#which is otherwise Moon Knight’s ideal form

[age-of-moonknight]

Avengers Annual (Vol. 3/2012), #1.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Penciler and Inker: Gabriele Dell’Otto; Colorist: Ive Svorcina; Letterer: Cory Petit

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #Avengers Annual #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Wolverine #Logan #these two being as unendingly practical as ever #but it’s funny because this was the only panel of Marc I could find where he wasn’t just a shapeless white blob in the background #which is otherwise Moon Knight’s ideal form

[a-silver-dragoness]

Greetings!

I call myself Iilah (meaning moon in dovahzul) and this is where I post all my art!

All OC's and art are free to use. Put them in stories, change them, throw them into a meat grinder, I honestly don't care. Go nuts and have fun!

Things I am:

Dragonkind

Godkind (Imagithrope) (goddess of souls and magic)

Light Furyhearted

Fictosexual/Fictoromantic

Proshipper/Ship and Let Ship

Things I have:

Anxiety/Depression

MaDD

Sometimes I talk very passionately about stuff that boils my blood (Light Fury hate and Christianity come to mind), so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to block me!

Otherwise, I don't care too much who follows me or how you interact with my posts, just don't be a douche, and we won't have any problems! 😊

Me ^^^

Favorite things/Random stuff ⬇️⬇️⬇️

My Favorite Animals:

Dragons (European/Wyvern)

Hummingbirds

Ball Pythons

Whales

My Favorite Pokemon:

Fire: Charizard

Water: Vaporeon

Grass: Torterra

Normal: Eevee

Electric: Kilowattrel

Fighting: Humipummel

Ice: Glaceon

Poison: Bulbasaur

Ground: Onix

Flying: Corviknight

Psychic: Lugia

Bug: Combee

Rock: Relicanth

Ghost: Spiritomb

Dark: Bombirdier

Fairy: Sylveon

Steel: Dialga

Dragon: Latios/Latias

My Favorite Bands/Music/Artists:

Heilung (particularly their Lifa album)

Aviators (particularly their Soulsborne songs)

A playlist of random songs I like (I put this playlist on shuffle 99% of the time):

My Favorite Book Series:

Wings of Fire

Specifically the third arc, I just love the concept of HiveWings, SilkWings, and LeafWings. But the last two books sorta spiraled into absurdity for me, I would have preferred a simple rebellion story, not a "the world is in danger and we have to save it!" type story. But overall, the third arc is still my favorite.

How I discovered I was a dragon:

Saphira (movie version) helped me figure out what I look like! While I'm not part of the Eragon universe, I share many physical traits with Saphira. Sometimes when I hyperfixate on dragon stuff, it makes me question whether it's a kintype or not, so I usually have to wait for the hyperfixation to fade before I can really tell. Usually, it means this kintype-like feeling fades with the hyperfixation. Not so with my silver Saphira-like form! This feeling of "this is me, this is who I am" stuck around after my interest in the movie faded.

How I discovered I was a goddess:

My MaDD (maladaptive daydreaming disorder) is a huge part of this. For many years now, my daydream world hasn't changed much. While the narrative changes frequently (on a daily basis), some characters and locations have become permanent, they're always part of my daydreams, they're always a part of me.

My husband King Solaris of the Angels (whom I miss very much), my doctor Corvus, the silver knights, the stone wyverns, the Lunar Sea, the forests, the mountains... these are all permanent.

In this world, also exists my idealized self. The goddess of Latria. The silver dragon. The goddess of souls and magic.

This idealized version of myself is permanent, and hasn't changed for many years. Which leads me to believe I am her in some way. I know, it sounds bizarre, or wrong, but that's how I feel. I am her. I... can't change that.

(Back when I was a kid, I could change my daydream self whenever I wanted, but that doesn't seem possible anymore)

My Forever Husbando:

King Solaris of the Angels, god of physical strength

All Husbandos:

*degree of interest changes every so often, usually on a monthly or weekly basis

War (Darksiders)

Toothless (HTTYD THW)

Sir Artorias the Abysswalker (Dark Souls)

Ludwig the Accursed/the Holy Blade (Bloodborne)

Big Daddy (Bioshock)

Pyramid Head (Silent Hill)

Nemesis (Resident Evil: Apocalypse)

Mr. X (Resident Evil)

Ghost People (Fallout New Vegas Dead Money)

SCP 049 (Creepypasta)

Master Chief (Halo)

Optimus Prime (Transformers Bayverse, G1, Prime)

Ratchet (Transformers G1)

Prince Dion Lesage/Bahamut (FF16)

King Rauru of Hyrule (LOZ TOTK)

Joshua Graham (Fallout New Vegas Honest Hearts)

Little Ghost/The Knight (Hollow Knight)

Godfrey the First Elden Lord (Elden Ring)

The Whalers (Dishonored)

Daud (Dishonored)

Inarius (Diablo)

Imperius (Diablo)

Tyrael (Diablo)

Usiel (Darksiders 3)

Archon Lucien (Darksiders 2)

Abaddon (Darksiders)

#dragonkin #dragonkind #godkin #godkind #fictoromantic #fictosexual #proshipper #ship and let ship #madd #maladapting daydreaming disorder #light furyhearted

[povestotrischane]

...completely serious question, have you hear of Fate/Stay Night?

fate/stay night? as in the critically acclaimed 2004 eroge visual novel by type-moon, written and directed by kinoko nasu, illustrated by takashi takeuchi, with music done by james harris and kate? the 3 route visual novel which tells the story of a boy by the name of shirou emiya, the adopted son of a mage who ended up accidentally entered into a minor magecraft ritual located in fuyuki japan known as a holy grail war where participants known as masters summon servants, great heroic spirits from history and legend sorted into 7 main classes, to fight on their behalf, with the last master/servant pair standing getting a chance to make a wish on the holy grail? with the first route being a romance between shirou and his servant, saber, otherwise known as artoria pendragon, king of knights, who views herself as a tool to be used and neglects herself, who he's immediately drawn to due to his father, who summoned her in the last war, having implanted excaliber's scabbard within him to protect both it and him, with "oneself as an ideal" being its main theme? with the second route being a character study with rin tohsaka, a skilled mage from one of the founding families of the war, whose emotionally neglectful father was killed 10 years ago in the last war and who has underdeveloped social skills bc she distances herself from her peers due to the pressure of having to become a good mage and mages can't form attachments to others, as a love interest, where it's revealed that rin's servant, archer, is actually shirou from a different timeline, who has grown to resent both himself and what he believes in, and wishes to kill a version of himself in order to create a paradox which will put him out of his misery, with "struggling with oneself as an ideal" being its main theme? with the third route being a horror with sakura matou, shirou's longtime friend and rin's long not-quite-lost sister, who was traded away to another mage family due to her powerful magic circuits at a young age and has spent the last 11 years being horrifically abused by them, as a love interest, where shirou slowly lets go of his idealism and desire to save everyone for the sole purpose of saving her instead, with "the friction with real and ideal" being its main theme? with "conquering oneself" being its overall theme officially but also having plenty of other recurring motifs, including those surrounding the teenage protagonists living in the shadow (and consequences) of their parents, the influence of westerners and westernization on japan, among others? the one that spawned a massive multi-media franchise?

nah i've never heard of it. the priest sounds cool though i bet he's a great person.

#romeo.txt #anon

[holy-mountaineering]

This spread is for draugadottir, the very person this spread was designed (and who helped a bit to create it) and will be the first to receive it without even hanging and getting stabbed!

This spread is a homemade concoction from my knowledge of Tarot and the myth of Odin sacrificing himself to himself for the knowledge of the Runes, thus of creation and himself.

The placement of the cards is in the shape of the Rune “Maðr” of the Younger Futhark, which was used as “man” in the Runic Poems.

We shall begin, as Yggdrasil does, in the Well of Urd which nourishes the deep roots of The World Tree. And from this Well springs forth XX The Aeon, Shin, Fire. Think about where you are now and how you go about doing things in general. Do you remember a time before this point in your life when you acted differently and didn’t have this kind of understanding of the world? The Aeon is a new understanding and thus a new way of acting in your life. Harpocrates giving the sign of silence has to do with the meditative process of accepting this new law of life. You must truly grasp the meaning of this change in order to act in the new “spirit of the age” if you will. You are being born anew through fire and blood, you are emerging from the egg in the background and coming forth. What you take away from this will be with you forever but one day will also be improved on and brought to a new level.

The mighty trunk of Yggdrasil is carved with V The Hierophant, Vau, Taurus. This is being initiated into how things work in the material or normal world. This is the secrets of how things are and some of that is being revealed to you. This is a person, institution, or experience that is telling you “trade secrets” or how to do what you do better. 5s are the human or microcosmic number and Taurus reiterates this material theme. Once you find out how to improve yourself and your understanding of the world, you must now go out and actually use that skill. Knowledge is useless if it is not implemented in the knower’s life and behavior. Get initiated into the cult of your sphere of interest. Learn how to improve what you do through being initiated in one way or another. Find what/who helps you to learn the “secrets” of how to do your thing better and then go out and do those things.

The knowledge of the Runes Óðinn looked down into his blood and saw, for you is the 6 of Swords, Science! This is thinking and communicating in its idealized form. This is the system building card where individual thoughts are organized into a repeatable formula. Mercury’s intelligence is flowing through the Water Bearer Aquarius and coming down to useful data gathering techniques. Organize the way you’re thinking about what you’re doing to reflect all of the information you have available. Be scholarly about your thought process and write shit down goddamnit.

