Us: “We just want security. We want the right to believe as we see fit.”
Them: “Sorry, those things have been outlawed.”
...PaganSquare is a community blog space where Pagans can discuss topics relevant to the life and spiritual practice of all Pagans.
For February’s shadow card, I purposely chose The Lovers as it can be use as a tool to delve into our psyches to learn more about the love, our lack thereof, in our lives. With the approach of Valentines Day, many people who are unattached begin to wish for someone in their lives that they can share that special bond with. They yearn for the special love that only lovers can share and sometimes begin to question why they do not have it or why they are unable to find it. Others that are already attached begin to yearn for someone that is not their current love, someone that embodies different qualities than their current love has. By looking at the shadow side of ourselves through this card, we can take a look and perhaps discover why we aren’t happy with what we currently have in our current situation.
In the traditional Rider Waite deck, we see a couple striped of their clothes with an Angel overhead coming out of an ethereal cloud. The Angel appears to be blessing their union as they stand there, under the bright sun, with a tree burning behind the man and a tree of fruit behind the woman. The man looks at the woman while the woman looks at the Angel. A mountain stands in the background between them as their feet are firmly planted on the green grass below them.
I dreamt of becoming a cartographer when I was young, positioning my body amongst a multitude of maps spread across my mom and dad’s living room floor, tracing the colourful lines with my tiny fingers. The mind dreamt into stories of the people who experienced Life along those routes between the small hamlets and major cities. As a student at Penn State, I chose to spend quiet time in the Map Room, nested within the behemoth library on campus. It was a quiet sanctuary which provided salvation amongst the congested intersections of a very full university experience. While living on the Florida coast, nautical charts captivated the open spaces of my mind in the years before my daughter came along.
A quick search on Wikipedia lists the definition of Cartography as, "…the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively." My favorite aspect of this definition is almost every word of it! This soul sings and loves to shape and mold beautiful realities for the self and others. And while I did not "grow up" to be a cartographer per se, I am delighted to learn, at least according to this definition, I am still somewhat on the right path of creating, shaping, and directing the routes from "Point A" to "Point Present Moment". I would like to imagine us all as cartographers of the soul. This is an absolutely delightful thought on this quiet morning!
...Are the Gods individual Beings or Cosmic Forces or Psychological Archetypes? Or are we just sticking Them in Boxes?
"Waiting to get my nails did and a lady just walked in wearing a floor length mink coat over a track suit. Also: SO MUCH JEWELRY. ALL THE (YELLOW) GOLD JEWELRY. New Jersey, I love you. Never change." - a text received by me from Ms. K, the ex-opera singer at 4:14p yesterday.
I can never sleep this close to the Winter Solstice. I run in my sleep like a dog, turning fitfully and dreaming about missing teeth.
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