Cycle 2 of 2020 Daily Medicine Cards - September 7 - September 20
Updated: Jan 13, 2021
Day 15 - September 7
Happy Monday Magic People :)
The beginning of our second cycle through the cards brings us back to the loud af and super synchronous messages of the Thoth tarot. The synchronicity of this card revealing itself is within the realm of astrology. The Knight of Disks (pentacles) corresponds to this exact time in the astrological calendar - 20 degrees Leo (August 12) - 20 degrees Virgo (Sept 11), but most identifiably aligned with the mutable Earth sign of Virgo (as disks/pentacles are always Earth) . The Thoth deck is an excellent choice if you want to really fortify the bridge between tarot and astrology, though all cards provide space for this relationship to blossom.
The Knight of Pentacles is the Minor Arcana analog to the Major’s Hermit card. Much more given to quietude and solitude than the other flirtatious and gregarious Knights, this image may represent the Knight of Disks staying behind from battle to tend to the fields. It is harvest time and this Knight, also known as the King of the Gnomes, is “entirely confined to the production of food.” He is patient, calm, conscientious, driven but cautious and dedicated to health, work and service to others.
Personal - In Crowley’s own “The Book of Thoth” he notes that the Fire-Earth relationship of this card is twofold. There is the part where soil or sand can put out fire, and there is also the internal fire of the Earth that is particular to the phenomena of mountains, earthquakes and gravitation. Which component of this Fire-Earth relationship resonantes most in your life? How so? And how can you use this to connect most powerfully with Earth as producer of life?
Collective - In the Duquette guide to this deck “Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot”, it is noted that “his shield is a disk that could double as a dish that could hold enough food to feed a village.” If you were to lay down your weapons of battle, and stable your war horse and head out to the fields on a sturdy shire workhorse to survey the land and bring home a bounty of corn, what aspect of your perspective and approach to the collective would be changing? Who (or what aspect of the collective) would you be feeding?
May the King of the Gnomes walk beside you today, making all your “simple” or “laborious” tasks a little more magical in their groundedness.
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 16 - September 8
Good Morning to Every Archetype Within Each of Us,
Today we return to bolstering our fluency in Tarot and understanding life and people through Caroline Myss’ Archetype Cards. And wouldn’t you know, 2020 brings us the Destroyer, archetypal analog to the Tarot’s Tower card. The Tower is one of my favorites in the Major Arcana as I’ve always been sensitive to the constant destruction that is happening everywhere all the time and as I learned the cards better, I found comfort in understanding that this always is what is necessary to make way for new birth or re-birth. While the Tower is generally a circumstantial card, the Destroyer embodies and personifies that energetic profile.
I’d like to quote directly from Myss’ book Archetypes: Who Are You? (not the deck’s guide book, just a separate but overlapping and integral book that I highly recommend in its own right but also as a deeper companion to the cards) because her write-up on this archetype is just perfect for 2020. “Death and rebirth form the cycle of life, and systems and structures must be destroyed or dismantled so that new life can emerge. The Destroyer compels us to release what is harming us. But this archetype also contains its opposite, the Rebuilder, representing the power to liberate and heal. For the shadow Destroyer, destruction becomes an end in itself. A corrosive and corrupting power that can be intoxicating to wield.
”Personal - Light attributes - how would you approach identifying releasing that which is destructive in your life? What does this look like for you in preparing for a new life, a New World? Relax and feel into both the excitement of this destruction as well as the fear. Shadow attributes - “Look for a pattern within your psyche that destroys relationships or promotes attitudes and opinions that destroy others’ dreams or potential.”
Collective - The impulse to destroy and rebuild is archetypal, which means that it resides within each of us individually as well as in every community, system and structure large or small. It resides within the body of the Earth and within the Unity Consciousness of all humans on Earth as well as within the Oneness that connects us all - all sentient beings. For integrating something as intense as the Destroyer archetype, I recommend just holding awareness of its existence gently in the active consciousness while relaxing and expanding into this meditation.
Blessings to all in this journey of expanding your powers.
