King of Cups

When Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in France in his early childhood, the French Revolution was in full swing. Peasants had wrestled control away from the nobility, and everyone was addressed as ‘citizen.’ The former hierarchy was no longer recognized. In fact, if former nobility referred to themselves by their noble titles such as Baron or Judge instead of merely ‘citizens’, they were sent to the guillotine. Anyone who thought themselves better than the ruling class were executed. The problem with that was that this began a sort of witch-hunt, people were being round-up and executed based on rumours and corridor-whispers, often as the result of envy or malice. This led to the execution of many innocent civilians during this period. Even Maximilien Robespierre, one of the founders of the revolution, had his head chopped off for not towing the line! In short, anarchy ruled.

Someone needed to step-up and take control of this downwardly spiralling situation. That person was Napoleon. He brought back law and order and was very charismatic, gaining a huge following in the military as well as in the civilian population.

The French Revolution was a very emotional issue for many, and Napoleon brought this back into normality, creating stability where before people were reacting from an emotional basis in their ruthless executions of so many who were perceived to consider themselves ‘better than’ the masses.

It was under Napoleon’s influence that France became a dominant world power in Europe.

The Kings in tarot are generally indicative of having achieved a certain control of the element in question. King of Cups is a solid individual who has gained control of his emotions through experience and wisdom. Today’s card therefore focuses on the realm of emotions, and prods us to examine whether we have become the ruler of our emotions yet, or whether they still rule us.

In support of this in today’s Tarotelic segment I’d like to read an important poem by Rudyard Kipling, called “If.”

IF you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;


If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;


If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster


And treat those two impostors just the same;


If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken


Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,


Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,


And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings 


And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,


And lose, and start again at your beginnings


And never breathe a word about your loss;


If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew


To serve your turn long after they are gone,


And so hold on when there is nothing in you


Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,


' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,


if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,


If all men count with you, but none too much;


If you can fill the unforgiving minute


With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,


Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,


And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Knight of Wands

When this card appears in a reading it can mean that relocation is imminent. With relocation comes change and challenges, but there is much that is positive about this too.

Ibn (pronounced Iben) Battuta, born in 1304, was a Muslim from Morocco. He wanted to travel to Mecca, a pilgrimage that is required in the Islamic faith. This was long before steam trains and many other means of transport was available. Ibn’s only mode of transport at the time was by foot, on camel or horse back, or by sea on one of the explorer vessels.

He travelled a distance of about 75,000 miles, lasting 29 years. A journey that he started at the age of 21.

His travels took him from Morocco, up and down the coast of Africa, to Egypt, Arabia, Russia, India and finally to China before he made his way back to Morocco again. During his travels he dined with nobility and peasants, he became super wealthy and lost it all again, he had encounters with pirates, kings and everything in between. He even managed to evade the black plague.

In short, he led a full life in the act of relocating from one area to the next. Doing what was unheard of for the time, and never pausing for long enough to allow the fear of the unknown to thwart his efforts. If Frank Sinatra knew him he would surely have dedicated his son ‘My Way’ to Ibn Battuta.

Many of us are intimidated by change. Relocating from our familiar surroundings, be that our home or our job, our state or even our country can be a frightening and intimidating experience for most of us. However, we could take a page out of Ibn’s book and LIVE the experience instead of shying away from it. We will collect gems along the way, and we will lose some along our travels. We’ll meet people from all walks of life, many of whom will add riches to our experience. By welcoming change and the occasional prospect of relocating when the opportunity arises we effectively are welcoming the act of momentum into our lives rather than the inaction of stagnation. This movement can come in many forms, breathing new life into our relationships for example, by taking action together and welcoming change can be one such way. Imagine taking our relationships to another level where we allow ourselves to embrace the possibilities that placing one step in front of the other on a sometimes-rocky road. This can give us joint purpose and a meaningful shared experience. Instead of shying away from the ‘rough patches’ in relationships, holding onto one another’s hands and trusting that our partner will pick us up when we fall, dust us off when we eat dirt, and that we will do the same for them. For, the road isn’t always rocky or perilous, there will be times that we will share a sunrise together and bask in its glow, happy that we have someone to share the moment with. Other times when we feel joyfully overwhelmed by the sheer richness and beauty of the journey.

