Cycle 9- 2020 Daily Medicine Cards - December 7 - 20
Updated: Jan 17, 2021
Day 105 - December 7
Good Morning Friends!!
We are back at the beginning of our cycle with the cards and our messenger today from the Thoth Tarot is the Major Arcana’s Devil. This is the card we have received the most throughout our collective draws, today being the third time we are called to learn with this archetype. I recommend you re-read both Meara’s Rider-Waite Devil post from 11/20 and my Ostara Devil post from Halloween for some good general foundations on the card as today we are going to do some pinpointed focus. I also encourage everyone to read our P.S. announcements this week as I profile 2 of my favorite holiday gift (and general) artists and herbalists each day.
At this point in our project, we know that each deck highlights different stories, lessons and guidance about each card. The Crowley-Harris Thoth cards however, truly function within a universe of their own. We can and should take the Crowley and/or Duquette interpretations with us into our readings with other decks if we wish for a deeper functionally mystical level. When we enter the world of the Thoth tarot, our archetypal messages become inextricable from their astrological and Kabbalistic correspondences. These are both quantum holographic paradigms which can help us understand all other Tarot decks as well as life in general.
The Devil rules the realms of thought and bliss and existence. We can read this as a directive to look at the process by which ideas manifest into physical reality.
Personal - Again we are guided towards looking at our individual spheres of creativity. However, the Devil tells us to look specifically at our creative energy. Are you able to extricate functional definitions of creativity from the energy you literally feel inside of yourself when it comes to your own creative endeavors? Can you tune into the physical sensations that come through when you think of a new project? Can you tune into the physical sensations of your whole body that come through when you feel bliss about a creative idea? Can you tune into the physical sensations surrounding success in bringing a creative piece into existence?
Collective - Let’s discuss here the horned trickster god Pan, his deep appreciation of everything and how that is necessary for living in alignment with the creative flow (meaning times of drought, flood and everything in between) without being hindered by our human tendencies towards the insidious nuances of judgment (especially after we think we have mastered non-judging). Quoting from Aleister Crowley himself “The formula of this card is then the complete appreciation of all existing things. He rejoices in the rugged and the barren no less than in the smooth and the fertile. All things equally exalt him He represents the finding of ecstasy in every phenomenon, however naturally repugnant; he transcends all limitations; he is Pan; he is All.”
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 106 - December 8
Daily Blessings All, I love when we come around to Caroline Myss’ Archetype Cards, and as usual I will encourage you to seek out her book Archetypes: A Beginner’s Guide to Your Inner-net even if you don’t have the cards, or any cards for that matter. Today the Visionary visits us to continue helping us explore more corners of how we can move with our creativity.
Each archetype is part of a family, in this instance, the Visionary is the family. Also included in this family are the Entrepreneur, Innovator and Pioneer to name a few. The primary job of the Visionary is to bring the future into the present - to remain committed to a new vision long enough to see it come to fruition. Though we all have some permanent-ish archetypes making up the collage of ourselves, we always can step into an archetype at any given time in order to achieve a particular goal. The courage it takes to believe in your vision and to use your creative potential to change lives is at the core of the Visionary.
Personal - Can you think of some times in your life when you have broken free from traditional expectations and rules? Acted as a change agent? Relied on guidance from dreams? Looked at the future and saw what could be? That was your Visionary at work! Step into this archetype again in order to bring to life the visions that have been resting in your minds-eye.
Collective - The Visionary really is all about the collective. The selfless component of the Visionary’s work is born out of a deep knowing that there is no true separation between anyone. Visionaries sense the changing impulses in every area of society and can give birth to new ideas that shape the destiny of humanity. A true Visionary also knows that there is no task too small to contribute to the greater vision. Tune into the smallest and most subtle vision you have at this particular moment in history, allow yourself some minutes of meditation to melt into what reality could look like even with this tiny change.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 107 - December 9
Mycelial Wisdom Blessings to All! I am just in love with today’s card from Paul Stamet’s Mushroom Playing Cards. So as usual with these ones, we will discuss both the qualities of the mushroom herself as well as the Tarot correspondences to the 8 of Hearts/Cups and how it may apply to interpreting our mushroom medicine messenger through a metaphorically reflective lens. I’m including a second picture because neither the card nor my laptop camera photo of it do this amazing species any justice. I also definitely recommend just googling “Schizophyllum commune” and looking at more wild beautiful pictures of this ally.
