monthly muses

Flavia’s Monthly Muses for August 2018

by  on  in flavia, marziano, michelino, monthly muses, tarot

 

Carnal desires and passions will flare up in August. Irrationality will rage. Temperaments are wild. But, no matter what, we will feel dissatisfied. In this Topsy-turvy month nothing is as it seems. Let’s start with the cards, and my personal experience of arriving at the crossroads that is this August.

My regular Muses deck disappeared. They seem to have abandoned me. So I couldn’t do a reading and frustration started to overtake me. Then I thought I’ll go along with what’s available to me. At that point The Marziano deck came to the rescue. It saved me and I love learning from it in unexpected ways. And this might be the greatest lesson we can take away with us as we look at the cards and think of August: when you experience something has been taken away from you, perhaps something else is already manifesting to take its place. Accept it. Appreciate its value. It’s there for a reason.

The Marziano/Michelino is not a standard tarot deck. It is a Rennaissance creation reinterpreting Graeco-Roman religion and Egyptian knowledge westernised for fifteenth century Italian aristocracy. So a piece of social history and early European craftsmanship. It’s roots are in a philosophical game of cards using allegory to deliver real life messages. As frivolous or as profound a divinatory process as the players themselves involved in the ritual. The deck has 16 trumps of Deities, 2 court cards, and 4 suits consisting of Doves, Turtledoves, Eagles and Phoenixes.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the Phoenix which is heavily used in Christianity as a symbol of regeneration and in other religions as a spirit animal of the Sun power and cleansing energy sprung from its’ all consuming fire first thing in our reading. The Phoenix totem brings a message of hope and renewal through letting go of things that do not serve us anymore. A breakthrough is imminent. Our present condition should not limit us. The 7 of Phoenix, is a card of growth and achievement but it is a bitter card. We have not quite got there. Or what we’ve got is not quite what we wished for. There is despondency and a sense of looking down on what we are left with. It doesn’t seem fair. Or it’s not enough.

In fact the 5 of Doves is a further confirmation of our sense of loss and disappointment. We are practically cloaked in misery at this point. Whether real or imaginary, we are not acknowledging all the positives we are surrounded with at this height of summer. The rich fruits of our labour that have started arriving. They are extraordinary and looking down on them will not be doing anyone justice. All cards this month belong to the feminine suits of Doves and Phoenixes. Even Cupid is part of the Doves series which is thought to represent the Pentacles in a traditional tarot deck. The desirous suits representing passions and emotions dominate everything.

And as such there is generosity and abundance, money, beauty, success, but with the underlying reminder that we are going to have to let go of the dead fruit. We can’t take them with us for the rest of the year. The 5 of Doves here are telling us that we are indeed having a hard time. It’s a time of transition however that should lead to a more fulfilling future. The solution to our troubles whether emotional of material has manifested though it is not visible to us yet.

Of course, how could it be otherwise if we are going to finish the month hit by Cupid’s arrows? Cupid is random, heartless, and is playing games. But he is fun when he strikes, and no one will escape him! No good trying. Even Jupiter himself couldn’t avoid being hit by his arrows. Be sure, he will bring meaning to everything we do. It could be actual love, or love of a project, new idea, new conditions, new places. It’s all good, and it’s all there for the taking.

Flavia

Flavia’s Monthly Muses for July 2018

by  on  in flavia, il mantegna, monthly muses, tarot

July is turning out to be a complete and complex month of everything. We left the end of June in a rather subdued if contented mood. Rewarded for our troubles but still left the month in a veil of secrecy. There is anticipation for bigger things to come. Revelations haven’t started to unfold yet. The mood is one of modest enjoyment. When Temperance arrives she tells us to keep it this way. She’s the Goddess of self control over excess. She’s depicted in traditional iconography with two vessels pouring water from one to the other. Let us follow her. As one of the six virtues in positive psychology, together with wisdom, courage, humanity, justice and transcendence, puts us in charge. We are the masters of our own destiny. And we have to be cool and calm about it. A moderation in action, thought and feeling is called for. Temperance represents our own restrain and self discipline over rash emotions such as anger, harmful desires of overindulgence, and negative thinking of revenge. Our powers are ever stronger and they come from within. Use them wisely, prudently, and lovingly.

And here is how it can be achieved. Temperance is followed by Poetry. Poetry is what we all know as a form of literature we are more or less familiar with. We’ve probably read grand poetry at school, we had our own favourite poetry books and sang songs. Hopefully we still do. Some of us may have even written some poetry of our own. We all now need a bit more of this for our well-being. In ancient Greek the word has its roots in the term ‘making’. And indeed poetry has a long history and may predate literacy. So we can open up and think of poetry in a wider sense of creative activity of making things that can involve aesthetics, rhythm, repetition, memorization and structuring. We can manifest the best of us by engaging in doing and making. This is truly an action month of high purpose.

