Egipcios Kier * 53 Hostility

At first glance, this card is unsettling. Two warriors face one another in a struggle that is about to end in bloodshed. One appears victorious. The other kneels at the edge of defeat.

Stuart Kaplan identifies them as foreign mercenaries who served in the Egyptian world. Whatever their historical identities, the image reminds us that conflict is an unavoidable part of human life. The question is not whether we will face opposition, but how we will meet it.

The symbols surrounding the scene reinforce that theme. Kaplan identifies the arm holding a hook beneath the image as the hieroglyph for strength. The Hebrew letter Mem (מ), often associated with water, quietly suggests that true strength is not always rigid. Like water, it can endure, adapt, and overcome.

Kaplan associates the card with courage, skill, youthful strength, and determination. Nelise Carbonare Vieira links it with the Knight of Swords, whose greatest gift is decisive action in service of an ideal.

That correspondence feels right to me. The Knight of Swords is courageous, but courage without wisdom easily becomes recklessness. Strength is admirable only when guided by purpose.

Every life includes conflict. Sometimes we must defend those we love. Sometimes we must stand against injustice. At other times, the battle is entirely within ourselves, requiring us to confront fear, resentment, or despair.

Hostility reminds us that strength is not measured by our ability to defeat an enemy. It is measured by what we choose to defend.

Egipcios Kier - 51 Advice

Advice is more than receiving information. It is seeking the wisdom that helps us live well.

Card 51 shows a man kneeling before a teacher, listening with humility. Stuart Kaplan identifies the standing figure as Imhotep, the legendary architect, healer, and advisor to Pharaoh Zoser. Whether priest, scholar, or physician, he represents knowledge placed in the service of others.

The surrounding symbols reinforce that theme. The Hebrew letter Kaf (כ), meaning "hand," reminds us that wisdom ultimately finds expression in action. The feather of Ma'at evokes truth and justice, while the jackal of Anubis quietly recalls that our time is limited. We seek wisdom not simply to know more, but to live more faithfully.

Kaplan associates this card with practical wisdom, healing, recovery, and the ability to transform ideas into meaningful action. I find that emphasis refreshing. Advice is valuable only when it helps us move from understanding to living.

Nelise Carbonare Vieira associates this card with the King of Swords, a figure of clarity, discernment, and integrity. Like the King, Imhotep embodies the union of knowledge and good judgment. True authority is not loud or domineering. It is earned through wisdom, experience, and a commitment to truth.

Good advice, however, does not ask us to surrender our own judgment. The best teachers help us think more clearly rather than think for us.

Looking back, I realize how much my own life has been shaped by teachers. Some offered answers. Others offered better questions. The ones I remember most did not tell me who to become. They helped me discover it for myself.

Tarot BlogHop MidFall/Samhain 2017

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

This season's topic suggestion from Jay Cassels was too emotionally charged for me to work with publicly. So I decided to take a different approach. I turned to a tarot spread developed by Carolyn Cushing to gain insight into how best to navigate this season. This reading allowed me to explore what sacred path I should follow, which contemplative practices would aid me on my journey, and which attitudes and behaviors would be most beneficial in undertaking these practices at this time.

To perform this reading, I divided my tarot deck into three piles: one containing the Majors and the Aces, another containing the other Number cards, and the last one containing the People cards. I shuffled each pile separately and drew one card from each to answer the following questions:

from right to left: 

The Teacher, the Ten of Earth, and the Explorer of Air

from The Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert

1. What sacred path would best serve me this season?
The card drawn for this question was 5 - THE TEACHER. The image suggests embracing a mindset of continuous learning and growth. It encourages me to seek guidance by spending time contemplating nature, engaging in introspection, and learning to trust my insights. This season, the focus should be on personal development, embracing lessons from life experiences, and cultivating a deeper understanding of myself as well as a sense of oneness with creation.