A gourmet favorite in the tropics (especially Mexico and India) and a medicinal powerhouse worldwide (antifungal, antiviral, immune system modulator, also known to inhibit and slow the growth of cancerous cells and tumors) “Split-Gill” has much to offer. She also is considered a “cryptic species” aka one of a kind, with no other genus or family members. The 8 of Cups in the Tarot depicts a cloaked Hermit-esque figure walking off into the distant mountains, leaving behind a bounty of 8 chalices. Perhaps to be so versatile and powerful we sometimes need to leave that which we have poured great work into over the course of months and years.
Personal - Schyzophyllum Commune is the only known mushroom to physically retract (like a sea anemone) when approached with movement. I think this is a very natural reaction for sentient beings, sometimes it’s just imperceptible. Let us invite our intention over the course of today to be tuning in to our subtle and gross reactions and retractions to stimuli (physical, visual, auditory, emotional, etc). As I will encourage regularly, practice getting attuned to awareness of your state of physical sensation from head to toe. Doing this when we are not responding to stimulus will help us note more precisely what is going on when we do react.
Collective - You guys, this mushroom has 23,382 distinct sexes with fertile pairings in the 22,000 range. I love this as a metaphor for both the complexity of our human sexuality spectrum as well as the concepts surrounding love romantic compatibility. How amazing to live in an era where we are beginning to scientifically understand and accept the truly non-binary nature of biological sex. What happens as we begin to remove ourselves from binary judgement in general? What happens when we start considering that we can love well outside of the constraints we always thought we must adhere to?
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 108 - December 10
108 Blessings to All!!
Another astrology day is upon us, and Monte Farber's Karma Cards direct us to seek our guidance today in the 5th house. So checking in with the daily chart we find that our corresponding cards need to be the North Node and Gemini. We worked with the North Node in Gemini in the 8th House on October 8th if you want to revisit that lesson. Now lets see how we've grown and changed these past two months and what our new assignment is.
1. Spiritual - "There will be information to explain the power of love", "Have faith in what you want to be known with the trust of a child." What tends to be the driving force when we choose to re-attune ourselves to the power of love? Or let ourselves be wide-eyed, trusting and inspired? I feel those prompts and questions directly in my heart center and solar plexus. The power of love vs. the love of power. What does this mean to you?
2. Mental - "Success from communications about investment gambles and other games", "Do not worry about what is believed about fun, romance and making art." The 5th house is concerned with the creativity that enables you to have an impact on the world around you. This theme in our collective readings seems to be becoming quite loud. What does that persistent message mean to you? What do you need in order to take a chance and bring your own ideas of what should exist into being?
3. Physical - "Benefit resulting from the fluctuations of your creations", "Now is the time to use the quickest way and do it dramatically." Is there something you want to bring into fruition that simply has never existed before? Or at least not existed before in your life? When we align with the reality of "fluctuations of your creations" we accept the fact that creative inspiration and motivation ebb and flow. In times of flow we have to catch the wave and do something quickly and dramatically. In times of ebb can you allow yourself the grace to rest? In times of flow can you motivate action?
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 109 - December 11
Friday Greetings Friends, Don't forget to check out the P.S. as it's the final one of our mini week-long holiday guide of herbalists and artists. Now, let’s see what the Morgan-Greer Tarot has to say to us today through the 2 of Wands.
One of my favorite liberties that this deck takes in diverging from the traditional Smith-Rider-Waite imagery is within this card. Usually the primary figure is alone and potentially feeling lackluster about the World he holds in his hand, and the achievements he’s accomplished. Here we see the hand of a second person as well. This card also can represent someone jumping directly into a new experience, leaving behind safe situations and past success to enter the world of surprise, wonder, enchantment, trouble and fear.
