Mutts Comics by Patrick McDonnell

Tarot of the Day: High Priestess

The High Priestess is arguably the most difficult of the Major Arcana to qualify with words alone, because so much of her power and ability is veiled in mystery that it is difficult for anyone to fathom it all. Every card in the Tarot speaks differently to everyone, but the Priestess seems to bear the widest range of interpretations, because she speaks directly to the Inner Voice, the unconscious mind. She is the manifestation of the unconscious and the effects of the mysterious in our everyday world. Trying to see how such mysteries work often defeats their purpose, and with this in mind, the High Priestess will be explained in as much detail as possible.

She is, above all else, the base of potential that is the source of the power wielded by the Magician. She is the unlimited potential that allows him to transform and create whatever his Will desires. Understanding this type of balance, as found between potential and creation, masculine and feminine, is the key to unlocking some of the mysteries of the High Priestess. We see the clear progression of the theme of balance; instead of integrating opposites, the Priestess keeps them separate and keeps them in balance nonetheles. She herself is the scales; this symbolism is found in many Tarot decks. Without this balance there can be no power.

The second symbolic motif found in almost all instances of the High Preistess are symbols of the unconscious mind. On the Rider-Waite version this motif is especially prominent, but most decks feature at least some lunar imagery that in turn has ties to the unconscious. Most decks that have the “twin pillars” symbology also depict a veil strung between those pillars; the High Priestess stands between us and that veil as a moderator. Behind the veil lies the powers of the unconscious, which we cannot start to understand but which, through her, we can learn to control. She is the gateway to realms that we may never fully comprehend or master.

While it would be impossible for anyone to learn all of her mysteries and secrets, the High Priestess remains as a guide to those of us willing to venture deep within our minds to discover the true powers hidden deep inside each of us. This is the same power as that depicted on the Magician, but the scope of the Priestess’ power is far different. While the Magician focuses his powers outward, to achieve a meaningful effect on the world, the High Priestess shows us that we can also use these powers on an inner level, to enrich and transform ourselves. Such transformations are certainly not as dramatic as the Magician’s, but they are almost always more powerful.

The High Priestess represents the mysteries of the unconscious and the Inner Voice, and her appearance is often a sign that your own intuition is trying to send you a message. The unconscious often speaks to us in symbols, so be alert around you for anything that seems out of the ordinary. This said, if you have an important decision to make when the Priestess appears, this is often a sign that the answers will be revealed to you, if you are patient and open to the whispers from within. You simply have to wait and be receptive to inner messages. Her lesson is that everything you need to know already exists within you.

The theme of dualism in the High Preistess cannot be avoided either. She is often a sign of the Shadow, the negative portion of your personality that no one sees, and that you yourself could be unaware of. (In this sense, the term ‘negative’ does not refer to evil, just the opposite polarity from the positive and expressive part of your personality.) If you accept the Shadow within you, its powers will be open to you if you wish to use them. In most people the Shadow side is the more passive of the two, and the Priestess can therefore advocate a need for passivity in a situation. It is not always necessary to act; sometimes goals can be realized through inaction.

Tarot of the Day: The Magician

The Magician’s number is One, the number of creation and individuality; his power is transformation through the use of his will. In his manipulation of the basic elements into all the substances and materials of life, he shows us that from a foundation of the mundane can emerge all that is to come. He can take the Nothing from which the Fool emerged and shape it into Something, making one out of zero. Clearly this is power of a divine sort, and it is true that the Magician is a conduit for a higher power, which commands all of the material world. Since all that we can see in the physical world is the conduit himself, the acts he performs often seem like magic.

The Magician may seem like a strange title for someone who holds real power, because the word “magician” tends to conjure up pictures of illusionists and escape artists, whose power involves sleight of hand and misdirection. The Magician, however, is similar to the stage illusionist in many ways. He is confident in his skills and his ability to produce the effects that he wants. His real power comes from sources outside of him, and he is powerless without these sources, just as an illusionist depends on people “behind the scenes”. Both magician and Magician, however, are as important to their powers are the powers are to them. Without a conduit, power itself is impotent and useless.

