Cycle 4 - 2020 Daily Medicine Cards - October 5 - October 18
Day 42 - October 5
Greetings! Diving into our 4th cycle, the Thoth tarot throws us another repeat card, the Knight of Disks - who we remember to be directing us to retire from a life of battle in lieu of connecting with the land, reaping harvest, and feeding one’s community. Today we will re-interpret and explore some other aspects of that message through the lens of our clarification card, the Prince of Cups.
In the case of both of these gentlemen, Crowley warns us of the downfall that can be brought on by “overweening ambition” to the detriment of all other focus or generosity. The Prince of Cups helmet bears an Eagle, whereas the Knight of Disks bears a Stag, thus giving us the opportunity to receive the lessons of polarization created by the presence of both cards. Where the Eagle symbolizes the sacred union of Heaven and Earth (doing so in this case via Air and Water) the Stag symbolizes the sacred balance of gentleness (like the deer) and power (like the buffalo).
Personal - This combination indicates an environment of pressure. Specifically the “air of water” nature of the Prince of Cups is described by Duquette as similar to a warm bottle of champagne exploding with foam and by Crowley himself as “the catalytic faculty and the energy of steam.” I am getting the sense that we are being told to cook that which we have harvested. What ideas, plans, feelings need more attention? Need to be softened, heated, even pressure-cooked per se? Set a 5 minute meditation timer to allow yourself to sort that which you have reaped into this category.
Collective - The shadow aspect of the Prince of Cups lies under the calm surface of the water in the form of secrecy, calculation, and a complete lack of sense of responsibility towards others. We have been getting a lot of cards that direct us towards taking responsibility for the collective by letting our gifts shine through and be shared. Crowley’s Knight of Disks suggests, somewhat insultingly, we take a position of lower intellect in order to be satisfied with the task of harvest and community care rather than the glory of battle. The Prince of Cups urges us to balance these demands through meditating on the spiritual union of air and water within ourselves. We do this so as not to tip over onto the completely untrustworthy waters of only accepting external influence when it serves the advantage of our own secret designs (Prince of Cups) or into the rigid resentment of one who may devolve into feeling they’re working under their station (Knight of Disks).
Enjoy! And don’t forget your meditation! In magic and medicine, yours truly Gina
Day 43 - October 6
Good Morning Friends! A brief message from Caroline Myss and her Archetype Cards - the LOVER archetype wishes to share with us today.
The primary intersection of traits that Myss focuses on with this archetype is the all-consuming nature of the self-defining devotion that the Lover pour into a person or interest/endeavor (she mentions Lovers of the arts and music) combined with a tendency to give great power to caring about external appearances to the detriment of one’s own self esteem.
Personal - Where do your devotions lie? What people or endeavors in your life evoke that blinding unbridled appreciation? Tap in to how this feels different from the energy you’re able to give other endeavors, where is the source of this devotion?
Collective - We ride the waves of archetypes together as well as individually of course - what are some entities you’ve noticed that cause a collective eruption of the Lover archetype when it comes to obsessions and fixations? In what ways does this feel great - like bonding with everyone! In what ways do you feel that focus on physical appearances might eventually cause this whole community vibe structure to collapse?
Let yourself take a few moments today to just drop into that feeling space of what really gets you individually and with your community whipped up and swept up in that feeling of obsessive devotion! In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 44 - October 7
Morning Greetings! While I didn’t plan it this way, I am loving that the Mushroom Cards fall on a Wednesday - Mercury-day. What better way to celebrate communication, thought and travel than via the immensely powerful global mycelial web. And today we celebrate with the King of Hearts - Reishi - Ganoderma Lucidum.
Reishi is used in so many systems of traditional medicine worldwide. In Chinese Medicine Reishi is a revered master plant and considered one of the most powerful health tonics on the planet. Longevity, immunity, cancer-fighting (and helps during chemo, too), heart-nourishing, liver-protecting are just a few of Reishi’s gifts. We receive this message as overlaid with the King of Hearts (or Cups in Tarot) who is considered a master of emotional intelligence and creative flow and thus a benevolent ruler, trusted advisor and good friend.
Personal - Reishi also has a long history as a spiritual aid for its ability to calm the mind, relax the body, strengthen the nerves, improve memory, heighten concentration, improve focus, increase will power and ultimately result in deep wisdom. Which of these properties would most help you come into alignment with the King of Hearts/Cups archetype?
Collective - Though the image on the card is of a reishi growing in the ground, we will most usually see them as shelf mushrooms on an oak tree or fallen log. Tree Reishi can grow to be giant and extremely old members of the Wood Wide Web communication system. What messages would you be listening for and sharing if you were one of the oldest sets of ears allied with the forests of the world.