When the Knight of Wands appears for us as it has done today, we might want to ask ourselves what aspects of our lives we could inject a bit of momentum into, banish stagnation from, and even welcome the challenge and change that the motion of action promises us.

In closing, I’d like to share a quote by George Meredith:

“A human act once set in motion flows on forever to the great account. Our deathlessness is in what we do, not in what we are. “

Or, in the words of Richard E. Byrd:

“A static hero is a public liability. Progress grows out of motion.”

Queen of Pentacles

Queens in the tarot, get things done.

Toady I’d like to speak about a woman of great power and influence who had a good head on her for finances, health and many other matters. A woman who got things done.

Catherine The Great of Russia inherited a mess when her husband, the emperor, died. Russia was a poor and struggling country. A smallpox epidemic in Siberia wiped out some 20,000 people, and Catherine came to believe that reducing its terror would be a great step forward for her people. So at considerable expense she recruited the services of Dr. Thomas Dimsdale of England, the most famous inoculator of the day.

Catherine wanted herself and her son to be the first inoculated, to prove to the people that this was a safe and effective procedure. Dimsdale wanted to try his skills with some commoners first, since he was not fully certain that Russian smallpox would behave like the English versions. His attempts were not successful, and Catherine felt that she must take matters into her own hands to establish the credibility of Dimsdale and his work. So on Oct. 12, 1768, she was inoculated. She developed a light case of smallpox but was fully recovered by Oct. 28. And to disprove the popular idea that taking pus from a donor patient would kill that patient, she herself donated pus for inoculation of several members of her court. She and they all survived and inoculation quickly became widely accepted.

In taking these steps Catherine The Great did wonders for public health. She enforced inoculations and oversaw the creation of hospital and health care that previously had been reserved only for the nobility. It was under her reign that the common people too could begin to benefit from these systems.

She was also very instrumental in creating education for the masses. She felt that her subjects were rather backward at the time, much of it as a result of poor education. Here too she uplifted her people as she enabled them to receive an education that was previously unavailable to them.

It is said that Catherine The Great had a great many lovers, and that she was sexually manipulative. Her bed-partners were keen to remain in her favour and therefore made themselves available to further her ambitions towards change for the people. In return, she generously rewarded former lovers for their favours, often maintaining this even after dismissing them.

In the period that she ruled, she made changes and really managed to get things done. A great many improvements were made to benefit her subjects, nobility and commoners alike, due to her vision of improvement and even her strategies in achieving these.

Today this card brings us the following lesson: While there is no harm in enriching ourselves we should always try to find ways to share and help our fellow mankind too. We sometimes make the mistake – however nobly - of donating monies to far-away-charities like feeding children in Africa, for example; however we often fail to notice that our own neighbour, our own people or someone close to us, is starving.

I’d like to end today’s segment with a quote by Sam Levenson:

“For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.”  


Source: http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/article_52f0024b-e7e6-526f-9b10-04fdc159b3c1.html

Queen of Wands

She inspires people to find hope and faith through action. With a wand in one hand ready for action, and a sunflower in the other, symbolic of the sun as a ray of hope. The queen who sits upon this throne conjures thoughts of Joan of Arc.

The people of France were feeling defeated after years of losses in battle. Their moral was at an all-time low when Joan of Arc claimed that the voice of God was instructing her to take charge of her country’s army and lead it to victory.

Joan of Arc believed that she was divinely guided to lead her people out of despair and into victory in the ongoing war. She claimed that the voices of angels and saints told her to deliver her country from the invading English. She was also told that she must lead Charles VII to his coronation.

