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The Mirror of the Moment

Page 13

by Richard Palmer


  individuals is a young mason who is standing on a bench and

  holding a stone working tool in his hand. A monk and an oddly

  dressed woman stand to his side holding a drawing or blueprint.

  They appear to be discussing the details of a modification or

  expansion of his present project that he is being asked to consider

  due to his solid reputation and exceptional skill and talent. He pays

  careful attention as they speak to him of their proposal even though

  he has reached the point in his career where can dictate his own

  terms. Three pentacles are carved into the arch that curves over

  their heads and an ornate rose is centered beneath them.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  MEDITATION

  The ambitious energy of Mars, which holds an honored place in

  Capricorn, brings material success and social reward to those who

  realize the talents that are within themselves and work in earnest to

  bring them out into the world. It teaches us there is no gain without

  effort, no harvest without toil and no reward without hard work.

  The body, mind and spirit mature and prosper through the creative

  expansion and growth of the Earth Element allowing us to attain

  the fullest expression of our inherent talents as the flower and fruit

  of long and diligent labor.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When The Three of Pentacles is revealed Upright in your

  reading, its meaning(s) may correspond to: expressing your

  ambition; establishing a solid reputation among your peers;

  developing professional skill and ability; attaining career success

  through hard work; choosing the right path to professional success;

  realizing your professional goals;

  focusing on

  excellence in

  accomplishment;

  advancing

  through

  unwavering

  personal

  commitment; working hard to maintain and enhance your

  reputation; being dedicated to your present enterprise; recognizing

  the value of teamwork; an improvement in your finances; an

  increase in social status; receiving the professional recognition you

  deserve.

  When The Three of Pentacles is revealed Reversed in your

  reading, its meaning(s) may correspond to: ambition abandoned;

  failure to develop material skill; not recognizing the importance of

  teamwork; a lack of enterprising spirit; laziness; a lack of the

  fundamental skills necessary to succeed; weakness of purpose;

  making a wrong career choice; embracing mediocrity; remaining

  stuck in a declining relationship; a lack of focus in your work

  and/or career; a failure to develop your innate talents and apply

  them in a meaningful way; not having sufficient respect for the

  skills and accomplishments of others.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  The Fours

  FOURS

  Fours express order and stability; reason and logic. Four is the

  number of the square, the foundation upon which that which

  endures is erected. It is a number of completion, stability,

  realization and permanence. It implies a secure and stable

  foundation upon which to build. The Will experiences a growth of

  beauty and pleasure amid stable abundance; the Soul seeks to

  establish emotional stability as the center of its being; the Mind

  attains good fortune and stability through calm and focused

  contemplation and the Earth a holds tightly to material security as

  its stable bedrock.

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  THE FOUR OF WANDS

  The Lord of Perfected Work

  Venus in Aries

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  Under a golden sky a young couple wave their bouquets in a

  gesture of happiness as they approach a garland of celebration that

  hangs suspended between four flowering wands. In the background

  is an old and grey manor house topped with red turrets. A moat lies

  beneath its central arch and flows off into the distance. Three

  people stand conversing in the square outside the front of the house

  one of whom is the merchant and manor lord. In the background

  there is a stand of lush growth similar to the fruits and flowers

  interwoven in the suspended garland.

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  A celebration is in progress and the stability, harmony, peace and

  prosperity brought about by perfected work are experienced by all.

  MEDITATION

  Venus is associated with the desire for material prosperity and the

  capacity for pleasure and enjoyment as well as with our ability to

  form relationships - to give and receive love. When in Aries, the

  informing power of Venus blossoms under the influence of the

  positive growth energy of this sign and brings forth the fulfillment

  of human desire for security and prosperity. The energy of this

  planet when nurtured by the growth potential of Aries reveals that

  our work is only perfected when we perceive that cohesion in our

  human relationships is achieved when a beneficent will strives to

  achieve prosperity for all. Generosity and altruism must unite with

  the power of ambition and desire to attain the highest perfection of

  our work in the world.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When The Four of Wands is revealed Upright in your reading, its

  meaning(s) may correspond to: entering a time of prosperity;

  triumph in your present undertaking; a successful romantic

  relationship; attaining stability in your career; your ship finally

  coming in; experiencing financial success; a time of beauty and

  harmony in your life.

