Mercury in Leo

One of the things that confuse me the most about fundamental Christianity is the way bible verses are used to explain an idealistic argument for or against a given topic. Often, many of these verses are used to either oppress or denigrate an individual in the name of “God”, and are often taken out of their original context.

This week we are in the portion of Re’eh, which literally means ‘to see’. However, there is no Zohar available for this particular portion, which means that we have to read between the lines, and search for insight and meaning in the regular Torah text. Although many scholars will focus this week on “blessings and curses”, which is the first line of this particular portion, there is a particular section that I feel is pertinent for those of us that work in the arcane sciences or utilize the services of the practitioners of the arcane sciences.

The verse in question says the following:

“If there arise among you a prophet or a dream of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying: ‘Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them;’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord, your God, is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.”
Deuteronomy 13:2-4

According to the sages, there is nothing wrong with prophetic vision. If there was such a restriction you would not see several books written by biblical prophets including Isaiah and Jeremiah. If you read the verse closely, you will see that Moshe says (paraphrased), “If this prophet or dreamer of dreams says, ‘Let us go after other Gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them.’ In essence, you should not listen to anyone who instructs you to take another spiritual path – regardless of where you are in life; you are where you need to be.

The prologue to the Zohar is very specific about interpretations of the Torah. It reveals that the Torah should be interpreted through the eyes of the individuals that are engaged with it. In other words, the Torah should not be taken literally, but explored from the perspective of adding meaning to our lives, and as a result we should constantly update our interpretations based on the needs of the current times.

How would we interpret this verse in this day and age? The truth behind this verse lies in the intentions of readers and the reader’s belief system. Let me explain.

How many times have you gone to a psychic, tarotist, or astrologer, and you felt that the practitioner was pushing their belief system upon you or you felt that the practitioner in some way was judging you and your situation? Regardless of the ‘current situation’ that you are in, it is the reader’s responsibility to provide you with compassion, understanding, and emotional support in helping you resolve your issues and to answer your questions. It is not the reader’s responsibility to force you down a road that you are not ready to receive. Your spiritual path is your spiritual path, and your choices are what you are responsible for, and not for another individual to judge. Everyone should feel respected and treated with human dignity irrespective of the reader’s personal feelings about your situation.

As you make decisions about whom to consult regarding your life, make sure that you ask yourself whether or not the individual supported you or whether the individual tried to steer you down a different path. Remember, you are where you are meant to be, and the choices you make in the present formulate your future. Of course, sometimes you are given information that you do not want to receive, but the information should be presented in a manner that allows you to make choices and decisions about your life. After all, it is your life to live!

Now, on with the astrology…

Your Cosmic Weather Forecast:

This week is going to be a shock to the system for many. We are moving out of the vibrant, energetic, and spirited sign of Leo, and into disciplined and hardworking Virgo. The feeling will be akin to the alarm clock ringing in the morning after being out till 3 AM. However, we still must get out of bed, put our knickers on, and plod forward.

As the Sun and Venus move into Virgo, we will notice that our attention will shift to our work, health, and our ordinary day to day responsibilities. This will be rather dull if you are fiery by nature, but welcomed if you are of a more earthy temperament. This is a great week to put everything in order and get back into a routine for the fall months, but be relieved that you still get one more weekend of fun and frolic because Labor Day quickly approaches.

This coming Thursday could prove to be the most frustrating day of the week as Mars squares Saturn. We may feel thwarted or blocked (Saturn) as we pursue (Mars) our immediate tasks at hand, but this aspect provides us with the steadfast determination to succeed regardless of what may be hindering us. Since this is a waning square the areas of frustration may be experienced in your work or professional life. Avoid letting Mars out of the box by engaging in petty arguments as you could likely damage your professional reputation.

Friday will be a day of great relief for many as Mercury goes direct. However, if you are taking any trips or traveling during this time make special preparations for mishaps that may happen. This is especially important if this trip is for business. As I have mentioned in past forecasts, Mercury rules communication and the days that it goes retrograde and turns direct are two of the prickliest days that the trickster planet tends to operate. However, during the weekend we can begin to take actions on things we have put on hold over the last three weeks.

Tarot Tune-Up:

Get out your tarot or oracle decks. Shuffle the cards thoroughly. Since we are in the portion that has to do with “seeing”, let’s ask the cards a direction question. What do the cards have to tell me about “seeing” the obstacles on my path that prevent me from achieving my highest good? Draw a card out f the deck! Let me know which card you drew.

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I am convinced that I was a scribe of the Torah in a past life. Since I was a boy in high school, I have been a perfectionist when it came to writing things down. Whether this was class notes, letters, or reports everything had to be perfect – and I really did not like to use white out. I wrote and rewrote everything until it was just right. Yeah, I know a little obsessive compulsive.

At this point, I am sure you are wondering what this has to do with being a scribe of the Torah. Well, the scribes of the Torah had to write everything down to perfection. This was an extremely tedious task that took 1-3 years to complete. Every single spot, every single letter, every single nuance had to be precise and perfect. If it was not, then the scroll was considered invalid, and had to be rewritten. Could you imagine, getting halfway through a scroll and have to throw it out and start all over again because of a tiny little error? No correction tape, no spell check, no word processing programs to fix it!