After gaining the approval and authority to do so, she led her army and broke the siege of Orleans in only three days of fighting. She became known as the beloved maid of Orleans.

Joan of Arc crowned Charles VII King of France on July 17, 1429. In the great Cathedral of Reims, Joan fulfilled the central part of her mission when he was crowned King.

The Queen of Wands card also depicts a black cat sitting at the feet of her throne. Considering that the black cat is often seen as a sign of witchcraft, the symbolism in this card further reminds us that Joan of Arc’s fate would be sealed as an accused heretic. She was captured by Burgundian soldiers and sold to the English for ten thousand gold francs.  Joan of Arc was put on trial for heresy and burned to death on May 30, 1431.

A sad ending to a heroine who delivered her people from the depths of despair towards victory. However, she fulfilled her prophesy, and restored the dignity and faith of her people.

Perhaps we should seek inspiration too so that we can reclaim our own hope and faith in order to take action in our lives. A little bit of inspiration can go a long way towards finding our purpose again so that we can pursue our dreams and ambitions. Remembering that the policy of paying if forward as we try to inspire others with our actions has a rippling effect that could have far-reaching positive results for those who are touched by our contributions, no matter how humble they may be.

Today, as the Queen of Wands inspires us from her sunlit throne, I’d like to close in sharing the wonderfully inspiring poem ‘Desiderata’ by Max Ehrmann;

“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”

Queen of Swords

A proud queen sits upon her throne. Her body is turned away from the reader, instead she appears to be looking far into the distance, the expression on her face is stern. In her right hand she holds a sword upright, ready for battle. Known to be one who does not suffer fools gladly, she is incisive in her choice of words and her decisions. Storm clouds are building on the horizon, and trouble is blowing in on the strong winds.

While contemplating this card I was reminded of another queen, one known as Boadicea, queen of the Iceni who led her people to a glorious war against the Romans between AD 61 and AD 63.

In the words of Olivia Jensen, “the Iceni Celts had submitted their kingdom in East Anglia to the conquering Romans and the rule of Emperor Claudius in AD 43. In AD 61, Prasutagus, Boadicea's husband and King of the Iceni died. A dispute followed during which Boadicea, was publicly beaten by the soldiers of the emperor, and her two daughters raped.”

 Boadicea was so enraged at this violation that she rallied all the other neighbouring tribes and persuaded them to rise up with the Iceni against the mighty Rome. She started a revolution that took the Romans by surprise, because while the Iceni was too small a tribe to challenge Rome alone, in their common cause the neighbouring tribes with the Iceni were large and fierce enough to create a lot of trouble for Rome.

Boadicea and her people burnt down many Roman towns to the ground including London. She was one pissed-off queen! Fuelled by her anger and her desire for revenge she took on the might of Rome. Being tribal warriors Boadicea’s troops had no particular battle strategy, instead they fiercely rushed in where others would not dare to go, taking the Roman troops by surprise, time and again. This non-strategy approach worked well at first. The Roman troops were repeatedly taken by surprise, defeated and humiliated until they eventually brought in battle-hardened soldier troops to defeat her.

Back to the Queen of Swords card we see a butterfly adorning her throne.  We also notice that she wears a bell, dangling from her left wrist. The butterfly has come to symbolize a metamorphosis in many cultures, it heralds in something new and also symbolizes time along with many other things. The bell is used by the church to call people in, it is also used in occult circles to ward off unwanted influences. And it signals that the time has arrived for church service or occult ritual to begin.

There comes a time in most of our lives when we are prompted to stand up against injustices and violations of our rights or the rights of those who are weak and helpless. There is nothing wrong with standing up for our rights, it is a necessary action to ensure that the world we live in is just and the governments that rule are held accountable. However, like the Queens in tarot we need to exercise wisdom by choosing our battles carefully and to know when to leave well alone. Being a card of Swords we know that this queen is able to articulate herself eloquently and to use the power of the word to persuade others to follow her example, instead of allowing anger to drive her. Perhaps a lesson that we can draw from this card is to ensure that we have a strategy before going into battle. We may want to choose our words carefully and with firm determination execute a stern but strategic challenge against the bullies of our society to ensure that we are heard and not defeated in the process. We may be wise to seek opportunities to communicate our concerns, and while we should not shy away from a challenge that can benefit from our input, giving into uncontrolled anger will only serve to hurt us and others in the process.

