Today's card is Justice and it is oh so fitting since Mercury has just turned retrograde in Aquarius and is making a tense aspect to Mars in Scorpio. This astrology is all about sitting in the discomfort of not knowing and allowing the truth, and that means your truth, that is buried deep within, to emerge from the psychological depths of your being. This astrology is all about resisting the push of Mars to act impulsively, and to wait, to just be, to allow, and to review and reevaluate.
Justice, the eleventh card of the Major Arcana in the Tarot, is about truth, self-honesty and a just outcome. Just as the planetary energies suggest, this card calls for self-examination and looking honestly at yourself. It also speaks of balance - of balancing different energies in your life. In the book, The New Tarot Handbook, by Rachel Pollack, it says about Justice, "In the Rider deck, Justice stands at the midpoint of the Major Arcana, with ten cards before it and ten after. The balanced scales suggest that at this halfway mark we need both to put our lives in order and begin to bring together what had seemed a duality of opposites." "Let's look at how that works symbolically. The fool, zero, carries everything within but nothing is realized. All the potential splits into two figures, the male Magician for light, consciousness, and action, and the female High Priestess for darkness, the unconscious, and stillness. We also see polar opposites with Adam and Eve in the Lovers or in the black and white sphinxes of the Chariot." "Ultimately, the World will bring everything together. But look at Justice. If we do away with the Roman numerals the number becomes 11, the Magician's 1 done twice to echo the High Priestess's pillars. And, of course, 1+1=2, the number of the Priestess. The figure of Justice, a severe, androgynous woman, sits between two pillars with a curtain behind her, like the High Priestess, but her gesture of one arm up (the sword) and one down (the scales) suggests the Magician, as does the red robe and the way one foot sticks out as if she's about to stand." "So what is justice, and why is it so important? One of the cardinal virtues (along with Strength and Temperance, and Prudence, which is missing - fascinating omission), it represents the ability to look into our lives, honestly and fairly, and in so doing free ourselves from the past, with all its childhood conditioning, the influence of family and society, and even more, all the guilt and fear and resentment built up over time." "Most of us have seen the image of Justice on courthouses. There the scales often tilt, for the courts must decide who wins and who loses. And courthouse Justice wears a blindfold for impartiality. Tarot Justice, however, wears no blindfold and seems to stare straight at us, as if challenging us to look honestly at our lives." "The sword points straight up for truth. In all the cards, only three cards point upright - Justice, the Ace of Swords, and the Queen of Swords." "People often ask, if the Tarot can predict events, what of free will? First of all, the cards do not show hard predictions, but possibilities. More deeply, we always have free will, but we often don't use it. This is because we act based on unconscious needs. Justice challenges us to really become conscious of who we are so we can make genuinely free choices." "But what of actual court cases? The Tarot, even in its deepest cards, never abandons the everyday. If you ask about a legal issue and Justice comes up, there is likely to be a just outcome. Of course, this does not guarantee the outcome you desire." So we are now asked to confront the truth within ourselves, to sit with the discomfort as we allow it to emerge so that it may guide us in honest communications and balancing our lives. Rather than acting impulsively on unconscious needs and fears, we are asked to, "...really become conscious of who we are so we can make genuinely free choices." Now we are given the opportunity to, "....look into our lives, honestly and fairly, and in so doing free ourselves from the past, with all its childhood conditioning, the influence of family and society, and even more, all the guilt and fear and resentment built up over time." We are being given the opportunity to find the truth within ourselves and consciously create our lives. The truth shall indeed set you free. When we step forward into the responsibility of consciously creating our lives, guidance can come to us in many forms and one of the forms I have consistently experienced since 2012 is the presence of spirit animals, in dreams, meditations, and crossing my path in real life. As I mentioned in my January 2nd post, Acknowledging the Guidance of Spirit Animals: The Robin for the New Year, if we are paying attention, there are many little signs in the course of our mundane lives that can bring us valuable information. I knew having three robins perch above me on a snow-covered branch in January was odd. For one thing there was not just one, but three, but I have always known robins to be a migratory bird and associated with the first sign of spring. Come to find out, in European mythology they are associated with the new year, and they do sometimes stay in an area and not migrate if there is a sufficient food source. The message of seeing a robin in the winter is a reminder to tap into your inner strength and remain courageous and trusting in order to thrive in less than ideal conditions, which happened to be a very timely message for me. Our everyday lives can indeed be magical.