Mr. Wednesday Himself, the Sacrifice and the God to which this is all Sacrificed to is VII The Chariot, Cheth, Cancer. I like to think of the Chariot as an armored train. The Four elements are the engine pulling the otherwise stagnate charioteer of Cancer down the predetermined path. While they pull him toward his goal he stays in his armored shell focusing on his moving center. This is not about “going off the beaten path” at all, this is “staying on track” to take care of yourself and Yourself, if you catch my meanings. The armour of the night is “not to keep others out, but to keep the Knight focused in.” to paraphrase. The rotating center is the Knight’s center, from His perspective, the center of All. Stay on your path, you might not be driving the train but it’ll get you going where you need to be. Focus on your soft inside bits like the crab does, you can only fit so much in your current state.

The Spear which pierced All-Father so he could have the blood pooling to make visible the knowledge is XIV ART, Samekh, Sagittarius. This is the process of the actual Art of Alchemy, the taking apart, putting back together, and purifying. Duality is being dissolved and it’s being used as rocket fuel to project you outward into the Universe. The hermaphrodite alchemist takes the substances at her disposal and works them to make a purer, more useful creation. The cauldron has a momento mori that symbolizes that death or real change is a key to dissolving. You have to change yourself, burn away the bullshit. Break things apart to their various components so you can use the parts to build them again to be useful.

The branch of The World Tree which Wotan anchored himself to be hung from is the Prince of Disks, the airy part of Earth or thinking about what’s going on in the material/normal-ass world. This prince is a map maker, an amateur cartologist. Holding his globe, he is pulled along by the sturdy bull of Taurus who is familiar with the terrain so the prince can gaze down and take note of where he is, where he’s been, and where he might be going. In other words this is learning about how to navigate life. Pay attention to where you are and what you’ve been doing. Take notes. Have you been here before? Do you know where this leads? If not, mark it out in your globe so you know if you ever get there again.

Wuotan’s Raven Familiar who represents the memory, Munnin is XVII The Star, Heh, Aquarius. Despite its name making me think of water, Aquarius is an air sign. Aquarius the water-bearer is the vehicle for the water she is baring. The life giving water flows through her. It has been said that “Tzaddi is not the Star” and Crowley made it so in the Thoth deck. There is a mystery in this attribution of the Hebrew letter to this Tarot card that I will not go into. I read this card called the “Universal Principle of Self-Worth” or trusting yourself as the vehicle of transmission. Her gaze is toward her reflection in the cup above her and she is pouring through herself to the areas below herself. Trust that you’re a worthy conduit to transmit what nourishes life. Trust that your shit is real and who you are makes you capable. That which is above wishes to come below through you.

Wotan’s Raven representing thought, Huginn is the 4 of Cups, Luxury. This is “squaring up” emotionally and creating a greater emotional balance. Lvna the Moon absorbs the light of Sol the sun and reflects it back to Earth, but only enough emotionally to help you stay stable and protected (Cancer the crab with an exoskeleton to protect it’s soft inside parts). Don’t get too comfy though, don’t mistake squaring up (getting correct) with being a scared square.

And above it all, the canopy of The World-Ash Tree is the 3 of Wands, Virtue. This is not a moralistic idea of Virtue, this is the idea of formulating a basic mode of action to build from. Virtue unto yourself and your Will, as in doing what you do because it’s what you do. Astrologically, this is Sol in Aries or springtime. This is the energy of the Sun close to Earth creating new growth from the stagnate winter. You can also read a message of centering on new growth in your life. Create a basic plan like a farmer might for spring. You’re no sharecropper, this is your land so plant the fields only according to your Will.

So, this all grows from the Fire which brings about a new era of humanity (sound familiar?). This makes possible the initiation of knowledge and then the Knowledge itself. Mercury (an early Roman attribution of Odin) in Aquarius is very important to this process, for it is no only the knowledge of the Runes but the transmission of that knowledge to humanity.

That Spear which spills the Blood of A God unto Himself is just that here, Sagittarius and the ACT of transmutation. That which the God anchors Themself is the thought of what is, what could be, and what might come to be in the mundane world. The God Himself is the Charioteer being pulled along His path by the elements which created the path in the first place.

Your memory should be focused on how you can, how you must transmit this knowledge unto humanity, how you must trust yourself to bring this light to the darkness and banish it back to its proper place. Your current thoughts should be on reflection of this Trip, the Luxury of being able to survive this ordeal and tell about the saga. And like any good saga, you must ACT, staying true to your Gods and your thus, yourself.

The age of giants is over, you’ve slayed them all, now, tell the tale, oh warrior.

TAAAA DAAAAAAAAA, there it is the first of this kind of spread I created. Tell me what you think and of course hit me up for clarification or questions!

SKÁL!

#tarot card readings #divination #cartomancy #norse #odin #draugadottir

[zodiac-queens]

The Zodiac Signs’ Deeply Buried Truths and Dreams

To understand a zodiac sign’s motives, you must understand the workings of their mind and heart. Dreams and ideals can help to grasp their patterns of behaviour which would otherwise be inexplicable to us. 

*use sun, moon or dominant sign

The Fire Signs (Aries, Leo & Sagittarius)

A fire sign’s fantasy world begins where the fairytale book ends. It’s a realm of romance and myth. In fact, the fiery signs mythologize everyday-life to a large extent and transform their reality into a stage where everybody plays their part. Their fantasies can be quite black and white, full of clichés and old and well-known tales. When their lives lack drama, they simply project their brilliantly colorful dreams onto the people or situations in their surrounding. They can not stand the grey dullness of the emprical world and their minds are the best escape.

Aries The Aries’ fantasies are of a quite chivalric nature as, deep down, they are knights in shining armor looking for a noble cause or a damsel in distress. For them the Age of Courtly Love is not over and they live according to the rules of the Round Table or the Order of the Garter as their dreams revolve around honour, loyalty and praise. Aries needs adventure, a lost cause to participate in, a war to fight, a heart to win back, otherwise they grow cold and experience psychic indigestion.

Leo Leos love to create myths and stories concerning their self. They are highly idealistic and envision a world where good is purely good and bad is purely bad - they don’t really see grey shadows or the subtleties of human nature. The lion wants to be the hero or the heroine, anyone really who is respected, looked up to and appreciated. Their dreams are full of romanticism and love they pour into their beloved subjects/children/objects of affection and about the tenderness they receive in return. 

Sagittarius Like their arrows, Sagittarius’ visions are aimed at some distant future or a faraway possibility. In the centaur’s dreams nothing has limits and their abilities and possible journeys are endless. It’s hard for them to cope with people telling them that something is impossible because they strongly believe that every goal can be reached, no matter how absurd it sounds. What really drives a Sagittarius are unexplored paths, unexplicable mysteries and a sense of anticipation that lingers in the air. Because of that boundless realm in their head, the centaur understands that life is meaningful and that everything teaches a lesson and encourages growth but the light of their visions can rarely be transformed into reality. 

The Earth Sings (Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn)

The fantastic and uncomprehensible world exists for Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn as well but unlike the fire signs, earth signs tend to not recognize it as a part of their actual life but as something supernatural. They are terribly afraid of disorder which is why most of them will opress their imagination and dreams rather than embrace them. And while they know almost everything about the world surrounding them, spirituality and fantasy have the potential for them to come to terms with their inner self. They probably really need and want to retreat in a realm of dreams but they often feel too occupied with everyday-life and therefore guilty “wasting” their time drowning in fantasy. 

Taurus Taurus needs to escape into a world of beauty from time to time. When the reality is too cold or things just do not seem to work out, they like to drown in things which are exquisite and beautiful, either physically or with their mind. If they can’t have their real piece of luxury they like to think about times when they will or had and just generally knowing about all the art in the world, like paintings, music or good food keeps them going. They are one of the most sceptic signs and the ones who value the known and reliable most, so it is most likely that their dreams revolve around something they can actually capture with their senses.

Virgo Virgos are quite romantic and imaginative souls but they are not idealistic like most of the water and air signs. Their minds are neatly and orderly arranged knowledge gained through quiet observing and silent curiosity. Their oftentimes cold or brusque exterior is a protection for the possible gunshots reality could take at them. Their safe haven is a mind that has a resolution for every situation, where every thing is coloured and structured in its realest, most detailed form to shut out all dangers from outside. Virgos wish the world were a more equal and better place but they have to protect themselves before they can help others.

Capricorn Achievement to Capricorn is what romance is to the fire signs. Without goals and challenges, a Capricorn can grow cold and be thrown headfirst into depression because this unfriendly world can not offer him meaning anymore. The most mysterious of the earth signs, known as ambitious, working and plodding, is a magician, a chaser of mysteries in disguise. A true Capricorn knows how to make peace with the earth, and, in the end, all their hard labour is just a steppingstone to a more profound, reflected and introspective side to their nature. Once they have learned how to live in this world, they can use their newly found freedom to pursue their love of the mysteries, which, for them, revolve around all the energies that govern life.

The Air Signs (Gemini, Libra & Aquarius)

Air signs are the children amongst the zodiac and there is no one quite so familiar with the existence of wonders like a child. They have an incredible emotional depth and are incurable romantic at heart. Every emotional experience they make is profound and meaningful and immediately valued as one with an idealistic outcome. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius lack a certain worldliness because they seem to understand nearly everything. But all the mysteries and secrets of the world can only be understood by them when matched with a correlating system like religion or occult. They need to understand in order to be sane which is why some mysteries (the truly inexplicable ones) will never cease to fascinate but scare them.

Gemini A true Gemini is an eternal child. The world will never cease to overwhelm and amaze them and they will make it their life-long mission to gather broad and comprehensive knowledge about it. Geminis learn for the sole delight of self-taught wisdom and quenching that unbearable thirst that seems to be part of their nature. In-depth analyses are something you will not ever see a Gemini make because there is so much the universe can still teach and they simply have no time to think about something for too long. So it is no suprise that the twins are the least introspective of the signs, the vast pool of wonders around them is more important than sitting down and thinking about one’s own motives.