It might be wiser to remember that the pen (or in this case the tongue) is far mightier than the sword.

Knight of Cups

We see a gallant knight proudly mounted on his steed. He has a cup in his outstretched hand as an offering. His helmet and footwear are adorned with wings, much like Apollo who was known as the messenger of the gods.

When contemplating this card, the legend of Sir Galahad came to mind. The brave and pious knight of king Arthur’s round table at Camelot. He was the son of Sir Lancelot, and the chosen one whom Merlin had prophesied would surpass his father in valour and be successful in his search for the Holy Grail.

This was a dangerous mission, many knights before him had died in pursuit of the Grail. He had been warned of the dangers, but chose to continue on his quest. He defeated rival knights with little effort, kept to himself, didn’t speak much to his companions, and was described as sinless and pious.  It is believed that because of these virtues he was able to lead his companions to the Holy Grail with relentless determination.

Of the three knights who undertook the quest for the Holy Grail, with Sir Bors and Sir Perceval, Galahad was the one who actually achieved it. When he did he was consumed by a bright light and died, taken up into heaven like the biblical patriarch Enoch or the prophet Elijah, leaving his companions behind in awe and wonder.

It is the spirit of youth that drove this knight on his quest for the Holy Grail, while brave and virtuous he lacked the wisdom of the Queen or the experience of the King in tarot terms. It is therefore that he ignored the warnings of danger before ultimately being consumed by the light to join his maker in death. He was told of the risks, but went ahead regardless.

Today’s message is all about taking the risks needed to accept opportunities and gifts presented to us. At times it becomes necessary to tap into the spirit of the Knight of Cups, and to accept the quest of the Holy Grail spurred on by the message of the gods as symbolized by the wings of Apollo.

The Holy Grail may present itself to us as an opportunity to learn something that will make us better people.  After all the Grail is exactly that, an object so holy that only the purest in spirit may stand in its presence. It is attainable only to those who have prepared themselves spiritually as the saintly Galahad did, and it is for this reason that we need the energy the drive and the determination of this knight in pursuit of our own Holy Grail. Our spiritual development prepares us to stand in the presence of this sacred discovery, namely that spark of divinity that is present within all of us.

Today this card also nudges us to accept the gifts offered to us by the messenger of the gods. Gifts that will come in different forms for each of us, depending on where we are in our spiritual development. The point is to recognize it as a gift, and to accept it in order to further develop our beautiful spirits. A gift can come in the form of a message that has the potential to impact us in a way that will allow change.

Yes, we may lack the wisdom or knowledge of how to fully utilise this gift when it is presented to us, but that too is part of the learning process. As we accept who we are, and allow our inner guidance to present us with messages, gifts and even opportunities designed to grow our spirit, so too shall we mature in wisdom and knowledge of application and effect.

When we accept a spiritual gift or message, we may want to remember that these gifts are not meant to build character, they are meant to reveal it.

Queen of Cups

She sits upon a throne, noble and confident. Her throne is adorned with mermaids and shells, creatures of the sea. In her hands she carefully holds the cup of visions into which she stares. She is the queen of visions, the queen of intuition. She can foretell the future, and she can understand the language of intuition.

As she is queen, and sits upon a throne it is clear that she is an adept, not a novice. She is in command of her gifts, and uses them wisely. When she appears to us, we are gently guided by her to get in touch with our own intuition, to embark upon our own vision quest, and to seek the answers from within.

It is believed by some that upon his crucifixion, the pregnant  wife of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, escaped persecution by travelling across the oceans to the shores of France, where she became known as Mary of the Sea. She carried with her not only the bloodline of Jesus, but many mysteries that became the vision on which the foundation of several secret societies was based.