I had my first encounter with spirit animals, or power animals, while meditating in the fall of 2012. This is when I was introduced to the elephants that still accompany me today. The elephants have always come to me either in meditation or during shamanic journeying and this particular time I had gotten into the hot tub, my favorite place to meditate, completely unexpecting of the experience that awaited me. My slight body slipped effortlessly into the hot water. It felt safe and comforting, and as it enveloped and supported my body, I relaxed. The water was always like a portal to another world. I looked at the tall ponderosa pines standing guard around me and noticed the birds contentedly flitting through their protective branches. It was a beautiful day and I was so blessed to have this time to myself. I took a deep breath in and let a long slow exhale escape as I closed my eyes. I focused on the space…on the nonexistence… there on the inside of my forehead between my eyebrows. I let all of the thoughts go…just slip away…until it was just my consciousness and that black void. And then something amazing happened. Something I had never experienced before. An image appeared right there in my mind’s eye. An elephant’s head appeared in profile. Its trunk was facing my left and I was looking into its huge carmel-colored left eye, and that eye contained the entire universe. All that ever was, is, or will be. The universe in an elephant’s eye! What kind of information was this I was receiving? What did it mean, to be shown the universe in an elephant’s eye? It was like experiencing dream imagery, but while being conscious. Over the following months, in my meditations, I was visited by more elephants. Sometimes there were many of them surrounding me in a circle and supporting me with their trunks, holding me. Sometimes there were two huge guardian-type elephants that would flank me and walk with me. They were amazing. As a spirit animal or totem, the symbolism of the elephant includes connection to ancient wisdom, but as I came to later find, elephants were representative of a much larger theme in my life. The summer of 2013 I decided to get henna-style elephants tattooed onto my shoulders for my birthday, in honor of my spiritual affiliation with the animals. I had been collecting artwork from online searches of styles of elephants that I liked, and went in with a collage to show the artist. I knew I wanted them on my shoulders, facing each other, fairly large. The artist drew the elephants to scale on the tracing paper in the few weeks before my appointment and I checked them over upon my return to the shop. The size was good. For me they were representing those giant protective guardian elephants that had shown up in my meditations. We had decided the tattoos would be line work, in the style of mendhi, or the henna tattoos of India. Each had a front foot lifted, giving the impression of movement, and their trunks were slightly lifted in such a way that framed the existing white lotus tattoo between them. A lifted trunk represents the overcoming of obstacles. These elephants were Asian rather than African and were drawn with the usual decorative trappings of the Asian elephant in service to man – a blanket on its back and cuffs around each foot. Upon seeing this, I stopped. “We need to change this to an all-over pattern. These elephants are FREE.” I had unknowingly made a choice. A couple of years later, I would participate in a guided shamanic journey with local shaman Stacey Couch. I joined the her email list, and her emails regularly included information on animal symbolism. The very next email after the journey was on elephants. I knew already that elephants symbolically represent power, strength, royalty, connection to ancient wisdom, removal of obstacles and barriers, confidence, patience, using education opportunities, commitment, gentleness, communicating in relationships, discernment, intelligence, and compassion. But the shaman made an additional point that I had not yet considered. The African elephant specifically represents something untamed, wild and free. Although I have always been drawn to the African elephant, I ended up with Asian elephants as my tattoos. Asian elephants represent "a rich and tortured past of servitude, full of the paradox of intense reverence and great trial, similar to the plight of the horse. The Asian elephant has played a key role in the advancement of our civilization and has suffered immense atrocities as a result of domestication. The bond between an elephant and a human can run very, very deep both emotionally and archetypally.". I had subconsciously chosen to show the species known for servitude as free - not to choose to represent the one already wild, but to represent the process of becoming free. The time I first started seeing the elephants in meditation marked the time I began a personal journey to freedom from limiting beliefs and patterns, trauma and fears. Their appearance marked the time when I began to learn that I could consciously create my life. The elephants serve as a symbol of my mission to now share everything I have learned and everything that I continue to learn so that others might be able to find that same personal freedom from all of the beliefs, ideas, habits, thought patterns and fears that hold us back from our truest self-expression and the joy that comes from being free to live our most authentic, consciously created life. Mars, the red planet of action and passion, makes a big move into Scorpio on January 3rd, 2016, and this is setting the stage for an energy that will be with us for a good part of the year.
