Cycle 3 of 2020 Daily Medicine Cards - September 21 - October 4
Updated: Jan 17, 2021
Day 28 - September 21
My Friends, Sweet morning blessings to you on this final day of summer. While bittersweet in so many ways, even more so than usual this year, and the Thoth today tells us with the 3 of Swords, to let it be so. Remembering that in this practice (and my approach to cards in general) is not predictive, so receiving a card like this is not a “bad omen.” It’s a reminder to be gentle with all parts of ourselves as we open our consciousness to understanding “sorrow” in different ways than those to which we are accustomed.
This card does not represent the normal sorrow of grief or despair, but rather as a profound state of consciousness. Lon Milo Duquette in his Thoth companion claims this to be a lucky card to pull as it “represents the wondrous trance of sorrow that first enlightened the Buddha.”
Personal - Are you perceiving something differently than what it really is? We can all get stuck in that place of stubborn despair when not so far below the surface we know that a deeper truth exists. Instead of focusing on whatever is hurting you, can you step back and look at it in relation to the bigger picture of your life? Can you let this become part of the tapestry of your life rather than shaping who you are?
Collective - Everyone who is reading this is a human, earthbound, with limited time in this incarnation and with physical, spiritual and emotional energy that is closely tied to our bodies and our surroundings. I recommend working with a tree today to expand past our physical limitations on this liminal day in the wheel of the year. If you have the chance today - go outside and be with a tree for 5 to 10 minutes while focusing only on expanding your awareness to the truly infinite nature of its root system and branch system.
You are infinite! In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 29 - September 22
Joyous Equinox and Mabon Blessings to All, I love that we’re back at the Archetype Cards today. What perfect timing to work with a deck who speaks so specifically to the light and shadow aspects of everything and every one. Let’s see what the Midas/Miser archetype has to share with us…
With the ability to turn anything and everything to gold, comes the opportunity to expand our hearts and the responsibility to share. The challenge to learn generosity is inherent in both the Midas and the Miser.
Personal - How does this apply to your life? In the material/financial realm? In the emotional/relationships realm? In what realm is your alchemy and how do you utilize it? Where do you draw the line between sharing freely and giving away your vital essence? Where do you draw the line between saving and hoarding?
Collective - One of the many things 2020 Vision has given us is the call to wake up to the true reality of the wealth hoarding epidemic. We can no longer ignore what this greed and addiction to control has wrought the world over. For a simple Equinox meditation, I invite everyone to go into a space of visualizing a world of redistributed wealth and feeling the physical sensations that correspond with that? Is there joy? Fear? Relief? Anger? What light and shadow comes out with this visualization for the collective?
May this Autumn be golden for you all! In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 30 - September 23
Good Morning from The Mushroom Realm, Today we receive our daily blessing from the songstress of the mushroom siblings, sister Chanterelle. What a sweet golden friend who starts revealing herself in mid summer and may even be found as late as October, depending on the weather. I haven’t seen her too much this year, but when I have her hearty cap and perky stem came as true visual nature medicine. If you happen upon a wild patch large enough to harvest from (reminder to take only ⅓ if you do forage for any wild friends) or find chanterelle at the grocery store, or are gifted some of this mushroom, consider it an immense blessing. She is sweet, mild and buttery with a chewy/crunchy texture if you choose to cook with her, which you absolutely should.
In terms of Chanterelle’s known medicinal properties, she is a great liver detoxifier due to her naturally occurring selenium, iron and copper and ergosterol. In Chinese medicine she is used for vision and eye health due to the presence of carotene. Like many mushrooms, she also is a known cancer fighting agent and can be used preventatively as such.
Personal - We note that Chanterelle resides on the 8 of Clubs in this deck. While I really don’t think Paul Stamets had divination in mind when choosing the card correspondences, that doesn’t mean we can’t invoke them as such. The Tarot analog to this card is the 8 of Wands, representing swift change towards bringing goals to fruition as well as the enthusiasm and energy necessary to keep up with the follow through. The way in which I read the playing cards, 8 always represents infinity and clubs represent creative fires. What endeavor or area of your life would you open to the powers of sustainable energy (my interpretation of infinity here) so that you can finally get started on something that’s been only a vision so far? Set an 8 minute timer if you’d like to do this as a meditation.
