Tabula Mundi Tarot – Page 6 – an inspired Thoth based tarot deck by M.M. Meleen

DECAN WALK: LEO 1, FIVE OF WANDS – Part II

This is the Part II update with observations on things that arose during the Leo 1 decan. For more about the correspondences of the first decan of Leo, see the Leo decan 1, Five of Wands, Part I post.

We are about 75% through the decan as of today. So far, the Leo 1 theme of “Striving” for the Five of Wands, Lord of Strife, has played out in ways other than I first expected. I’d thought it would be a lot of time spent working on the book edits, striving towards the finish line. But I forgot about what normally happens here in Leo 1. It is when the garden starts putting out overwhelming numbers of vegetables. This prompts a lot of striving to somehow efficiently use (Saturn) and try to preserve (Saturn) what is possible while it lasts, as well as a lot of trying to give away care packets of veggies to family and friends so nothing goes to waste.

In terms of squash, it also means also setting up a “free squash” stand, as it gets out of control. Otherwise, you end up with big squash destined to be carved into Viking ships. On reflection, Vikings seem very Sun-Saturn-Mars too, if you ask me.

Some pressure (Saturn, decan ruler of Leo 1 and the Five of Wands) happens, a feeling that I must somehow use all the bounty that we spent all spring caring for. So there is a lot of freezing, pickling, dehydrating, and cooking that crops up, because this time of year it is use it or lose it. There has been a lot of produce dehydrating happening, which seems very Sun-Saturn.

The beautiful weather that the decan began with turned into a multi-day heat wave, which doesn’t help in terms of wanting to boil water for canning, run a dehydrator, or even cook and eat.

Back in the Part II post for Aries decan 2 and the Three of Wands, I wrote about a “Three-fold Seed Spell.” It involves reciting an evocation related to the deities of the decan to a plant at three stages: when planting the seed, at true leaf stage, then at maturation.

The plant I chose to do that spell with during Aries 2 was nasturtium, as it really embodies the Aries 2 correspondences of Mars, ruler of Aries (it is spicy/peppery in taste), and the Sun, ruler of the decan (it comes in all solar colors: reds, oranges, and golden yellow).

Aries 2 is for the Three of Wands, and Threes correspond to Saturn through the third sephira Binah. Interestingly, this Five of Wands Leo 1 decan also combines the same planets as the Three of Wands, so Mars-Sun-Saturn but in a different way. Leo, ruled by Sun, decan ruled by Saturn, Fives (Geburah) ruled by Mars.

So, I decided to do the third and final evocation during this Leo 1 decan, to complete the spell started in Aries 2, and then request the boon that turns the plant into a magical materia. Because I associate the Aries 2 decan with health-giving properties, this is a good plant to use for that, for a plant materia that will be consumed. I also specified that it apply to all of the nasturtiums on the property, as multiples were planted.

The nasturtium is a very cool and useful plant, as all its parts are edible, tasty, and quite impressive in terms of nutrients, especially the antioxidants like lutein (good for the eyes, Aries and the Sun), and Vitamin C, also solar. The flowers can be used for so much more than a garnish or a pretty addition to a salad. They can be stuffed like a squash blossom, or pulverized into softened butter, or infused or muddled into alcohol for cocktails, or dehydrated for various uses. They can be infused in a jar with apple cider vinegar, to make a peppery vinegar sauce like Tabasco. Just pack a jar with flowers, and fill with ACV. I added a clove or two of garlic, a pinch of kimchee pepper flakes (both are Mars) and a pinch of salt (Saturn) too, but that is optional. Look at the beautiful color it turns!

Nasturtium vinegar hot sauce: Sun-Mars plus salt for Saturn

The leaves can be eaten in a salad of course, though probably mixed with other things as the flavor is spicy-peppery and musky. Some of the leaves get as large as a grape leaf, so they make a good edible wrapper that can be used for either raw or cooked stuffed wraps. When the leaves are cooked, they lose most of the peppery qualities and taste much like spinach. Drop them into a pan coated with hot coconut oil, and they crisp into something like an extremely thin and delicate chip. They also, like the flowers, can be infused into vinegar or alcohol. You can dehydrate the leaves and they easily powder by hand, for making an herbal salt, or for just sprinkling on food, adding color and nutrients to recipes, or making your own herbal “Mrs. Dash” type mix.

I have done all of the above with the flowers and leaves in this decan. Surprisingly, the stems are also very useful. They have a crisp juicy texture and a mild peppery flavor. Chop them up and use them like you would use chives, sprinkled on foods, added to recipes, or mixed into a soft cheese.

Even the seed pods when they form, can be pickled to make a substitute for capers.

This tart used three parts of the nasturtium: flowers, leaves and stems, plus the crust was made from zucchini – a double win in terms of using up abundant produce. Summer is courgette-du-jour season; gotta get creative.

DRAMA:

But elsewhere other than produce preservation, the Sun-Mars-Saturn pressure cooker combo has cropped up. Leo 1 can mean drama, and in one dramatic incident, a person undergoing a psychotic episode snuck into my husband’s workplace. They were under some completely paranoid schizophrenic delusion about the company itself and specifically, a certain employee working there who deals with the public, thinking they were somehow focused on him (Sun/ego problem). Anyway, they tracked down the employee’s office and violently attacked him (Mars). My husband heard his coworker yelling for help and had to jump on and pull off the attacker and hold him down until the police arrived (Saturn). Luckily, no one was badly injured. This was definitely a Lord of Strife Scenario.