Libra A Libra’s life is seen through a tinted glass that shows all the bauty it can contain. Like the true children of Venus that they are, Libras seek the Beautiful, the Good and the True and their dreams revolve around a world in which every being has their perfectly fitting counterpart and ordinary life is lifted to idealistic heights. Most of them feel like a part of them is missing and will never stop believing in finding perfection in form of a worthy companion, fulfilling job or just general happiness. Their quest for the Good and Beautiful can seem like hollow flattery to the more sceptic signs like Capricorn and Scorpio but dreamers will appreciate their efforts to preserve fantasies rather than destroy them with a brutal truth that is rarely ever absolute anyways.

Aquarius Aquarius’ ideals mean everything to them and they would gladly give their life for the realization of their dream about universal love, equality, a brighter future. Without the ideas of an Aquarius, no real progress can take place, like their symbol the Waterbearer they offer the water of life to humanity. Their dreams are their ideals and their ideals are their reality. But while Aquarians always have an inept sense of the big picture, they lack comprehension for the personal and that makes it incredibly difficult for them to not only be humanitarian but also a fearlessly feeling human.

The Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces)

To the water signs everything is motivated by feeling as they move in the world with instinct, at home with what is irrational and inexplicable. Their reality is made entirely from what they feel and they subconciously assign an emotion to literally everything. Their own world contains a whole universe of dreams and fantasies and they mean so much to them because they are stuffed with profound truths that are part of a water sign’s core personality. They oppose the logical and rational values of our time and the processes of the intellect which are typically assigned to the air signs. They speak the language of the heart or  gut (which is a water sign’s most powerful tool).

Cancer Like their symbol the crab, Cancers’ home is the border between earth and water.They need the security of dry land like commitment, promises and truths but they also feel a strong pull towards the depths of the ocean of imagination. Their dreams and longings oftentimes revolve around stability, being needed and loved and the emotional subtleties underlying their fantasies are important for a Cancer’s personal and introspective growth. But individuals born under this sign are painfully self-protective, so do not expect them to talk to you about their secret longings and even if they do, be aware of them not telling you the whole truth. 

Scorpio While the element of air is idealistic, water signs are more realistic and especially Scorpios know that ideals are important but life is different. They are as sensitive as their watery companions and possess the same emotional awareness but they can not afford romance because they are painfully aware of the human nature not only being great but also very animalistic and vicious. No other sign understands the shadows of being human as good as Scorpio and no one accepts and embraces the darkness as willingly. After all, there is nothing else to do. What really drives this sign is the will to make something of themselves as they want to find the profound truth of their being.

Pisces Pisces is the true sign of the mystic and they desperately need and are aware of another reality, a magical, elusive world which makes ordinary life meaningless. A lot of people born under the fishes are deeply religious (not necessary in an orthodox way) as they hold on to practices that are concerned with a side of life that is uncomprehensible, vast and profound. Unlike their watery fellows, Pisces’ sensitivity and deep wisdom about the futility of human behaviour is focused more outward and people with this sign are generally not as concerned with their own well-being and more focused on the hapiness of those around them.

#astrology #zodiac #zodiac signs #all signs #water signs #earth signs #air signs #fire signs #aries #leo #Sagittarius #virgo #taurus #capricorn #libra #gemini #aquarius #cancer #scorpio #pisces

[thebeauregardbros]

What is Alus' hair care regimen?

Thank you, this is a great ask! /o//w//o\

Alus’ hair condition is surprisingly(?).. not ideal, despite his near-constant attention to it. At the beginning of his journey 2 years ago, he was consistently insistent on keeping his hair loose and untied whilst adventuring, claiming that it was a must for his aesthetic imagery as a fancy ‘knight in shining armor’ or ‘prince charming’ style as seen in faerie tales. Not only was this a bit stupid from a fighting standpoint due to his hair constantly on the verge of getting in his face, nose, and mouth, it suffered immensely from constant entanglement and uncleanliness. This boy has worked an embarrassingly large amount of time brushing his hair on the field and on the go. Split ends were absolutely inevitable - thus Alus formed the strange habit of cutting only bits of his hair that had damage, leading him to have a very uneven-looking layered look in his long hair. He was far too stubborn to chop it all off and wait for it to grow out all over again. (Also, yes - he cuts his own hair. He got rather good at it after awhile and found no reason to start paying. Whilst at school he had gotten a short cut against his will that he despised, and ever since has been stubbornly set to be satisfied with his own skill.)

In the last year, especially in the last 6 moons or so, Alus finally gave in to being more kind to his hair. He started wearing it in a braid more often, especially while out on the field. The length has become slightly more even and the thickness all around is a bit more consistent, but it still needs a lot more time and patient care.((from this point on, please forgive me if what I write seems off; this is coming from someone who has lived with short hair most their lives so I’m a bit ignorant))

Alus spares no expense in hair tonics, shampoos, conditioners, oils, leave-in items.. You name it, he’s bought it. He’s seemingly constantly experimenting with what he finds to be the best hair care regimen and can’t really settle due to the fact that the climate he’s sent off to on military duties seems to be constantly changing. It is also difficult for him to keep track of every item he uses whilst he constantly finds his bottles mysteriously lowering in content or even completely emptying straight after purchase - possibly due to poor Arc’s stubborn misunderstanding that the fancy glass bottles they are in do not indicate that they are just indeed fancy alcoholic drinks. (Arc’s hair care regimen, from the very limited - possibly joking - conversation I had, seems to have to do with just throwing some sort of hair grease or wax in there and not much else, then hoping for the best. Alus is mortified at the thought.)

If his week is slow, he’ll only properly wash it once or twice a week. If he’s getting monster blood and what-have-you in there on a regular daily basis, a light shampoo and a hardcore conditioning oil on the often is a must. This poor guy really is having trouble understanding the best methods for taking care of his hair without ever having a mother or otherwise female or feminine family member to tell him about the proper secrets - therefore he often finds himself at the mercy of the next new shady street merchant to tell him about the next big miracle beauty product. Luckily Alus is the son of a merchant, knowing to street merchandising himself - and keeps close track to what products are likely on surplus to be conveniently veiled as beauty products. He’s also somewhat knownst to basic alchemy and herbology, which makes it easy for him to memorize specific lesser-known ingredients and their effects.

Alus is stubborn about certain smells and ingredients - He always prefers things with floral smells over fruits or herbs, especially disliking of bitter or chilly smells like mint or coconut. He’s also fiercely unwilling to use any beauty products that use things that come from animals which harm them in the making.

He wears a silky sleeping cap every night to protect his hair from being tangled while sleeping. Very important!

Also, be brushes multiple times a day - a soft bristle brush at home, a wide tooth comb on the go. He tries to comb out his hair literally every time he has a short moment break while on duties - in the very least, running his fingers through his hair to make sure it didn’t tangle too much since the last time he checked. It’s become a bit of a habit of his and he gets slightly distressed when there’s stuff on his hands he can’t immediately clean off because of that.

Kestle Roet, lord merchant prince, once reviewed on Alus;

“I’ve never met a self-professed knight more intent on protecting his hair than on seeking out a damsel or two. Still, he bought every last copy of my failed pre-Calamity stylist’s magazine; I’m not complaining.”

#Alus Beauregard #meme #tHANK U #this is unnessesarily long but i really really enjoyed just rambling thank u

[sparxwrites]

so um, I don't know about anyone else here on this blog but I saw the playlist you made for that LARP and I'm like so honestly extremely morbidly curious about it and would love to hear more about it or at least get some kind of overview, I understand if you want to keep it private tho

i mean… the larp preparatory document is a full 14 pages, and the larp ran for maybe five or six hours, so i can’t provide you with the full document and summary (like i said, this larp was created and written from scratch, and it’s something i’d like to run again if possible, so i’m reluctant to give out a link to the document - if we’re friends, message me and i’ll see, but otherwise i’m afraid it’s staying private for now at least).

i borrowed a lot of the aesthetic / setting stuff from the dresden files, the matthew swift series, urban magic yogs, british fairytales, and white wolf’s changeling rpg. i borrowed a lot of the rules and mechanics from “end of the line”, “new world magischola”, and various blogs about rules and safety mechanics in nordic larps in general. it was, essentially, about twenty five of my friends in the alps, down by a stream, running around and getting sunburnt and scaring the inhabitants of this tiny village - so it was very informal, the participants weren’t pre-selected by anything other than “on holiday with me”, and the whole attitude towards it from the participants was very… ah, lax and gung-ho, shall we say, which meant it maybe wasn’t taken as seriously as it should have been.

the basic idea was that each faction - humans (hedgewitches, formal magicians, urban sorcerers), dwarves, elves (regular and dark), changelings, summer court, and winter court - had the overarching goal of working to resolve whether the hunt would go ahead or not, but each faction had their own secret assigned goals, and each individual had self-set goals and a secret, so there was a lot of politicking. mostly it was people talking, arguing, making speeches… there was some innovative magic-casting, a bit of drama when a hedgewitch tried to attack the fae (shoutout to the human players for coming up with anti-fae organisations with catchy names and slogans Alarmingly quickly tbh), a fae getting murdered, and everything just… exploding into a shitstorm really, in the end, as it was supposed to. the accords were shattered into smithereens, the fae were gonna go ahead and hunt, the changelings had mobilised with weaponry from the human army to take out the hunt. the dark elves got fucked over because they weren’t specific enough in making a contract with the fae… i think the dwarves just sort of ran off after acquiring some strange glowing artefact they had decided was the only thing they really cared about. the elves brokered immunity from the fae like gloriously self-serving bastards. the urban sorcerer willingly sold himself into effective slavery. it was pretty wild.

it was a lot of fun, really. there’s a lot of stuff i’d change if i did it over - but as someone who’s run a few rpgs now, and a larp oneshot along with inheriting a longer-form larp, it’s… kind of always a learning experience, every time you do it. and i would like to do it over, ideally with more planning and prep, and more dedicated players (i think demanding people come with proper costumes, and charging a nominal entry fee, would go a long way to making sure people took it seriously - but that also means i’ve got to ensure my production value is a lot higher, so, pros and cons i guess). i’ve got another nordic larp i’d like to run, too, tho it’ll be a while before i run that (ideally, i need a desert for that, too, which the uk is notoriously light on, so…)

but. yeah! here’s the summary / hook for the larp that i used, if you’re curious and want an idea of the sort of aesthetic i was working with:

It’s been twenty-five and a half years since the Accords were signed, almost to the day. Twenty-five and a half years since both mortals and fae met on the yule solstice, under the auspice of the Winter Court, to agree to peace – an end to the practice of changelings, of sending cold iron through to the Faerie, of the endless battling and bloodshed on both sides of the liminal. Though the years since then have been far from entirely peaceful, the Accords have held. Fae and mortals have largely coexisted in cities across the nation, moved freely through the liminal between the mortal world and the Faerie, and observed solstice celebrations in relative harmony.

