3/20/22 — Day of the Vernal Equinox
I miss my old wand, an engraved length of red ash I planted with my own hand. To me, a wand or athame should not be something you bought at a store. These works sold by many vendors are beautiful to own and display, but using them in ritual just feels empty of internal meaning. Great artisanship is a fine thing, I am not condescending-but I’ve always believed that if the ritual objects you use in solitary mystic practice are not something you yourself made and prayed over, however simply, it lacks a certain connective power needed in the object. Since I am not an artisan I prefer things whenever possible to remain simple, intuitive, primitive even, and use only what I have in my own nurtured spaces. The Old Way. Magic was not discovered in the 19th century.
Meditate. Clear your mind. Rise. Breathe the air of the outdoor space. Grass. Pine. Some trees are starting to flower but I cannot smell them, just take in their presence. Light chill breeze against the cheeks in the dark, dim moonlight filtered through the ever-present clouds and tall surrounding foliage is just enough to outline the umbral fingers of branches and the rough edges of roman block retaining walls. This crabapple tree knows me by now, I planted a friendly dwarf apricot nearby the other day so I think it likes me and won’t mind that I take a tiny piece of it to revere and use. It’s started to bud and parts are starting to flower but not yet in full magnificent white bloom (it also needs to be pruned a little on one side). A light sweet smell now that I’m in its reach, yearly calling the bees to work along with the smaller fruit and redbud trees, wildflowers, liriope and lily. I am a forest person and a friend to trees, though I regret sometimes that I cannot see as many stars.
Chant a prayer to the great angel and cut a piece of the gray-white wood a little longer than my forearm and thin as my little finger, trimmed neatly with a slightly pointed end. I’ll work on it more over time as is my custom. Lay out a square of clean linen and bless the cards on a plain table of old pine. Today is the vernal equinox, the day of balance, in which there are equal parts light and darkness. Winter ends today and soon creation will be all the more lush and majestic as life reemerges to drink of the sun. Contemplate this balance within the eternal cycle and your place in it.
5 cards — The Elements and the Spirit. Always consult the moon and stars in the sky at the time of the drawing of the cards, even if you are drawing in the light of day.
3 Elements in a horizontal row. Earth below them. Spirit above them.
8 Wands Swiftness (Mercury in Sagittarius)
- Pure energy, swiftness sometimes to recklessness, transient violence and strife, daring
10 Cups Satiety (Mars in Pisces)
- Fullness realized and enjoyed, with happiness and contentment or hedonistic debauch according to ones dignity
Atu XVII: The Star
Key 15 He ה “Window” (Aquarius)
Lies between Chokmah(Wisdom) and Tiphareth(Beauty) on the Tree of Life, it is called the Constituting Intelligence, so called because it constitutes the substance of creation in pure darkness, and men have spoken of these contemplations; it is that darkness spoken of in scripture, Job xxxviii. 9, “and thick darkness a swaddling band for it..
[Job 38:9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof / and thick darkness a swaddling band for it]
The Star is Nuit herself, materialized as a beautiful goddess figure emerged from where she dwells in the mysteries of Binah(Understanding), she is also the gods Athena, Ganymede, Juno, Isis and Cherubim of Air in Eagle form. It is the card representing the practice of astrology.
- Hope, Blessing without Sacrifice
[Possibly associated with the star Sirius]
8 Cups Indolence (Saturn in Pisces)
Hate seeing this card — it’s the the slow death of the Soul
- Stagnation, Apathy, Success without value
Ace of Disks — Root of Earth
Aces are always interesting
- Pure amoral materialism, Power, Wealth
Moon in Virgo
- The Queen presents as pragmatic with a touch of ruthlessness — with the Spring thaw she is starting to soften and lose some of her edge like Persephone emerging from the Underworld.
Impression: A positive reading overall with some caution.
It is a season to take some big risks that might pay off, but be wary of growing too complacent in your success or it will go to rot. Material gain is good, enjoy those things and be fruitful thereby, just try not to hurt too many people on the journey ok?
😘
Originally published at https://dissidenttower.substack.com on April 2, 2022.
