Category: locksmithing

Weekly Reading March 21, 2021

Happy Vernal Equinox! We have reached Spring, and because for me Spring represents balance (daylight equal to darkness), I thought I would go through some of the different ways that balance can be reflected in readings. Another word for Balance is Justice, which is how we seek to obtain equality. Our search for equality should become intentional, and to represent this I will not draw random cards this week, I will select those representing Justice and Balance, and carry this intention into my week with me. Which one of these images or aspects will you carry with you?

The card below is from my Voyager Tarot deck, where the card of Balance replaces Justice. The upward facing dancer is balancing the downward facing bird on the edge of a sword. We can see many things being balanced here such as the world on the foot of the dancer which represents the physical in this deck, with the cups which represent emotions.

Balance is usually represented in the Major Arcana of the Tarot by Justice found at number 11 – midway through the major arcana or souls journey, which is not by accident. It sits at a permanent equinox. Many of the Justice cards shown below incorporate a sword, but we should not mistake the sword for vengeance. The sword represents the mental component which must be balanced by action.

The first card comes from the Tarot of the Divine where Justice is represented by the “secret royal inspector” who was sent on secret missions by the King to make sure that the villagers were being treated fairly by the local rulers. If unjust things were observed the inspector would report back to the king and balance would be restored.

In the second set of cards which is from the Brady Tarot and comes from the perspective of animals, we see a turkey vulture who is balancing a skull with an egg, and therefore literally balancing life and death.

The last card is Audre Lorde from the Literary Witches Oracle. Audra Lorde was an activist who used her essays and other writings to speak out against racism, sexism, and homophobia. She fought for herself, her values and her community.

Another card I associated with balance in the Tarot is Temperance, which speaks to balance through mediation and moderation, and the ability to understand when to change with the direction of external forces, and when to resist these forces and try to change the situation itself. In the first set of cards Temperance is represented by the Buddhist Bodhisattva, and in the second set the Raven and the Eagle are coming together to balance the light and the dark to combine and make medicine.

In the Wild Unknown Archetypes Oracle we can find two archetype cards representing balance shown below – one is the judge which is similar to Justice. The Judge is the personification of Justice, and if the Judge acts out of fear or fails to act out of self doubt balance will be lost. The Judge must see with impartial eyes and see themselves and the situation as it truly is, not as they prefer to see it. This type of balance is difficult for most of us so it reminds us to ask if we are looking at a situation clearly or only seeing what we want to see.

Yet another way to achieve balance is to obtain enlightenment, and see that all things are connected. Its fleeting for most of us, and we may only feel this level of connection and balance once or twice in our lives. This moment or this feeling of ultimate balance in the universe is represented by the archetype of The One in this Oracle deck.

Lastly we can focus on animals or relationships in nature that show us where balance can be obtained even when it seems unlikely. For a way to represent this interpretation I turned to the Nocturna Oracle deck. It represents things in nature that are only found in the dark or are hidden behind or underneath things. At first this sounds scary or sad but in reality nature thrives in whatever way it can, and maintains balance in the face of much adversity and uncertainty. I usually find sources of hope and comfort where I least expect it in this deck.

Below we can see the Clownfish and anemone and a Manta Ray. The clownfish protects the anemone from predators, and the anemone gives the clownfish a home, a balanced and symbiotic relationship. The Manta Ray is up to 9 meters long and if seen outside of the water it would look anything but graceful, but it glides effortlessly under the sea. It dives to unseen depths with calmness and balance and knows it will always return. And maybe its a stretch, but I can see the hope in that.

How will you bring hope, balance, equality or even Justice into your week?

Weekly Reading March 14, 2021

This week I chose the Literary Witches Oracle for my weekly reading and drew the card of Maria Sabina. She is considered the greatest shaman-poet or Wise One of the Mazatec language. She could not read or write and lived in poverty in the mountains of southern Mexico.

The focus of this card is healing, and Maria was a powerful healer. She can be seen as a priestess and the divine feminine- using all of the resources of the mind, body, emotions, and soul at her disposal to be of service to her community and to others. She is a poet, using all of the resources at her disposal to inspire and heal through words that she spoke but never wrote down.

I think all of us seek to be healers, at the very least of ourselves. I think most people want to heal others also, and this week I would set the focus on this and realizing how many different ways there are of healing, and how many medicines we have at our disposal.

This can be as small as saying thank you, or as large as finally telling someone the message they have been waiting to receive for years. It can mean physically healing through exercise and rest. It can mean creating something like poetry that heals the emotions and the spirit. It can mean creating a new framework for thinking about something that heals the mind or allows people to heal by seeing the same vision, and brings them together.

What tools will you use to heal yourself and others this week?

Mutual Attraction vs The Lovers

Both the I Ching Hexagram of Mutual Attraction and The Major Arcana Tarot card of The Lovers seem to point to romantic outcomes and the joining of two souls. Its the message we think we are waiting for at many times of our lives, but if we dig deeper into I think the meaning is much different.

There are some common themes between the two. On the level of the tools themselves, the I Ching shows us our journey through the cycles and turning points of our life, and the Major Arcana of the Tarot show us where we are at in our Souls Journey.

Both messages are about harmonization or attraction between two potentially opposite forces and about balance but I believe that’s where the similarities end.

The Hexagram of Mutual Attraction is about finding the balance and harmony of a situation, or relationship, or within oneself. That’s similar to Justice, or Balance from the Tarot, but this is specifically between two things. This balance is found through establishing a harmonious resonance by means of having an open heart, and pure intentions. Its a means of establishing proper influence using the harmonious coordination of two parts vs authoritative means or manipulation. Its about the union of things. Its also active in principle, this union will not happen passively or else it will not be of the right influence spoken of here.

In contrast the Lovers card is about reaching a cross roads on your souls journey. You have just come from achieving individual mastery, and you must now decide if you want to remain on your own or join in other endeavors. Its about choices, and the choices can be varied. It can be choice between accepting the pull of an opposite force, or to join two inner polarities. Its not about creation of resonance or influence though, its about taking two existing forces and making a choice to balance them, or to result in disunion or disintegration back to only directing your energies or your life path toward yourself.

What will your intention become when you come across them in your own practice of locksmithing?

Weekly Reading March 7, 2021

Mutual Attraction is a hexagram I may have seen a different way earlier in life. In many translations of the I Ching it is interpreted as a sign that a romantic mate has been found, but I found mine a long time ago. Lake over Mountain is supposed to signify the man as the mountain supporting the woman as the lake. I have seen the opposite in many relationships romantic or otherwise. I have a few issues with this interpretation, so I looked up a few more sources.

I found words like Resonance, Influence, Open Heart.

This is a reading about how you are relating to others, how you resonate with each other. The universal force of attraction draws people together for a common purpose. Creating long-lasting relationships will bring success as long as you conduct yourself with modesty and stay devoid of all ulterior motives. It is through this way of creating relationships, and not your hierarchical status or perceived power that you will gain influence.

In groups or in your own relationships, meet others with proper thought and action so resonance and harmony is created, and in this way influence is achieved. Cling to gentleness and humility.

And underlining all of this message, is the reminder to keep an open heart.