With his powers the Magician holds influence over all – theory and practice, logic and emotion, thought and action. Almost every modern depiction of the Magician includes one or more symbols of infinity to denote his limitless power; the snake eating its tail and the lemniscate (horizontal figure-eight) being chief among these. This limitless power comes from sources outside his body yet under his control. And as long as the Magician remembers that this power is his to command, even if he loses all of his worldly power and skill he can never truly be called powerless. For his Will is a power that, while it can be subdued, it can never be destroyed.

Another nearly universal association with the Magician is the red-and-white color scheme. This theme recurs throughout the Tarot and it is very symbolic that it starts with this card and not the Fool. For while the Fool was the potential for positive and negative, the Magician is the union of positive and negative. He creates and he preserves; he destroys and he redeems. His true power is that he not only knows what he must do, but he knows how he must do it, and why he must do it. Then he does it. The Magician reminds us that a wish alone will change nothing, but a decision can change everything. A desire to create is nothing without an ability to create, and vice-versa.

When the Magician appears he shows that you are ready to become a conduit for power, like he is. The forces of creation and destruction have always been at your command but now you have the wisdom and confidence needed to use them constructively. Now is the time to act, if you know what is it you want to accomplish and why. Since the powers of transformation are at your command, change your desires into objectives, your thoughts into actions, your goals into achievements. If you have recently met with failure, now you can change that failure into success as easily as the Magician changes fire into water. The only limits you have are those you impose on yourself.

The outward manifestations of such power are as numerous as they are varied, but the most common outer effect of the Magician’s influence is unswaying and total confidence. The realization that the world is under your control is what inspires this kind of confidence, and with good reason. So go out into the world, set your mind to whatever goal you are interested in, and then just stand back and watch as everything falls into place under your command. Ultimately, the message of the Magician is a simple one despite his limitless and infinitely complex power. Your life is under your control. Your life is what you want it to be. Your life is what you make it.

New Avatar

Well I finally got tired of the old one, so im trying something new. I am really getting tired of this wallpaper too, but something keeps happening everytime I try to change it..I just get a blank screen.

Mutts Comics by Patrick McDonnell

Mutts Comics By Patrick McDonnell

Tarot Card of the Day

The Fool

 

Without the notion of Zero, our system of mathematics becomes meaningless. Similarly, the Fool is an essential part of the Tarot because he is the spark that sets everything else into motion, the divine breath that gives life and inspires the first step towards fulfillment and completion. Though the first step down a long path may often seem small in comparison to the journey, that first step is vital because without it there would be no journey at all! The Fool is the cause behind all effects, the power behind all manifestations and the seeds of the end sown in every beginning.

The Fool is unmoulded potential, pure and innocent, neither positive nor negative yet containing the possibility of both. He is the unconditioned soul about to come into manifestation for the first time to start learning the lessons of the world. Though everyone calls him a Fool, he does not pay them any attention, and he simply goes on his way. Certainly what they say can be justified, since his ignorance of the world can lead him to do things that more experienced people would never imagine. But in these things he can find knowledge and enlightenment. He does not care what others think or say about him, because he knows that what he is doing is right for him.

His approach to life is a strange, unconventional one, because he does what is comfortable to him. This is a viewpoint not often supported in our modern world, in which “do as I say” is the commandment most followed. To those who have lived their life under this philosophy, the approach of the Fool may be extravagant, shocking, even frightening. But this approach is all that the Fool knows, and because the only approval he requires is his own, he will continue to live this way, despite what all others think of him. He has total faith in himself. Perhaps he is not such a fool after all.