  When The Four of Wands is revealed Reversed in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a time of instability; business

  plans coming up short; financial prosperity slipping away; entering

  a time of want; a lack of success or fulfillment in

  a relationship;

  disharmony; romantic failure; learning to value the little things in

  life.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE FOUR OF CUPS

  The Lord of Blended Pleasure

  Moon in Cancer

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  A young man sits beneath an isolated tree growing on a hillside.

  His attention is focused on the three cups resting on the grass at the

  bottom of the hill. He appears lost in discontent as though the

  pleasure of his life has become blended with dissatisfaction and the

  intense look on his face mirrors the emotional turbulence he is

  presently experiencing. Even the pleasures lying in the three cups

  before him do not bring him a solid foundation of emotional

  satisfaction. He is missing something in his life and he can’

  t quite

  figure out what it is. A fourth cup is offered to him by a mysterious

  hand emerging from a bulbous cloud and he must decide whether

  or not to accept its offering and discover whether or not the

  contents of this cup will resolve his discontent.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  MEDITATION

  The

  Moon

&n
bsp; in

  Cancer

  expresses

  the

  personal

  emotional

  consciousness in communion with the deepest emotional waters of

  the inner self. In these waters we discover the answer as to why we

  have come adrift and in these waters alone will be found the key to

  regaining our lost pleasure and satisfaction. While immersed in our

  deepest self we must accept and drink of the spiritual waters within

  the proffered cup if we are to discover the missing element that

  will restore our pleasure and emotional satisfaction in life.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When The Four of Cups is revealed Upright in your reading, its

  meaning(s) may correspond to: experiencing feelings of discontent

  and apathy; feeling emotionally adrift in life; not being able to

  move forward emotionally; being overtaken by boredom and in

  need of new stimulation; pleasure blended with dissatisfaction in a

  relationship; feeling discontented with your career progress; a

  failure to perceive or accept a new opportunity; the need to start

  making progress again; establishing new goals for yourself.

  When The Four of Cups is revealed Reversed in your reading, its

  meaning(s) may correspond to: a renewed desire for work and

  accomplishment; seeing your situation in a new and different

  light; establishing new priorities in your life; a determination to

  pursue

  new goals; revitalizing your personal relationships;

  honestly evaluating what you truly feel; rekindling

  lost

  ambitions; working towards new career or personal goals; pursuing

  life with a renewed zest and vigor.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE FOUR OF SWORDS

  The Lord of Rest

  Jupiter in Libra

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  In a well light basilica the effigy of a young knight lies on his

  sepulcher in an attitude of silent repose as the light from a stained

  glass window shines down upon him. His hands are folded in

  prayer and his expression is one of tranquility and peace. Depicted

  on the stained glass behind him is a tranquil scene of a woman and

  child together. Three swords hang on a wall near the window while

  a fourth sword adorns the side of his casket.

  MEDITATION

  The benevolent spiritual power of Jupiter informs the balancing

  energy of Libra allowing the mind to enter an oasis of rest from

  strife where it may focus its viewpoint and look at the most

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  important aspect of any situation instead of trying to concentrate

  on the whole. This pause in forward movement gives the mind

  time to rest and provides the mental clarity and focus necessary to

  undertake an honest assessment of the particulars of the situation

  confronting it. Conflicts are resolved through the activity of the

  cooperative and harmonious energy of Libra bringing a stable

  foundation to the mental life as well as opening the mind to the

  benevolent power and good fortune associated with Jupiter.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When The Four of Swords is revealed Upright in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: hanging distractions on the wall

  and focusing on the matter at hand; achieving mental balance;

  seeking spiritual growth through the practice of

  meditation;

  pausing to reevaluate your present circumstances; a change coming

  for the better; finding relief from sorrow; taking a break from a

  stalled relationship; stopping to think things through before making

  any important financial decisions; taking enough time to reflect on

  your choice of career path; acknowledging your need for a period

  of rest and recuperation; a need to exercise greater discretion in

  your current affairs.