This summer, however, the solstice is different.

It is the first since the Accords to fall on a full moon – and whilst other races prepare for their own celebrations, the fae are demanding that a Hunt be allowed. Solstices are a celebration of life and death and rebirth, they say, as is the waxing and waning of the moon. The intersection of both is a sacred time. A time of sacrifice. It is in accordance with the Old Laws, they say. Blood must be spilled.

All attempts at overarching, nationwide negotiation have, despite the relative civility of fae-mortal relations in comparison to before the Accords, failed dismally. On this one point, this one, ancient tradition, it seems the fae will not budge – and neither will the mortals. They refuse to allow the fae free reign to sweep through their cities and countryside in a whirlwind of revelry and bloodshed, as they have done in decades past.

Fortunately, almost every region, province, or city in the country has managed to negotiate its own, individual agreement on the subject. The almost, however, is crucial. [Our region] is the only region that has been unsuccessful – and the pressure is on to find a solution.

Now, the day before the solstice, a summit has been called in the ancient town of [our town], in a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement. Representatives from every race have been called from around the region to attend Castle [house we were using], along with an impartial party to act as judge and preside over the proceedings – the Drac of Malmonte. Humans, dwarves, and elves are sending diplomats, negotiators, scholars, and warriors, anyone who might be able to provide a solution. A delegation of free changelings have also been invited, and have reluctantly agreed to attend. And, of course, the Fae Courts will be present, in all their glamour and finery and alien, terrifying beauty, with the Mab and the Titania at their heads and their knight and other lords, ladies, and lieges following close behind.

There is more riding on this summit than just one Hunt in a remote département of France, however. The lives of local mortals, the continued presence of the fae in this region of the mortal world, the freedom of the changelings still held captive by the local fae – and, potentially, the future of the very Accords themselves – hang in the balance. The peace that the Accords have brought is a delicate, brittle thing. One major incident may be enough to bring decades of political efforts crashing down, and throw the country back into the darkness of constant war once more.

There are other forces at work here, too. Old rivalries boil beneath the surface of the political landscape, and though the Hunt is the most pressing issue, every race and faction has their own angle to play. Every individual in the room has their own agenda. The Summit is little more than a pit of vipers, but, somehow, a solution must be found amidst the snakes. And it might be up to you to find it.

Good luck, and may the Goddess’s blessing be with you. After all, you’re most likely going to need it…

[Drawing inspiration from The Dresden Files, the Matthew Swift series, White Wolf’s Changeling, traditional fae, faerie, and sidhe mythology, and various little bits and pieces of writing I’ve done, The Wild Hunt is a character-focused, Nordic-style LARP about politics, social conflict, The Greater Good, modern magic coloured by ancient tradition, and what happens when mortals bump up against ancient creatures with an utterly alien system of ethics. It’s a little experimental, incredibly untested, very firmly play-to-lose. It’s gonna be Spicy, my guys.]

#anonymous #ask #original #sparx chats #larp #man i Love running larps and rpgs #they're like little interactive stories where you're a God #very lovely. they play nicely into my power trip thing lmao #but yeah if you're still curious then either send more specific questions and i'll see if i can answer them #or come off anon and have a chat via pm!!

[pixelrender]

5 summer releases

Ok, I wasn’t around for a while. Now, I logged back in to some of my accounts just to see my most anticipated original game out! Whoa, good news out of nowhere and me grabbing my wallet. Almost. So, I decided to sum last three months up. Especially the last week of August was juicy with several high profile indies dropping on shelves.

First several honorable mentions. The developers of Far Blade came with yet another beautiful small piece, Backlands. In this delightfully red, orange and brown game you play as a little fella hiding from both robots and weather.  I don’t know what Turok: Escape from Lost Valley is about, but the excellent trailer presents a cute take on the classic video game character. Personally, It reminds me of Scribblenauts combined with rhythm based games. And because I’m a fan of non-linear platformers, I noticed a whole bunch of excellent ones getting released. I think I’ll make a list eventually but let’s just mention what is out. 1.0 of REDO! is out. This one’s interesting because of the kicking environments and a mysterious BLAME! inspired storyline. Next on, It’s Minoria, a spiritual successor to Momodora with interesting 3d graphics I find definitely prettier than Bloodstained’s. Momodora was great and I expect the new game taking things even further. Also, I’m as excited about Bloodstained as I’m about the new Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. The game has flawless production and a hoard of interesting gameplay. I think this is a exemplary remake. Eagle Island has stellar reviews and I gotta admit that despite little bland pixel art, the trailer got me hooked. This might be an ideal game for several otherwise dull evenings. And finally Grizzland is an artsy micro-vania, which looks mighty interesting with all the shrinking and changes in pace.

1. Knights and Bikes

As a child I loved driving my bike and pretending to be a knight in a pretend kingdom. The game having this as a theme feels making natural sense. Games are for children, so a game about children playing is for growlers, isn’t it? Ok, this might be an ordinary slightly clunky hack and slash in terms of mechanics, but there’s so much more to it, because of all the little details and personality. You heal with high fives and drive around a bike and upgrade it and listen to cute punk. All this with melancholy and nostalgia hiding behind a curtain of joyful graphics. If I get around to play it, it might be my game of the year contender.

2. Anodyne 2

That’s another weird zeldalike, if that’s a genre. The original Anodyne was a captivating quirky game clever in every way its creators decided to take it. In the sequel, they replaced broom with a vacuum cleaner. They added 3d graphics and driving sections and left some 2d sections in. It’s way too complicated for me to even understand it and that’s why the devs made an explanatory video. Anyway, Anodyne 2 looks like it builds up on its predecessor’s themes successfully. It looks and sounds great too, if you want to hear so.

3. Telling Lies

It would be a travesty to leave out the latest project of Sam Barlow. Her Story was a forming experience of mine and it stars Kerry Bishé. I guess it’s more of non-linear tv or something else than a game but I also guess Telling Lies are an exceptional disturbing story. Definitely want to get my hands on it later.

4. The Sands of Voltark

Colorfiction recently published Ode to a Moon, which is a free demo right now. It looks little too shiny and like too much of a psych fest for my personal taste. The Sands of Voltark used to be a free game from 2018 with loads of orange in it. From the description I can’t really imagine the gameplay, but your movement causing destruction of natural order sounds like an interesting interaction with a lifeless world. Now, the devs updated it with more content and added a price tag. For some reason I decided to feature it instead of any of the above mentioned metroidvanias or Ode to a Moon. You can purchase it for mere 3 dollars.

5. Guardian Sphere

Now this game from Pixel Boy is colorful, action packed and free. Just grab it on itch, sit down with a friend and play till you beat it. It looks really fun. It’s some kind of reversed shmup, originally prototyped for ludum dare 44. I think the core mechanic of you spending you hp on upgrades is genius. You can choose from several characters and ram through 5 worlds. Also, it’s the first bigger finished project from the creator with one of the cleanest pixel art around.

#list #wishlist #backlands #turok: escape from lost valley #minoria #momodora #monster boy and the cursed kingdom #eagle island #grizzland #guardian sphere #the sands of voltark #pagan #knights and bikes #anodyne2

[periafairy]

Kirana

An excerpt from Kirana Encyclopedia by Bertina, a genius scholar of Lunace

Awareness of existence

After learning of the Kiranas’ existence, at the request of Lunace's* founding ideology, and at the request of Eurasys**, we have studied the history and ecology of Kirana, who will live with us in the future.

* Lunace has the belief that there is no turning point in truth. He does not discriminate against any existence. It is also declaring neutrality as a political measure. It is strong because new knowledge can be played out by human and Kirana.

**  One of the children of the moon, the first contractor of man and Kirana, and the protocol of the human Kirana community. He has enormous influence on the world to improve human relations.

Encounter

Two worlds that must exist in different dimensions: Arca* and Peria**. Even Ferrill (?) didn't understand why the dimensions collided.

In the aftermath of this great crash, some of the remnants of Arca, which were destroyed, interfered in the dimensions of Peria. We decided to call the interference ‘shard.’ Through Shard, creatures appeared in this world with various appearances. They were ‘kirana.' 

* The world created by the god of chaos, Akasha, and the birthplace of Kirana

** The world created by the god of condemnation, peril. Home of humans

Definition

Kirana are creatures made by Akasha, and are native to Arca.

Kirana have a wide variety of forms, from human-like to animal-like to object-like. Also, Arca has plants and objects that are very similar to Kirana. Therefore, one can conclude that a Kirana can’t be defined through its morphological similarity.

What distinguishes between Arca's objects and Kirana is the existence of a "self." What distinguishes between Peria’s humans from Kirana is the power given to Kirana, or the ability called "trick."

Therefore, I define Kirana as 'a creature of Arca with power and self that Akasha granted.' 

Ecology

Life expectancy

Unlike humans, Kirana can freely separate and merge the body and mind.

