Affirmations + Whales — I’m blogging over at SageWoman today. Come see me!
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Today’s affirmation and post can be found here. I am blogging over at SageWoman today.
She who is the beauty of the green earth told me to shut my piehole. 😀
Today’s card is one of those reminders from the Universe. Sometimes I have a thought in mind so I deliberately choose the card I want to talk about.
Other times? Well, this is one of those other times where I just randomly cut to a card. Had to smile when I did so.
The High Priestess is a very special card for me. My religious beliefs include a poem that is, while not old, quite powerful for me. As a student, part of my training was to memorize this piece. While my path isn’t filled with liturgy and dogma, there are a few things that, to me, are sacrosanct.
One is the concept of “do no harm.” I could go on for pages about how that one has been completely screwed up by many but I’ll do that another day.
The one I want to talk about today is the Charge of the Goddess. The one I’m familiar with is from Doreen Valiente.
The Charge of the Goddess
Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of She, who is Queen of all witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will She teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her praise. For Hers is the ecstasy of the spirit, and Hers also is joy on earth; for Her law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For Hers is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth and Hers is the cup of wine of life, and the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. She is the gracious goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, She gave the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, She gives peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice, for behold, She is the mother of all living, and Her love is poured out upon the earth.
She who is the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto Her. For She is the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. from Her all things proceed, and unto Her all things must return; and before Her face, beloved of gods and men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, She has been with thee from the beginning; and She is that which is attained at the end of desire. (SOURCE: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos058.htm)
It’s a beautiful piece or writing. The most important line in this, for me, is this one:
And thou who thinkest to seek Her, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee.
Take away the archaic cant and you have a simple thing. What you really need is already inside of you. Stop looking elsewhere.
Yesterday was difficult for me due to a negative sinkhole opening back up. I got pulled into. well, no. I slid into on my own. I had to have a bit of a temper tantrum and whine fest in a private group. Then I realized I was really giving far too much energy to that sinkhole. So I closed it back up. I was going to rant and rave a bit here then the High Priestess showed up.
She who is the beauty of the green earth told me to shut my piehole. 😀
So what is it you are looking for in life? Take some time today to answer this journal question. “What do I need most?”
Then assess what you already have. I think you may be surprised.
Remember that for every detractor there are twice as many cheerleaders in your life. [Tweet “Better to love the cheers than hate the boos.”]
Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.
High Priestess, Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert Limited Edition
Today’s card reminds me that wisdom and age are no more joined at the hip than foolishness and youth. Here we see a young woman holding a scroll of knowledge. A large hat sits on her head. I think it looks like a Greek Orthodox priest’s hat. Obviously, I’m no expert on that religion so that may be way off.
Anywho! She’s young. She almost looks like a schoolgirl with her ruffled lace collar and white stockings. But her gaze is clear and direct. She’s seen things you and I haven’t yet. She’s known how the world works for a long time.
Sometimes I forget that age doesn’t equal wisdom. I can point to more than a handful of those who are “old enough to know better” but don’t. I can point to an equal number of those who should be carefree and not worried about the state of the world, but are.
When I was fifteen, twenty five was officially “too old to have fun.” Now that I’m fifty-one (and a half, thank you very much), I am not sure if there is an age that is “too old to have fun.” Okay, so maybe my fifteen year old self would find sitting at an auction for nine hours fun, but my fifty one year old self certainly did.
That fifteen year old me held passions that have never gone away. I started talking to trees (and getting answers) when I was eleven (the year my father died.) I’ve never stopped that. I’ve never stopped weeping when a healthy tree is cut down for no reason. I’ve never stopped believing that my animals talk to me all the time and I’m just not getting the full message.
So what if this High Priestess has a young face? So what if her face is unlined? Perhaps her lines are on the inside. Perhaps I need to remember that everyone has something to share and to teach. Perhaps I need to look at my ideas of wisdom with younger eyes.
This fabulous High Priestess is from a brand new deck released by U.S. Games Systems Inc. I want to be clear. I review for USGS which means they send me free product. That doesn’t influence my thoughts or opinions on these decks. This is the Dreaming Way Tarot, 2012.
Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on!
I am doing daily draws (or as often as possible since I may not remember to do this) with my new Gaian Tarot deck. I will put up a review soon. In fact, I have a few outstanding reviews.
I am intentionally not sharing the card image. To see it, please click the link in the sources at the bottom of this post.
Today I drew the Priestess. She is the third card in the Major Arcana. Her image is the one on the front of the Gaian Tarot’s companion book. The background is water and air–ocean capped by sky. She seems to be in a place that is not Continue reading “Musings on the Priestess (Gaian Tarot)”
In my Tarot poetry project, I am attempting to blend several loves. One is my love of the 9Word Challenge I started on a website I frequent (it’s specifically for those who identify as butch or femme–if you do and you want the address, let me know.) The next is my love of poetry. The way people match words and rhythms to evoke moods has always moved me. Ever since I found a book of poetry by Continue reading “Tarot In Nine words: Empress”