The Sun-Mars-Saturn theme also showed itself in much more minor irritations, mostly me becoming annoyed by other humans being somehow obnoxious, or so it seemed to me anyway. Some of the annoyances involved themes of disparity, with affluent people acting entitled and above others, which is something mentioned in the Part 1 post, as the magical image of the decan in the Telos card image juxtaposes a “man in sordid raiment” (a Saturn figure) with “a nobleman on horseback” (a Sun figure).

I noticed it multiple times, my anger (Mars) arising over the actions of others. It gets tempting to go all Hephaestus and Typhon on them. I was feeling triggered often enough that I realized it wasn’t healthy, so had to offset it with some Metta practice, to remind myself that we are all humans. It helps me not get too misanthropic, which is a danger, and was definitely cropping up here and there in this decan. When faced with conflict it is good to stick up for yourself if necessary, and especially show up for others who need it, but not to devolve into hating the perpetrators. Best not to go there, as it is a slippery slope to becoming a self-centered (Sun), angry (Mars), curmudgeon (Saturn). Gratitude is another practice that helps.

My office is on the second floor in a reformed attic, with no window to put air-conditioning in, so it is good that the heat wave will be over soon, and the produce situation feels almost under control. I think in the last few days of this decan I will be going back to some healthy striving on the book editing. After canning some squash pickles.

Edited to add: Thanks to Graham for mentioning the 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the Russian coast. If you reread the Part I post for Leo decan 1, I’d mentioned to watch for earthquakes during this week. I also happened to learn that the 5th degree of Leo, of course in this decan, is conjunct a hypothetical astrological Uranian point called Volcanus, which I thought was interesting.

DECAN WALK: LEO 1, FIVE OF WANDS – Part I

Ascendant Decan of Leo: A man in sordid raiment, with him a nobleman on horseback. accompanied by bears and dogs.

Welcome to the first decan of Leo! Leo decan 1 might be my favorite time of year. As of today (Tuesday the 22nd) we now have the Sun in Leo and the Moon in Cancer, so both luminaries are in their home signs, at least until the new moon in Leo on Thursday. And we are having an absolutely gorgeous streak of weather here – sunny warm days, but not hot and humid, and cool nights for sleeping.

Days are still long, weather is sunny, lots of good swimming weather, so many flowers blooming, and vegetables and herbs are at their peak time in the garden. Birds singing constantly. It is just a happy time of year. In my next life, I would like to be a Leo: sunny, confident, generous, charismatic – and most of them have great hair! Plus, a summertime birthday!

Leo decan 1: Leo ruled by the Sun, decan is ruled by Saturn, triplicity decan ruler is also the Sun, Fives are of Mars.

The Golden Dawn considered this first decan of Leo to be the start of the astrological year. This is due to its association with the Sun and with the royal star Regulus, Cor Leonis, or “heart of the lion” in constellation Leo.

Understandably, an organization called the Golden Dawn, named for the rising Sun, gives great importance to Leo, the only sign ruled by the all important Sun. They used Regulus as the starting point as opposed to the 0° Aries point derived from the Equinox divisions of the Tropical zodiac, which due to precession no longer aligns with the Sidereal or constellations. This had the effect of making the signs and constellations coincide when projecting the Tree of Life (and thus the tarot) in a solid sphere. So, this decan can also be used as a starting point, like the Two of Wands. In this case, the card gets fiery spark from the Sun and Mars, and structure from Saturn.

RWS: Five battling men; Thoth: Phoenix wands and Lotus Wands (Adeptus Minor ritual); Tabula Mundi: Zurvan and the volcano

It is called the Lord of Strife. There is a sense of pressure, as the Sun and Saturn are opposites: one warm and bright, one dark and cold. The sun at the center of the system, and Saturn at the furthest edge (considering the classical planets.)

Add in fiery Mars and this clash gives rise to pressure, as in magma from a volcano seeking release, as seen in the background of the Telos Tarot and Tabula Mundi Tarot images, with the sky in the blazing orange color of Geburah (Fives/Mars) in Atziluth (Wands).

Regarding volcanic activity, watch for the possibility for underground eruptions this week as the Leo Sun in this decan makes its annual opposition to Pluto, lord of the underworld, this Friday. Funny coincidence: when I was in the middle of writing the chapter for this card in my upcoming book, we had a minor earthquake here, rare for where I live.

The Telos Tarot image based on the magical description of the decan is of a man “in sordid raiment.” This is Saturn, as Saturn is associated with dirty, black, or tattered clothing. With him is “a nobleman on horseback,” this is a solar influence as royalty and nobility, as well as horsemanship, are all things that are associated with the Sun.

Like Saturn being far from the Sun, there is a gulf of distance, a disparity between the two figures in terms of affluence. They are accompanied by bears and dogs, which seems to suggest a hunt. The bears are under much strife, being harried and blocked by torches, poles, and spears (stand ins for the five “wands”).

A man in sordid raiment, with him a nobleman on horseback. accompanied by bears and dogs.