In other words, a Kirana can have several bodies of her own, and can move around in one of them. Even if the body is damaged, the Kirana will not die, but will be transferred to another body. Therefore, in theory the lifespan of a Kirana is close to infinite.

However, special materials and conditions are needed to make the body, and it’s more difficult to have these in Peria.

If the last body is destroyed without preparing the next one, the Kirana's mind is said to drift through the air like a balloon that has lost its weight, eventually dissipating.

Reproduction

Kirana are born from a special dream.

In that special dream that only Akasha is said to be able to sleep, the Kirana sleeps alone. By waking the dream outside, the Kirana comes out to the world. This is called the birth of Kirana.

The procedure for birth is as follows.

Two or more Kiranas who want to awaken a new Kirana observe their dream to visit.

Kiranas interfere with special dreams and resonate with the new kirana. In the process, special dreams are destroyed and recombined to create a path that leads to the world.

The Kiranas lead this path to the world, and the new one is born along that path.

This birth is still happening now that Akasha is broken into six pieces. Some say it's because Akasha had so many dreams left in her lifetime. Some say that one of Acacia's sculptures lost her will and endlessly spew out dreams. 

There are many other hypotheses, but we have no way to verify them yet.

Life / livelihood

Unlike humans, Kirana can survive without eating food.

The land of Arca was infinitely releasing the aura needed for Kirana's survival. Kiranas are said to have absorbed the aura and made it into energy. 

Humans can live just by breathing air.

Also, Kiranas don’t need to sleep or relax because they never grow fatigued. If one body was destroyed, they would move to the next body.

A Kirana spends most of his day refining the pieces of power given to him: to make a flame more beautiful than anyone else, to stop time around oneself, to create a solid shield that prevents attacks.

Life in Peria

It’s clear that Peria and Arca differ in composition and appearance.

Naturally, Kiranas who have lived in Arca are not able to adapt to the atmosphere of Peria. They’re forced to gain the strength needed to survive through shard pieces that hold the energy of Arca, albeit faintly.

If Eurasys and Akaya* didn't find a way to "contract," then Kiranas who arrived in Peria would have faced an untimely end.

* Akasha’s first creation, her friend

Desire

Before the Great Collision, Kirana had lived in Arca in an environment where they could get as much as they wanted.

So for them, a lack of something doesn’t lead to anger, frustration, conflict, or looting; instead, it’s an incentive to work harder for it.

It needs to be understood that this is fundamentally the biggest difference to human needs.

"He has a lot of things I don't have." In this situation, humans angrily think, 'Because he's taking up a lot of things, mine's been reduced.' By contrast, Kirana think, 'I want to have as much as he has, so I'll try and work for it.' In other words, Kirana act by grinding and polishing the pieces of power given to them.

I think that Kirana's way of thinking is more of an ideal way that was possible because they lived in Arca, an environment that could meet their needs indefinitely.

Essentially, desire stems from deficiency, and it's caused by a lack of many of the factors necessary to survive. The Peria-Arca crash has greatly affected the Kiranas' desires in a slightly more 'human' direction.

A desire for self-esteem and self-realization

If there’s one common desire shared by all Kiranas, it’s a "desire for self-realization."

It’s a desire to influence the world by expressing the power / “trick” that Akasha gave them, and to receive Akasha’s recognition of this realization.

For Kiranas who lost Akasha, it’s a natural change to reveal their ability to the person who’s contracted to them and to receive their recognition.

Possessive desires

This desire is considered to be a new one after the Great Collision.

Originally, Kiranas loved to collect things they were interested in. But this changes easily with interest, and there was no difference in hierarchy / class between the Kiranas that had more or less.

After the crash, however, Kiranas face the crisis of ‘death.’ They are now free to build their own bodies, and they are unable to travel freely through the near-infinite creation world.

So it’s natural that the concept of 'possessions' has slowly arisen in Kirana who have come to Peria. They’ve realized the importance of collecting materials and shard pieces that make up their bodies and making them into possessions.

It seems that this desire naturally created the concept of private property.

Creation

Akasha was able to create Kirana without much limitation.

But even Akasha could not escape the order of the universe; her creatures had to follow the fundamental principle of the universe: they had to be affected by the five major elements, fire, rock, water...

(For this part, I can only guess by stirring Akaya’s in-depth discussion.)

A kirana's body is comprised of one of these five elements. The principle and nature of a Kirana's power, as well as its relationship with other Kiranas, are based on this element.

Gender

Kiranas seemingly had no concept of gender before encountering humans.

Although body structure may remind us of human women and men, and of females and males in animals, Kiranas only regard it as a difference in species, such as wings, antennae, scales, and shining beads.

In accordance with the Peria resident registration system, each Kirana is free to choose the gender of a man, woman, or otherwise. 

Society

Under the clear and systematic guidance of Peril, Peria’s society is divided between the ruling priest class, knights, and commoners.

By contrast, in Arca there was an equal relationship between individuals that was based on respect and free of discrimination and hierarchy.

There was also no concept of private property or common property in Arca.

Kiranas basically have friends and colleagues relationships. A Kirana who takes another out of a dream is a special friend, but there seems to be no perception of parent-child relationships or family.

Kiranas have a strong sense of individualism, and do not try to understand other Kiranas. Their basic attitude in life is to do what one wants and to not do what one doesn’t.

In addition, it’s not unusual for Kiranas who are now in groups to antagonize or sympathize with humans. Just as humans have undergone a major change after the Great Collision and have broken down their ranks and opted for community life, it’s important to remember that Kiranas are also intelligent and adaptable to change.

Species

We call the Kirana population, which has unique characteristics and abilities, the Kirana species. 

Originally, species means a group of individuals capable of normal reproduction, but this distinction doesn't mean anything to Kirana.

Rather, what power was granted by Akasha is a more important distinction.

They are personal Kiranas, but their bond to Kirana of the same species is very special. This is a bond as a fellow man with the same piece of power, not a sense of family or society. 

New social structures

This is a new social structure seen in Kiranas who do not belong to the community.

Kiranas who specialize in setting up, maintaining, and protecting shards play the most important role for everyone's safety.

Because of this, a group is formed to protect these Kirana, and the role is divided according to the power within the group. This naturally forms the military class of command, and is now the most common class system.

It seems to be a reasonable system in which the majority agree to the goal rather than the concept of domination, command, and obedience.

Religion - Attitude toward God

For Kirana, Akasha was considered 'all Kirana's friends.'

Every Kirana is fundamentally in awe of their creator Akasha, but at the same time has affection and friendliness.

And Akasha also used to live without giving them orders or giving them a guilty conscience. To our surprise, the fickleness, grumbling, and mistakes of Akasha often became the target of jokes and sarcasm to Kiranas.

The traditional sense of "religion to serve God" did not originate among Kirana, as it did in the Peril Church. 

Sometimes, powerful Kirana try to spread the idea that ‘might makes right.’ It's easy to find some thoughtful Kirana preaching ideas that are close to religion, but this is more of an attitude towards life.

Seasons

Arca had no concept of date or seasons.

Some places have the same time as Peria, in some places the sky has stopped, and in some places, summer and winter are repeated every day instead of day and night.

There was no concept of seasonal farming or gathering, either. Since God's authority was not strong, there was no concept of 'first day.'

In other words, it’s no exaggeration to say that festivals are held every day. Competitions large and small in diverse fields such as speculation, academic scholarship, and play were popular forms of entertainment in Arca. 

Language

All Kirana uses a single common language.

While unique expressions may be popular in different regions or times, every Kirana can communicate freely without interpretation.

Ancient languages that deal with the principles of things can be freely manipulated by Kiranas.

The Kiranas' language consists of speech and text, and every Kirana has a sensory organ that can interpret at least one of the voices and letters.

Technology

They have developed internal combustion engines and a civilization capable of making and controlling electronic circuits.

Dynamics, architecture, affluence and flight-related technologies have been developed mainly by means of glazing and floating stones.

There’s a high level of technological skill based on the understanding and study of the ancient languages used by Akasha and Peril.

It wasn't an environment where huge equipment was needed to produce parts. It wasn’t equipped with a mass production system because experiments were produced by the needs and fun of the time.

Overall, the skill level of Kiranas is far higher than that of humans. Kiranas have the knowledge of basic machine structure and operating principles, but as it was never intended for survival, it seems to be disorganized / unstructured.

Contract

Kirana found that they can get something from humans that’s similar to the aura obtained from Arca.

After a long and elaborate experiment, we realized that it's not easy for Kirana to use the human spirit. We have to share some of the human consciousness with some special Kirana.

There were concerns that the special Kirana might be tampering with or destroying human consciousness, but no such cases have been found yet.

We call this special Kirana a guardian Kirana, and we call this sharing a contract.

Also, a person who has signed a contract with a guardian Kirana can freely contract with other common Kiranas.

However, it has been observed that some Kiranas do not sign contracts as guardian Kiranas. It’s not yet clear whether it is a lack of human spirit or a lack of character with the guardian Kirana.

Human relations

Just like humans, even Kirana of the same species can be enemies or allies. We think for ourselves, and do what we think is right based on our beliefs.

Depending on our behavior, Kirana can be an enemy or ally.

Sources:

http://peria.nexon.com/main/gInfo_Intro_sub1.aspx

https://papago.naver.com

#peria #peria chronicles #lore

[illfoandillfie]

Good morning! May I please get a love reading with the Jane Austen deck and the Moon Oracle? Thank you so much! ❤

sure thing darlin!

tarot: the fool, 4 of pentacles, knight of pentacles/the star, 10 of pentacles, 5 of pentacles/the hierophant, king of wands/the magician

Okay, right off the bat I’m getting the sense that you’d like some sort of romantic relationship to happen. Probably with the long term goal of getting married and all that. 