2. What contemplative practice will help me move along this pathway?
The card drawn for this question was THE TEN OF EARTH, which symbolizes reflection on the cyclical changes of the seasons, ancestral wisdom, and my own legacy. It suggests engaging in practices that foster introspection and connection with my roots, both ancestral and experiential. Reflecting on the cyclical nature of life, honoring traditions, and contemplating the impact of my deeds on future generations can provide insights and a sense of purpose.

3. What attitudes and behaviors will be most helpful in undertaking this practice?
The card drawn for this final question was THE EXPLORER OF AIR, which represents curiosity, courage, and mental clarity. This season calls for achieving a mindset of openness to new perspectives and a willingness to explore different paths. By cultivating a sense of curiosity and embracing uncertainty, I will be able to navigate challenges with resilience and creativity. Focusing on my highest values and rising above negative thought patterns will be necessary to foster personal growth and self-awareness.

Since I chose to use The Gaian Tarot for this reading, it's no surprise that the reading emphasized spending time in nature as a way to experience this season. I've shifted from Carolyn's more mystical interpretations to more practical ones that can help me in personal development. This reading reminds me to reconnect with the natural world, learn from it, and trust in my own inner wisdom. Somehow, awareness of nature will go hand in hand with self awareness. I will reflect on how to develop resilience. As the season unfolds, I will keep these insights in mind and strive to walk the sacred path of learning and contemplation. 

If you ever find yourself wondering about the season ahead, perhaps a tarot reading like this one can provide you with the guidance and clarity you seek.

Click on the links below to read posts from other participants in the Tarot Blog Hop!

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

Fast Reading

I get lost when I do emotionally charged readings for myself. So I did these three readings really fast, so I wouldn't have time to overthink. My thanks to Dianna Collins for insights into the Eight of Cups and The Hermit.

Middle row: what purpose should I strive to achieve now? 
2 Wands - it's time to take action, make a choice 
Emperor - be realistic and act logically, create structure 
Temperance - take a moderate approach but test yourself 
Conclusion: focus on immediate employment rather than dreams

Top row: how helpful to hire a career coach? (images mirror cards of middle row) 
3 Wands - action taken, creating a future  
King Coins - practicality and hard work lead to success 
10 Coins - financial success and dream of belonging 
Conclusion: it would be helpful

Bottom row: how helpful to move back to the US? (images seem to be the reverse of the middle row) 

Knight Swords - think through decision
8 Cups - painful act of letting go, might be nothing more to be done here 

Hermit - discern an entirely new path for yourself 

Conclusion - don't rush; give this some thought

Tarot Tuesday - Draw upon the energy of springtime

Spring began at the beginning of February, on Imbolc. Equinox was weeks ago, but in some places, people are desperately longing for the end of winter weather and for signs of spring.

Here, we had a very mild winter, but now people are not coming out of their homes to watch the returning birds, to plant gardens, or even to walk outside. Perhaps, before we can rise up to embrace the warm brightness of spring and summer, we need to sink into the cold and darkness of winter.

So how can we release our urge to hibernate and begin to blossom? To answer that question, I did a reading based on a spread created by Joanna Powell Colbert.

How do we leave winter behind? The Explorer of Air (Knight of Swords) often represents a person who is prepared and adaptable. He climbs high to get perspective. Nature is his highest ideal and he can leave winter behind as he makes the effort to see and feel what nature is offering us now.

What is the heart's desire? Temperance usually indicates balance and healing or the need for those things. To me, it seems that the Gaian Tarot's tempering angel of balance and healing is standing in polluted and poisoned factory run-off; she shows us what we've done to our world and reminds us that we are part of nature. We've forgotten the balance between ourselves and nature; we've forgotten how dependent we are on nature. In this reading, Temperance represents our desire for our psyches to reflect the season.

How do we enter the joy and growth of spring? The Child of Air (Page of Swords) is naive and inexperienced, but sees the world with eyes full of wonder. She tells us to pay attention to the signs of spring and to let our spirits be lifted by them.

I love hearing back from my readers so please

leave a comment. I read each and every one!