Maat Tarot Blog

“Wholeness and understanding.” I’m not there yet, but I’m farther than I was a year ago!

I feel the past, present and future when I look at this image. Six thousand years ago, after the glaciers receded, people settled on this land that is now called “Seetal.” They raised sheep. They buried their dead. They built bonfires on the hilltops.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Full Moon Cycle of Pisces–August 23 to September 22, 2007

I think this more than any other Temperance card gives me a real feeling for what Julie calls “betwixt and between.” How I’m noticing that in my life right now is in the twilight. I’ve always loved twilight and been fascinated by the way it makes me feel. Dull colors look duller and bright colors (like my calendula, or evening primrose) really stand out. I get a sense of the blending of past, present and future. There’s a transition from activity to relaxation (at least in my family), but it’s just the opposite of the pattern of daily life, as vacation ends and we go back to work, school, etc. It’s so freaking liminal, right on up to Halloween. Then we reenter the dark quarter, when twilight lasts from sun-up to sun-down.

There is never an empty void between opposites or phases. It’s a mix, a spectrum as varied as that which exists between black and white. There’s a clue here too about the Philosopher’s Stone: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the alchemy of Love binds it all together in perfect harmony. Read The Soul of Lilith by Marie Corelli.

Lammas/Lughnasad–August 1 or 2 or 8, 2007 (depending who you ask)

To me, this card indicates the ability or need to see what can come from what is passing. For example, when the field of ripe grain is cut down, an open space is created for people to gather and celebrate. “When a door closes, a window opens.” Change is constant, and if we can’t accept and deal with it, we stagnate and/or suffer. The Death and Tower cards indicate the experience of change, but The Hanged One addresses our perspective of it. Be still, listen. In the rustling of the sheaves, you may hear a whisper of what’s to come. Do you face the harvest with anticipation or with dread?

Full Moon Cycle of Aquarius–July 22 to August 22, 2007

This card reminds me totally of a story I’ve been into lately about Shelley Yates and her Fire the Grid project.

The two aspects of The Star are a) new life rising from the water and b) the flow of the water itself.
The first instance can manifest dramatically, such as Shelley’s life-changing (near-?) death experience; spiritually, such as baptism; mythologically, such as the story of children coming from the fountain; psychologically, such as thoughts and dreams rising from the subconscious; naturally, such as fertile silt birthing plant life on the banks of the flooding Nile; maternally, such as the birth of a baby; etc.

But where does it go from there? Where does the water flow? What does it nourish? Shelley directed the flow to heal her son, then to “fire the grid.” In other instances, it can help us grow in wisdom, health and spirituality. It is, in more than one sense, eternal. And once we bathe in it, we understand the need to pass it on.

Full Moon Cycle of Capricorn–June 21 to July 22, 2007

“Goats and sheep are able to graze on the high mountain pastures during this time of the year.” That’s why the Hermit always reminds me of the shepherds who take the livestock (cows too) up the mountains in summer; one man for all the livestock of the village.

The higher one goes, the larger the view. Things that can’t be comprehended at ground level can be encompassed by a loftier position. Also, less distractions. And relationships, like plants above the tree line, are sparse but sturdy. Then the sun starts to descend, and the old man too. He brings his perspective back to the village, to sit and share by the fire. Not everyone can take the time to make the climb, so he brings back wisdom from the top of the world; learns how to capture the light and bring it down into people’s lives. Now he is at the height of his power. At the opposite solstice, he passes the torch (and other goodies) as Santa Claus and/or the old man of the old year.

Thirteenth Full Moon--May 31, 2007

As the moon must "conform" to the solar calendar, so must women "conform" to the solar world. And, like the moon, our constant changing is seen as inconstancy. But as we know, the only constant is change. And the ability to change, and to adapt to change, is power, strength, survival, evolution.

I don't believe women's power lies in worldly success, equal rights and the like. We change, we flow, we exert a subtle influence, a gentle tug on the tides. We shine day and night. We are strong enough to take the sun's light and reflect it back to him (which he surely likes!), with only an occasional shadow of eclipse. It's up to us to be flexible, patient, understanding, adaptable--society would crumble otherwise.

Full Moon Cycle of Sagittarius--May 21 to June 20, 2007

This card is holding me up. I'm put off by there not being any humans in this card. For me, the High Priest should be a bridge between human and divine. We need all the help we can get! So he may be a great guy--a real gentle man--but he seems too remote, and I have a hard time relating the card to real life. (Find myself doing a lot of wishful thinking though!)