Mycelial blessings to all! In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 45 - October 8
My Fellow Seekers! We continue our journey today with some astrological messages via Monte Farber’s Karma Kards. As we’ve been seeing recently, we are beginning to get repeat cards- spirit sending us more emphatic missives urging us to give some laser focus to certain areas. Today that comes in the form of being guided to look at the 8th house more closely (on August 27 we worked with Uranus in Taurus in the 8th house). Today I pulled the North Node card, checked in with my daily astrology chart and found it to be in Gemini in the 8th house so then went through the deck and pulled out those cards. We will first take a look at the 8th house before diving into the Spiritual, Mental and Physical messages for Personal and Collective which will be combined today due to the nature of the 8th house.
The 8th House brings us messages about the resources and values that we do individually have control over, those which we could have control over if we join forces with others, as well as how we handle other people’s resources. The 8th house also addresses the power struggle that can come from attempting goal-oriented collaboration without having addressed philosophical differences of opinion. The 8th house reminds us that the power gained by people pooling resources is almost always worth the necessary compromise. Because of this theme of power and union, the 8th house also rules sex and death to some extent but also usher in this house’s association with mysteries, magic, magick, illusion, and investigation. Overall the 8th is a house with an underlying constant thematic rumble of change.
Personal and Collective -
Spiritual - “Have faith in what you want to be known as a life-or-death-issue.” Are you standing firm and unapologetic in your belief systems? If you find them so important, what is keeping you quiet?
Mental - “Do not worry about what is believed about getting and using power.” What reckoning has this year brought to your own theories about power and your willingness to reconfigure judgment in order to step into your personal power?
Physical - “Now is the time to use the quickest way and use other people’s resources.” This whole year has been shrouded with a great sense of urgency combined with the paralysis of suspended animation, how do we get creative now?
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 46 - October 9
Venus Day Blessings, What more appropriate card for a Goddess deity day than the comfort of the Queen of Cups.
Court cards often represent specific individual people, and this feeling comes through especially when I am reading with my ol’ classic deck the Morgan-Greer. I see and feel the placidity in our Queen’s demeanor. A calm, observant and optimistic face with focused but warm eyes, when I look at this card I feel that the Queen is on the precipice of a smile.
Personal - Whether our Queen of Cups is you or a specific other person in your life the message is to go for it with your new project or relationship. You are ready to accept your innermost feelings and thus are freed of any negative rule they have over you.
Collective - We turn to our Queen’s maternal properties. While all Queens carry the Mother archetype, the Queen of Cups does so on a level almost matching that of the Empress. The Queen of Cups is loved and adored by all who know her and in turn cares for all whom she knows with the dedication and passion of a mother caring for a tender newborn. May we invoke the soft embrace of the Queen of Cups as a thread connecting us to each other and everyone today.
In magic and medicine, yours truly, Gina
Day 47 - October 10
Happy Saturday Scry! Our messenger today is the Judgement card, number 20 of the Major Arcana. I just did a 10 minute scry and recommend it, but also staying within numerological guidelines I can suggest a minimum of 2 minutes, or 20 minutes if you’re feeling ambitious. Remember we scry with this deck with the express purpose of continually dropping any associations the logic brain is attempting to make in terms of symbolism - we are just repeatedly relaxing into the scene of the card.
Judgement is the second-to-last card in the Major Arcana, followed by the World/Universe. Judgement indicates the completion of the Fool’s journey of transformation and the meaning of this card is rebirth. Spiritual rebirth, general renewal, completion, a new lease on life, creative power, a final decision is made, integration of family and career, reward, decision...these are all themes of the Judgement card. Receiving this card in a reading may be telling you it's time to make a big change, your season of study/practice/transformation is coming to an end.
Personal - I find myself drawn to the tattered garb of our Angel - I understand that despite being massively powerful that even mystical spiritual entities have to go through some sh*t to get to where they’re going.
Collective - I find myself taking particular note of the Angel’s trumpet as it swirls and encircles the planet - I understand that the call to awaken is resounding and addresses us all.
Enjoy and feel free to share your “I found __________ - I understand _________________.” In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 48 - October 11
Morning Blessings, Let us tune ourselves today with this lovely mudra. It’s a bit complicated, but I’m sure you can do it. I’m always “shocked” with the mudras how quickly they affect my energy, but todays was really quite the immediate wash-over.