Collective - Let’s talk about amplifiers. Quartz and calcite are common crystals used to amplify the power of other stones. A spiral, mandala or labyrinth made of other stone or natural material can also amplify whatever you place in the center. As humans we are amplifiers, too. Due to the power and expansive range of our heart’s electromagnetic field we can effect great change in the ripples that emanate from our bodies. If you are a practitioner of magic who utilizes selenite (selenium oxide) or hematite (iron oxide) stones on your altar and in spellwork, consider chanterelle a means of bringing these massive mystical healing and protecting properties into your body. If you had the power to dissolve negativity and pain and bring in light, optimism, and expanded vision with simultaneous focus what individual or group of people would you do this for? Set an 8 minute timer if you’d like to do this as a meditation.
May our autumn continue its golden journey. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 31 - September 24
Golden Blessings All, As we round on our fortnightly astrology lesson with the Karma Cards, I just want to clarify how we use these cards for divination and reflection within this particular format since I got a number of questions last time about this deck. In all Tarot and playing card decks, and many Oracle decks, whatever card you pull will have an astrological correspondence. When I do my personal daily tarot draws, I utilize the cards as arrows telling me which of the multitudinous happenings in the sky are the ones I should focus on. This is also how I approach using this deck, it’s just a lot more specific. The deck is divided into three sections - Planets, Signs and Houses. I shuffle the entire deck together and whichever card card comes out I use, like a tarot card, as a reference point for when I then go over to my daily astrological chart. Today the card for Leo popped out, so I take the card, I go to my chart and I see that Venus is in Leo in the 11th house right now. So then I go back to the Karma Cards deck and I find the Venus card and the 11th House card to put them together and create some sentences that guide us on the Spiritual, Mental and Physical planes. That’s how I’ll divide today’s reading as well.
We’ll remember that the sentences themselves come out a little choppy with slightly awkward syntax. I’ll quote them as is and then offer
1. Spiritual - “Cherish leadership for humanity’s sake.” Is there an archetype inside you who wants to lead? Who feels called to guiding others at this time? Providing clarity and momentum for the collective or your community? Can you turn inwards with great self love and offer some perspective, nourishing and encouraging words to this leader inside you?
“The attraction of self-confidence to create freedom.” A great moment for the Kintsugi magic wand game (my doula mentor and postpartum mamas in the house know this one!). If you had a magic wand and could instantly have the most ideal self-confidence possible, what would your life feel like? If you had a magic wand and could instantly create freedom in whatever form you see it, what would your life and the world look like?
2. Mental - “Enjoy the creativeness of your hopes and wishes.” A favorite exercise from both Martha Beck and Julia Cameron! Take 10 minutes out of your day - 5 minutes to swiftly without too much thinking write down 5 creative hopes/wishes/visions and 5 minutes to sit in euphoric meditation just feeling yourself in those creative processes. Choose the one that feels the best to pursue!
“Pleasure from taking a chance on associations.” I read the term “associations” as synchronicities. What recent seeming coincidences have continued to ring in your ears and demand further attention?
3. Physical - “Charm, art and beauty are the way to do what you want and do it for the future.” So are we starting to see a pattern here? Nietzsche told us that “we have art so we don’t die from the truth.” What if that which has maybe felt like a frivolous nagging desire to create is really medicine for the future of life on earth?
“Good times resulting from the impressiveness of your circle of friends.” This feels like a beautiful way to close, with some breaths of gratitude for the creativity and care of those around us. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 32 - September 25
Venusday Blessings to All! Our card comes to us today with quite the sense of urgency! The Ace of Wands immediately flew out of the Mogran-Greer deck right as I began to shuffle, very elemental fire of it! While this is the time of year in which we are faring well to fire element’s summer and beginning to entertain hibernation, our card has a different plan for us.