Also showing the Sun/Saturn contrast and the stress of restriction is the symbol of a lion, enclosed in an inverted pentagon, surrounded by flames and trapped in a net. This lion is actually a lion-serpent, and his head is haloed by solar rays. The decan images of Liber Hermetis and the Sacred Book of Hermes images mention this figure. This is the Chnoubis, an Egyptian Gnostic solar symbol associated with Abraxas, often inscribed on amulets. The combination of the solar lion, with the lowly earth-crawling serpent, is also a contrast like the concept of Sun and Saturn.

The deity per the “36 Airs of the Zodiac” fragmentary text is Hephaestus the blacksmith (Vulcan to the Romans). The process of blacksmithing relates to the Sun/Saturn elements of heat and pressure.

He was also lame or club-footed, which is an attribute of Saturn. Some say that he was the son of Hera alone, like Athena was born of Zeus alone, and that she cast him out of Olympus for his deformity.

Hephaestus ultimately gets revenge on Hera for her rejection by sending her the gift of a golden throne, with invisible fetters that imprisoned her as soon as she sat down. The golden throne that binds seems like appropriately congruent to the Sun/Saturn theme.

The Ptolemaic Egyptian deity per 777 is the cruel, fire-breathing, serpentine Typhon, who seems related to the Chnoubis and Agathodaemon, and to Abraxas.

The Greeks (c. 500 BC) associated Typhon with the Egyptian god Set. Set was the god of storms and disorder, and the enemy of solar god Horus.

In Hesiod’s Theogony, Typhon was a child of Gaia (Earth) and Tartarus (the Abyss, a place of suffering). In other myths, Typhon was born of Cronus (Saturn), or in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Typhon was born of Hera alone, like Hephaestus. In most accounts Typhon is a terror with one hundred fire-breathing heads attached, usually snakes but also of a myriad of wild beasts. Typhon battled Zeus for control of the cosmos and power over mortals, but defeated, was banished, and imprisoned in Tartarus.

Talismanic use of the image:

The Picatrix says it may be used to have a ruler (Sun) raise one’s rank (Saturn, authority), which seems fitting. It also says it is for causing predators (Mars) to gather, which one might choose to take as metaphor.

It can also be used for things like:

courage when confronted with conflict
bravery when faced with being the center of attention
increasing charisma
rising to the top of the heap in competition
endurance through great labors

Strife is related to striving, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This decan/card provides the energy (Sun and Mars) and the endurance (Saturn) needed to accomplish much, or to excel in things of a competitive nature.

I’m going to be striving to finish my book editing process in this decan. Finally almost through that part. Editing is a pain, so I’m going to be needing both solar energy and saturnine endurance with some extra martial spark of initiative. I’m really looking forward to being done with editing and moving on to the more fun part like formatting and design. The only problem is that the weather here is so nice right now that it is hard to be inside working on a manuscript when one could be out in nature.

DECAN WALK: CANCER 3, FOUR OF CUPS – Part II

This is Part II for the Cancer 3 decan. It corresponds to the Four of Cups, Luxury. For anyone new, Part II is just where I ramble about whatever things occurred during the decan period that seemed at all related to the correspondences, or other random stuff.

The picture above is just me being a medieval peasant bragging about the size of my cabbages. Cabbages are Moon-ruled things, and the Cancer 3 decan is doubly Moon as both the sign and the decan itself are ruled by the Moon. Add expansive Jupiter for the Fours, and what do you get? Huge cabbages! The one above has a dime on it to show scale. Granted, it is a variety that is supposed to grow ridiculously huge while still staying tender. This one isn’t done growing, and I most definitely did not give it the 10 feet of space from anything else as recommended. So while it could probably get even bigger, it is still going to be massive.

I read this article about “anhedonia” today, that seems to relate to the sort of languid boredom the RWS Four of Cups portrays.

The Moon is also associated with mothers. My own mum is going through some tough stuff physically and mentally right now, so she has been on my mind. I’ve been trying to think of ways to help elevate her mind state a bit, to be more optimistic than is her nature. I guess that is a Jupiter thing, as well as a sort of theme of the Cancer 3 decan for the 4 of Cups, is that if your world gets too small, you can stagnate.

She is a Cancer person too, though of the prior decan, Cancer 2. I got a nice surprise at the end of the last decan, when someone here told me that another Cancer 2 decan native, Lon Milo Duquette, mentioned me and Telos Tarot of 777 in his YouTube birthday post for his 77th birthday! That was for sure a surprise – and a good one, unlike some surprises. So Lon, if you see this, happy 77th and many happy returns! Live long and prosper!

The third decan of Cancer theme of Luxury is playing out in the garden. So much luxurious produce it is crazy. And in one case, the Four of Cups theme of being a bit “overcrowded-in-the-womb” is playing out in the squash bed. Squashes are lunar, so it fits. I made the mistake of overplanting, and now can barely get in there to find them! But as far as Luxury goes, our pre-dinner snack was some deep fried squash blossoms with a side of cucumbers and salt. Both plants are Moon-ruled. Cannot get a better summer snack than that!

Harvested in this Cancer 3 decan. This is a years-worth of garlic, for two avid cooks, plus enough to plant for the next year.