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 17 - September 9
Beloved Mycelial Siblings,
What a joy to return to the mushroom cards! Something I’ll probably always say on mushroom day, is to remember that our connection to everything and everyone “else” pulses from a deep ancient wisdom which is The Mushroom. This expansive intelligence is one of the primary unifying entities of the entire planet, and it is inside you. We all always have access to the gift of mycelial wisdom and the cards are a great way to connect with this power and guidance without literally consuming The Mushroom.
Psilocybe Azurescens is considered the most powerful psychedelic mushroom of the psilocybe family. Probably why it was deemed the Ace of Diamonds in this deck. We remember that Aces embody the purest and most potent of the elemental essence of a suit. And diamonds are analogous to pentacles/disks directing our focus to the gifts of the earth - treasures both material and spiritual. A reminder that our material possessions have power and meaning far beyond their tangible qualities or monetary value.
Personal - I’m called to discuss the transformational practice of alcehmizing our physical belongings into totems through which to connect to The All-There-Is. Calling in awareness that everything around us has a story, a lineage as well as an energetic imprint. I invite you to dedicate 5 minutes to this practice sometime today - settle into a relaxed state, close your eyes, take a few breaths and “turn on” your hands by pouring all your sensory awareness into them - feel them from the inside and outside, then gently brush your fingertips down the opposite hand, with featherweight from fingertips to the heel of your palm - do this just a couple times until you feel connected to the electricity that this tickle evokes. Spend the next few minutes literally brushing your fingertips fluidly over all the objects around you with as light a touch as possible. Focusing on breath and sensory experience rather than cognition or trying to feel or figure out anything in particular.
Collective - From Rachel Pollack’s 78 Degrees of Wisdom “Spiritual work leads us to recognize the magic in normal things, in both nature and civilization, and then go beyond them to the greater knowledge symbolised by the mountains.” While she’s referring to the mountains in the background of the Smith-Rider-Waite Ace of Pentacles card, we understand that we can do this with all things. I invite you to bring the practice from above to all entities. I recommend starting with a tree before moving on to doing so with other humans, and when you do so, ideally start with someone you know and trust. Try taking a few relaxing grounding breaths and opening your awareness to their (tree or person) energetic imprint, open your awareness to sensation, open your awareness to magic.
Have fun!!
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 18 - September 10
Morning Blessings Spiritual Astronauts,
It’s an astrology, Karma Cards day, and as I was shuffling this was my internal monologue - ”should I not even bother with the shuffling and just pull the cards for this Mars retrograde? What house is this even happening in? Ok I’ll just leave it to the cards like I’m supposed to.” So of course the two cards that flew out of the deck were Aries and the 7th House (which is where Mars is stationed at the moment, though over the course of the next 9 weeks, it will make its backwards journey all the way to the 2nd house. I’ll also note before we move into Monte Farber’s explanations of this placement (not retrograde specific), that I take an extremely stripped down approach to retrogrades in general. I think when it comes to stuff like astrology, tarot, dream interpretation etc..., that we absolutely must move beyond seeing things as signs, omens, “good”/”bad” luck, or an indication of something that is out of our hands. This is the same reason that I don’t do future-projection Tarot readings anymore. Retrograde, like all other arrows that the Universe employs to redirect our focus, this is an opportunity to honor the subconscious mind and the collective unconscious through deep inquiry and reflection. So similarly to receiving a “reversed” card in a Tarot reading, I invite you to join me in stripping judgment or blame from retrograde times and tune into this tool of magnification and deceleration like a retrospective art show.
Mars’s will to act, initiative and ambition is enhancing our rebellious inner tenager who is being awoken through this retrograde.
Personal - “Confront what you think you know about relationships.” I’m reading this prompt as personal rather than collective, because the journey of detangling thoughts can only really be personal journey, and the first relationships that need to be pushed through this filter are those which we uphold with our selves.
Collective - “The drive for energies to meet the challenge of balance” is an opportunity to externalize what you’ve come up with for the Personal question, for what has this year been if not a call to get the disparate and clanging bells of everything and everyone to ring in unison? And we cannot achieve this without a desire and drive to do so. “The confronting of your desires regarding cooperation” can be a step towards the first statement, for there can be no balanced collective without cooperation.