Mars has been in harmony-seeking Libra since 11.13.15, so his shift into intense Scorpio may be strongly felt and take a few days of adjustment. Be in your center the week of January 3rd and prepared for some acting out from people who are feeling the energy but aren't aware. Don't take things personally and keep up boundaries. There's a lot going on the first few days Mars is in Scorpio, adding to the intense atmosphere. The moon will be in Scorpio for the first couple of days Mars is in Scorpio, lending intensity to emotions. Then Mercury, planet of communication goes retrograde on January 5th and the first aspect of the retrograde is a square (a tense aspect) to Mars. There may be a heated conversation brewing. In the background we will also have Sun square Lilith activating the Uranus-Pluto square which means some shadow sides and power struggles may be showing themselves. On January 8th, Jupiter will go retrograde, reminding you to turn inward for guidance. Don't place your trust in outside validation or opinions. Know your own truth and act from your center. Things will ease up astrologically a bit after January 11th. Mars is named after the Roman god of war, and this planet is the ruler of Aries and Scorpio, along with the 1st and 8th houses that are associated with those two signs. When you think of Mars energy, think of that type of acquiring, restless, conquering, energy associated with the Roman army. Also remember that Mars energy is intense energy and it wants action. This energy does not take sides and it can be creative or destructive. It requires attention and handling and care. With proper channeling, it can be very productive. When Mars enters a sign or house, he spurs action. It is your choice whether this action is unconscious and reactive or channeled toward your goals and proactive. Being unaware of Mars energy is like turning your back on a fire. Mars rules Scorpio, so his presence in this sign will result in more intensity. A sign represents a primary energy pattern and a planet represents a dimension of experience. Scorpio is the sign of transformation, of death and rebirth, of the depths of our being. Scorpio can represent deep intimacy and/or deep fear. Because Scorpio represents our deepest needs, desires, fears and darkest shadows, it can show us our relationship to sex, power, money and resources. But because it will show us these depths, it holds the power of the deepest transformation and rebirth. Mars in Scorpio is a call to action in this area. If you are not being proactive with the Mars energy, you may find life situations popping up that force you to take notice and action in this area. Mars is following the same path Saturn, the Teacher and Lord of Karma, took through Scorpio from late 2012 until late 2015. Saturn was churning up the depths of Scorpio, and many of us experienced deep realizations and resulting changes in our lives as a result of this. In mid-September, 2015, Saturn had reached the anaretic degree (the twenty-ninth degree and a very karmic point) of Scorpio and you may have experienced a karmic ending. Many times when a planet first enters a sign, you will need to make a decision, and it is not necessarily a conscious one. As the planet exits (each sign and house has thirty degrees), and you reach the last degree, then you may experience the result. Now Mars enters Scorpio and we are faced with another choice point as his fiery passionate call to action hits the watery depths of Scorpio. Think about what you learned over those three years and what you decided you wanted to change. Now Mars is providing the energy to action those things. Because the setting is the sign of Scorpio, we are talking about our psychological depths - our deepest, even hidden, desires, needs, and fears; the taboo; our deepest secrets; our deepest needs for intimacy; our relationship to power; and our relationship to resources and money, which points to our sense of security. In the positive, Mars energy is passion, motivation, and determination. You can harness this energy to work toward what you want in personal transformation, power, money, sex and intimacy. The energy will be the strongest the month of January. On March 17th, Mars will move into the idealistic and truth-loving sign of Sagittarius, only to turn retrograde a month later on April 18th. Mars retrograde can sap energy so this is not a good time to begin new endeavors. This is where we are given a chance to review and reevaluate the goals we have set and the action we have taken and adjust if necessary. If we have been dealing with a troublesome situation or conflict this may resurface during the retrograde for one more review. On May 27th Mars continues his regression back into Scorpio. Also keep in mind that Mars retrograde is not a good time to go