The Fool does not hide himself from the light, because he is the light – the wonderful light that shines out of every child before they see the world and are forced to build so many walls and barriers to protect themselves. The innocence of a child, sadly, is something rarely found outside of children, even though a lot of people could use it these days. With this innocence comes perfect trust, fearlessness in others, and total self-reliance. It allows you to see the world with new eyes and learn new things every day of your life. Think of how much better the world would be if everybody acted this way! It’s a shame that only children, and the Fool, see this light.

The Fool almost always stands for new beginnings, new experiences and new choices; the first steps along a new path and the first words written onto a blank page. Like the Aces of the Minor Arcana, such beginnings are like the Fool himself – neither positive nor negative, but with the potential to turn into either, depending on the choices you make and the path you follow. But this must not be your concern, because when a journey begins no one can know (or should know) what will happen on the way to the destination. Never let another person control your life. Live in the present and trust in your own abilities – this is the way of the Fool.

Such journeys always imply a degree of risk, and hence the Fool is pictured walking toward the edge of a high cliff. With any new experience there is always the risk of failure and the certainty of change; it is the degree of change, and how that change will appear, that are undeterminable. But the Fool has no qualms about taking chances, so why should you? It is through the first steps that we learn how to walk, and it is through changes that we learn how to live our lives in harmony and peace. So jump head first into the abyss of the unknown, and know that even if you eventually fall to the ground, for a while you will soar.

This page was made by James Rioux (The Black Shadow), bshadow@nbnet.nb.ca.
Copyright 2000 James Rioux.

Mutts Comics by Patrick McDonnell

Mutts Comics by Patrick McDonnell

Legends and Lore for July

July 1
The month of July opens in Nepal with the Naga Panchami festival, which is devoted to the Snake-Gods called Nagas. Sacred snake images are displayed on religious altars, offerings are made at snake holes, and parades featuring live serpents fill the main streets of many villages.
In Japan, this day is sacred to Fuji, the ancient Japanese goddess of fire. Fuji is also regarded as the grandmother of Japan, and on this special day (which also marks the start of Mount Fuji Climbing Season) she is honored with prayers and burnt offerings.

July 2
On this day in ancient times, the citizens of Rome celebrated the Feast of Expectant Mothers. At temples throughout the city, all pregnant women gathered to receive blessings and honor Bona Dea, Carmenta, Lucina, and other goddesses associated with birth and fertility.

July 3
The New Year of the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida begins on this date, and is celebrated with an annual Green Corn Dance honoring the new corn crop. In Italy, this day is sacred to the Witch of Gaeta; in Greece, the goddess Athena is honored.

July 4
U.S. Independence Day. On this day, the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the official “birth” of the United States is celebrated by Pagans and non-Pagans alike. On this day, many patriotic American Wiccans honor and give thanks to Lady Liberty, and perform magickal spells and rituals for the benefit of the country.
Day of Pax. On this day in ancient times, Pax (a Roman goddess of peace and harmony, identified with the Greek goddess Concordia) was honored with feasting and revelry.
Also on this day, the spirits of the mountains are honored by the Mescalero Apache Gahan Ceremonial, while the Great God who dwells within the fire of the Sun is paid homage to by the Ute Indian tribe of Utah and Colorado, who perform an annual Sun Dance.

July 5
Every year on this date, the Aphelion of the Earth takes place. When this occurs, the planet Earth reaches the point in its orbit when it is farthest from the Sun. Many astrologers
consider this to be a highly significant event.
In ancient Egypt, this day was held sacred to Maat, the goddess who presides over truth and wisdom.

July 6
This is a day sacred to all horned goddesses of the ancient Pagan religions: the Deer Mothers, Europa, Hathor, Hera, Io, Ishtar, Isis, Juno, Luna, Nephthys, Pasiphae, Selene, and so forth.
In Spain, the annual Running of the Bulls takes place on this day. The bull symbolizes fertility and the male procreative power and is a sacred animal to Apis, Baal, Bacchus, Dionysos Zagreus, Dumuzi, Enki, Freya, Menwer, the Minotaur, Moloch, Sin, Thor and Yama.

