Once upon a time, we were all part of the earth. The birds, the animals, the plants, the dirt, and us. We were one family, related, bonded, and each holding a thread to the same ancestral story that is life on earth. During this time we talked to the animals, we looked to them for guidance. We followed in their tracks, both literally and metaphorically. We traveled together, we dreamed together, and we prayed together. Our story was one and the same. But then it all changed. Instead of feeling connected to the world in which we live, many humans disengaged and removed themselves from everything that had once shared their story—including the animals. Not all humans allowed themselves ...
This article continues my series on the Court Cards. For some background information on this series, see "Court Cards, Part I: The Kings of Tarot" and "Court Cards, Part II: The Queens of Tarot." For this series, we are looking at the Court Cards as representing other people involved in the situation that the querent is asking about. Knights are known for focused action that generally gets results but may be oblivious to anything else going on around them. When a Knight appears in a reading, it is a good indicator that someone will take swift and decisive action that will impact the situation. Committed to completing whatever quest they seek or to fulfill whatever vow they've made, the ...
Our calendar year is somewhat arbitrary and unnatural — out of alignment with the cycle of the solar year. Nevertheless, January 1st corresponds sufficiently to Yule, the Winter Solstice (approximately December 21st), that it works well enough for contemporary needs. And, perhaps, the odd ten-day interval — devoted to the holiday season — allows us to start our annual “new beginnings” when the increase phase of the solar cycle can actually be sensed in our daily consciousness. Astrologers might refer to this small difference as the “orb” within which a particular planetary event is still influential. As we learn to say in Minnesota, ...
A few years ago, I took part in the opening day of a relocating bookstore. As part of the day, several people were giving brief talks. Speaking just before me was Ed Fitch, and when he was finished, after some nice applause, people started talking amongst themselves. Now, before I continue, do you know Ed Fitch? I mean, do you know more about him than that he's published a couple of books? If not, read on. By the time I came up to give my talk, I had completely changed what I intended to say. Instead, I found myself talking about the masters among us. This column is based on what I said that day. There's hardly a day that goes by when I don't hear from someone who says, "I wish I'd had ...