed the waves to carry him.

New for 2011:

I have had an absolute blast participating in #amtarot and #pmtarot with @thetarotlady. (<---follow her, she rocks!)  It's so great reading other people's interpretations of the cards, because as I always say, we each bring our own frame of reference to the language of tarot.  I've enjoyed participating so much, that I've decided to "follow suit" (pun intended! ha ha ).

Follow me on Twitter and keep an eye out for #DailyDraw.  Each day I'll pull a random card to talk about and offer my thoughts and interpretations...and feel free to chime in with yours!  

Today's #DailyDraw - 6 of Wands 


An affirmation:  "I move forward from the past & embrace TODAY, with the knowledge that I am supported by like-minded friends."



 

While casually reading Facebook updates today I saw the following statement in response to one of the tarot apps and could not believe my eyes: 

                      "Tarot cards are the tools of the Devil".  

Seriously?  I thought we had gotten past all that.  It reminded me of many years ago when I found a pentacle necklace in a bathroom stall and was freaked out by it, thinking it was a pentagram, which scared me a little. My reaction to that fear was to Google it.  Education, my friends, is where fear ends and understanding begins.  

Religious beliefs aside, let's consider the fact that tarot is a form of divination.  Divination stems from the root word DIVINE, which means "of, related to or proceeding directly from God or a god, heavenly, godlike, directed to a deity, supremely good" (don't take my word for it, check out Merriam Webster here).  Nope, no devil here folks.  Just a system of divination used to connect with the energy of God in order to help us navigate our lives a little easier.  You can come out from under the bed now. It's safe!   

Maybe it's my natal Mercury in Taurus, but I have the uncanny ability to drive myself nuts at times by overthinking things.  It's a part of my own chemistry that I have come to know dearly and work with in this lifetime, as it leads to those occasional deep thoughts and personal revelations that give life meaning. 

This may come as a surprise...but my latest pondering has been centered around tarot.;)  I've been contemplating "why" myself or anyone else should read the cards.  Granted, they are such a unique tool through which we work with and develop the intuition and psychic 'muscles', but WHY?  What is the end goal?  

Well, folks, I can only speak for myself but here is the answer that I've come up with.  For you it may be different...but as for me, tarot is not an end.  It is a means.  Just as the Fool travels through the archetypal energies of the major arcana to eventually reach the culmination of the World...only to begin a whole new cycle again...this my friends is the very nature of the cards.  So as readers, we begin as the Fool:  not a clue what we are doing, pulling out books and memorizing common meanings.  Then we move on  to beginning to understand the nature of the cards, and developing our own unique language to go with each card.  Ultimately, if we continue on the great tarot journey, we achieve a deep understanding of  each card and their symbols and messages become engraved in our soul.  But what happens next? 

I believe that within each reader is Alice; and eventually we all wake up to realize that that beautiful, imaginative (yet confusing) world on the other side of the looking glass  was within US the whole time but to realize it we needed only to experience the dream.

I believe that within each reader is Dorothy; and we each need to walk down the yellow brick road  before we understand that that road begins..and ends..and begins AGAIN...within us.  

I believe that within each reader is an 8 year old child with skinned knees, determined to ride their bike without training wheels for the first time.  Finally learning  balance, the wind blows their hair back and they have achieved a skill that will never be forgotten.

So yes, tarot is a journey...a tool...a language that already exists within us which we have to relearn in this lifetime.  Once we understand and become one with the language of the cards, I feel that the actual cards at some point...though much enjoyed and greatly appreciated...are no longer necessary.  The journey continues with or without them.  

At some point, we each realize that the real magic is within US...where it has been all along...not the cards.