July 7
In Japan, the Tanabata (Star Festival) takes place annually on this day and celebrates the reunion of the two celestial lovers who bridged a raging river with their own bodies.
In China, the annual Feast of the Milky Way (Chih Nu) takes place each year on this day to celebrate the romantic encounter between Vega the Weaver Maid and Aquila the Herd Boy.

July 8
On this date in ancient Rome, a nature festival known as the Nonae Caprotinae (Nones of the Wild Figs) was celebrated in honor of the goddess Juno, the Great Mother. It is believed to be one
of the oldest of the women’s festivals.
In Tomar, Portugal, there is an annual parade in which girls balance flower-covered pillars of bread on their heads. This parade is believed to ward off the spirits of illness for the remainder of the year.

July 9
In ancient Greece, a six-day festival called the Panathenaea began on this day every four years. It was held in honor of the goddess Athena.
On this day, Pagans around the world celebrate the divine birthdays of the wine- and fertility-god Dionysus and the Greek goddess Rhea.
On this date in the year 1992, Herman Slater (Wiccan High Priest, well-known occult author, and proprietor of the Magickal Childe bookstore and Witchcraft supply shop in New York City) lost his battle against AIDS. His death was a great loss to the magickal community.

July 10
Day of Holda. On this day, the Anglo-Saxon and Norse goddess of the Underworld is honored annually with prayers, the lighting of black candles, and offerings of rose petals.
On this day (approximately) a centuries-old festival is held in Douai, France. Wickerwork giants are paraded through the streets of the city to drive away evil-natured spirits and demons.

July 11
In ancient times, the Greek deities Kronos (Father Time) and Rhea (Mother Earth) were honored with an annual religious festival called the Kronia, which took place on this date in the city of Athens.

July 12
According to an age-old superstition, a child who comes into the world on the twelfth day of July (“the luckiest day of the year”) will be destined for a life of wealth and great success.
Yama, the Buddhist god of death and the Underworld, is honored annually on this day in Tibet with an ancient festival known as the Old Dances.
This day is also sacred to the goddess Dikaiosune, an ancient deity who presides over justice.

July 13
On this day, the birth of the vegetation- and fertility-god Osiris is celebrated by many Wiccans of the Egyptian tradition. The annual death and rebirth of Osiris personifies the self-renewing vitality and fertility of nature.
In the country of Japan, the annual Bon festival is celebrated on this date in honor of ancestral spirits.
On this date in the year 1527, John Dee was born in London, England. He was renowned as an alchemist and was skilled in the arts of wizardry. For many years he served as the royal astrologer of Queen Elizabeth I. He died in poverty in the year 1608.

July 14
On this day, the birth of the Egyptian falcon-headed god Horus is celebrated by many Wiccans of the Egyptian tradition. Light a royal-blue altar candle and burn some frankincense and myrrh as a fragrant offering to him.
On this day in the year 1988, a series of mysterious crop circles began to appear in a wheat field near Silbury Hill in southwestern England.

July 15
On this day, the birth of the Egyptian god Set (or Seth) is celebrated by many Wiccans of the Egyptian tradition. Set is an ancient god of darkness and the magickal arts.
In China, this day is sacred to Ti-Tsang, the rule of the dark Underworld. He is honored with an annual Festival of the Dead.

July 16
On this day, thousands of Haitians begin an annual pilgrimage to the Saut d’ Eau waterfall, which is scared to Erzulie Freda (the Voodoo loa of love and beauty) and is believed to possess miraculous healing powers

July 17
On this date in the year 1992, a Pagan-based radio show called The Witching Hour (hosted by Winter Wren and Don Lewis) made its debut on radio station WONX in Evanston, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago).
In China, the sun-goddess Amaterasu is honored annually on this day with a Shinto procession called the Amaterasu-Omikami.

