Shabbat Jupiter Direct in Cancer Shalom & Community Reading

 

Even though it was two weeks ago already, we're still a bit under the full moon eclipse energy, still releasing those thoughts/energies/relationships/behaviors that we need to be done with, finding our endings, and bringing those cycles to a close.

Luckily, Jupiter went direct in Cancer earlier this week to help us move from having been focused more closely on the microcosm of our own home and family life - where our security and comfort live, our personal well being, motherhood and maternal wounds - towards more bigger picture thinking featuring themes like moving, re-entering the workforce, shifts in our home and family life, including how we feel at home within ourselves.  we're looking for more positive changes that expand upon what's been good for us, and finding the silver linings within our personal clouds.

while this may feel like a huge relief, we're encouraged to release our pent up mental anxiety with trusted friends and family members in order to help us process what's been going on for us during this past winter season.  we're also still in the midst of the Mercury retrograde cycle which will be ending on or around March 20th, when the Sun moves from the sign of Pisces into Aries.  

as we're generally encouraged to refrain from 'texting the ex' during Mercury retrograde due to the high potential for miscommunication, I am embarrassed to admit that I reached out to several people I previously severed ties with to ask if they were interested in reconnecting!  I quickly realized what I had done and laughed about it (I'm usually the one deflecting the attempts of others who reach out to me during retrogrades) and just made sure to watch the responses and not get too involved straight out of the gate.  a few people responded quickly and positively - though one of those I've already seen as an issue and most likely will not follow up with them - and several have not yet responded or have chosen not to (I have no way of knowing whether or not they've even seen my messages), and I'm happy to leave it at that.

it's been an interesting few weeks for sure, so I'm just going to jump right into the cards...I'll be using the Tarot of a Moon Garden deck because it's brightly colored and whimsical, and I'm hoping it will add some lightness and joy to the mostly grey and overcast day outside my windows.

1)  if you went against conventional wisdom this week like I did and reached out to old friends in an attempt to rekindle those connections, was it a good idea?

 

 

Ace of Staffs:  staffs are the element of fire, and as such, this card is associated with Aries, the sign our Sun is heading to next in about a week!  and this ace is all about creative beginnings, fiery inspiration, finding your voice and vision.  it says "Go For It!"  if you're feeling excited about possibilities, then take a chance and follow your instincts (like I did).  start small and if it feels good, keep doing it. ideas are flowing, offering opportunities to grow on a personal and/or spiritual level - but this is also just a spark, and it's up to you to fan the flames of creation (or take that first step towards reconciliation).

2)  in what areas of our lives will we see the most forward motion this week?

 

 

The Magician:  corresponding to Mercury, this card is about converting spiritual energy into real life action - that "as above, so below" we talked about in last week's post, where the macrocosm represents the Universe as a living being, with the microcosm understanding humans as their own Universe, with The Magician as the lightening rod channeling energy between the two.  this says "embrace your creativity tempered with self control, recognize your ingenuity and mastery!"  everything you need to create the life you want is in your hands - move forward, take action, you are ready!  focus and concentrate, then commit.  be methodical in order to stay on track and carry out your tasks...creating your inner world will cause your outer world to follow.  so make those careful plans and act on them!

3)  so what's the silver lining for the collective? 

 

 

Ten of Pentacles:  another card connected to Mercury, go figure.  this one is about wealth, safety, family, home...the "it all works out in the end" card.  while the road towards building our legacy may have been hard, finding ourselves here is all that much sweeter for it.  the investments we made in and for our families pay off in the joy of watching our legacy grow in abundance.  making the decisions we've needed to, and the hard work we put in to attain our goals will all come together and make us proud, and profoundly grateful.  to have built a lasting foundation for the future success of our family is at the core of our happiness, and it is our privilege to share share share!  remember to give thanks and appreciate our strong connections to our heritage/lineage, and traditions!

wishing you a peaceful week, and hoping this reading resonates for you.  feel free to contact me for a more personalized reading at Mysteriam Tarot & Dreamwork on Facebook.