As Mars has the power to affect our temperament much more than other planets, I bless each of you with the extra power to be gentle with yourselves on this journey.
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
P.S. An addendum to yesterday’s exercise as suggested by one of our participants (who studies and practices in the realm of Tree Magic as well as Egyptian and Nordic runes) is to apply both the practice to your pets if you have them!! I love this idea, thank you Chris!
Day 19 - September 12
Happy Saturday Scry!
The Circle of Life Tarot brings us a fun project today! I won’t say too too much about the Hanged Man because I really want to offer each of you an opportunity to be with this card. As the Hanged Man is Major Arcana card number twelve, might I suggest a 12 minute scrying meditation with this card today?
Before your scrying meditation, I’ll just offer a few keywords to hold gently in your consciousness as you let your physical eyes and your mind’s eye explore and feel into this card. Waiting, a pause that is out of your control, instability, self-reflection, instinct, releasing control, trust, peace. Ok, so pause here before reading on, do your own scry (try 3 minutes if the 12 is too daunting) and just relax your eyes and mind. I’ll stick to sharing just one thing for each section below.
Personal - I found myself immediately dropping into personal identification with the figure in the card, feeling my wings bound, but my hand trustingly over my heart- I understand that while some of my powers are restrained right now, it is for the purpose of learning to focus on my truest power.
Collective - I found myself absolutely fixated on the root system. There’s a sort of spooky old wet secret vibe carried through the tendrils - I understand that part of what we are all surrendering to is the uncomfortable revelations that come along with an old and extensive root system telling its tale.
Ok! So try organizing your messages in that format if it feels right to you: “I found myself ________________ - I understand ___________.” Have fun and feel free to respond with what you found and what you intuitively understood from your findings.
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 20 - September 13
Good Morning All,
I’m happy to share a powerful Mudra Card today! If you’ve been in individual communication with me at all over the past many months, you may be sick of hearing me talk about the Root Chakra. Sorry not sorry :) That said, I’m not the only one just bowled over at how everything that is being revealed to us through the World’s happenings is a call to awake to and a portal to access the collective Root Chakra wound. An early covid download that came through for me was that it’s actually redundant to say “collective” Root Chakra wound, because while all of our body’s energy centers include points of access to the collective, the Root IS the collective. So I also invite you to utilize your increasing powers of mystical metaphor to place your personal Root Chakra experiences and messages in front of the mirror of the Oneness.
Our guidance today comes from the Gada Mudra. This powerful technology tonifies the Root, strengthens our stability and provides the foundation and energy for upward movement (aka - awakening and raising consciousness through the other chakras). This is really the primary goal in many magic, manifestation and spiritual ascension practices, and while there are many paths up the mountain of course, here we are given a very specific one.
Personal - As per the directions on the card, I also invite you to tune into fuller sensory awareness of the pelvic bowl. Let your focus fall gently into the vast energy contained within your own body. Do this for a few minutes until you’re really feeling strong with this before moving on.
Collective - I now invite you to breathe up to the Heart Chakra, as Gada Mudra also serves to “...open the flow of rising energy up the back of the body…” Heart Chakra is where we can most powerfully affect collective change via electromagnetic resonance. Inhaling the energy up to your Heart, exhaling letting that warmth relax into the Heart, melting fear and instability. Once you're feeling really clear and strong with this part, you can begin feeling and visualizing the strength and power of your Heart Chakra rippling out and serving a collective issue of your choosing - so many options, but just choose one.
Enjoy this little bit of practical magic!
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
P.S. Many thanks to everyone who shared their scryings yesterday, I won’t have a chance to respond to everyone unfortunately, but I’m going to include a few powerful shares that feel especially potent.
“Personal: I found myself focusing on the animals hidden in the roots system. Is that a cat nestled in their safety and seeking warmth? and the snake- perhaps evil slithering away from the underbelly of the tree- or perhaps warding off other evils. I understand this to represent preparing for autumn, and my role of protecting against those perceived evils approaching us with winter.
Collective; I found myself fixated on the moon and background focusing on the environment rather than the characters. I understand that to be my urge to care for the collective, seeing the bigger picture and not for myself- understanding the need to be bound, immobile to the tree.”
