Friday the 13th: Which Witch is Which?

Here is one of the most talked-about dates in our culture--Friday the 13th...ooky-spooky. But what does it mean, really? The superstition that 13 is an unlucky number stems from the 13 people at the Last Supper, one of whom was the betrayer, Judas, and the Friday superstition is also connected to the widespread belief that Jesus was crucified on Friday. And so, of course, in the Middle Ages, because witches were considered evil and it was thought that they served the devil, Friday the 13th became known as the "witches Sabbath" and was seen as the day to give homage to Lucifer, the King of the Witches. Sooo...how can that little bump in the road be made a positive connection to witchy thinking? Let's find out.

Thirteen is considered to be an unlucky number because 12 has been considered the "number of completeness", stemming from the 12 months of the year, hours in the day, the twelve deities of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 successors of Muhammad in Shia Islam, twelve signs of the Zodiac, the 12 years of the Chinese Buddhist cycle, etc. In contrast the number thirteen is considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. But the concept can be seen as the reverse of unlucky, because that extra number simply may refer to thinking "outside the lines", forging one's own path and challenging Fate, not focusing on order or symmetry but on that which is unique to the Self. This also might play into the concept of personal power which is connected to Witchcraft, and the recognition of the power of the unexpected in our daily lives, where our true use of our own inner Guides is more important than our falling prey to the fear of transgressing the 'rules'.

And so, therefore, let's look at the power of Friday the 13th. The thirteenth card in the Major Arcana is, of course, Death, since the numerical attributions of the deck arose from the medieval cosmology that denoted thirteen as an unlucky number. But today, our thirteen will be for us the thirteenth card in our deck, as we have it shuffled, answering the question, "what is my best way of leaving the beaten path and following my own wraith today?" And since Friday is the fifth day of the week, and today's date adds up to a five, the fifth card is our answer to "and what will be my discovery on that journey?" Here we go...



  The thirteenth card in the deck bespeaks material gain, a way of securing success in the mundane world, enough money, enough goods, something all of us may be seeking. Today we are encouraged to examine the concept of material gain and ask ourselves if we are truly earning and using our money in accord with our own true will, or are we merely following the beaten path and doing what is expected of us? Material gain is something after which we are all seeking, but the question we have asked must encourage us to also examine how we are getting there.

And so, of course, the fifth card, turning out to be the seven of cups, is the perfect answer to our question and the perfect witchy lesson of our day. We are reminded that just making money in the way expected of us, and just doing what the order of our day demands, may very well make us feel we are succeeding when we are not actually getting where the Universe wants us to be. Illusions of success means we think we are doing what we need to do, but we are not actually achieving all we could be if we looked more closely at how we are gaining what we are gaining, and what we might actually be missing.

Take your power today, examine how you are getting where you are going, remember that the journey is the destination, and down with triskadekaphobia!


Blessings on your journey,
 



Aisling the Bard

Daily Draw, February 11: Looking Within

Today is the second quarter of the Rowan Moon, and it is a time to assess where the protection of Rowan has been able to nurture and shield us from those things within ourselves that work against our desired evolution. The second quarter of the Moon is the place where we focus deeply on those parts of our Being we refer to as the Shadow, and connect them with the energy of the trees, the cards, the Universe, and our desired end. So for this draw, we'll use a pattern connected with the day, and see where it takes us.

Here in the Mountain Time Zone, the Moon is at its second quarter phase at 8:50 pm. So..February 11, 2015, 8:50... 43, which numerologically is a seven. So, since we are dealing with the shadow within, we will draw not only the seventh card from the top of the deck, but the seventh card from the bottom, and ask ourselves, "What is the part of my Shadow that binds me, and how does Rowan protect me from this influence?"

The Tarot of the Old Path shows the Emperor seated on his throne surrounded by, not the people of the court, but Nature in her glory. The Ram for Aries, and the speaking stick for Mercury, give the planetary attributions of this card in this deck, and the playful youth in the background with the Sun riding high overhead whilst the Emperor sits in silent and peaceful contemplation with his hawk on his shoulder and his palace in the far distance represent the necessity for going outside the realm of necessity and work and dominion and simply relaxing in the beauty of life and contemplating one's "kingdom." Apparently, we are too apt to get bound up in the "busy" and need to occasionally give ourselves a day off to simply look about us, revel in the beauty of our own lives, and speak to our Selves. The peach in his hand does represent the sweetness and beauty of life, and Mercury going direct today does imply the necessity of communication with others, and also with the Self. But, because we are here dealing with the Shadow Self, we might also take the picture on this card as acknowledging that we sometimes lose track of who we are and why we're doing what we're doing, because we might not think we actually belong in that castle, but see ourselves, as represented by the throne sitting in the field, as somehow out of place, as perhaps even unworthy of that crown we're wearing.



So, how can we, with the protective influence of Rowan, figure out which of those two interpretations is more significant here, and how may we prevent our Selves from falling prey to our own negative images of the Shadow within? Here we have the Six of Cauldrons, a young couple dressed in the blue of Water, the flow of emotion, standing tenderly beside one another in front of a table holding six cauldrons brimming with liquid. He kisses her hand gently, as she caresses the flower in the cauldron she's holding, the ox-eye daisy, symbol of commitment and innocent love, and together thy are a portrait of companionship, gentle love and undemanding acceptance and appreciation.





And so, my friends, think of your Self, your outer Being and your Shadow, as the combination of this couple's energies, active and receptive, overt and covert, and both being needed to create one whole Being. As You are being told that you ARE the "Emperor" of your own domain, you ARE good enough, you need both your active and receptive nature to be complete, and most significantly, it is essential that you sit outside your Palace in the beautiful field of your own domain and experience true appreciation of what is there. Who you are, what you think, what you do, what you desire and what you feel are the essential elements of Self-love, and it is the lack thereof from which Rowan shields you today. Love and cherish the Being within. Your Shadow is not evil. It is a place of peace, as is the darkness wherein we sleep and dream, and it is an oasis of silent and personal contemplation and rest. May you find it so this day, and always!