The Fool is one of my favourite cards in the deck. He’s a free spirit who leaps at opportunities for adventure and sees the world with childlike wonder and excitement. He also represents new beginnings. He’s the first card of the major arcana so it only makes sense for his focus to be on the beginning of things. Under him we have the 10 of pentacles which, as the final numerical card of the pentacles suit, represents legacy and inheritance. Because the suit of pentacles is tied to the grounded, material world it’s heavily associated with family and money so the 10 is about having an abundance of wealth - emotional and spiritual as well as physical/financial - and having people to share it with. These cards together say you are looking to find the start of the thread that will lead you to that 10 of pentacles life. You want to feel safe and secure and happy with a family you’ve made (be it by blood or by bond) and know that you have a tribe you can share your everything with, especially a particular partner. Some people may call you naïve for wanting that or for believing you can have it but the Fool is telling you not to worry about them.

The top middle card is the 4 of pentacles which represents conservation, frugality and security. Beneath it is the 5 of pentacles which in this deck doubles up as the Hierophant. The 5 of pentacles symbolises need, poverty and insecurity while the Hierophant is related to tradition and conformity. The Hierophant is why I mentioned the goal of marriage before. Traditional relationships often aim for marriage so that’s something i associate with the card heavily. But it’s interesting here that we have one card meaning security and one meaning insecurity. I’m definitely getting the sense that you feel like you’re really missing something by not having a relationship and that finding a partner is a big goal of yours. One idea that came to me in relation to these cards is that you’ve met someone or know someone you’d like to have a more romantic connection with but either they haven’t reciprocated or you haven’t mentioned it for fear that they won’t. That push/pull of the security/insecurity thing feels like it could be two different opinions butting heads but one of the more negative aspects of the 4 of pents is that when taken to an extreme level, the conservation and frugality can turn into hoarding and clinginess so it could also be an inner turmoil situation. 

Then we have our last column which includes 2 court cards and 2 major arcana since both the knight and the king double up. If you do have an idea of who you want to try and create this ideal romance with then it’s very possible that the knight represents one of you and the king represents the other. Even if you don’t have a specific person in mind, the court cards could still be representing you and someone you could potentially form a connection with but it’s also entirely possible that both are more to do with you than anyone else. 

So the knight of pentacles represents efficiency, hard work, and responsibility. This knight is trustworthy and reliable. He’s not as quick as the other nights, not as ready to leap into action at the drop of a hat. But, though he acts slower and maybe seems a little more shy, he is patient and will perservere with something until it is complete to his satisfaction. If he is representing a possible partner it may be a sign that you can’t hurry love and while he is on his way to you, he might take a little while to reach you. He could also be telling you to be patient. There is work to be done and you aren’t quite at the point of meeting your love, but you’re getting there. 

The king of wands on the other hand is very much a leader. He’s about the big picture and overcoming whatever challenges face him. There’s a creative energy about him and he’s definitely passionate. If he’s representing another it could be a sign that this person is a little older than you or more experienced. And if not then this could be a message that you’ll meet someone through something you’re passionate about or though a hobby. It’s also saying that while it might be challenging to know what you want but feel unable to find it, that you are capable of getting to where you want to be. 

Now, as to their major arcana meanings. The Knight doubles as The Star which is a card of pure hope and faith. The King doubles as The Magician which represents willpower and desire and manifestation. There’s a lot of wishing and dreaming and praying for this relationship to happen. A desperation to find this person and start on the road to that 10 of pentacles. Both cards point to this being a good time to meet new people if you haven’t already and that there’s a strong possibility of finding a love connection. Of course, you have to put in the work for it to happen, but the opportunities will be there for you to take. 

I pulled you three moonology cards - New Moon in Taurus (Prosperity lies ahead) + Full Moon in Taurus (Your dreams need a practical plan) + Full Moon in Airies (A fiery climax approaches!)

Alright, first of all I have to address those astrologial signs. Two Taurus cards! And after you got all of those pentacles cards! Taurus is an earth sign which means it’s connected to the pentacles suit. So, seeing two of them, this could indicate that the person you’re thinking of or the person you will meet will be a Taurus or will have a lot of planets in their natal charts associated with Taurus. Or, at least, an earth sign. The third card is Aries which is a fire sign which is connected with - that’s right - wands! Synchronicity baby!! 

As to their actual meanings. Both the new moon in taurus and full moon in aries suggest that the ball will start rolling soon and that you won’t have to wait too much longer for you to meet someone or express your interest to them. Full moon in taurus definitely ties in with that king card above in that it wants you to think about how to approach the situation. If you have your eye on someone then think about ways to talk to them more or get to know them better. Otherwise start brainstorming possible ways to meet people - set up an online dating profile or make an effort to make friends at work (or college/etc) that could either be a potential date or could introduce you to someone you might like. However you approach it, you need to actively do something before anything can happen. 

Then we have 2 romance angel cards - Make The Effort (Great love is worth taking the steps you’re guided to take.) + New Love (A new person has stirred your romantic feelings.) 

Again we have a message of action - I’m getting the sense that the King is a message for you rather than about another person but take it as it resonates - and that effort on your part is required to get further on this path. The New Love card implies that this is someone you haven’t yet met or you only kind of know but with whom you can create a deeper connection. Keep an eye out for anyone entering your life in the coming few months. 

And lastly, 1 heart card which says: Imagine all unwanted thoughts dissolving into light, creating room for new opportunities and possibilities for your life. 

There is so much potential here. You just need to step out and create some opportunities for yourself. This made me think of the magician. He’s confidant with his magic and knows he’s powerful enough to create what he wants with it. You need to harness the same self belief so you can manifest your own desires. 

#card readings

[buddyrabrahams]

Each NBA team’s most important player

The mother of all NBA seasons is nearing. So as you finalize your League Pass subscriptions, complete your fantasy drafts, and prepare the guacamole for your watch parties, take some time to ponder the true meaning of the season — specifically, the benevolent stars who make such a joyous holiday possible with their prodigious athletic talents.

Here I present, each NBA team’s most important player heading into 2017-18:

Atlanta Hawks — Dennis Schroder, PG

“All my friends are dead,” said Schroder in his best Lil Uzi Vert voice as he gazed upon his roster following the respective exits of his last remaining All-Star teammates in Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard this summer. Yes, the Hawks are now as thin as a toothpick, and the incentive for them to “Do Badly for Bagley” or “Make The Fans Puka for Luka” will be enormous. But somebody has to lead this JV squad, and their resident German is as good of an option as any. Perhaps we will see Dennis the Menace gun for 20 and 10. Maybe he develops some nice pick-and-roll chemistry with new additions Dewayne Dedmon and rookie John Collins. Perhaps he finally bleaches his entire head blonde. Anything to give this team a modicum of watchability this season.

Boston Celtics — Kyrie Irving

After selling an arm, a leg, and a hip for him this summer, the Celtics will hope that Irving’s performance in his first season with them does not fall flat. The outside noise in Uncle Drew’s ear will be deafening — mockery of his decision to ditch LeBron James and go off in search of his own empire, jeers at the perceived stagnation of his playmaking skills, pervasive meme treatments of his unorthodox views on astronomy. But Irving is here for one reason and one reason only: to ball out. And that’s what he’s gonna do. Just remember kids, there’s no such thing as distractions when you’re very much woke. [mic drop]

Brooklyn Nets — D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG

If the Nets were a Harry Potter novel, Russell would definitely be the Golden Snitch. Banished from the Magic Kingdom in Los Angeles, the former No. 2 overall pick now finds himself in a situation where he could easily go 20-5-5 this season. Playing next to Jeremy Lin gives Russell the dynamic offensive threat and extra penetrator/creator that he has lacked in the backcourt to this point of his career, and there’s little doubt that D-Lo will be serving as Kenny Atkinson’s go-to scorer as well. His halfcourt skills are divine, his court vision is superb, and his opportunity is now limitless. [points to solid water in veins]

Charlotte Hornets — Kemba Walker, PG

Nicolas Batum is down for the count, so that leaves Walker as the Charlotte Tune Squad’s only true playmaker for now. Fear not though, for this 6-foot-1 slayer of giants is certainly up for the task.

Walker was in peak form last season with 23.2 points a game on 44.4 percent shooting and 39.9 percent from deep (all career-bests). Whether he’s bullying your ankles or stepping back and splashing from outer space, Kardiac Kemba is the Hornets’ cash cow (which is somewhat ironic given that his four-year, $48 million deal marks one of the best bargains in the league today), and he is definitely here to stay.

Chicago Bulls — Zach LaVine, PG/SG

Congrats to LaVine for narrowly beating out the lesser Lopez brother, Michael Porter Jr., and Fred Hoiberg’s polo shirt. A cornerstone of the franchise-resetting Jimmy Butler trade, the two-time Dunk Contest champ is all Bulls fans really have to be excited about in a clear rebuilding year. Even so, LaVine is coming off an ACL tear and might be out a few more months. So the worst-case scenario is that the Bulls are a flaming tire fire, and the best-case scenario is that the Bulls are a flaming tire fire interspersed with some LaVine rim-rockers towards the latter part of the year. Make Chicago basketball fun again.

Cleveland Cavaliers — LeBron James, SF/PF

14 years and over 50,000 minutes later, and The King’s Court remains in session. That troublemaking court jester Kyrie Irving is now exiled, his best knight Dwyane Wade has returned to his side to put the shine back in his crown, and his new cast of noblemen (Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, and more) are pleasing. The reviled Golden State empire is a mighty rival indeed. But King James, now aged 32 but with all his physical faculties still intact, will rise from his throne once more and lay down his scepter in preparation for battle. And I fear for all who are forced to stand in his midst.