  When The Four of Swords is revealed Reversed in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: a desire for renewed activity;

  some small forward movement starting to occur in your affairs;

  moving to renew a former relationship; new plans starting to take

  shape; events unfolding that point to real progress; a change back

  to a more active life; moving out of stagnation; an advice to

  exercise caution in your personal and business dealings; allowing

  too many issues to distract you; a need to precisely focus on the

  matter at hand.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE FOUR OF PENTACLES

  The Lord of Material Power

  Sun in Capricorn

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  On the outskirts of a large town a solitary individual sits on a gray

  cubic pedestal. Atop his head rests a single Pentacle balanced on a

  golden crown. Two other Pentacles are secured beneath his feet

  and the fourth is held tightly between his arms. He is wearing a

  black cape and a red garment trimmed in blue. The sky behind him

  is a featureless gray as is the walkway on which he sits.

  MEDITATION

  The Sun, expressing the self consciousness, harnesses the energy

  of Capricorn establishing and maintaining a solid position of

  material security. While holding on tightly to what he needs to

  support his life and position in the world, this individual has

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  become powerful and economically secure but he remains

  essentially alone, a king unto himself. He stands apart, isolated

  with his Pentacles, as he must guard them and devote his energies

  to the preservation of what he has accumulated; holding on tightly

  to his Pentacles lest someone try to take them and undermine his

  secure personal foundation. He is supported by his Pentacles as

  they represent a core value, the foundation of his sense of identity,

  the crystallization of his need for material security and a solid

  material foundation in earthly life.

  INTUITIVE CLOUDS

  When The Four of Pentacles is revealed Upright in your reading,

  its meaning(s) may correspond to: being focused on protecting

  your material and financial security; being motivated by a drive for

  material success; jealously guarding your material assets; placing

  the love of money above your love for a person; having a single

  minded devotion to financial gain; a need to place greater emphasis

  on your financial security; pursuing a path of prudent ambition;

  achieving your material goals; receiving an increase of position;

  finding stability in your financial life and/or career; excessive

  personal selfishness in a relationship.

  When The Four of Pentacles is revealed Reversed in your

  reading, its meaning(s) may correspond to: material loss; holding

  on too tightly to what you have earned; being overly concerned

  with money and material possessions; greed; selfishness; financial

  instability; monetary fears; a loss of security; an unhealthy love of

  power and money;

  miserliness; arrogance; vanity; cruelty;

  possessing that which one day will come to possess you.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  The Fives

&
nbsp; FIVES

  Fives are unstable numbers. They indicate conflict and struggle

  and are associated with strife and disruption. Fives often herald

  impending change with all of its uncertainties and difficulties. The

  Will encounters restriction in its expression as it is forced to

  compete with other viewpoints; the Soul knows the blackness of

  lost pleasure; desire battles against the Higher Mind only to find

  defeat and without the inner light to guide them Earth encounters

  material trouble.

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  THE FIVE OF WANDS

  The Lord of Strife

  Saturn in Leo

  DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM

  Five young men brandishing flowering Wands engage in a contest

  among themselves each struggling to gain the upper hand in the

  conflict. Will is pitted against will as they struggle to resolve their

  differences of opinion and each man is equally armed so no one

  has an unfair advantage over another. Each seeks a resolution of

  this conflict of wills while struggling to realize that this period of

  difficulty and uncertainty lives an opportunity for change and the

  gateway to a new cycle of order and stability and progress. When

  we externalize our will and participate in the drama of the world

  we encounter the conflicts that are inherent in life itself and from

  which we cannot escape. Other wills oppose our own; conflicts of

  opinion arise; aggression and strife often pummel us due to

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  The Mirror of the Moment

  competition in our business and personal relationships. This

  negative energy often threatens to engulf us but we must summon

  the strength necessary to confront and resolve the difficulties we

  face.

  MEDITATION

  Saturn often brings trouble, strife, adversity, insecurity and

  instability into our social interactions when we externalize our

  energy in the sign of Leo – all of which are a necessary part of life

  as without these challenges there would be no incentive to grow

  and evolve. Instead of fearing conflict

  and the negative

  consequences it often brings we should embrace it and through our

  resolve transform this negative energy into a positive evolutionary

 

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