We are almost through this decan now, so I’m starting to think about the next decan, when Leo season starts. Like usual, it seems to start to hint at what is coming ahead of time. We harvested garlic today – around 450 bulbs or thereabout! We grow a ton, enough to have garlic for the entire year plus enough to plant for the next year. Garlic is one of my favorite things to grow because:

It gets planted in November, when there is a lot less garden stuff happening
It can take moderate weed pressure, and
It also tolerates moderate dry spells, and
It gets no insect problems, ever, at least here, so these things all combine to make it a trouble free plant here
You get both the bulbs, and the “scapes” to use, and the scapes come right around solstice when the prior years garlic is used up, and tide you over until the next harvest, which is now
It is something that we use almost every single day in cooking
most of the garlic in the stores is grown “elsewhere,” like China, under dubious conditions

I considered waiting until the next decan for the Five of Wands, just because Fives are Mars and so is garlic. But last year I waited too long to harvest it, which affects its longevity in storage. And, today I had the time, so, needs must and all that. And while garlic is definitely a Mars thing, those big white bulbs seem somewhat Moon-ish as well.

Speaking of the transition from Cancer, a Moon-ruled sign, to Leo, a Sun-ruled sign, here is a picture that really captures it.

In the foreground are my breadseed opium poppies, that will provide a bunch of poppy seeds for baking. These are Moon plants, that I associate with both Pisces (The Moon major) and Cancer (the Moon-ruled sign). Behind them are sunflowers, obviously Sun-ruled, that will likely bloom in the next decan, Leo 1, when Leo, the only sign ruled by the Sun, begins. The Moon-ruled poppies are almost done blooming at the end of Cancer, right when the Sun-ruled sunflowers are about to begin in Leo.

Notice how many honeybees are in that poppy flower! This is the first time I’ve grown these, and I have noticed the bees go absolutely crazy for them – they almost seem frenzied! I think it is because the flowers only last for less than a day – they come out in the morning and the petals are falling off by the afternoon. But they are loaded with pollen and nectar, so the bees know it is now or never. Every single flower always has like ten frenzied bees in it! The cool thing about that, which relates to this Cancer-to-Leo decan transition, is that bees are both lunar (Cancer) and solar (Leo). Lunar because the hive is mostly female: it has a Queen and all female workers, and only a very limited number of male “drones.” Solar because they come out when it is sunny, gather nectar and pollen when it is sunny, are golden in color, and make golden honey.

DECAN WALK: CANCER 3, FOUR OF CUPS – Part I

The above is the pen and ink drawing for Cancer decan 3, the Four of Cups, aka Luxury but more formally, the Lord of Blended Pleasure. The word Blended is significant, as it implies that it isn’t total pleasure, but is somehow hindered.

Cadent Decan of Cancer: A swift-footed person, with a viper in his hand, leading dogs.

This is an excerpt from the “Artist Notes” section of the book I am working on. This section of the book describes what inspired the image, or provided a figure model for the image.

“Though the figure is male, it was inspired by and modelled on various statues by Paul Manship, who did various similar looking Art Deco bronze sculptures of running figures such as Atalanta. Atalanta was a swift-footed virgin who eschewed men and devoted herself to the huntress Artemis. He also did a sculpture of the lunar goddess Artemis, that I saw at the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. The statue is of a nude Artemis with her bow, running with her hunting dog in pursuit of the unfortunate Actaeon. In the tale Actaeon the hunter stumbled upon Artemis bathing, and was transformed into a stag for his transgression, becoming the hunted.

Atalanta, Artemis, and, of necessity, Actaeon, were all “swift-footed persons.” The model for the male runner here was Artemis herself, who has lunar associations most suitable for this doubly Moon-ruled sign and decan. The statue provided the anatomical posture, but was made male, and given clothing, the viper, and the horn.”

Cancer: the sign ruled by the Moon
Chaldean decan ruler: also the Moon
Fours: ruled by Jupiter

This combination is fortunate, as the sign ruler and decan ruler align, with the additional expansive and fortunate influence of Jupiter. Thus the title, “Luxury.” Yet it is blended pleasure. It is a Cadent decan, and as a Four, subject to some “full stop” type of expression. Fours are the first expression of a suit below the supernals, or realm of deity, on the Tree of Life, first below the “Abyss.” It is where the suit starts to leave the ideal. They are generally a plateau of sorts, where one has gotten to a resting point but cannot progress without some form of disruption (the approaching Fives). Thus the feeling of, “this is good, but I’m restless” feeling of the card. Fours want to be stable, but any stability in them is only temporary,

The cards of Cancer decan 3, the Four of Cups, in order, above: RWS, Thoth, Tabula Mundi, Rosetta, Telos Tarot of 777.

Hellenistic god per the 36 Airs fragment: Hecate

Ptolemaic god per 777: Mercophta

Most are familiar with the lunar goddess Hecate, and her triune form is even seen in the image. Mercophta on the other hand is much more obscure. I’m going to have to conceal my speculations and musings about this god until the publication of my book.

Talismanic use of the image:

“The Picatrix applications use the triplicity ruler Jupiter, and use the image for assuring protection from perils on sea journeys. But the general significations for the decan reference acquisition by means of war and conflict. An excess of resources should be satisfying, even shared, yet those who have want more. It could be used for hunting and gathering, pursuing that which flees, and acquiring goods through war and contention.”

The RWS image seems especially resonant with the idea of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha after his revelation under the Bodhi Tree. He was a wealthy prince, raised in Luxury, who, after escaping his luxurious and sheltered upbringing due to boredom and dissatisfaction, saw for the first time how the common people lived and died. He saw the truth of human suffering in the world, which had previously been purposely hidden from him in his life of luxury. He became disillusioned with his wealth, renounced pleasure, and thereafter lived life as a mendicant. Eventually, during a meditation beneath the Bodhi tree, he discovered the Buddhist “Four Noble Truths” and the “Middle Path.”