 

Six Sentence Story - Float

click here to visit all the participants

 

 graciously hosted by Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge 

 

 

"Mom," Mark asked around the eco-friendly straw in his mouth while vigorously sucking down a root beer float, "why did Loolah's mom offer to help fly us out of here in that message she sent you?"

Doing her best not to react angrily to the invasion of her privacy by her precocious young progeny, Blanche took a full breath in and out before diplomatically replying, "well, my dear...some people don't understand the deep and meaningful connection we have to this land and our culture; much like some young people don't understand that it's impolite to read people's personal correspondences - even if, I'm assuming, they left them open in an active tab on the computer when someone else wanted to use it to beat people older than themselves at chess online because I haven't been fun to play with since you were four or five years old."  

After another moment she added, "...do you want to take her up on her offer?  go stay with her in the States for a bit until this all blows over?"

"No way - she smokes cigarettes, and being around it makes me sick and gives me ear infections," his scrunched up face mirrored the distaste that could be heard in his objection, "and besides...I like it better here because people aren't always calling me antisemitic slurs and saying dumb things about Western Asia like they know anything about it."

Blanche regarded her only child happily enjoying his delicious float under the Mediterranean sun on a warm, winter's day with a mix of love and heartbreak that threatened to overwhelm her and cause tears to slip from her eyes, so she inhaled deeply, leaned back and stretched her spine like one of the street cats that roamed the square, and said, "that's what I like about you, kid - you just get things without my having to explain them to you like you're an idiot, because you're smarter than most people - and better company, to boot!"

 

Wordle 747

click here to read all of this week's contributions

 

The Sunday Whirl is graciously hosted by Brenda Warren, and this week's words are:

 

 

 

still rattling hunch chains packages crunch life scan lose fits grasping colony

 

I have a hunch that the majority of the people still rattling their angry chains about events currently happening in Western Asia don't have ancestors who heard the crunch of Nazi boots in the streets they lived in, or suffered under the Islamic regime all their lives, where women are grasping towards a life that doesn't require them to dress like packages.  can you even begin to imagine being forced as a child to submit to a marriage to an old man or a terrorists, or be permanently scarred and possibly die in an acid attack - or endure the pain of surviving one?  what about the many people who went out in the streets to protest, even though they knew they may lose an eye for demanding justice and peace from their government?  a quick scan of who reads and comments on the various blogs/bloggers that participate in this writing challenge reveals a small colony of folks who are against 'war' in general (as am I), yet don't understand the wider implications of what military action in this region means for them in their safe little homes thousands of miles away.  now, I'm not pointing fingers, but, if the shoe fits...  I see a lot of anger on social media at the way ICE is operating, and opposition to the loss of many social safety nets for veterans and folks who live on the lower end of the 'socioeconomic scale', but would that online anger be seen in the streets if the consequences were the loss of an eye or an acid bath?  how many LGBTQAI+ folks would be waving their anti-American flags if it meant they would end their lives in a public hanging?  I don't enjoy sitting in the bomb shelter with my neighbors, but I do want to see more support behind ending the regime that targets both the country I grew up in, and the one I now live in (and many others around the globe, as well).  you can hate your government and what it does and still want there to be peace and justice in the world for all.

 

  

Acid Attack Victims Need Love and Compassion

 

Shabbat Mercury Retrograde in Pisces Shalom & Community Reading

 

*this post begins with one of the drafts that has been lingering on a back-burner since January 23, 2021, which has been edited and expanded.

 

I've always been deeply connected to my dreams, and still remember at least one from my very early childhood, and one I had during my pivotal 15th year, when a few life-changing awakenings happened for me at once.  I started a dream journal 10 years later, when I was 25, which I've continued to keep to this day.  I sometimes wonder if deja-vu is a recollection of a dream, and I have in fact had moments - BIG IMPORTANT moments - when that has turned out to be true, and the realization of "hey...I dreamed this!" can be mind-blowing and profound, testing the limits of what we know of and consider to be reality.  