The Ace of Wands is a blessing at the start of any journey or project. Inspiration, strength, power and joy are on our side. The card also teaches us humility as this influx of energy and optimism is clearly a gift - perhaps extra obvious if we have been specifically trying unsuccessfully to rally motivation recently.
Personal - Run don’t walk now. While I am almost always encouraging rest and a slow approach, today is not the day for that. The time for action is now, listen to your instincts and let the details work themselves out tomorrow. Catch the wave of this surge of passion and ride it to shore.
Collective - In Corrine Kenner’s Tarot companion Tarot and Astrology she reminds us of the myth of Prometheus. On behalf of humanity, he stole fire from the gods so that we could have the power to create and destroy, illuminate and manufacture. Today we are called by the Ace of Wands card to look both literally and symbolically at fire’s role in human civilization and development. We will almost always find ourselves moved by both gratitude and grief as we scan through our history, however the suit of Wands in general reminds us to move forward with careful use of our will and intention.
I recommend continued outside reading on both Venus’s placement in Leo as well as Mars’s retrograde placement in Aries for further immersion on personal and collective fire element at the moment. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 33 - September 26
Happy Saturday Scry! I just love it when we come around to the Circle of Life tarot and I have an excuse to really relax with my morning coffee and scry this card. The Queen of Cups is one of the absolute best cards to do this with because, like the Thoth Queen of the same suit, our Queen here becomes part of the watery background of the scene and we have to drop the active mind in order to fall into her storyline and let her reveal herself to us. I would recommend a 4 or 11 minute timer for your scry today. I’ll set up the Personal and Collective sections the same way as last time: “I found myself _______________ - I understand _______________.”
When we receive any court card, we can read it as representing a person in our external lives or an archetype within ourselves. The Queen of Cups is in the flow of life, her primary raison d’etre is creativity and emotional intelligence. Her challenges come mostly with boundaries as well as truth-telling. A deeply honest soul, when she does choose to fudge the facts, it usually involves dishonesty with self.
Personal - I found myself wondering about the Queen’s dorsal fin - I understand that this represents similarities with the Dolphin’s physical intelligence as well the more commonly correlated mental intelligence.
Collective - I found myself drawn to the school of fishes who become blended wit the Queen’s hair - I understand that small as we may be, we are enveloped by the tendrils of higher consciousness which extend far beyond what our perception allows us to see.
Have fun and feel free to share what you come up with! In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 34 - September 27
Sunday Blessings to My Friends, Autumn is upon us and with it Metal season in Chinese Medicine. I’m feeling the season change in both my mind and body, are you? Our Mudra Card today offers a powerful hand gesture with some excellent corresponding benefits.
As we can see in the card itself, meditating while engaging this mudra can help strengthen the immune system, facilitates breathing in the lower lobes of the longs, improves concentration and benefits the large intestine. So let’s see how these things can correlate further with TCM to generate some deeper prompts for us.
Personal - Breathing from the lower lobes of the lungs - what endeavor have you been approaching with fine energy through the summer but now sense that you need a deeper level of inspiration to stay motivated with?
Collective - Benefitting the large intestine - as fall is always a season for letting go and this year has given us little respite from the grief process, if you zoom out can you find a place of missing connection in the collective? An area that needs a supportive bridge between letting go and moving through grief? Can we use this antennae shape of our mudra to send this prayer outwards?
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 35 - September 28
Monday Greetings! Today’s card continues thematically with some of the Metal Element Season (autumn, lung, large intestine) that we started talking about yesterday (letting go, inspiration, elimination, grieving) and expands our understanding of Metal’s work to also encompass the concept of self-worth. Lung 3, easily accessible for palpation on the inner arm, “Empowers us to find the highest in ourselves as inspired by Heaven.” When we discuss Heaven in Chinese Medicine it can be without the attachment to any ideas about “where we go after we die if we are good people” and can be more specific to our general connection to the Divine and our ability to access and utilize the energy of the etheric or the ineffable intangible firmament.