Dallas Mavericks — Dennis Smith Jr., PG

The Mavs are near-unanimously seen as a non-playoff team in the demonic West, and that likely won’t change no matter how many 20-point games Harrison Barnes drops or how many heartwarming moments our beloved Dirk Nowitzki graces us with. As such, the name of the game for them will be player development and the excitement factor. Enter DSJ and that batty athleticism. The NC State product is one of the rare rookies (ultra-rare when you consider head coach Rick Carlisle’s track record) with the opportunity to start and make an impact right away. Smith Jr. will touch the moon and walk amongst the comets this season, and we will all be better people because of it.

Denver Nuggets — Nikola Jokic, C

Jokic exists in the space where basketball and romanticism intersect. Every post-up is a dance recital, every delivery to a cutter is a precise work of art, and every fast break is a case study in musical theory. Now paired with a like-minded frontcourt partner in Paul Millsap, the Serbian big man has a strong chance to build on his 2016-17 averages (16.7/9.8/4.9) and become the suave slaughterer he was always meant to be. Don’t rain on my parade with cries about his defense, for this is a celebration: a celebration of the man who is making slow and unathletic fashionable again, Mr. Nikola “Big Honey” Jokic.

Detroit Pistons — Andre Drummond, C

Drummond probably came along a dozen or so years too early for his own good. The reality is that a big man stiff who has zero range, possesses limited ability to either protect the basket or switch onto opposing ball-handlers, and shoots like Sheldon Cooper from the free throw line has minimal value in the modern NBA game. But here’s the good news: Drummond is still just 24 years old and his rebound-gorging, rim-assaulting ways at least give him a decent floor as a starting center. With another year of maturity, he will look to become less of an enigma and more of the basketball bully he was born to be.

Golden State Warriors — Draymond Green, PF/C

[jumps into vat of liquid introgen due to the smoldering heat of the take] Truth be told though, this might not even be that bold of an opinion, as Green is legitimately indispensable to everything the Dubs do. Lose one of Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, and they still have one transcendent bucket-getter who can punch you right out of the scoreboard. Lose one of Curry or Klay Thompson, and they are still capable of raining human suffering on you from long-range. Lose one of Thompson or Durant, and they can still lean on the 3-and-D attributes of the other. But lose Green? Their best distributor, best screen-and-roll player, best team defender, and emotional leader all wrapped up in one? Not great, Bob. Yes, Green is the most vital part of what’s arguably the greatest team in hardwood history, and you gotta get a kick out of that.

Houston Rockets — Chris Paul, PG

James Harden already knows Houston’s personnel and head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense as well as the back of his beard, which leaves the majority of the adjusting in this relationship to be done by the newcomer Paul. CP3’s methodical, walk-the-ball-up style is in direct incongruence with the up-tempo principles that D’Antoni preaches (and to an extent, Harden’s own ball-dominating tendencies), so a middle ground will definitely need to be reached. Still, with his defensive activity, his subtle strokes of pick-and-roll genius, and yes, his leadership, Paul should provide a hard-hitting yin to Harden’s yang as the Rockets vie for the title of best non-Warriors team in the West.

Indiana Pacers — Myles Turner, PF/C

With Paul George peacing out of Indiana, the springy 21-year-old suddenly has the opportunity to be the biggest Turner on this side of Desiigner. While he could still use some improvement when it comes to rebounding and overall consistency, Turner otherwise has an ideal skillset for a young centerpiece to build a team around. Step 1: manufacture an elite defense using Turner’s shot-blocking and mobility. Step 2: construct a top-tier offense centered on his versatile scoring arsenal. Step 3: profit. OK, maybe it won’t be quite that easy, but it should still be a pleasure to watch Turner raise Hickory Hell in 2017-18.

Los Angeles Clippers — Blake Griffin, PF/C

“The Blake Griffin Show” is not only my favorite new primetime television series of the fall, it’s also the new reality for the Clippers in the aftermath of Chris Paul going ciao. The usual health disclaimers are inescapable with Griffin, whose availability could be the difference between 47 wins and the playoffs or 37 wins and the lottery. But for all you beleaguered point-forward enthusiasts, have I got a new god for you. Should I be institutionalized for believing Griffin has a chance to go LeBron Lite this season with a stat line somewhere in the range of 22-8-7? Probably. But what stands in the ex-top pick’s way in his debut season as Lob City’s sole breadwinner is neither talent nor circumstance: it’s his own body. Are you the gambling type, Clipper fans?

Los Angeles Lakers — Lonzo Ball, PG

It’s time to find out what Big Ballers are really made of. The eldest Ball bro may seem more like a reality star than a professional hooper and his signature shoe may be priced like it’s made of diamonds and caviar. But look beyond the funky jumpshot and the constant negative LaVar covfefe, and you will find a truly special talent. May his passing be so contagious that Adam Silver has to call in the CDC. May the conventions of the sport be turned further on their heads with each full-court outlet pass from his angelic triple-B fingertips. And may the Showtime Lakers bend at the knee and make way for a superior new brand of basketball: The ZoTime Lakers. Tell the haters to stay in their lanes.

Memphis Grizzlies — Mike Conley, PG, Memphis Grizzlies

It’s a point guard-driven league, and by golly, if the Grizzlies are paying Conley over $30 million a year, he darn well better be driving. Fortunately, that the dynamic southpaw did in 2016-17, doing whatever the exact opposite of the big contract blues is by putting forth a career-best year in production. Memphis seems to be going nowhere fast, especially with the untimely (or depending on your perspective, overdue) demise of Grit-N-Grind. But at least we’ll still have Conley getting us lost in the sauce with his two-way exploits.

Miami Heat — Hassan Whiteside, C

Goran Dragic’s nightly 0-to-100 act is enticing, as is the glow of that beachfront property on Waiters Island. But Whiteside’s areas of expertise remain the most irreplaceable on the Heat as he continues to prove his worth as their highest-paid player. The 2K rating has been up for awhile now, the block parties remain the most lit, and the midrange jumpers off glass are a quality wrinkle to what many once believed was a strictly one-dimensional offensive game. Now the focus for Young Whiteside should be on how to effectively match up against stretch-fives a la Kevin Love and Al Horford while still asserting his birthright over the painted area. Open up my eager eyes.

Milwaukee Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo, PG/SG/SF

My large, basketball-playing son is here to turn every day into Freaky Friday, bless his heart. Few superlatives could articulate the season Antetokounmpo put together in 2016-17. Embodying the spirit of Oprah Winfrey herself, he pointed at each of his major statistical categories and shouted, “YOU’RE GETTING A CAREER-HIGH! AND YOU’RE GETTING A CAREER-HIGH!” When the dust settled, Antetokounmpo finished with 22.9/8.8/5.4/1.6/1.9 and dragged a Bucks team that missed an entire season combined between Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker to the 6-seed. He’s a monstrosity no matter what end of the floor he’s on, and if he ever starts hitting his jumper with any consistency (which we’re already seeing glimpses of), not to be overly dramatic or anything, but we’re probably all dead. O Giannis, my Giannis.

Minnesota Timberwolves — Karl-Anthony Towns

There’s a reason why our young three-named emperor recently topped the 2017-18 NBA GM survey of which player they would most like to start a team with. True, he may still be a net liability as a defender. But 25.1 points per game on 54.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three is special for any player, much less a 21-year-old pupper. Towns is equal parts physical and finesse, and while the buckets of St. Jimmy Butler and the all-around vigor of the newly-extended Andrew Wiggins will be key for the Wolves, what will truly bring the Western Conference to its knees is when KAT gets its tongue.

New Orleans Pelicans — Anthony Davis, PF/C

I’ve run out of clever eyebrow-related puns, so let’s just look at Davis for what he really is: the biggest walking mismatch in the league today. His trusty 18-footer makes him a tougher cover than a Giannis Antetokounmpo, his 6-foot-11 frame and his 8-foot wingspan make him a more unique hell than any shorter player, and graceful strides make him harder to guard going to the hoop than a Karl-Anthony Towns or a DeAndre Jordan. Now that Davis has hopefully gotten over his growing pains with fellow All-NBA big and ex-Kentucky Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins, the 30-point-per-game mark, the Defensive Player of the Year Award, who knows, maybe even Most Valuable Player honors are all hypothetically within the reach of his octopus-like grasp.

New York Knicks — Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C

Au revoir to the Melodrama at long merciful last. With Carmelo Anthony finally making like an egg and beating it, ’tis a new day for the Knickerbockers. And who better to lead them into their next chapter than Mr. Three Six Latvia? Sure, Porzingis will have some help from a Suicide Squad of sorts: Tim Hardaway’s overpaid son, rookie guard Frank last-name-pronunciation-unknown, and of course Woke Michael Beasley. But the people are finally getting what they want: a 7-foot-3 fairy-tale creature finally getting his moment as the focal point of an offense. All rise for the honorable Porzingod.

Oklahoma City Thunder — Russell Westbrook, PG

I don’t know about you, but I’m still out of breath from the rampage that was the Brodie’s 2016-17 season. His breakup with Kevin Durant left Westbrook free to release his earthly tether and spread his wings to live a war-hungry life among the dragons. Now, an MVP award, a scoring title, and basically every triple-double in NBA history later, Westbrook’s short-lived but nevertheless unforgettable solo career is over, and a new superteam has arisen before him. The equally stunning acquisitions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony pose as many chemistry concerns as they do title upside, and now the onus in on Westbrook to be the gracious host who welcomes them into his house.

Orlando Magic — Aaron Gordon, PF

The poster child for the #NotMySmallForward movement that I just started literally five seconds ago, Gordon has nowhere to go but up this season. The talented 22-year-old endured a bitter 2016-17 campaign that saw him forced out of position in Orlando’s sardine-like frontcourt and left with an egg on his face after his dud of Dunk Contest follow-up act in what was an overall discouraging year for his growth as a player. But Serge Ibaka and Jeff Green have since gone bye-bye (albeit with rookie big man Jonathan Isaac saying hello), leaving Gordon to (hopefully) see more minutes in his natural habitat as a multi-position defensive padlock and energetic north-south presence from the power forward spot. Don’t blow this for us, Frank Vogel. Not again.