 

even though I started the journal in 1994, I didn't start dating the entries until 2014!

 

dreamwork is one of the many things I've thought should be a more prevalent part of our education, and developed along with whatever forms of divination or psychic abilities young people (people of all ages) exhibit.  it's nice to see how much that's changed over the years, with literally thousands of courses now available in many 'magical' disciplines.  we have accounts of dreams and dreamers dreaming all the way back to Sumeria (the beginning of written history), and many examples throughout the ages of 'prophetic' dreams from well-known people across a wide variety of lifestyles such as scientists, composers, writers, programmers, mathematicians, and more.

sometime in 2020, I started recording some of my dreams on this blog as drafts, without publishing them, perhaps thinking I would get back to them later as a way to build my dream practice.  it could also have been due to transience because I move so often - it's possible that my dream journal was packed up in storage somewhere and the laptop was simply more accessible at the time.  as I periodically go through my many drafts to keep up the habit of finishing old projects, I decided to transfer the 'dream drafts' to my dream journal, then delete them from the blog.  it's been an interesting practice to relive those dreams and reembody them through the physical act of writing them down, and deleting old drafts feels great in the sense of making space for something new to form.

when I got to Israel, I started recording my dreams on the 'notes' tab of my phone because my dream journal (along with the rest of things I shipped) was making its way here on a slow boat, and my laptop didn't often have a way to connect.  that's more than a year's worth of dreams to put in the journal!  and since I'm running out of pages in the original journal, I had to look around and see if I had an empty one to continue writing in.  I didn't have a completely empty book to start over with, but I do have a 'spell book' that I started...many years ago, probably also back in my 20's, that I didn't keep up with because I don't really write spells, I just kind of create them on the spot when I'm doing that kind of work.  meaning - I'd only written on three pages of it, so...it will become the new dream journal!

 

I've gotten through 'Dreams' 1, 2, and a good bit of 3, which brings me to August of last year.  it continues through September, then moves into 4 which spans September through November, and culminates with 5 which is the rest of November up until last night.    

 

here we are today, with the original journal all filled, with the last dream written in it being from August of 2025.  again, it was a really interesting experience to go over most of the dreams I had during the past year (I'm sure I didn't write them all down, sometimes they get away from me), and see what they have had to tell me about my journey here, and what my mind has made of it so far.  I'm looking forward to getting the 'dream notes' out of my phone and onto paper, and returning the process of recording my dreams back into a hand-written practice, as I think there's some merit to doing it that way - I'm thinking of Julia Cameron's 'morning pages', here, if you're familiar with her or them.  if not, look it up in her book The Artist's Way.  

 

old dream journal, 'new' dream journal

 

during this time of Mercury retrograde in Pisces, some of us are having Really Heightened Dream Experiences, and if you're one of us, please share in the comments what you're dreaming, and how that feels for you!  or feel free to contact me on my tarot and dreamwork facebook page, Mysteriam Tarot & Dreamwork.  for instance:  my dream two nights ago was about understanding that not everyone sees, or judges me by, the trauma I've carried for years, and that if I can lead with the compassion I still have in my heart despite it all, it can help guide me back towards my own path - but it was all wrapped up in cool sparkly art installations at my old college, someone getting all kinds of sick in the bathroom and my having to walk through it, rescuing some kittens, and then making sure to take the right exit off the highway that I missed in the dream from the day before (!) that got me so lost and anxious I woke myself up rather than try to figure out how I was going to get home.

I love to listen to people's dreams and help them work out the symbols and feelings in them to paint a picture of what they may be dealing with, and see if we can glean from that experience some thoughts that can bring clarity and balance into their daily lives.  so with that in mind, let's draw some cards!  I'm using Isabella Rotman's This Might Hurt deck, and the question I meditated on was:

do our dreams matter/can we find useful information in them?