The Thoth image emphasizes the golden glow yet he cups are both stable with square bases, and seemingly still unstable due the flow of the waters, which have not quite yet overfilled the lower cups. The Tabula Mundi image shows the luxury of a beautiful pearl, yet pearls are created by an irritation. The large wave shows she encroaching disruption of what is otherwise quite balanced and beautiful.

As far as having the luxury of excess, yes that is playing out already. But that’s all for now. As I am a day or so late on this I wanted to get it out there.

DECAN WALK: CANCER 2, THREE OF CUPS – Part II

This is Part II of the post for the Cancer 2 decan that corresponds to the Three of Cups, also known as Abundance.

Those who have been following along on this Decan Walk series of posts will not be surprised that it has manifested in terms of the garden, as I make no secret of having a big garden and getting into it. Through a combination of effort (all the garden preparations and seedling care) and luck (good weather and abundant rain) we are awash in beautiful vegetables. Effort = Saturn, the Threes, and Weather is a function of Mercury, ruler of the decan, while the Moon, ruler of Cancer, is associated with the growth of plants. So prepare for some pretty veggie shots. All the seedlings from Aries 2 decan are now producing, and all the planning of Taurus 1 decan has come to fruition.

All the brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, and cabbage are getting mature all at once. Every couple of days there is a harvest like the above and more coming in. Plus the cucumbers and squashes have started, and anyone who knows anything about vegetable gardening knows what that means. If you don’t keep up with it, you can find yourself heading into Four of Cups territory, with too much squash!

More Cancer decan 2 abundance: Clementine cauliflower that got turned into a curry last night

Plenty to eat and plenty to freeze and plenty to share. I’ve been on a mini “staycation” this decan, so keeping up with the garden has been a pleasure. Plus “staycation” seems like a Cancer decan 2 or Three of Cups thing – a celebration/vacation at home (Cancer). Cancer is known for loving being at home. The crab in its shell. Did some swimming too, and will end the decan with a birthday celebration for my mom – celebrations with females is one classic theme of the Three of Cups, and Cancer is associated with mothers (I just happen to have one who is one too.)

Just a pretty backlit cabbage and some elderflowers steeped in wine

It is not all veggies though, the flowers and herbs are also going gangbusters. I’ve been harvesting and drying flowers for medicinal and culinary use. Chamomile, calendula, marigold, cornflower, beebalm, rose petals. Plus the elders are flowering too so we started a batch of elderflower hydromel, which is like an ale strength mead. What you see above is just some flowers steeped in wine; the elderflower hydromel is brewed with the flowers, water, and honey, and is still in process.

I also am getting some stunning poppies. The seeds were planted outside in the last water sign, Pisces, just before starting this decan walk. These plants like to be direct seeded outdoors in late winter, in Pisces season here. You can even seed them into snow. I associate poppies with Pisces, as you can see in these Moon and Pisces cards:

Telos Tarot of 777 The Moon — Pisces, The Moon, Telos Tarot

Moon Tabula Mundi Tarot — Pisces, The Moon, Tabula Mundi. (Figurehead holds a poppy pod.)

Pisces decan 3, when the poppies were planted. A pyramid of pods.

So they get planted in Pisces, but flower in the next water sign, Cancer, in this second decan of Abundance.

first poppy of the season, seeded in Pisces decan 3

These are not the ornamental California poppies; these are the true poppies grown for breadseeds and medicine. This variety is called Giant Rattle, as it makes big seedpods full of seeds, for food production. I may make an actual rattle too, for ceremonial purposes.

Most of the flowers of this variety are white or pale purple but with some that are hot pink and purple mixed in. The flowers are prolific and beautiful, but ephemeral – they only last a day so their beauty is fleeting. Much like the message of the Ten of Cups, Satiety (Pisces decan 3 when they were planted), and the Three of Cups, Abundance (Cancer decan 2, when they flower). The Two decans have some similarities. Tens are all the source of the Universe path, the Saturn card, while the sephira of the Threes corresponds to Saturn. Pisces and Cancer are both water signs, and both associated with the Moon: Pisces through the Moon card, Cancer through the Moon ruling Cancer. And both decans are about having a lot to appreciate, but with a sense that it is transitory.

Saturn and the Moon are both about time, in a sense. They both mark cycles of time, one slow and large, and one fast. Saturn has a 29 year orbit, while the Moon has a 29 day orbit. Food for thought.

DECAN WALK: CANCER 2, THREE OF CUPS – Part I

Succedent Decan of Cancer: A beautiful woman wreathed with myrtle. She holds a lyre and sings of love and gladness.

We just passed the 10th degree of Cancer, so now we are firmly in Cancer decan 2. Cancer: ruled by the Moon. Cancer decan 2 ruled by Mercury in the Chaldean order used in tarot; under the triplicity system it would be Mars. Threes ruled by Saturn.

The artistic inspiration for the figure was goddess Saraswati, she of the great river who has many Mercury-like attributes. Her name in Sanskrit includes saras, which can mean both “pooling waters” and “speech,” and “vati,” meaning she who possesses. Thus, she is known as “one with plenty of water,” and as “she who possesses speech.”