While most of what we’ll discuss with this acu point is conceptual regarding justice and self-worth, I’ll mention quickly here the physiological benefits. Digital palpation of this point can help regulate head/body Qi flow especially in addressing goiters or swellings in the neck, heat related issues of excess or deficiency like nosebleed, coughing blood. Spirit disharmonies such as stress induced asthma, poor memory, fuzzy/muddled thinking, depression can also be addressed with Lung 3.
We find this point by measuring 3 cun down from the axillary crease and pressing just where the soft/yin/light flesh meets the hard/yang/tan flesh. First turning your palm upwards, then with your opposite hand line up your pointer middle and ring finger next to each other. Next place the border of your pointer finger knuckle right at the crease that would reveal your armpit if you lifted your arm. The point you are seeking should be found just off the ring finger knuckle. Direct or clockwise pressure for a minute three times a day is a good place to start.
2. Personal - Lung 3 calls us to learn some essential differences between Wood element and Metal, specifically human vs. heavenly justice and self-esteem vs. self-worth. Heavenly justice heals by revealing and reminding us of our original nature and thus self-worth. Lonny Jarrett describes self-worth as our ability to respect and value the treasures we find in our depths and self-esteem as a desire of the mind to achieve a balanced and grounded conceptual understanding of our firmest character traits. Lung 3 can restore our ability to see and acknowledge the treasures within ourselves and others.
3. Collective - In his Clinical Practice book, Lonny Jarrett discusses an occurrence that can often happen in the spiritual mentor-disciple relationship. When a student pours their connection to heaven into external figures like gurus and institutions, the relationship can sour if the disciple finds hypocrisy within their previously revered connection to Heaven. Sometimes the severance of the relationship with teacher leads the student to a disillusioned back-turning to Spirit and their Divine seekings in general. Lung 3 can help us reestablish our connection with our sacred path and retain the “lessons learned from past spiritual encounters without clinging to the person or organization that was a vehicle for them.”
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 36 - September 29
Marsday Greetings with a Mercurial Message, Lettie Jane Rennenkamp’s Many Queens Tarot offers us a sweet reminder here through the 8 of Pentacles. Called “Prudence” in the Thoth deck and “Lord of Prudence” in the Golden Dawn, it feels good to name today’s protagonist “Queen of Prudence.”
1. Pretty much no matter what deck you are reading from, this card is either going to depict a scene of a blossoming plant, a plant blossoming with coins or a young man toiling at a workbench forging coins (aka making literal money). The associated nomenclature of “Prudence” indicates an important focus on the virgues of dedication, sound judgment, appropriate behavior and refinement of both craft and character. The artisan spirit expresses here how essential it is to find fulfillment in the process of the craft as well as the serving of the community.
2. Personal - Making progress slowly and methodically with enjoyment will help you complete your task at hand. Are you trying to rush ahead to complete something? Take a deep breath, pay attention, treat your project like this Queen’s diamond-growing tree. I’m also called to note the goose atop her head- recently in some psychic research I was doing about the etheric imprint of a particular organized religion and culture, the message that came through was that a primary tenet of their worldview and approach lies in the application of the “goose that lays the golden eggs” parable. There is space in our practices to experience a sense of deep deep richness in most scenarios.
3. Collective - I feel that Mercury’s presence in this card (as it is often considered the Hermit of the Minor Arcana and thus associated with the Hermit, Virgo and Mercury) is about navigating the challenging turns of community and communication when it comes to one’s self-identity. We all have to sell ourselves, sell our services and goods, often become highly skilled through years of schooling and practice in a particular realm. This card asks us to reconcile our sense of self as the Hermit and our place in the material world of earthly existence that involves other people and money.
May the force be with you, as it always is, in your journey with this contemplative card. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 37 - September 30 Good Morning All! I hope this blessing finds you well. Our guide today is the Black Panther from Jamie Sams and David Carson’s Animal Medicine Cards. Today’s message will be brief and will consist of carefully selected quotes from their guidebook as their words specifically are such an integral part of the offering they give to all non-Native people through the gift of this deck and this book.