 

 

ah, The Magician!  of course this means YES.  The Fool's (sometimes called 'the dreamer') first stop on his trip to wherever he's going today.  why?  because that crafty old wizard is the one who gives us what we need to take in our little satchels for the trials and tribulations ahead.  we can see the symbols for all of the four suits/elements (earth, air, fire, water) floating around him as he channels the energy of the Universe through himself, and into the ground like a lightening rod.  he's saying 'as above, so below' to remind us that all we need to do in life is move through it with the awareness that we're simply conduits for whatever Higher Powers we ascribe to.  as an alchemist who moves between the spheres, he can be seen as someone who would take the messages found in dreams seriously, worthy of being studied.  The Magician is the pure potential for everything that comes after it in the tarot; the Spark of Creation.  Act Now, he says.  use all of that amazing potential to manifest your dreams into reality!  so focus, concentrate, and commit to the task at hand.  

one of my favorite sayings about dreams comes to us from Rabbi Chisda who lived in the 200's CE.  he said "an uninterpreted dream is like a message left unread".  so take the time to see what you can learn from your soul's nighttime journeys.  and if you need help taking that first step, ask me - I'm here to help!

 

Six Sentence Story - Fly

click here to read all of this week's stories!

 

the message was sweet, but she didn't really know how to respond to her friend's offer to fly her back to the States because of her projection of her own fears about the missiles currently being shot at Israel since they and the US had preemptively chosen to strike at Iran in what was definitely NOT a war, but rather a rescue mission for the people who have been horrifically oppressed by the current regime there for close to 50 years.

after deliberating for some time, she responded as gently as she could that not only did she NOT have any plans to leave her new home, but that the airspace was closed anyway, no airlines were flying in or out, and the only way anyone could conceivably find a flight out was by crossing over land into Jordan or Egypt, or traveling by sea to Cypress, all of which were just as - if not more - dangerous than simply sitting in her building's bomb shelter with her neighbors when the alerts went off.

(pause in the writing - there go the sirens now!)

she continued on to say that from her sun-drenched porch she could see grandmothers toting shopping bags full of groceries, mothers pushing strollers laden with babies, children playing in the street (schools are currently closed due to the situation), and that even though only essential businesses are 'supposed to' be open, the variety store, the pizza shop, the pet supply store, the little clothing store, the party store, the nut shop, the schwarma restaurant, and the small neighborhood market were all open, and that was just on her block - one block away there were several more markets and shops doing business, including the McDonald's in the central bus station where the buses were still keeping to their schedules (to say nothing of the rest of the city).

and people were singing and dancing out in the street, as well, since it was technically a holiday, though gatherings had also been prohibited, and congregations were forbidden from assembling to read their sacred scroll that is only read on one night out of the year - the scroll featuring the story of Esther (and Vashti) who married the king in order to save her people (the Jews) from annihilation back around 480 BCE.

she concluded by saying that she was in no way living in fear, that this is just the way things were there, and when the 'all clear' was sounded they went back to doing whatever it was they were doing before they were rudely interrupted by those who are constantly trying to kill them, such as dressing up in costumes to celebrate a holiday with their children, rejoicing at their continued survival, mourning those who were sadly killed by recent missile strikes, or writing a blog post about how they explain to their friends that they're never leaving their homeland again because they feel safer in Israel than they did back in the US where people they used to consider friends dressed up in Made in China keffiyahs (popularized back in the 1960's by an Egyptian terrorist) while openly calling for the death of all Jews/Israelis/Zionists, and pretending to know more about Western Asia (note the post-colonial geographical language) than those who have been doing this dance their whole lives.

 

Shabbat Purim Full Blood Moon Eclipse in Virgo Shalom & Community Reading

sadly, the eclipse won't be visible where I am, and there won't be another one until New Year's Eve 2028/29.  oh well.  I've seen blood moon eclipses before, most notably on my 50th birthday, so I can visualize what I need to connect to the energies we are currently experiencing.    