She has many of the gifts associated with Mercury/Hermes. Like Hermes she is a deity of learning, the arts and sciences, music, poetry, languages, and culture. She is also associated with both purity and motherhood. In her four arms, she normally holds prayer beads, a waterpot, a book, and an instrument called a veena which is in the same family as the lyre. Here she keeps the instrument and holds aloft three cups. In the background, the three major light-emitting lunar phases are shown.

The 36 Airs deity for the Cancer 2 decan is Herakles, “Hera’s Glory” of the abundant exploits and labors. In my book I explain that in association with this card, I think there may be some correspondence to a similar figure known as Herakles Mel-kart, a Phoenician precursor to Herakles who was the source of many of the Herakles Greek myths.

The deity per 777 is Hecate. Some depictions of Hecate show her as three-faced or triple-bodied, as guardian of the three-way crossroads, just as the herm pillar of Hermes (Mercury) honored Mercury at crossroads. . Like Hermes, she helped Demeter navigate the underworld in search of Persephone, guiding her with her torches, and having keys to open the gates of Hades and Tartarus. Some of her many epithets include Trimorphe, “three-formed,” Propylaia “before the gate,” Aglaos “bright and beautiful,” Erototokos, “bearer of love,” and Soteria, “savior.”

Cancer decan 3: Rider Waite, Thoth, and Tabula Mundi.

Where the Picatrix mentioned Cancer decan 1 for summoning rain, Cancer decan 2 can be used to banish it. I imagine this might be as the Picatrix text uses triplicity rulers, in this case, Mars (fiery and drying).

But we use Chaldean ruler Mercury. Magically speaking, this is a face for matters of abundance and increase, of riches and friendship, and the protection and nurturing of growing things. It is associated with mirth, joy, and celebrations, especially gatherings of female relations and friends. Games, gladness, jollity, and singing, are positively affected. It is a card of gestation and ripening fecundity: Abundance.

It reminds me of an affirmation said to create a feedback loop that creates abundance: “I give eternal thanks, for abundance that is mine.” I forget where I first heard it, but it is a good one to practice when you can.

That decan ruler Mercury is capricious, and has chthonic associations, and with the Threes corresponding to Saturn, is a reminder to enjoy the good times and experience gratitude for them, but not to cling to them: the ol’ doctrine of impermanence and change. Celebrate it, toast to it, be thankful, and enjoy it while it lasts!

DECAN WALK: CANCER 1, TWO OF CUPS – Part II

Just a quick update for Part II of the Cancer 1 decan.

The most notable manifestation of the Cancer 1 decan has been many sightings of baby animals. During this decan I’ve seen a baby fawn, a family of baby skunks, many, many, baby turkeys, baby rabbits, baby turtles, and a nest full of baby wrens.

I did not get to experiment with rain-making during this decan, as I had to put my magical energy instead into healing some injuries from a mountain biking fall. Nothing too major, thankfully, just a few new scars to the meat suit.

As far as “Love” goes, I’ve been having a good time with my partner with some time off from work.

I’ll also share something I Love that happens annually in Cancer 1 decan. During this decan we went to one of our favorite annual events that we love: a “rock swap” where mineral hunters and miners sell and exchange their finds. One sees so many absolutely stunning crystals there. Some of them cost more than my car! (Obviously I have an old and inexpensive car, but still.) But you can also find some incredible deals on cool specimens too.

It happens every year in this decan, and I’ve been going there for many years. It is one of my very favorite things. Lots of love there – you see the same people there every year, same vendors, and all just share a love of rocks, crystals, minerals, and fossils. Some are just sellers but most of the sellers are rock hounds who actually mine them. Everyone there collects them. Everyone is really nice and willing to share knowledge of what they have, where they found it, the geological conditions that made it, how old it is, etc. Stuff from all over the world. I saw a lot of very beautiful crystals, minerals, fossils, and even dinosaur bones.

Some of them come from mines specific for that type of crystal, but some collectors find them when things get blasted for making a road or something. Or they are a “by-product” of some other mining for something for industry.

The last few years, most of what I’ve bought there are what they call “garden rocks.” That is this year’s haul seen above. These are the larger, rougher, more imperfect – and far less costly – mineral specimens. They are considered less desirable and so cost a lot less generally than the “crystals.” Plus got some smaller but cool minerals. Most of what I got were things less than $10, or even less than $5. Got a few in the $20-30 range, and one for a little more. So for very little we got a big haul of cool things. And got to look at and lust after the beautiful expensive ones too, some of which were just stunning. I’m a bit of a dragon in that I love my rocks.

Those rocks above were enough to turn into a “Stones and Bones” garden:

Finally, a type of garden I don’t have to weed or water! Though sometimes it is fun to water the rocks as some of them look even better when wet. That is a moose skull and jawbones I found in the woods.

Here is last year’s garden rock haul that was made into a matching “Sticks and Stones” garden, with various driftwood finds, twisty sticks, and old rusty tools.

Had a really great meal at a place called “Pearl” too – pearls correspond to Cancer, so I thought that was a nice coincidence.

See you in Cancer decan 2, Abundance, coming soon.