1. “Most of Panther’s tribe had been stalked and killed by the other two-leggeds, who had come across the big water and who feared their own dark natures. Those people were in need of her healing medicine. That night, the Black Panther stood at the edge of the swampy bayou, sniffing at the night, trying to catch the scent of any newcomer willing to go beyond their fears and trust her medicine.”
2. Personal - “Enter the stillness and refuse to surrender your personal authority to avoidance mechanisms...Remember, the fear of ‘what if’ will always keep you from enjoying the present moment and life’s gift is the present.”
3. Collective -”Darkness is the place for seeking and finding answers, for accepting healings, and for accessing the hidden light of truth...If the Black Panther has appeared today, it may be telling you not to worry about the future...You may need to confront fears of the unknown...Embrace the unknown and flow with the mystery that is unfolding…”
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 38 - October 1 Beloved Seekers, A theme that has visited us before comes through even more emphatically today. The Bee reminds us of the essential place creativity, purpose, harvest and devotion play in our personal and collective lives. I will share some direct quotes from Chip Richards The Secret Language of Animals Oracle Cards Guidebook as well as some prompts I’ll create surrounding his writing.
“In ancient Egypt, when the tears of the sun god Ra landed on the desert sand they became the bees of the world When Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love drew back his bow, the string was made of honeybees When the ancient Essenes entered holy communion with the Angel of Creative Work, they called upon visions of bees at work, devoted to their collection of divine nectar. Rock paintings dating as far back as 15,000 years ago depict humans gathering honey from wild bees as a magical food source, as medicine, antiseptic and preservative.” What do bees mean symbolically to you? Do you have emotions surrounding the worldwide bee crisis and its implications?
Personal - “Bee comes into your world with a clear and simple message: it is your mission to devote yourself to the harvesting and sharing of your divine gifts. Do not question it. Do not doubt it. Do not for a moment think that your gift is not needed. Do not for one second think that the absence of your expression would go unnoticed.” What lingering doubts are standing in your way? What obstacles do you need to navigate - be they internal or external? Can you spend some time today in a visualization/feeling meditation where you simply give some loving attention to your creative endeavor? Ask it why it is here and what it needs in order to safely emerge.
Collective - “Like the quintessential role that Bee pays in pollinating flowers to make food for our planet, you came here with a creative gift that needs to be harvested and brought forth. Your soul yearns for it. The balance of our planet relies on it. Bee is calling you to play your part.” How does this idea make you feel? In your body? Heart? Mind? Is it an easy concept to push down or brush aside? Are you too busy to even consider a creative endeavor? Do you have one burgeoning inside you that you’re already in the habit of rejecting and suppressing? Do you have one that you’ve been working on for a while but that you guilt yourself about spending time with?
For both Personal and Collective, feel free to share what comes through for you. I’ll include some of your responses in tomorrow’s P.S. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 39 - October 2
Morning Blessings My Friends, Well it looks like the Midas/Miser Archetype Card from last Tuesday 9/22 (at the beginning of this 2 week cycle of cards) has returned to clarify some of his messages for us. This is coming through the 4 of Pentacles in the Pagan Tarot.
In a card traditionally depicted by a male figure literally coveting coins, Gina Pace takes a different approach to this concept by having “our witch” shopping at the grocery store. The fours always represent stability, and this card indicates an individual who is trying to utilize money and material possessions (and in this case food) to create a false sense of security. Pace notes specifically the “fear of running out of food” as a potential seed of the beginning of a cycle of selfish and greedy hoarding.
Personal - There is also traditionally a thread of the concept of isolation when it comes to this card. There can be many causes for isolation, but this card is specifically trying to transmit the message that fear of losing one’s vital energy is at the core of that type of isolation. It is the fear of losing that vital, essential internal energy that leads one to then try to protect their externalized material wealth. This is fallout is from the human mind trying to give structure and meaning to the chaos of the material universe. There are also roots in the number four - symbolizing the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional realm. However this card indicates getting stuck in the physical realm
Collective - I generally don’t want to talk too much about external events in this post, but as both grocery shopping and isolation have been quite the themes this year, I feel that this card is very specifically telling us to examine the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional repercussions of those landscapes. Where do we seek and find faith? How do we know when and how to loosen our grip on certain controls?