Crazy to think about isn’t it?

In the portion of Pinchas, there is an exception to this rule. There is a cracked letter in the Torah scroll, and it is the only place in the whole Torah where this occurs. What would be the purpose for this? The secret lies within one of the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot! But, as always you will have to wait…

The Astrology:

I don’t know about you, but after a month and a half of nonstop aspects including 3 eclipses, I am sighing with relief with the lack of astrological aspects. We all need a cosmic break! This week we have only two astrological aspects (although there is a Full Moon in Capricorn this week, which puts the focuses on business affairs and the public eye) – Mercury sextile Mars and Venus square Saturn.

On Monday, Mercury in Leo will sextile Mars in Gemini. This is a great aspect if you need to communicate ideas, write, or for sales activities. Our ability to observe the obvious is at an all-time high at this time. Mars gives Mercury the ability to convince anybody of anything, and the tenacity to get the job done. Under a hard aspect, (square or opposition) Mars revving up Mercury could lead to knee jerk reactions to outer stimuli; however with this being a sextile there is minimal amounts of friction creating obstacles to derail our goals. Take advantage of this energy while it is available, because Mercury will go into its shadow cycle later in the week.

This leads us to Wednesday when Venus in Cancer squares Saturn in Libra. In my experience as an astrologer this is one of the most difficult aspects – especially for those that are more emotionally sensitive to the outer world. Venus is our ability to relate and enjoy our connections with others. When Venus becomes afflicted by Saturn, Saturn exposes Venus’ emotional vulnerability and we often close down emotionally. In many cases, we begin to isolate and disengage from our social circles. It is necessary when Venus is square Saturn for us to develop self-confidence and a feeling of personal self-worth. This will allow us to build our current relationships with more reliable structure.

Your Cosmic Weather Forecast:

hierophant — The Hierophant from the Alchemical Tarot www.thealchemicalegg.com

Now back to the fun stuff!

The reason I do the Cosmic Weather Forecast is because there are 52 different energies that are allocated to the 52 weeks of the year. This week the energy is called “Pinchas”, which is the name of the central figure of this week’s story in the Torah. The primary kabbalistic message in the story involves the power of healing, and is one of the most significant kabbalistic portions of the year.

Healing is such a tricky word. How many times have you seen people in your life who are just fine, they go for a random checkup and then they find out they have some illness, and they go downhill from there? It is amazing what happens to the mind once it believes something to be true.

As I mentioned earlier, there is an interesting occurrence that happens in this portion that does not occur elsewhere in the Torah. There is a crack in one of the letters (in the word SHALOM) that normally would invalidate the scroll. However, in Pinchas the crack is put in purposely. The letter in Hebrew is called VAV, which means “nail”. All of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet have a corresponding Major Arcana energy attached to them. In this case, the letter VAV corresponds with the controversial Hierophant.

According to Kabbalah, everything originates at a seed (thought) level. It begins in the upper worlds (thoughts) of Kether and travels down the tree to physical manifestation in Malchut. The Rav states that the cracked letter VAV leaves enough space for us to go back and heal any form of illness at the seed level. In essence, it provides us an opportunity for correction. So, what does this have to do with the Hierophant?

In most books written about the Tarot, the Hierophant in some manner has to do with beliefs. Whether it is religious beliefs, dogma, or the institution of religion the word “belief” is hovering around this card like a bee around a beehive. C.C. Zain in his book “The Sacred Tarot” (Church of Light Press) simply refers to the Hierophant as meaning religion or law. For many, the fundamental issue of belief involves their spiritual or religious ideologies, which is why the Hierophant in modern new age circles brings forth feelings of the dogmatic institution of the Catholic Church and fundamental Christianity. These feelings many are repulsed by due to the vast amount of repression that has been inflicted on many by the Church.

If we take the Hierophant to be connected to the letter VAV, then we must also consider that the Hierophant itself (this week) has a crack in it. What does this mean? It means that we are granted the energy to change how we believe and how we think, and begin the process of reversing any damage that has occurred as a result of our belief system. This healing is all healing – whether it is mental, spiritual, physical or emotional.

Take some time out this week to truly think about what you believe. Do you find that your beliefs limit you? Do you find that you’re too rigid in your thinking? Do you find that you believe things simply because others believe it? Further, what does the Hierophant mean to you? By exploring our inner ideologies and expanding our beliefs we activate the true power of healing.

Tarot Tune-up:

Pull your Hierophant card out of the deck. Shuffle the deck and ask yourself the following questions. What can I do to bring forth mental healing? What can I do to bring forth emotional healing? What can I do to bring forth spiritual healing? What can I do to bring forth physical healing.

Lay down the cards in front of you. Pick up your Hierophant card and look at it for a few minutes. Get the image of the card implanted in your mind. Now, close your eyes and ask the Hierophant if he has any further information that can help you with your healing. Write down what he tells you on a sheet of paper.

Let me know what you learned!

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The Kabbalistic Secrets on Psychic Readings

The Healing Power of Belief