DECAN WALK: CANCER 1, TWO OF CUPS – Part I

Welcome to the first decan of Cancer, the start of summer here. The Solstice, marking the Sun’s entry to the decan and the start of this Cardinal sign hinge point of the year, was at 10:42 PM EDT last night here, to this is a few hours late. But on the very last day of Gemini 3 decan, Lord of Ruin, the last working upper fan in my PC decided to die. There were originally two, and one died long ago. But it seemed to work just fine with the one. But the last twin was finally met with Ruin, and no fans is a no go, as we are scheduled for extreme heat in the high 90s the next few days. Luckily I had two spare fans, and now it is back to tip-top order. But I thought it was fitting that it’s last gasp was at the end of Gemini 3. Something was bound to go to Ruin I guess.

But now we are here in Cancer decan 1, the Lord of Love. Cancer, the Chariot, ruled by the Moon. The decan ruled by Venus – the Empress.

Note how in the RWS image above, the female figure wears lunar colors but a solar/masculine crown of laurel, and the male figure wears solar colors with a more lunar/feminine crown of roses. Not sure how the Sun comes into play here? Read on…

Ascendant Decan of Cancer: A man with distorted face and hands, a horse’s body, white feet, and a girdle of leaves.

I originally found the decan image description above, as listed in 777, a bit perplexing for a card of Love. Picatrix lists it as “A man having twisted and crooked fingers and head, and his body is like the body of a horse, and having white feet and upon his body fig leaves. And this is a face of teaching, knowledge, of love, subtlety, and of skills.” Thinking about this made me see him as a Chiron-like figure. Chiron the Centaur was a very learned and loving teacher, a father-figure to many great heroes whose rearing was entrusted to him in their childhood.

Agrippa’s decan description fits with the idea of Venus as the decan ruler: “In the first face of Cancer ascendeth the form of a young Virgin, adorned with fine cloathes [clothes], and having a Crown on her head; it giveth acuteness of senses, subtlety of wit, and the love of men.” Bruno’s description is similarly Venusian: “In the first face of Cancer is a crowned woman who is luxuriously dressed. She is holding an olive branch in her right hand and a drinking cup in her left hand.”

In the Rosetta deck (above) I included the dolphins as “argent and or,” (silver and gold in heraldic terms). (Not the best drawing of dolphins, but neither were Lady Harris’, who in the Thoth deck as shown below look more like koi fish.)

They are also present as the lower half of the hippocampi in Tabula Mundi Tarot, seen at the top of the page. Hippocampi are horse-dolphin hybrids, which in consideration of the horse references of the decan image is interesting.

Dolphins are associated with the womb and with the womb’s alchemy. The idea of them as silver and gold are likely a lunar-solar thing, a fertile combination of female and male. Makes some sense with the idea of Cancer and Venus (both feminine and lunar) in the sephira for Twos, Chokmah, which is considered masculine. Chokmah corresponds to the Zodiac itself, composed of stars that are after all suns, so solar.

The 36 Airs of the Zodiac fragment gives an association with Nike, the goddess of Victory who was Zeus’ charioteer, which fits for the introduction of the sign of Cancer, whose trump card is the Chariot. One could argue that the Chariot, though military in nature, fits the fierce protectiveness of the mother, and the Chariot as a stand in for the body as the vehicle of the soul. Nike’s Chariot was often followed by Eros, the god of Love.

Apollun/Apoltun, the deity per 777, refers to Apollo, another charioteer. He was the protector of the young, which fits this decan, and a solar god of healing, poetry, music, and prophecy. He was born to Leto and Zeus, and twin or brother to lunar Artemis, reflecting a bit of the solar/lunar play of the card. He protected not only the young, but also flocks, herds, and shepherds, roads and homes. His iconography of the bow and the circlet of leaves seems cognate with the centaur image of the decan. Apollo also fathered Asclepius, god of healing, who studied under the centaur Chiron to learn the art of medicine.

The Picatrix talismanic applications describe this image as used for bringing clouds and rain, as well as for bringing home travelers safely, by land or sea. With this heat wave coming on, it might be fun to see if I can manifest some clouds or rain. Maybe a thunderstorm. None is predicted – the forecast is HOT and sunny/hazy, so it would be a good test!

DECAN WALK: GEMINI 3, TEN OF SWORDS – Part II

Not much to update for Part II of the Gemini decan 3 Ruin experience, except I did experience a pretty lousy mental mind-state at one point. Really negative, in a way I haven’t been in a while. Some of the old “not-good-enoughs” cropping up, and some FOMO, and feeling left out of some things. Fears of old age, sickness, and death. Existential angst. Being entirely tired of the world as it currently is. Over the worst of it now. The peak of it was when the Sun was at the Gemini 3 decan degree that exactly squared my natal Chiron in house 2, which makes sense: the wound in the place of self-worth. This transit happens to me every year at this time, so it is nothing new!

Feeling a little down that when this decan is over the days will be shortening again; the dying of the light. But it takes a while before it is too noticeable, so must enjoy what there is while it lasts.

Other than that, there were some choices and sacrifices made in the garden, as I had to pick and choose what got the last of the space and what will be abandoned, as I had more types of squash plants than space for them. Gave away the last half dozen tomato plants that didn’t fit.

twinned plants in one pot: who will be sacrificed?

Also transplanted a big tray of celariac that has been languishing and the cells all seemed to have two plants. Normally I am frugal enough to carefully separate them and plant both. Not this time; just ruthlessly ripped out and discarded one of each one. Probably futile to even plant them as they take a long time and it is very late, but couldn’t bear to throw them all out. Interestingly, I think in Chinese constellation mythology, the constellation Gemini was supposed to be two plants; you can see them in the Lovers card of Telos Tarot, just below the lyre between the shadow-lovers and the twinned boys.