Liberation comes from releasing ego grasping and opening the heart of compassion. This path to freedom helps us tap into bliss by tapping out, if only for 1-2 minutes, of all the mental and societal rules surrounding what a “successful life” looks like. Obviously we maintain our livelihoods and living in society for a multitude of reasons, but practices like this can slowly soften that which has been hard for a long time.
Personal - The idea of practicing this mudra as an act of dedicatedly revealing one’s own “Original Nature.” I love that doing so with this mudra helps chips away at the ego in general as well as the spiritual narcissism that can come along with walking a path of ascension.
Collective - Like many of your collective “assignments” focusing on sending out the energy that we cultivate during the Personal practice, Nirvana Mudra holds true to this model. Specifically they suggest using this mudra for a few minutes at the end of your practice.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 49 - October 12
Happy Chinese Medicine Monday! I truly feel blessed to be able to share this potent acu point and its corresponding Lonny Jarrett wisdom with you today!
Jarrett opens the Clinical Practice section on Bladder 63 with a quote from Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi’s eponymous text “Though floodwaters pile up high to the sky, he [the sage] will not drown.” This feat is attributed to the concept of appropriate utilization of reserves which can be fortified by utilizing UB63 to move stagnations.
Personal - While all of life is a constant balancing act, this point specifically addresses the challenge of walking the line between achieving stillness in life and being frozen in fear. Other mental agitations and feeling that we are drowning in responsibilities can also cause the freezing of flow in this realm. How can we approach dispelling these fears? How can we “empower the clear perception of reality?”
Collective - “In Daoist mythology, the entrance to the kingdom of the mysterious queen mother of the West is pictured as a golden gate and a place of ultimate safety. At this gate, she receives both the souls of the dead and the survivors after the deluge. From the womb of the queen mother the life-giving waters flow, and to her tomb, all return in the flood’s wake.”
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 50 - October 13
Morning Blessings My Friends, The sweet sweet Page of Cups comes to us today as a friend, a student, a messenger. We receive all of our daily cards as messengers, and pages are also always messengers, so let us perk our ears extra today!
As we become more fluent in reading our cards, we can quickly recall (and as I mentioned above) all pages are messengers, and all cups relate to creativity and emotional intelligence. We see our page here, staring both dazedly and quizzically at her fish vase. The fish is sometimes considered the guide here, a messenger to the messenger from the element of water. What lessons does water hold for the page today?
Personal - We’ve been talking so much about creativity throughout this cycle, the Page of Cups asks us if inspiration has struck yet? Are you speaking seriously with your guides instead of mistaking them for silly little fishes and brushing their messages aside? As a student, can you allow yourself the grace to be distracted sometimes and remember that this is part of the learning process?
Collective - Water element is a Universal connector. More entities than not on this psychedelic planet contain water - vibrating, rippling, communicating. Are you lost t in the details? Do you feel like a student without a teacher? Look, listen and learn from the water inside and around you. Push up against the edges of what may be making you feel not ok with being inspired.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 51 - October 14
Morning Blessings All, Salmon reveals itself to us today - synchronicity abounds as today’s jumping fish mirrors yesterday’s in both visual imagery as well as message about our lives as students, not to mention that a quick google search has revealed us to be in the thick of salmon spawning season!
Salmon medicine is all about reclaiming our inner knowing, seeing the opportunities in all situations, and knowing that wisdom is earned through lived experiences - both easy and difficult. Let us also note the metaphor of the mirror in Salmon’s silver skin and the lessons that can come through reflection.
Personal - Simply put, Salmon medicine tells you to trust your gut feeling and inner knowing. If need be, retrace your path - reflecting on your personal experiences that brought you here can reveal the wisdom that is inside you!
Collective - Salmon shows up when the currents of public opinion may not be in your favor. However, Salmon medicine indicates that your inner wisdom is helping you see any dishonesty or manipulation in the intentions of those who counter you. So, what stream are you swimming up anyway? Why is it so important for you to go against the current? What full circle are you so committed to finishing? How does this closure serve the collective?
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 52 - October 15
Morning Blessings to All! We continue with messages from our animal guides today. Wild Horse in The Secret Language of Animals deck echoes some of yesterday’s Salmon lesson when it comes to trusting our inner wisdom. Let’s dive a little deeper and see what Wild Horse has to say about freedom, sensitivity, spirit and partnership.
As an ally of nobility, strength, beauty and grace, Horse has honored humanity with the gifts of service, protection, transportation, victory and companionship for over 5,000 years. Horse medicine aligns with clairsentience (gnosis through feeling) as they carry deeply attuned sensitivity to energy and emotions.