Also, the legendary tale of the Holy Grail comes to mind, a cup   possessing miraculous powers, which according to old Christian lore was the  vessel that caught the blood of Christ during his internment. But as the legend of the Holy Grail shows, it is only the spiritually enlightened that eventually discovers that the Grail is not the elusive object  that many a king sent subjects out to find in vain, it is in fact closer than imagined. It is the reward of intuition and wisdom within, that has been with mankind from the beginning.

For many cultures the sea brings in knowledge, whether it be through new inventions or foreign invasions. Our queen of Cups is sitting on the beach, intently staring at the cup of visions, maybe the Holy Grail, in her hands which enables her to attain knowledge of the future.  

When this card appears we might be gently guided to listen to our own intuition, to honour our own visions and dreams, the subtle hints of knowledge that lie deep within.

We might ask how do we honour our dreams? One sure way to do this is to keep a dream journal and to record our dreams upon waking, for they will soon fade and disappear into obscurity, forever gone. However, if we record these important visions born of our dream world, we may decipher and discover the knowledge that they carry to us, through the deep and unknown oceans of sleep.

Like the Queen of Cups, if we honour the wisdom of our intuition we too will eventually become adept at understanding the symbolic language of visions. We too will be able to seek the council of our intuition, and perhaps in time will develop intuition based wisdom that will reaffirm our connection to Source. We all have within us the power of insight, the power of intuition and the ability to see visions.  By developing the ability to listen to our intuition we are all divinely guided into the future.

If we take only a moment each morning to tune into our intuition, almost as-if holding a sea-shell to our ear and listening to the sounds of the ocean, we may find that we are a lot more in tune with the ebb and flow of our daily lives. We may find that life holds less unexpected surprises and more subtle hints that steer us along our path to enlightenment and self awareness.

Page of Cups

In the Rider Waite Smith deck, a youthful figure is holding a cup in his hand, from which a salmon fish emerges. The youth is wearing a blue hat with veil, the veil is cast aside indicating that he can see the object of his inspiration with clarity.

How does the salmon peering from this cup inspire us? According to old Celtic lore, salmon is a sign of sacred wells and healing waters, and its presence symbolized foreknowledge of events. As-if to confirm that we are dealing with emotive and intuitive issues that will not go away by merely ignoring them, we see in the imagery these very waters on the horizon swelling-up, reminding us that we do need to deal with our issues. Issues that reside in the vast world of emotions and/or intuition.

If we examine the behaviour of the salmon, we find that we would be hard-pressed to find one more determined to overcome adversities and obstacles. Salmon swims upstream, against the very flow, for approximately 1500 miles, leaping over rapids and through waterfalls in this epic pilgrimage he makes to re-unite himself once again with the sweetly familiar waters of his birth. It is a difficult and treacherous journey, yet this does not discourage salmon or dissuade him from embarking on it.

Totem Salmon Art - Animal line drawing by Thailan When

Therefore, when this card appears for us, as it has done today, it might be prudent for us to take a closer look at what our emotions and intuition are trying to tell us. Is there a difficult journey ahead, perhaps one we have been avoiding to take? Daunting as it seems, we need to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step in the right direction. What emotional pilgrimage do we need to undertake that will once again reunite us with the sweet healing waters of our origin, our truth? What healing needs to take place on an emotional level? Are we afraid to embark on this journey in pursuit of healing because we fear the obstacles along the way?

This card reminds us that we have what it takes to make this pilgrimage, to pursue emotional well-being and balance. It gives us permission to acknowledge that there may be a need for an emotional cleansing and purification, and that what at first appears to be a daunting task is in fact attainable, and may very well be viewed as an adventure of rediscovery of our emotional authenticity. More than attainable, this journey becomes necessary for us to plunge into the emotional rapids, and to face the potential obstacles that may present themselves, if we wish to be emotionally prosperous. For, salmon makes this epic journey in order to ensure his immortality. The waters of his birth calls him into their sweet and comforting folds where he procreates so that his offspring too may be born in the sweet waters of their home-coming, their origin, their authenticity, where the cycle once again repeats itself as the young salmon leave their birthing waters to which they too shall return upon maturity. But, in order to do so they too will embark upon a pilgrimage – as their parents did – in order to continue the cycle.