I’m also very over gardening at the moment, and not feeling the writing-editing process. I have not been able to do much work on finishing editing and design work on the great big book either; though I did do quite a bit at the start of the decan. Kind of a crisis of confidence or something. But last night I dreamed it was done, and that I got a sample of it in an instant download like when something gets beamed down in Star Trek. It was a huge hardcover in color. Which is never going to happen, cost-wise, but it looked pretty cool in the dream.

I need to get back to doing visual art; this writing business isn’t what I gravitate to, left to my own devices. If I go too long without doing some type of art I’m less happy; it is a pattern I’ve noticed. But the choice was made to do this book so now I have to finish one thing before starting another; I can’t seem to do both at once. I have left brain and right brain abilities but apparently not at the same time. So it will come when it is meant to I guess.

In good news, it is salad season, and boy now that we are just about to the cusp of Gemini/Cancer there are a nice variety of lettuces out there in the garden; I think of lettuce as a Cancer plant, but Gemini as the lover of variety. But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s already salad season and the challenge is to eat it every day from Gemini through Cancer without growing bored. This Gemini decan has been good for coming up with some new salad creation every day so it is never the same thing twice. I suppose that is a little bit of creativity in its own right.

This was a recent salad creation based on the colors for Gemini decan 3. It actually has an element of every one of the listed colors.

Color(s)	Citrine-Olive-Russet-Black, all gold flecked; plus the colors of the associated Majors
Colors of the associated Majors	The Lovers: Orange – Pale Mauve – New Yellow Leather – Reddish Grey, inclined to Mauve. The Sun: Orange – Gold Yellow – Rich Amber – Amber, rayed Red

And the fireflies are thriving and the mountain laurel is in full bloom: a Midsummer Night’s dream.

Really looking forward to the next Cancer decans coming up (Love and Abundance). We have an outdoor pre-Solstice dinner with friends planned, which should be fun. Happy Solstice to all!

one of the two versions of The Lovers from Pharos Tarot

DECAN WALK: GEMINI 3, TEN OF SWORDS – Part I

Already here to Gemini decan 3? Gemini decan 2 flew by! The image above is the original line drawing for the Ten of Swords, known as the Lord of Ruin.

Cadent or declining decan of Gemini.

Gemini is ruled my Mercury; decan 3 is ruled by the Sun; Tens correspond to the Earth. This decan is the last before the Summer Solstice, when the daylight will be at its longest but the days will start getting shorter again. Already??? It’s hinting at the decline of the Sun to come.

It is one of the more sinister looking cards in many decks. It often signifies breakdowns, endings, or death; symbolic and otherwise.

Cadent decan of Gemini: A man in mail, armoured with bow, arrows, and quiver.

The mailed figure in this image could be Orion, whose constellation is next to Gemini in the sky (shown in the image.) Or it could be one of a number of mythological twins.

In Egypt, the stars of Orion the hunter were associated with the god Sah, who was syncretized with Osiris, lord of the dead. The constellation Orion is right next to that of the constellation Gemini, shining pale in the daytime sky behind the figure. The stars pf Gemini distinctly show two beings, twins. Most often we think of these as Castor and Pollux – one mortal and one immortal. Yet history has many stories of twins or brothers, polarities of light and darkness, one of whom is often slain, sometimes by the other. Castor is associated with the morning star, Pollux to the evening. Celtic mythology has twins Dylan and Lleu, as darkness and light respectively. Genesis has the sons of Adam and Eve; Cain who was cursed for killing his brother Abel. Persian tradition has the good or wisdom god Ahura Mazda (Ohrmuzd) and the evil or destructive demon Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) as twin spirits engendered from primordial Zurvan, god of infinite time and space.

The image also tells the story of Horus and Set, eternally battling over the right for kingship. It is a symbolic battle of light and darkness. In this decan there are both. Solar Horus represents the decan ruler in the Chaldean system, while Set has connotations of Saturn, the triplicity ruler. The hilts of the two swords closest to the foreground have the heads of Set and Horus, facing each other. The slain twin points at the Set sword with his left hand, while in his right hand is a hidden Sun.

Now, if this card appears it does not signify impending death, though it can, even more than the Death card. Most often though it is about the end of something, not necessarily mortality. It is numerically the last card of the Swords suit, so it often comes with some sort of breakdown of logic and reason. It may be the sacrifice of a choice. One twin (one choice) must die; such is the mythology of Castor and Pollux. There is finality; the Oak King has been sacrificed for the land. There is a symbolic battle of light and darkness. It has the sense that it is darkest before the dawn – but the sun always rises.

There is a humorous saying in my neck of the woods “Dawn breaks on Marblehead,” referring to that moment when something that should have been obvious finally penetrates the dense mind. Maybe it was obvious to everyone but you, that something must end, and it finally gets through,

Though it has decidedly negative associations of endings and sacrifice, it can also signify the end of delusions. If calamity occurs or has occurred, look within, especially at your choices. It is time to give it up, break it off, or end something so that new beginnings can arise.

There are a few magical practices I associate with this decan. Here are two to consider: the Buddhist meditations and contemplation on death, such as the Satipatthana Sutta, and the recitation of Liber Resh vel Helios, the solar adoration said to alleviate fear of death and put one in touch with “that which remains.”