Now with a good measure of Temperance under our belts and our selves put in the making motion, noble causes call for our attention. We will be handling unfinished business with care. The past has not gone away. ‎Unexpected events and sudden changes will remind us that we must defend our values and others that are vulnerable and need our help. We will run to their aid with a sense of urgency. Energy will be amplified by the months end. Emotions will run high throughout the month and action will be in the making and in manifesting. We will all find ourselves in a cliffhanger before August arrives. Love, money, materialising ideas are in the making but not ripe yet. The change however from one to the other will be sudden and staggering. The Knight, whether on foot or on horse, arrives full of energy and ready for action.

P.S. Remember that July is a complex month. To survive it and triumph at the end, we need Temperance (self-discipline) and Poetry (making)‎ throughout. The Knight although not important in himself, (he’s a servant, he’s here to help us) he will bring with him the energy and support we need. Ask for help and you will get it. Keep cool, take it easy, and keep making, to prepare for a more dramatic August around the corner.

Flavia

Flavia’s Monthly Muses for June 2018

by  on  in flavia, il mantegna, june 2018, monthly muses, mythology, tarot

 

 

June is speeding through with all the power that went into spring during the new moon in Aries on 16 April. The need for rest of early April was swapped for the desire to succeed as the month moved on. By now in mid June we are all spinning out of control balancing the additional plates that joined us in May and the others sitting quietly in the back burner since January. But there’s no time to stop. Nor do we want to drop any of them. Plans and past projects, people and situations are developing urgency at an even faster pace. And it’s not high summer yet.

So the energies are moving fast. But what does it all mean for us? How are we placed in these happenings? And what is the best way to deal with it, and make the most of our selves and our situation?

So the answer to our many questions came quick and unequivocal with the presence of Terpsicore. Don’t ask any questions. Just join in. This is our immediate environment.

Terpsicore is one of the nine Muses in Graeco-Roman mythology and part of the ancient Greek Pantheon. She represents happiness in dance and choral song. Therefore she reminds us about the joy in group activities and being part of others’ lives. So keep going. Don’t think about it. Enjoy it. The way to know the other is being part of the other. Moreover, we will never understand something unless we try it ourselves. This is the lesson Terpsicore is teaching. So this card is really an invitation and an encouragement to participate in everything that life has to offer and this is the time to do it.

‎This is how we come to the second card. It’s Venus. An acceleration of events will be inevitable. But it’s all positive. When the Roman Goddess Venus arrives we know it’s unashamedly all about earthly pleasures and material goods. Of course we’re all familiar in some way with Venus. But one aspect of Venus to think about here is that she normally is either holding a purse or she’s surrounded by water. Her association with the elements, is an association with wealth. When she appears, this is the time to make the most of all the gifts of life. Beauty, aesthetic, goodness, luxury, elegant objects, money, eroticism and some frivolity will be the order of the day throughout June. And we shouldn’t even think about resisting. ‎Holding back is not an option while so much activity is happening all around. The best course of action would be to immerse ourselves in the productive flow of people and things. Both cards are pointing in the direction of love and family affection, and health and spiritual life. For those who want to focus on improving their physical condition, emotional health and general state of being, June is turning out to be a massive ally

By the end of June a much sombre‎ mood is upon us with pensive Muse Polymnia. June will conclude with the urge to start taking stock of our situation. Polymnia represents dance and religious hymns, sacred poetry and agriculture. Keep in mind that the Muses’ father is ancient Greek god father of all gods Zeus (Giove in Latin)‎ and their mother is Mnemosini. Zeus represents justice. Menemosini represents memory. And Polymnia is especially connected to memory and justice herself. ‎She appears in Dante’s Divine Comedy in Paradise where she is blessing past achievements with her particular world music. Our work and efforts will be praised. Polymnia, just as she’s portraited in Dante’s Paradise, represents recognition. Reward for our skills is on the way and it can go high and wide. With it there is responsibility which means that this card is suggestive of events that go far into the future. Polymnia wears a loose veil or mantle wrapped around her body. Her hair is elaborately tied at the back. Things are hidden and secrets are alluded in her posture. Beyond the month’s end and in a much more serious note, we will feel the effects of this June in unexpected ways. A reminder that harvest is on the way. Mystery too. And a whole new mood will follow. 

Flavia