July 18
On this date, the birthday of Lu Pan (the patron saint of Chinese carpenters and house builders) is celebrated annually by workmen (and women) throughout the city of Hong Kong.
On this day, the birth of Nepthys (the Egyptian goddess of death, and sister of Isis) is celebrated.
This day is also sacred to the goddesses Arstat and Copper Woman.

July 19
On this day, the birth of the Egyptian goddess Isis is celebrated by many Wiccans of the Egyptian tradition. Isis is an ancient Mother-goddess of fertility and a Neo-Pagan deity associated with magick and enchantment.
On this date in the year 1692, Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, and Susanna Martin were hanged on Salem’s Gallows Hill as punishment for the crime of Witchcraft.

July 20
On this date in the year 1980, famous Dutch clairvoyant Gerard Croiset passed away. He was renowned as both a psychic healer and psychic criminologist.
In Lithuania, the ancient goddesses of love are invoked during an annual lover’s festival called The Binding of the Wreaths, which takes place on this day.

July 21
The Mayan New Year is celebrated annually on this date in South America. This is a very sacred day to the Maya, who welcome their New Year with feasts and prayers in honor of the old gods.

July 22
On this date in the year 1930, the first sighting of the famous monster of Loch Ness was officially recorded in Scotland. Old Nessie (as the monster has been affectionately nicknamed) has since been witnessed by thousands of people and continues to attract countless numbers of tourists with cameras to Loch Ness each year.

July 23
The festival of Neptunalia was celebrated annually on this date in ancient Rome to honor Neptune, the lord of the sea. In Italy, many modern Witches honor Neptune on this day by lighting a blue candle, inscribed with his trident symbol and anointed with seawater, and placing it on an altar along with various objects from the sea (such as seashells, pieces of driftwood, and so forth).

July 24
On this date (approximately) the Sun enters the astrological sign of Leo. Persons born under the sign of the Lion are said to be generous, romantic, proud, and often egotistical. Leo is a fire sign and is ruled by the Sun.

July 25
In Osaka, Japan, a thousand-year-old festival of paper dolls is celebrated annually on this date. The handmade dolls are traditionally rubbed on the bodies of the faithful to absorb illnesses, negativity, and evil spirits. The dolls are then taken to a bridge and dropped into the waters of the river below.

July 26
The Kachina ceremony is celebrated annually on this date by the Native American tribe of the Hopi in Arizona. The kachinas (ancient spirits that are believed to guide and protect the Hopi people) are honored with religious ceremonies and a cycle of dances.

July 27
Day of Hatshepsut. On this day each year, the eighteenth dynasty Healer Queen of ancient Egypt is honored. Healing rituals are performed by many Wiccans, especially those of the Egyptian traditions.
In Belgium, a centuries-old event known as The Procession of Witches takes place every year on this day.

July 28
In the olden days of Pagan Europe, the great thunder-god Thor was honored on this day with prayers for protection of the crops against destructive storms.

July 29
On this day in Tarascon, France, the annual festival of Tarasque takes place. The festival, celebrated since Pagan times, commemorates the capture of a mythical fire-breathing dragon. A decorated dragon float is paraded through the streets of the city and touched by spectators for good luck and to ward off evil.

July 30
In Nova Scotia, this day is sacred to the Micmac Indian tribe. It is believed that all those who are wed or christened at this time will be blessed with happiness and good health by the Great Spirits. Saint Ann (the Mother Goddess) and Gloosca (the Father God) are honored.

July 31
August Eve, Lammas Eve, The Eve of Lughnasadh.
In pre-Christian times, the Oidhche Lugnasa was celebrated by the Celts on this night in honor of their solar deity named Lugh. His annual sacrifice at the end of the harvest ensured the fertility of
the corn and grain for the next growing season.
An old August Eve tradition in rural Scotland is predicting the following year’s marriages and deaths by throwing sickles into the air and then drawing omens from the position in which they fall.
On this date in the year 1831, famous mystic and spiritualist medium Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was born in the Ukraine.