 

not my image - I stole it from the internet

 

as this eclipse is the third in a set of 3, I'm looking back to March and September of last year to see what themes or changes have been unfolding for me in order to recognize some 'bigger picture' that may help me release whatever needs releasing to see my path more clearly.

during the March eclipse I was in a pretty good place, having found a bunch of 'hag stones' on the beach which gave me a kick in the spiritual ass as if to say 'change your perspective, sister, and Get Your Spark Back!'  soon after, I finally found an apartment to sublet while still looking for my own, and it was blissful to have the kind of privacy I need in order to thrive after the airbnb I stayed at for a month, followed by a 'guest house' for a few weeks.  I was finally able to eat well and hydrate properly, and make a more concerted effort towards looking for work.  I got a pedicure and had my toenails painted bright orange to reflect the season and my mood.  I wrote - to quote the Magic 8-ball my son had given me as a Chanookah gift years ago - 'signs point to yes'. 

by the September eclipse I was on my third job and was trying to get into a rhythm of cooking, meal prepping, and cleaning, figuring out the health care system, and doing my best to work with several different 'specialists' to follow their plan for me to lose weight and lower my A1C.  my body was hurting (always an indication that I'm not in a good place) and I was exhausted from work, so I barely had enough energy at the end of the day to do much of anything but take a nap.  other than growing my tiny garden, my life was feeling mostly empty and unfulfilling.

 

as an aside:  it's been hard to work on this post as we're being bombed in response to our preemptive strike on Iran.  I've been up and down the stairs to the bomb shelter all day for the past few days, and in the moments between, doing my best to take care of myself.  

 

so what has this look into my recent past revealed about my path forward?  as this eclipse is happening in the sign of Virgo, it's indicative of slow and steady change focusing on realigning with kindness, awareness, patience, and quiet care for the Self.  I need to keep myself balanced in both mind and body through meditation and reflection, so I can meet the challenges of my life with courage and wisdom.  saying goodbye to anxiety about the future in order to feel stable in the present is one way to take thoughtful action towards healing, and a reminder to use my strengths like Doing My Research rather than jumping from one thing to the next.  it's also a great reminder to celebrate my wins - and there have been many - as perfection isn't the goal, here.  it's healthy to accept when we make mistakes, and move on from them.  they are important chapters in our story.

 

I got this one from the Forever Conscious website

 

let's pull some cards!  since I'm currently experiencing the residual effects of the war in western Asia (post-colonial language for accuracy) - meaning I'm nowhere near the front lines, just minding the alerts that tell me when to seek shelter from ballistic missiles - I'm thinking I'll use the Hoodoo Tarot.  I don't use that deck very often, or at all really, because it always seems mad at me.  or maybe that's me projecting, who knows.  that's the message that came to me, so that's what we're doing.  and because it's Purim tonight, I'm looking through the lens of Esther and Vashti, and asking these ancient matriarchs to share with us what they know:

 

 

what do we know/what can we say about the Divine Feminine globally:  Ten of Knives

~ knives or swords are the suit of air, and are associated with thoughts, ideas, the intellect, and writing.  and 10's are the culmination of the suit - the 'end of the journey', or the complete expression of all the experiences The Fool has had on her way through the suit.  and these have been Hard lessons.  while the image is scary (ten knives in the back!  scroll down to see the cards), and speaks of betrayal and a kind of 'hitting rock bottom', it also shows us the dawn after the dark.  it's about surviving disaster, learning from your mistakes, and being more cautious about who you trust.  times may be hard, but they are getting better.  it speaks of one who has used a powerful tool without the proper respect for its destructive power, and not only gets burned (stabbed), but plays the victim in the hopes that someone will come and save them.  while the complete and total defeat of the spirit is beyond painful, on the other side of it is the start of something new.  the only thing we can control is our own response to it, so we just have to get up, dust ourselves off, and start again.  we've done the research; we've studied our history and written new books.  we've taught what we've learned to our daughters who have continued the conversation with our grand- and great-granddaughters.  and now we need to get it out of our heads and bring it further into our hearts, create with it, and ground all of our work with the knowledge of what we are moving forward from.  dance it out, sing about it, and invoke the Divine Feminine in all aspects of our lives and work.  there is no greater way to bring more balance into the world.