How does this all apply to us and to our self-development and growth you might ask? Here is what I think this card suggests to us. We need to remember our emotional authenticity.  Go back to what it is that needs emotional healing within us.  We need to revisit the origin of our emotional ills where we will manifest healing. Embarking upon what may appear to be a daunting journey to make our way back, so that we may recapitulate until we reach the point of our dis-ease, so that we may pour healing waters upon it. That moment or event in which our pain and emotional discomfort was born. We may find that the journey in itself is cathartic enough to reawaken our memory of perfection, and in doing so we may discover that the purpose of pain is to encourage us to take this epic journey in which we reassemble ourselves, reminding us that everything is and always has in fact been perfect, exactly as it is.

Page of Pentacles

The Pentacle is an earth symbol. It represents the physical world. It addresses matters such as our finances, homes and physical health. It also speaks to us of grounding, bringing ‘down to earth’ our dreams, in effect manifesting them in the physical world.

The Page card is the youngest in the court card hierarchy. This figure is a youthful one, still an adolescent.

The average adolescent is still exploring his world, pushing the boundaries in order to learn of consequences and limitations in his physical world.  She has not yet fully developed an understanding of the consequences of her actions or learnt to master her impulses. Some adolescents display behaviour that is reckless and dangerous. They do not yet fully grasp the effect of their behaviour on their physical bodies or the world around them. In our ongoing quest for self-mastery this card asks us to examine those aspects of our lives in which we are not yet fully conscious. It draws our attention to the areas in our lives in which we are being reckless or careless. Perhaps even dancing with danger. Are we allowing ourselves to be pressurized by our peers or the media to buy yet another car or television set, instead of putting some money away for a rainy day? Have we given any thought to the consequences of buying clothing or textiles that are made in China? Would the possibility that those clothes were made by children cause us to think twice before buying them? Are we unwittingly contributing towards creating a demand for manufactured goods that tacitly support child labour or the further eradication of the rain forests of this planet?

Perhaps this card serves to remind us to take responsibility and to review our attitudes so that we can lessen the impact we have on planet earth and on our own physical bodies.  Feeding our bodies junk food every day, for example, is one of the surest ways to ruin our physical health. It may be time to contain ourselves and gain control over our impulses so that we can balance the cheque book at the end of the month, and possibly even save a bit towards that well deserved holiday.

Learning to see ourselves as simultaneously, the least important and also the greatest of the universe’s children is the lesson of this card. We might ask how would we do that? The key lies in awareness. The next time we take a stroll on a concrete walkway somewhere in a city we see greatness reflected in a persistent dandelion growing in a crack in the concrete. We observe as it’s delicate winged seeds become airborne so that they may travel  somewhere where they continue the cycle of life.

Even as we marvel in the wonder of the ancient oak tree in the park as its twisted branches reach ever upward toward the sun, we also notice the busy trail of ants meticulously building their home with planning and precision. And on the darkest night as we look up to the complex vastness of the cosmos – we are reminded of how small and humble we really are.

At the same time we become aware of our own personal greatness as we examine the lives we have created for ourselves in our world. We are the creators of our own experiences, our triumphs and our failings. A closer examination of what we have already manifested in our lives should awaken a sense of appreciation within us for the creators that we are, indeed for our own power and greatness.

It is therefore fitting at this time to take stock of what we have manifested to bring us into the present moment – the now.  Acknowledging our own greatness we might be inspired to think for a moment on what we choose to manifest today. How will this new and perfect day unfold in our lives and on our planet? What will we create today?