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina Day 40 - October 3
Good Morning Loves, Wow! Now that we are really moving with this project it feels like the 2-week cycle flies by, I can’t believe we are already back at the Ostara Tarot! I’ll approach today’s reading a little differently than usual since it’s (finally!) the first time we are getting a repeat card - the 7 of Swords (the same card we got with the Many Queens Tarot on 9/15 in our previous cycle). Since we took a pretty deep dive into the 7 of Swords two weeks ago, I’ve pulled a second “clarification” card - the 7 of Wands. This means that I will be interpreting the 7 of Swords through the lens/filter of the 7 of Wands.
Both of these cards represent the way in which one can approach a battle or even any challenging/annoying situation. The 7 of Wands employs the energy, determination, courage, skill, and knowledge in the face of opposition and obstacles to give that final push in fighting for the heart’s desires, principles and beliefs. This leads us to be able to examine an aspect of the 7 of Swords that we didn’t get into last time. This idea of energy and battle. The 7 of Swords has a tendency to yield to the “untrustworthy character” archetype (who we all have inside us) when it comes to the completion of a goal, endeavor or battle. Victory is within grasp but the final energy reserves are used up.
Personal - It is important to note that both cards address concepts surrounding the tightrope walk between independence and isolation. How does tipping from one side of that line or the other affect your energy? What is your source of energy for a final push? What schemes have you been scheming to try to get out of climbing the ladders to the top so you can sit in a ray of sunshine?
Collective - Both cards demand we examine our relationship to competition. Does comparison snuff out your fire? What happens to us when we allow in this cycle of doubt that then creates a massive sense of overwhelm in the face of your responsibilities and the general challenges of life? As of this juncture, we are battling against the programming of isolation and sense of apart-ness that this year has wrought even within certain bubbles of strengthened community.
Also please note that a number of intertwining themes are coming together with cards like these as well as the Midas/Miser, 7 of Pentacles and 4 of Pentacles. I will probably do a thematic recap when we are about halfway through the 130 days of this project and then again at the end. In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina P.S. As much as I strive to keep current events and especially politics out of these posts, the Aleister Crowley interpretation of the 7 of Wands is too uncanny not to include, almost spooky…”Patriotism, so to speak, is not enough...If victory is to be won, it will be by dint of individual valour - ‘a soldiers battle’.” Please interpret as you wish but I encourage you to push beyond any superficially gratifying concepts of what this message can mean. Day 41 - October 4
Many Sunday Blessings to All, As our final day of each cycle comes around, I find myself repeatedly pleased that The Hero’s Journey Dream Oracle volunteered itself as our punctuation mark. And as I am an utter baby student when it comes to dream analysis, I will again quote heavily from Kelly Sullivan Walden, our author.
This card provides a very meta swim around the dreamscape and our waking understanding of it. The main takeaway from the message is something that sounds almost like a broken record (especially if you’re working with alchemy of any variety) so I will take it as a continued emphasizing of the point. Do whatever you must in order to remember your dreams - that is where the answers are. The “key” as our author notes here.
Personal - “All the events that take place in your daytime and nighttime dreams are attempts to awaken your core strengths, gifts and genius. Remembering who you are, thus valuing who you are, is the key to living an awakened life. You wake up when you consciously ‘re-member’ (put back together) your true identity as an infinite spiritual being, powerful beyond measure, and heir to all the blessings that earth has to offer.” Could this really be true? Could The All-There-Is really leave so much up to chance, entrusting humans to remember these fleeting messages? Do you remember your dreams? Do you write them down? Are there some that stick with you, nagging and reminding yourself who you are?
Collective - “A key in a dream is a sign the answers, opportunities, access, secrets, freedom, control, knowledge and power that you seek are at your fingertips. Y