MysticKnyght's Musings

In New Orleans, Imbolc tends to get under-appreciated.. There are two reasons for this. First, Imbolc is considered to be a mid-winter Sabbat, where we recognize that there's light at the end of the tunnel. We don't really have winter in New Orleans, so it's hard to mark the sun's rebirth like it is in more-northern latitudes.

The second thing is that Imbolc always falls in Carnival time. 2-February is too early to be Mardi Gras, but it's close enough to be in the thick of the celebration. That's one heck of a distraction for anyone, heathen or no.

Still, New Orleans is a very Catholic city. Read that, a very pagan city. Candlemas (and the Feast of St. Blaise) is still a big deal, and that's the Christian-izing of Imbolc.

The big observance (as well as a Sabbat circle) I like to do for Imbolc is to light a bunch of candles around the house at what would usually be sunset in the Summer. Then reflect on what that light offers. This year, I'll be in Denmark for Imbolc, so I'll light one or two candles, within reason, since I don't want to set off the hotel room smoke detector. :-)

The Ten of Wands in most decks indicates a heavy burden, someone who is over-burdened. I don't feel that way, but the ravens give me pause. Ravens tend to be a negative symbol. so I see this as a caution not to take on too much in the way of responsibility.

Even that doesn't resonate with me today, though. I'm seeing the ravens as cautionary, but not quite sure what they're telling me. I may have to do a more-detailed reading to see what comes of this.

What does the 10 of Wands tell you?

The Round Table is the tenth Major Arcana card in the Arthurian Tarot, corresponding to The Wheel of Fortune in standard RW decks. You can see the meshing of the symbolism as the red-and-white "table" hovers above a stone circle, with the Holy Grail above.

Lots of imagery there, lots to ponder! This is an interesting overlap of Christian and Pagan symbolism. The stone circle is an old old old symbol. The wheel is common, arguably universal, and the Grail is represented here as a Christian symbol.

Timeliness...good fortune...cyclic change...

Well, it's a gorgeous day here in New Orleans. I put my firstborn on a plane this morning, headed back to Charleston and his naval career. The cycle of life moves on, he's waxing, I'm waning. Not a depressing thought, just a cyclical thought.

Caitlin's question for the Round Table:

What patters are forming now? What is evolving? What guidances do your experiences give you?

Goodmorning, and Happy New Year to those who reckon such things by the calendar of the Common Era. Since we're in a waxing moon cycle, I'm sticking with the Arthurian deck for a while longer for daily reflection. I'll change on the full, maybe.

Spears are a bit more aggressive than wands, but still very phallic/masculine, and just as easy to work elemental Fire, so the imagery is solid.The open wood with a clear path exudes confidence, expansiveness. Reach out, step out, the path is clear, move forward!

Caitlin's "question" for this card is:

How are your plans creating your path?

Great reflection thought to start the New Year (even if it's a couple of weeks old for those using Yule to mark the start).

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've written an erotic short story/scene, but I needed to clear my head, so what the heck. Story behind the jump as a NSFW firewall. Feel free to comment, or email at mysticknyght at gmail dot com if you prefer.

(Click "read more" below)

Stone Seven, from the Arthurian Tarot.

There's a break in Hadrian's Wall, that border between the Britons and the Picts constructed by the Roman army and their slaves. Arthur was posted to Hadrian's Wall in his youth, as some tell the tale.

Walls are long-term defenses, requiring persistence to maintain. When damaged, they must be repaired.

What are your walls and what must you do to repair them today?

Interesting that this card showed itself this morning. I had some old history on my mind this morning that inspired a story I'm about to start writing. The basic theme is definitely a break in a wall I set up. I think writing the story and releasing the thoughts and energy that way will help rebuild the defenses.

As regal as Aslan! No doubt that's the imagery the artist was shooting for. It works.

Wise, mature...decision-maker...and usually I don't feel like any of those, but I'm often a sounding board for friends when they want to vent/rant/scream/bitch.

Not that I overly relish the role of grown-up, mind you.

Lots of pentacles for me recently. That's comforting and a caution at the same time. Comforting that I'm not stressing too many things, but material goods and needs aren't all that life is about. I want to guard against becoming too grounded.

What does the King of Pentacles say to you?

This guy's carrying a heavy but valuable burden. The wands are strong and well-made, but ten are big load! You can see he's bent over a bit, trying to balance the load. It's a struggle, but he's determined to make it to the manor house.

So, he's tackled a big job. Does he have a martyr complex? Was it necessary to shoulder such a great burden? Can't tell. His belt, which is holding the load, is twisted. Is that from the struggle with the wands, or does it reflect a twisted perspective?

The comparison between this card and Robin Wood's version is interesting. Her guy carries the heavy load of ten wands as well, but her wants are crystal-tipped and fancier than the cat's. A more important load, perhaps? More precious? The bearer's destination is much further in the distance as well. She describes how at times it appears/feels like a castle, at other times a cathedral. When it's a cathedral, she digresses into some of her "christianity issues," as I call them. I love Robin's work and perspective, but she's much harder on the Church than I'd ever be. The cats don't have the same issues, as the manor house here is quite non-secular.

Reflecting on burdens. I don't often feel burdens, but I've spent the last couple of days wrestling with the thought of "teaching" Wicca again. I've had some non-starter attempts at this. It's a burden, and I can't really decide if it's a vanity thing for me, or if I'm really being "called" to teach.

More reflection and a full moon tomorrow will hopefully help me focus.

Thing about a wheel is, it doesn't have a start or end point. I took up serious study of Wicca years ago, in the Winter. To mark that, I still think of Imbolc as a "starting point."

Still, Samhain is where many of the books and teachers say the "Wiccan Year" begins/ends, so...here's a nice tune for reflection.

Wow, what a change from yesterday's feelings and card! Sunday is my bestest friend's birthday, and I sent some flowers to her at work. They had to go to her office today, and I managed to call just as they arrived there. We had a quick chat before she had to get back to work, and I found the train back out to the suburbs from downtown Helsinki.

You can tell these two cats are totally comfortable with each other, and that's the symbolism here. A good fit, a platonic relationship, perhaps. I don't see the Two of Cups as ruling out a sexual side of a relationship; having The Lovers show up in a reading or in a reflection like these may very well point back at the same individual that the Two of Cups does.

Either way, this is a comforting card.

The subtle details of the Los Gatos version of this card are quite different from Robin's deck. Robin sees the The Two of Cups as representing not merely friendship, but healing. The light manifesting from the joint cups in Robin's deck forms a caduceus, intertwining the energy of them both. Here, the cats join their cups with their left paws, but the light that radiates from them manifests as a constellation of stars. Those stars from a sword. It's a spiritual sword, of celestial light, though, not a tool of war or division.

I'd take up that sword in my friend's cause. Whatever the cause is.

She'd do the same for me.