what do we know/what can we say about the Divine Feminine in Israel:  Big Mama

~ Big Mama (or The Sun) is one of the most positive and uplifting cards in any tarot deck!  it appears right near the end of The Fool's journey and in this deck in particular, speaks directly to The Matriarch being the cornerstone of family and the keeper of ancestral wisdom.  it tells us it is Our time to SHINE.  to share our glory, our light, and our power with the world!  in being our authentic selves we liberate and uplift everyone around us.  the path is cleared for our ultimate success, and abundance and joy will be the result of sharing our radiant brilliance with others.  as Israel has been struggling through dark times, let this be our sign that through the Divine Feminine/Shekinah, our liberation is assured.  it is inspiring to see the increase in understanding of our ancient connections to female power in what has been a predominantly patriarchal country and culture for centuries.  may we have the wisdom as a nation to heed Her call.

what do I know/what can I say about how the Divine Feminine relates to the work I do:  Seven of Coins 

~ this is my garden growing.  this is a card of slow and steady progress, of taking the time to assess what is working, and what isn't.  by reflecting on my choices and considering the possibility that my fear of failure is preventing me from finishing what I start, I will have a greater ability to see the bigger picture and create a long-term plan that will pay off into my future.  by focusing on my vision and what it means to me, through patience, gratitude, and staying grounded in the present, success is literally just around the next corner.  

 

 

wow.  and doesn't that all relate back to the eclipse in Virgo energy?  what an exceptionally divine and important moment to be living through.  we may see the liberation of millions of women suffering under oppressive regimes in the near future!  we may see women across Western Asia become a global force for bringing more balance to the world!  let it be so.

 

as always, if you enjoy these community readings, feel free to connect with me for a private reading through my Facebook page, Mysteriam Tarot & Dreamwork.

 

Wordle 746 - When the Sirens Blare

why not?  I've always been a glutton for punishment.  click here to read all the contributions, and Make Sure To Leave A Comment to let people know you've enjoyed their work - even if you didn't.  I leave a comment on everyone's posts (even if they have an horrifically appropriative name for their blog and double down on their racism when you point it out).

 

 

 

shelter step rocks rose settle tremble edge left flesh scrap ghost messy

 

rushing down the 43 steps from my apartment (twice while writing this post) into the bomb shelter with my neighbors - more for those on the higher floors - as the air trembles with explosions above us, we settle into our places.  the three Russian ladies and the guy I assume is one of their sons against the far wall, their poor dog on its leash at their feet, or under their chairs when more than the usual number of unruly children are locked in with us.  one of their elders can't even make it down the stairs in the minute and a half we have to get there and seal the door shut, so she sits on a chair in the hallway outside of their apartment.  also in the hallway is Elena (when she's awake), the elderly woman who lives in the apartment across from me - her personal care worker runs down to the shelter with the rest of us.  the Ethiopians (mostly a pile of unruly children as schools are closed during these times of frequent bombings, whose parents are all essential workers) on the dilapidated old couch on the adjacent wall; the boys absorbed in the video games and social media reels on their phones; the girls chattering away loudly (causing the traumatized dog to slink under her owner's chair rather than lay on the blanket she puts down for her) and posturing in the full length mirror, while slapping and teasing each other by snatching phones from hands and snapping pictures; the littlest boy (too young for a phone of his own) playing with a yellow balloon that makes the terrified dog bark when it comes too close, a sound that hits the eardrums like rocks against metal reverberating uncomfortably in the enclosed concrete space that is already messy with echoes.  on the far wall is where the people who came in from the street stand (no chairs for them) because even though this shelter is in our building, our regularly locked front door is thrown open during emergencies to accommodate our neighbors (we're all neighbors here).  And me, settling down on the only scrap chair left, in the far corner by the barely hidden toilet at the edge of the shelter, just right for a fleshed ghost such as myself what rose from who knows where, or why - the only Israeli/American in the building, and quite possibly the neighborhood.