“I found myself Reminded about the story of Odin and how he hung from the world tree to gain knowledge. - I understand with the roots that a strong foundation is important and we can not move forward if our foundation isn't secured. The snake in the roots must be delt with before we can move on to the top of the tree or future which is not yet written/visible. How the top of the tree will look depends on what we learn and how we can deal with any thing that may be lurking in our roots.”
“I found myself fixated on the physical sensation of being hung upside down; the pressure and blood that builds in my head. I understand that my body needs help adjusting to this new pressure, because I’m caught in a Brainy space.”
“I found myself wanting to cut her hair, freeing her from the grip the roots have on her. I understand that in order to find my higher self, I need to be released from whatever wants to hold me down, including my own antiquated, entrenched beliefs.”
Day 21 - September 14
Moonday Blessings,
Our gift this morning is a very appropriate bit of guidance from Lonny Jarrett in the form of an acu point that I’m sure can help us all. Liver 8, Crooked Spring, the water point and tonification point for this channel.
In his Clinical Practice book, Jarrett employs the Daodejing quote “Bent, thus preserved whole” to describe the most powerful and versatile quality of this point. He reminds us that healthy water always finds its way home to the ocean and that healthy wood (by virtue of the water within) will always reach towards heaven.
We can find this point by pressing on the bony prominence of the knee that this picture looks like is the point location, then moving backwards to a slight depression before you get to the tendons.
2. Personal - “Exhibiting the virtue of benevolence, bamboo carries no grudge toward the wind that has temporarily waylaid its progress” this point can help us psychospiritually in cultivating non-attachment to the outcome of our plans and decisions. As the Liver meridian tonification point, we can use this point to address either extreme. If you’ve been noting a sensation of having a “short fuse” recently, this point can evoke some elasticity and grace. If you’re struggling to stand up for yourself or keep your head above water, this point can disperse fear and panic.
3. Collective - We have been working thematically the past couple days within the metaphors and teachings of roots (the root system of the Hanged Man's tree, the Root Chakra awareness and support of Gada Mudra) and will continue this today with a quote from Lonny Jarrett about the bamboo root system. “Bamboo derives its strengths from its emptiness, rootedness and flexibility. The flexibility of bamboo is in large part provided by its ability to tap deep reserves of water through its extensive root structure. When the wind blows, bamboo bends in exact proportion to the strength of the wind blowing against it. Its rootedness allows it to yield without falling over, and its emptiness represents nonattachment in the moment to its goal of rapid directional growth...As the wind subsides, bamboo springs up immediately to reassert its purpose and pursue its path.”
May this card offer you reassurance in the strength of our root system together, and may actually pressing this point (for 60 seconds three times today) invoke the virtues of Crooked Spring within your own life.
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 22 - September 15
Good Morning Friends!
I’m excited because today we are again working with Many Queens Tarot, and also because our card, The 7 of Swords, is a favorite of mine.
The 7 of Swords, as many of this suit do, evokes sort of recoil. But I love the suit of Swords because it demands we repeatedly drop judgment when engaging with their messages. This card is about honesty, deception, isolation, initiative and motivation. It could pop up in a reading when either you or someone in your life is choosing to keep secrets and go it alone. This card is full of paradox, and I just love how it walks that line between independence and secrecy. We see someone creeping away from a carnival ground with 7 swords, but we also note that she has dropped two of them.
Personal - What are you getting away with here? Are you actually getting away with it? What secrets do you feel entitled to keeping from others? What breadcrumbs (the two dropped swords) are you leaving and why?
Collective - Let’s talk about these circus tents. What institution, system, corporation, organization, group or structure does this represent to you? Let yourself relax out of the moral restraints of self-judgment and allow your ideas about why it’s ok to steal from this entity. What would you take? Why do you deserve it? Would you leave breadcrumbs? Why? What are some of the reasons you might choose to steal from an institution rather than attempt to out them for their wrongdoings?
Have fun!
In magic and medicine, yours truly,
Gina
Day 23 - September
Beloved Earth Angels,
What a message the Animal Medicine has for us today! Let’s see what Mountain Lion has to say!
