Friday, January 20, 2012

The Pot of Gold Princess

Today's card is the Page (Princess) of Pentacles.  She is the harbinger of opportunities, particularly economic ones.
In Kris Waldherr's Goddess deck, the Pentacles are represented by the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. Pentacles are luck, finances, comfort, and security, which are all in Lakshmi's domain. In the Goddess deck, Lakshmi also graces the Wheel of Fortune card. This is fitting, as finances can bloom and vanish at the drop of a hat.  There certainly is good fortune and bad fortune involved, but Pentacles, being aligned with the practical element of Earth, is quick to remind us that we can also create our fortunes, good or bad. Laziness, besides leading to no progress, also leads to no luck.

The Celtic Princess of Pentacles and the Robin Wood Page of Pentacles are both young girls. This is what the page/princess cards of any suit usually represent, if they are to represent a person. You must follow your instincts while reading these cards. They may represent the querent (the person the cards are being read for, including if you're reading for yourself), a person in the querent's life or about to come into the querent's life; events in the past, present, or future; or an abstract psychological quality or energy.


In the Celtic Princess of Pentacles card, drawn by Mary Guinan, the warmth and energy possible in this card are apparent. There is a glow about the card, and the girl's expression is one of excitement. She is dressed in fine clothes (the style is Roman, so she is probably a noble during the Roman occupation of the British aisles) and jewelry, showing her security and wealth.  If a Princess or Page of Pentacles shows up in your spread, you have opportunities for increase your wealth, or you may be enjoying it right now! Because of the happiness in these cards, I like to think the querent is going to make the money doing something he/she loves to do.

Robin Wood's Page of Pentacles is a great bridge to the Barbara G. Walker card. The girl in Robin Wood's Page of Pentacles is studious, as shown by the little book at her side, and is standing still and strong. This underscores the importance of hard work and learning to this suit, as well as steadfastness and reliability, all qualities of Earth. If the Page/Princess in your spread represents someone in your life, you're quite lucky. You have someone you can trust in your corner. If she represents you, you have a lot of potential!

I also think of healing with the Pentacles or Coins, as they are associated with the Earth, which is the element of physical strength and fertility (as seen by all the greenery in the Robin Wood card).  The person in question, or the questioner himself, may have the potential for being a healer, or being healed. This healing may be physical or psychological. 
Study and knowledge, though possibly of a different kind, are also evident in Barbara G. Walker's Princess of Pentacles. For this card, Barbara G. Walker chose Nimue, the consort of Merlin and a sorceress in her own right.  This card reminds us that Earth is a feminine element, and knowledge of the esoteric (dreamwork, magic, anything to do with the subconscious, intuition) were all the realm of the female. While Earth is practical, the choice of Nimue reminds us that luck also comes with knowledge of the self.


Archetypes and people associated with the Princess/Page of Coins, or Pentacles (Upright): 
Positive: 
A kind, down- to -earth young person 
A gentle soul who is loving to animals
A studious child who works hard
The Nature Child 
Negative Associations (reversed)
A crude young person 
a slow wit 
a stubborn child 
a gluttonous person 

What to look for in your dreams: A child, especially a girl child, out in nature, or one that has a soothing presence. 
Look out for green and brown colors. These are earth colors. 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Sea Goat

Capricorn is the sign of the Sea Goat (or just the Goat) and lasts from December 22 to January 22.  The ruling element for Capricorn is Earth. Earth lends a very practical, stoic quality to Capricorns. Capricorn also rules work and reputation. Capricorns, like the goats themselves, are steadfast. Like goats climbing--actually, forget climbing, have you ever seen rams lock horns?--on an almost perfectly vertical mountain, full of sharp rocks and sheer cliffs, they can accomplish what is seemingly impossible with focus and grace.  

Earth adjectives such as stony and steely are apt for Capricorn energy. Capricorn energy is taciturn and stoic. However, Capricorns can be quite intense. Like other earth signs, they are boulders. They hunker down into an idea or a goal and they shall not be moved. Their strength is a quiet, plodding strength, but underneath the solid exterior can be seething, swirling magma. Capricorns are good at keeping their cool and not blowing their tops--I apologize for the cliches--but unless the Capricorns can find an outlet, their repression and workaholism can eat them alive.

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of limitations. Saturn is the archetype of Father Time, and he loves to give challenges. Capricorns, because of this, may seem prone to melancholy and pessimism. However, Saturn is also the planet of wisdom, and Capricorn energy can be radiate knowledge and serenity, like Yoda.  Many images depict the Goat, Capricorn's symbol, as a Sea Goat, with a goat upper body and a fish tail. The Capricorn personality can adapt to rather sticky situations, such as being a goat in the water, or a fish on a mountain. This is because Saturn is in Capricorn's corner, helping them through these challenges. Capricorns are adept at handling emergencies and inconveniences.

I must confess that whenever I think of Capricorns, I think of Rob Zombie. Rob Zombie is a Capricorn, and, according to Sean Yseult's I'm In the Band,  has a piercing focus and willingness, if the brick wall in front of him is miles long and miles high, to bang his head against it until he finds a weak spot. Though it may take a while, Capricorns have the practical knowledge, diligence, and instincts to be successful. Their greatest gifts, though, is having belief in their visions, even if they don't have faith in themselves, and their refusal to give up.

Another quintessential embodiment of Capricorn energy is Hephaestus, the Greek god of the foundry and lightning bolts (he was known as Vulcan in Rome.) Hephaestus was lame, homely, and frequently cuckholded by his wife, Aphrodite, to absolutely nobody's surprise. He was mocked and ridiculed by his comlier cohorts on Mount Olympus. And yet, when it came to his skill, nobody dared disparage him. He could make anything--Zeus's thunder, Achilles' armor, Artemis' arrows, and even Pandora, the perfect human. The main focus of his life was trying to prove himself, to earn respect. This is the main idea of Capricorn energy: having a good reputation, in spite of any defects one may perceive oneself to have (Kaldera 43-48).

Capricorns are little lambs when you get them in the right mood. A perfect, in the light Capricorn would probably, in my opinion, be voice actor Brad Swaile, who is sweet, gentle, and as happy as a little kid on a sunny mountain top of clover.

The Shadow side of Capricorns are indicated by a lack of humor. The really scary side of Capricorn is a hard, cold, human being, with no imagination, only ambition, like the antagonists in Charles Dickens' Hard Times. They can also be extremely stern and authoritarian. Also, the Shadow Capricorn can be unwilling to buck authority or convention. They would rather move up the ranks themselves, and then make changes, rather than go toe-to-toe with someone with more power (Kaldera 47). That might keep them from reaching their goals, and might tarnish their reputation.

Questions for consideration, to unleash healthy Capricorn energy:

1) What good, if any, have you received from the challenges in your life?
2) How are you specially adapted to challenges? What tools do you have in your arsenal against the inconveniences and emergencies of everyday life?
3) Where do you feel least comfortable nonconforming? Most comfortable?  Has this conforming served you? Why or why not? In what ways can you buck authority?

Source: Kaldera, Raven. Mythastrology: Exploring Planets and Pantheons. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2004.