around starting fights. Try to avoid arguments and conflict; defend if necessary, but focus on compromise during this period. On June 30th Mars will turn direct in Scorpio and resume forward motion, giving us the full-steam ahead for positive action. On August 4th he enters Sagittarius again where he will remain until he moves ahead into Capricorn on September 28th, lending all of that action energy to the industrious and practical sign of Capricorn where we can really get things accomplished! Harness the energy of Mars to consciously create your life in 2016. As I stepped into the hot tub for a sunset soak as the first day of 2016 waned, three plump, red-breasted robins immediately roosted in the tree branches directly above me. I didn't think much of it, until looking again, I realized they were robins, a bird I always knew as the harbinger of spring, and it was the middle of winter in Colorado. This was enough of an oddity to prompt me to research the robin's characteristics as a spirit animal.
My first experience with the concept of spirit animals was having elephants start showing up in my meditations in late 2012. After that I had a dream with a white wolf, and then a dream with a black jaguar. Black Jaguar had told me in the dream that if I didn't feed her she would eat everything I loved. After that she has appeared to me from time to time in meditation or shamanic journey and a relationship has developed. She is my power animal, and the elephants and white wolf also journey with me. Other animals will cross my path in very specific ways from time to time, in dreams or in life, that get my attention, and they are more like in-the-moment guidance. Last summer, as I was moving through a very difficult period, I was writing in my journal on the deck when I heard an insistent chirping above me. A blue jay had appeared above me chattering at me and inquisitively looking down, his blue-crested head cocking to one side, and then the other, as he peered at me from his perch above me in the ponderosa pine. I looked up the meaning of the jay as a power animal. The information said that the jay was a symbol of being in the present. His gifts included how to use power wisely, courage, the power of presence, fearlessness, resourcefulness and adaptability. It said the jay can remind us to not allow ourselves to be put in a situation where power is misused against us. Their resourcefulness can symbolize a need inside of you to learn adaptability for survival with the least effort possible. Jays know how to play the game of life and come out on top, and symbolize developing your talents and using them correctly. Now, as a new year begins, I curiously see three robins, a bird known to migrate during the winter and return with the spring. It didn't surprise me to find out that the robin is known as a symbol of growth and renewal but it also said if there is a food source available they in fact will not migrate but remain in the same place year round. On shamanicjourney.com, it says, "One tale has its origins in European mythology, in which the bird of Spring is linked with the New Year and symbolises divine sacrifice and the rebirth of the spirit." It goes on to say, "When we let go of our past – a lot of which stems from childhood experiences – we are refreshed and renewed, thus unburdened and free to nurture and serve ourselves as well as others....we are able to thrive if we possess sufficient inner strength, courage and trust." Just as the jay served as a sign post for me last summer to be resourceful and be aware of any misuse of power I might be encountering, the robin flew in on the first day of the year with a message of releasing the past and building a new foundation of inner strength and trust. The rest of the message came through quite clearly, "Robin will incite new growth in all areas of your life, areas that have become stagnant and out-dated. You must believe in yourself as you move forward for if you do, barriers will disappear, and confrontations will be for show only." I have been slowly developing a vocabulary with the world around me, in which I can receive guidance if I am paying attention. I have to tune in and be present, and there are many ways the information can come. It might be a dream, or the lyrics of a song, or seeing a certain number sequence, or something a friend says that is synchronistic or, as in this case, some encounter with a certain animal that is especially attention-getting. If it is enough to make me stop and think about it, it is usually something I need to think about more and/or research. When I take the time to acknowledge a sign and receive its meaning, I am almost always rewarded with information or guidance that is relevant to my life at the time. |
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