Personal - When we liberate so much emotion and energy that we cannot avoid either the wonder and enchantment or the fear that goes with it, it may be said that we are finally truly living. When have you done this in your life? Do you feel it expanded the “small” world that you hold close? How did it change you?
Collective - I love that this card indicates partnership (by way of this disembodied hand). In your life, who is attached to the other hand? Is it a singular person? A group? A community? A concept or philosophy that helps you not feel alone or lackluster in your successes? We must work together to expand the worlds that we hold so that they do not stay small.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 110 - December 12
Happy Saturday Scry to All!
As we have a handful of new members and it’s been a while since we discussed the process and purpose of scrying, I’ll take a quick moment to do so before we dive into our Circle of Life Tarot message, the 4 of Swords.
Scrying is a visual meditation utilized by mystics, monks, nuns, mediums and “normal people” alike for centuries. Scrying is staring into an image, stone, mirror, tea leaves, coffee grounds, candle wax etc with the intent of dropping the conscious mind and allowing the deep message of the collective wisdom spirit to come through.
So today, as we are working with the 4 of Swords and we honor numerology as guidance here in this group, please set a timer for 4 minutes and allow yourself to stare into this card, repeatedly dropping whatever your logic mind is trying to figure out about the meaning behind the imagery. If you need more than 4 minutes, which I did, just let yourself be with the card for as long as you want. Also, as all announcements will be in the P.S. from now on, if you are interested in continuing with this group in the new year, please check in with those as there will be important info and guidance over the next few weeks as we round the end of 2020.
This is truly one of my all time favorite cards. I love the traditional imagery as well (which I will include in the attachments for reference) and it is important when reading/scrying decks who do not ascribe to the Golden Dawn imagery, to still reference the original meaning. For this card that is the importance of going into a respite/recovery/rest after battle that is so deep that it may resemble death. That is exactly why I love Maria DiStefano’s card so much. The concept of meditation being able to bring us to a deeper rest than even sleep is paramount here. I feel that I can attest to that magic after my experience with the vipassana retreat last month.
Personal - For the first time ever, I noticed the cross of stars above our sanyasi’s head and also saw the swords as crosses, I understand that this to mean that if we are interested in achieving deep recovery and rest from the battles of life, we must approach the boundaries and protections we put around ourselves as absolutely sacred.
Collective - As usual with this card, I found myself drawn to our sanyasi’s rainbow body. I now understand that this isn’t just a representation of the chakra’s colors and geographical body correspondences, but a testament to the fact that if we are still for long enough, the vibrational frequencies of each of our energy centers not only have the opportunity to tune themselves, but have the power to pervade beyond our inner bodies even into our hair and beyond!
And as we have our open group now, I invite everyone to share their scries if they so choose. You can use the “I found/noticed______, I understand ________” format if you wish, or whatever structure works for you. In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 111 - December 13
Friends! I’ve been positively tickled over all of our cards this week, and today’s Mudra is no different. Let’s dive into seeing how Kilaka Mudra can support us in efforts related to the concept of “union.”
First off, I just love that this mudra is both relatively easy to perform and it looks really cool!! The recommended application is to sit in a comfortable position, holding the mudra in front of your heart for 5-45 minutes. Tonification of Water element is the primary work of this vibrational medicine - improving the function of the kidneys, bladder and reproductive organs.
Personal - Practicing this mudra can foster a sense of emotional safety and comfort. Because these things are difficult to separate from collective themes, our prompt today will be to prep for practicing this mudra by tuning in to your personal experiences and feelings relating to emotional safety and comfort that do not have anything to do with others.
Collective - I am drawn to note this mudra’s application for balance and union in intimacy and sexuality and it’s fan-like composition resembling the “Split-Gills” of Wednesday’s mushroom medicine. This pulls me towards emphasizing the necessity of integrating the conscious and unconscious, the light and shadow, the one and the all when it comes to Root Chakra issues, which, even when “personal” are always collective.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 112 - December 14
Blessings from the Chinese Medicine Realm! Our card today from Lonny Jarrett’s Spirit of the Points cards, with quotes from his book The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine is Liver 1 - Great Esteem.