Personal - We are again asked to direct our focus to our creative endeavors. What element(s) do you need to invite in to harness your clear creative vision in a way that ignites the energy of Spirit within you? Perhaps Wild Horse can help you embrace and channel your sensitivity as an ally in this way.
Collective - Simple connection and glorious miracles are one in the same. Can you find the balance and strength necessary to open your heart to connection without being so open as to get pulled off your path? How does a unified will between the head and the heart alchemize how you perceive your connections and relationships with others?
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 53 - October 16
Dear Dear Friends, One of my favorite things about Gina Pace’s Pagan Tarot is how she has organized the court cards. She uses neither the Page-Knight-Queen-King like most standard decks working within the Smith-Rider-Waite model, or Princess-Prince-Queen-Knight as per the Crowley-Harris-Thoth model. Instead, Pace transforms traditional Pagan practice and lineage into the following archetypes: Elemental, Novice, Initiate and Elder. In the Pagan Tarot the Elementals are recognized as the purest source of energy. So today as the Elemental of Pentacles reveals himself to us, we dive into Earth element whose representatives are THE GNOMES!
“Gnomes are found throughout the world. They are dwarf faeries who appear to be quite old because they mature very young though they live about a thousand years. They have a tendency to look like small bark-like tree men, about a foot tall, with acorn hats and clothing in natural hues of red, brown and green. They are active all year round.”
Personal - The Gnome represents someone with a natural, deep, strong connection to the Earth and animals. Can you drop into the part of yourself who embodies those traits? Take a few moments to breathe, close your eyes and just feel into your love of our Planet and all her treasures, especially our animal friends. Which archetype within yourself does this ignite? Is it one who is already quite active in your day to day life? One who has been dormant?
Collective - The Gnome’s main “job” is to protect and heal wildlife. In much lore they are broadly known to practice medicine of the herbal and even surgical variety. I have even heard tale of them practicing acupuncture! This is an opportune moment to play “Quantum Doctor” - If you could go into the secret code fabric of existence and protect or heal any aspect of the natural world, what would it be? Whatever particular plant, tree, animal, mountain, polar ice cap etc...you choose, take a moment to go into a few breaths of meditative visualization. When I play Quantum Doctor meditation, I like to see myself as an old woman sitting in a rocking chair mending a blanket (aka the fabric of existence) Stitching the tattered edges of a tear and re-weaving the space between. Who is the Quantum Doctor inside you?
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 54 - October 17
Saturday Blessings All, I have to say, today is quite possibly one of the best (aka most synchronous) days to receive the Justice card from the Tarot’s Major Arcana. Last night was our New Moon in Libra, Justice’s home sign. So now “the scales have tipped” as we enter the final moon quarter in Libra Sun Season - the Sun goes into Scorpio on Thursday night just as the Moon is filling back up to her Half phase. I mention this because astrology can help us understand that the balance that is definitive of the Justice card/archetype is not measured by a linear scale. Instead I find it best to invoke an inner knowing and acceptance of infinity lines/scales emerging from a single point. In this model, “balance” is the perpetual, imperfectable and un-mess-up-able quest of adjusting and re-adjusting all aspects of our inner and outer life - in fact, in the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck, this card is in fact called “Adjustment.”
Our Ostara artists have chosen to bring us the lessons of Justice through a visual representation of Egyptian Goddess Ma’at measuring the souls of the dead against an ostrich feather. The feather represents truth and our Justice Goddess wears a blindfold to represent the commitment to remaining objective in her duties.
Personal - What has been coming up for you lately within the themes of law? Truth? Balance? Remaining objective? Perspective? Clarity of vision? Or on the flip side corruption and bias? Have you been finding yourself dropping into tangential internal monologues about any of these things? As chaos swirls around us, what do you find yourself intuitively drawn to doing in order to achieve an internal sense of soul balance?
Collective - Justice is an inherently “collective” card because even if one feels that any bone they have to pick with truth and balance is internal, such can never truly be the case. We recall the radiant electromagnetic field emanating from our hearts which is scientifically measurable and known to extend far beyond one’s own physical body. Calling this rememebering in while sitting in presence with the story of Ma’at we can visualize and feel our own hearts as the single point from which all our balance metrics extend. Nothing about achieving balance (or how inextricable our personal journey with truth from The All-There-Is) is simple. Softening into that truth is a first step in taking quantum responsibility for our Justice path.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 55 - October 18
Hey You Guys and Gaias! I am obsessed with today’s adorable and tender message from the Hero’s Journey Dream Oracle!