Fortune

The number 10 indicates the completion of things. It signifies the number of the Sephiroth. It represents the end of the cycle. It is the end of the Tarot rollercoaster of numbers. It asks the question "Do you want to go again?"

The fortune card appears when everything has come full circle in a beneficial way. The Fortune card reminds us that nothing ever stays the same. The wheel is ever-spinning, but for this moment in time, you can see edges of the earth from where you sit. You're on top of the world.

The Lion Tamer

Staring blankly at me, a beast, a formidable opponent waits as I approach. As I attempt to make contact with its eyes, I catch a glimpse of myself in the knowing glare of the lion. I test him by taking his head into my hands. Gently, but with purpose, I open his mouth and gaze down the chasm that is his throat.

In this creature, I see more of myself than I ever thought possible.

He is my id--a fuzzy manifestation of my primal self. He reminds me that I should follow my instincts because they are rarely wrong. In this card, I represent my higher self. Because I am able to "take the bull by the horns" as it were, and master my primal being, I am balanced. This balance, however, can be difficult to maintain if not kept in check.

This lion tries to help me understand that this need for a balance of emotional and physical strength is paramount to discovering who I am and where I am going. It is important that the higher self and the id work in tandem to create stability on the earthbound and astral planes. If they work against eachother, I might find that I have become something's dinner.

The Ace of Pentacles

In my bed-stricken, sickly state, I've been ruminating on the Ace of Pentacles. Discussing my financial situation, and the goals we have set in the next few years, no wonder this card was chosen second (well, third, if you count the second time that the fool was pulled). It made its appearance on Saturday, and I've been trying, for the past few days, to understand its purpose in my life. It is a green circle surrounded by scores of angel's wings. The breadth of the wings expands to surround the circle which contains a seven pointed star. It is a comforting card because it makes me feel as though all of my financial worries are in good hands.

The Ace is the beginning of things. It is the seed which, if properly maintained, a mighty oak tree may flourish. Everything that is needed for expansion is present in the Ace card. It is pure potential. No matter what suit it is in, the Ace is a firey card. It is that moment when choices are made that will affect the entire outcome of the game.

The pentacles are a heavy suit. The situations revealed by the suit of Pentacles deal primarily with the earth-bound plane. The Pentacles deals with the everyday but is not a suit that shoudl be taken lightly. This suit represents earth, solidity, and stability. When the pentacles are present in the reading, monetary situations may arise.

Because the Ace is a beginning, and the Pentacles suit deals with earthly concerns, depending on the context of the reading, when the Ace of Pentacles is pulled, there is usually the beginning of a financial gain or decline.

The fool. Continued.

Just as the other cards, the fool's vibration is unique. Every element is represented, the earth beneath his feet, the firey sun in the sky, the crystal blue, snow-capped mountains on his right, and the wind blows his cloak. Spirit is represented by the dog bounding at the fool's side. The edge of the cliff is near, but there is no danger in sight. The fool has his eyes to the heavens and has left all worldly concern behind.

When I look at the fool, I can't help but be reminded of all of the characters in books and movies that have this vibration. I am drawn to these figures because what the Fool is resonates within all of us, and individuals who manifest the fool always represent purity of soul and newness. As I look at the Fool, I immediately hear the chorus "What's this; What's this?" from the Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack sings it when he is discovering Christmas. He is enthralled with the newness that surrounds him, and, in his innocence, he creates chaos because he is concerned with the ideas in his head as opposed to the physicallity of his actions.

When the fool appears in a reading, the reader needs to be aware that he represents a person who is innocent but pure, yet whose actions may manifest chaos unless they get their head out of the clouds.

Daily Rune

Naudhiz (now-these) or Nyd

Need is nearest to the breast,

yet often proves to the children of men

a source of help and healing,

if they heed it in a timely manner.

This is the Rune that is said to be similar to the Fool of the Tarot cards.

The Norse name Naudhiz literally means "need". The Anglo Saxon name Nyd means "a tight band across the chest."

It can represent that which we can not live without and it can represent the potential to release us from the constraint of need altogether.

It is aligned with the three sisters of fate and as such represents both the cause and effect of life that continually unfolds manifesting as that which is becoming- commonly referred to as ones "future".

Nyd is the inner necessities that give rise to our individual lives. When understood fully this can help us see our true purpose and supply us with the friction to move forward.

The Beginning, the end, and the beginning again.

The fool's journey begins with a single step. His foot touches the earth with a light "aleph" sound as he takes his first step toward his destiny. His feet on the ground and his head in the clouds, the fool is the beginning. The fool is zero, potential, A vessel waiting to be filled with knowledge, light, and experience. The fool treads his course throughout life by learning, living, loving, and raising the stakes. I know where his course ends, but my own is more unclear.

At the end of his trek, the fool becomes the magician, but it is a long and winding road that leads him from his humble beginnings to his true manifestation--it is then that the magician is again turned into the fool, and the cycle begins again.

I am the fool. This is my path. These are my beginnings.