Diving into this acu point gives us a wonderful opportunity to touch on one of the most important concepts within the TCM paradigm of “roots and branches.” We can prune a tree to support its health, but we cannot trim the roots without greatly compromising the entire entity.
Personal - Palpation of or burning moxa over Liver 1 (see attached image) can activate the virtue of this point - empowering vision of the aspects of yourself that root you into the “ground” which is your own being. Doing so allows us to go deep and remain stable in the very purpose of our incarnation, our destinies. In so doing we then also activate the ability to stand up for our visions.
Collective - “To follow our inner nature as it grows from within is to comply with the dao.” This means aligning ourselves not only with the flow of dao within ourselves, but around us. Jarrett offers us the visual of “a person aligning his head with the current of a river” and allows us to build our life’s plan “into the world in an upright manner.” When we compromise this (by compromising the importance of our vision) the roots erode and we become deprived of perspective and discernment. This then bleeds into our relationships with others as we can then tend to react to a request for any compromise as a personal affront.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 113 - December 15
Tarot Greetings All! We are graced with the Wheel of Fortune today from the Many Queens Tarot. Let’s see what Lettie Jane Rennenkamp has to say about this card.
“Events are changing outside of your control, the wheel of life turns and you can adapt to change, as you have before and will again.” The Wheel shows up in our readings when we need to remember some aspect of this lesson, usually the part where the machine of life will constantly change no matter what. This has been a massive year of constant change and adaptation. I read the card’s presence today as a very encouraging suggestion to approach the end of the year quite differently than we usually would.
Personal - Generally this is the time in our annual calendar where we are trying to neatly process the year behind us and wrap it up into a nice package. Have you been personally noticing that the brain doesn’t want to do that this time? Or can’t? Though it’s been “a big year for memes” we aren’t going to synthesize 2020 with any pithy aphorisms. While we can of course lean on each other in so many ways, getting solvent with change of this sort can only be an inside job, and a slow one at that.
Collective - I love the Wheel card in general and especially in this deck. The sense of wild unstoppable flow due to the confluence of many people, creatures, natural and unnatural forces really comes through in Lettie Jane’s art. There is also a component of the Wheel card that is about education (represented by the Eagle, Lion, Bull and Human wearing the wings of knowledge and transformation). We cannot actually learn in this life without the willingness to ride the Wheel - because the Wheel is going to turn no matter what and we can choose to sit upright or resist and be dragged.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 114 - December 16
Joyous Blessings, Today our animal messenger is the Hummingbird, harbinger of JOY! Let’s learn more from Jamie Sams and David Carson’s Animal Medicine Cards guidebook
Hummingbird is all about the beauty of life and accessing the energy, harmony, magic and delight that comes through their song’s vibration of pure joy. Hummingbird is nonetheless fragile, abhors anything ugly or harsh, and can die swiftly if caught and caged. Hummingbird can fly in all directions - up, down, backward and forward, even hovering in place and appearing motionless.
Personal - Hummingbird appears in our cards today to remind us that we do actually love life and its joys. Perhaps our medicine today will bring you a strange new burst of energy, a sensory opening and the deep deep internal knowing that beauty is the target. Let Hummingbird allow you to experience a renewal of the magic of living today. We don’t have to always be checking ourselves against the current climate of terrors at every turn and cutting down our tendency towards seeing, seeking and appreciating beauty and joy.
Collective - Hummingbird also reminds us that our presence brings joy to others. When we live in love and appreciation of the beauty of life and the world, we have the power to not become blocked by the aspects of life that are ugly or horrible. We can, and must, bear witness to those things, but we also must always come back to love. It is our duty in the lives of the people we love to join people together in relationships which bring out the best in them, and to help our dear ones remember that beauty abides everywhere, near and far.
In magic and medicine, yours truly
Gina Mauro
Day 115 - December 17
Thor’s-day Greetings Friends, Our guidance today comes from Chip Richards Secret Language of Animals deck. Our messenger, Python, synthesizes a lot of what we have been discussing lately both in terms of creativity and change (like the Wheel of Fortune the other day), and does so through the lessons of Earth element medicine.