Philadelphia 76ers — Joel Embiid, C

“Live by the Process, die by the Process” -Matthew 26:52. With Philly committing a full five-year, $148 million max extension (albeit with some injury protections) to Embiid after just 31 career games, they are not just taking a leap but an entire skydive-out-of-a-C-182-aircraft of faith. The Cameroonian is well-worth the dice roll though — when he’s on the court, Embiid is a conqueror of galaxies who dominates every aspect of the game from paint to paint and often extends his reign of terror to the three-point line as well. To put it simply, Embiid’s health will be the singular defining factor for the Sixers’ trajectory as a team these next several years. No pressure, bro.

Phoenix Suns — Devin Booker, SG

Fact: Devin Booker scored 70 points in a game last season. Also fact: Michael Jordan’s single-game career-high was a mere 69. I don’t know about you, but I personally require no further convincing that Booker is the greatest basketball player of all-time. In all honesty though, it’s absurd how many different ways the Kentucky product can score the ball, and he’s still not even old enough to get into the club yet. Booker will stunt on you running the high screen or coming off it, and while the crux of his development needs to come on the defensive end, Phoenix has found their meal ticket for the next decade-plus.

Portland Trail Blazers — Damian Lillard, PG

Fresh off the hottest album drop in the history of either hip or hop, what exactly can we expect from Dame D.O.L.L.A. as we enter into a new season? Well, he went 27-5-6 last year and missed out on every major accolade before getting swept in the first round, so he probably has an entire bag of potato chips on his shoulder at this point. But Angry Lillard remains best Lillard, and thus, here’s looking forward to another year of him firing cannonballs from the three-point arc and delivering an assortment of inside-out dribbles to leave your knee ligaments in the abyss. From (number) zero to hero indeed.

Sacramento Kings — Buddy Hield, SG

No, this is not Vivek Ranadive’s alt-account. But as the Kings search for a new savior in their first full season post-Boogie Cousins, the smart money is on His Majesty Prince Buddy ascending to the throne. Hield is thoroughly marvelous at scoring and attacking off the dribble, and the 15.1 points per game he scored as a rookie after being traded to Sacramento provided a momentary glimpse into his offensive upside. And as we enter into the new NBA season, I’d like to propose a toast to the best basketball-playing Buddy since Air Bud himself.

San Antonio Spurs — Kawhi Leonard, SF

Not since the 2001 Sixers have we seen a team rely so heavily on a head of cornrows. With everybody on the Spurs aging and LaMarcus Aldridge getting some major style points for his Houdini act, Leonard in all of his stoicism may be the only thing preventing San Antonio from descending into a state of uncharacteristic chaos. There remains no better player alive if you need a stop on one end and a score on the other end, and as he looks for his third straight 60-plus-win season as the lead singer of the Spurs, expect Leonard’s stone-faced and iron-fisted rule to be front and center in the West once again.

Toronto Raptors — DeMar DeRozan, SG

“I’m just like DeRozan, if I shoot it, it goes in.” While that lyric might not be entirely statistically accurate (DeRozan’s career FG percentage is 44.6, so odds are if he shoots it, it probably won’t go in), his importance to the Raptors is no less. Though he took Toronto the bank over the summer, Kyle Lowry will turn 32 this season. Thus, the burden could increasingly lie on DeRozan to do most of the heavy lifting on offense.

After finishing fifth in the league last year with a personal-best 27.3 points per game, he is clearly fit for the job. But efficiency will always be an issue for No. 10, and it’s probably time to give up on the dream of him ever developing a reliable three-point jumper. So at the end of the day, if Toronto has any further growth to make with this current core, it will almost certainly have to come from DeRozan’s end of the equation.

Utah Jazz — Rudy Gobert, C

Raise thy hand if thou art ready for Rudy Gobert to go St. Anger on the National Basketball Association. Gordon Hayward is no more, but fear not Jazz fans, for The Stifle Tower remains to defend your honor, both literally and figuratively. There’s still a lot to like in Utah this year with Gobert set to catch lobs from fellow Euro stud Ricky Rubio as he and the rest of the team sop up the shot attempts that Hayward leaves behind. Meanwhile, the defense he anchors could potentially prove even more suffocating with the arrivals of rock-solid one-on-one stoppers like Thabo Sefolosha and Jonas Jerebko. Yep, this season especially, this Rudy should be anything but regular-sized.

Washington Wizards — John Wall, PG

With the vivid image of Wall catching the Holy Spirit and sinking a game-winning three in front of his home crowd in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semis still crisp in the minds of many, he enters 2017-18 with a lot more work ahead. It will be tough for Optimus Dime to build on a season where he flirted with a 23-11 line while playing in 77+ games for the fourth straight year and finishing top-ten in the NBA in usage. But he is embarking on the fabled age-27 season and will be running it back in a feeble conference with virtually his entire supporting cast still intact. All in all, it’s just another brick in the Wall.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2xCvia3

[holy-mountaineering]

This spread is for @Latasha-kills

Here’s the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread that I do. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card, its position on the Tree, and then I’ll give you a summary/synopsis of the spread as a whole. You know the routine.

Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map, or even the land of a regular map, everything is happening at once, in each place. It’s important to think of yourself as moving “through” the map but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map. Maybe as a person, the Qabalistic Adam Kadmon.

Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have the Princess of Wands, the earthy part of Fire.

This is the material substance that comes from fuels action. Think of this: you have to make a fire because it is cold. You have a set amount of wood. You can make a big ass, bright ass fire that will leave you cold later that night when you’re out of wood, but jazzed while it’s happening. Or you can make a smaller, less exciting fire that will keep you warm all night.

There is also a message about the last step in any action is really to become the actions and to let them become you. When your very Earthly substance is in it, you are no longer doing you just are.

Don’t burn yourself out and exhaust your resources on what you’re tackling in life right now. Do this and you shall live to dance and party another night.

In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of  your hometown is the Ace of Disks, the root power of Earth or the material. 

This is the foundation which all your solid structures are and will be built on. This is the very root of your real world/material life situation. While this doesn’t mean you must tear everything down or that there is nothing in your material world that you've built, it does mean you must look at the source from which you've built your material and everyday world. If you have no foundation you can have no structure. If you have a shoddy foundation, you'll have a shoddy structure. Look to what things were like  before you began building. Is there sand beneath you? Are you in a swamp, building castles of stone that will bind to the mud and be pulled down much sooner than later? Did you account for the raise in elevation when you laid your foundation? Look down to the base of what you've made and what you've made it upon.

This is an engineering job, you’ll need tools to measure and level everything out. The occult might not be the best place to find these tools and it is possible that you have issues much more base than you're willing to cop to. There are many tools you can use to look at your foundation provided in psychology and meditation from other sources. The Universe throws us extreme situations and more often than not, this is the only way people see their basest of instincts and behaviors really act out. If you can, take a look at what connects you and what you’re building to the Earth before an earthquake, tornado, volcano, or other act of G-D forces you to pray everything was fine. Check the strength of your foundations before the strength of your foundations are checked.

Get down to the base fundamentals of what is going on in your material (things, money, living situation, literal stuff) and build from the ground up if you must.

In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the 7 of Swords, Futility.

This is the main thrust of the Will through the mind being thwarted by in helpful organization of ideas. Each sword with a planetary sigil are like the spikes in a parking garage, one way. It isn’t that the ideas or aspects represented by these swords are “bad” just that their placement and yours are not lined up in the best way right now. 

Mentally and communication wise pull back from what you’re going at and work on how you’re organizing the information in your head.

In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the 6 of Swords, Science!

This is thinking and communicating in its idealized form. This is the system building card where individual thoughts are organized into a repeatable formula. Mercury’s intelligence is flowing through the Water Bearer Aquarius and coming down to useful data gathering techniques.

Organize the way you’re thinking about what you’re doing to reflect all of the information you have available. Be scholarly about your thought process and write shit down goddamnit.

Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is VII The Chariot, Cheth, Cancer.

I like to think of the Chariot as an armored train. The Four elements are the engine pulling the otherwise stagnate charioteer of Cancer down the predetermined path. While they pull him toward his goal he stays in his armored shell focusing on his moving center. This is not about “going off the beaten path” at all, this is “staying on track” to take care of yourself and Yourself, if you catch my meanings. The armour of the night is “not to keep others out, but to keep the Knight focused in.” to paraphrase. The rotating center is the Knight’s center, from His perspective, the center of All.

Stay on your path, you might not be driving the train but it’ll get you going where you need to be. Focus on your soft inside bits like the crab does, you can only fit so much in your current state.

In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is  IV The Emperor, Tzaddi, Aries.

The Emperor is the activating consort of III The Empress. He is King of Spring, the sign of Aries being his energy. He has the energy of the Sun, who in spring gets closer to the Earth and revitalizes the plant growth. The Emperor is formulated, active energy that causes force and growth.

This is new growth brought about like the spring that Aries heralds. Like the season of Spring, this card is activating the potential growth of the Earth, that is to say, the time is right to spring forth and grow as you can, with what you have.

Get formulated and active. Put things in their place or notice the NATURAL orbits of things. What works is that which grows from your energy.

In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is the (often misunderstood, like you) 5 of Disks, Worry. 

Like all of the 5s in Tarot, this is the microcosmic or human number . Don’t believe me? Stand up, stick your arms and legs out and counting your head, congrats, you’re a pentagram. Lord knows people worry like motherfuckers about how they are going to get by in the “normal” world, so there is a stress and strain in this card that everyone late on a bill can understand. This is the worry that you’ll get your intelligence (Mercury) smothered by the laborious strain of Taurus. This is, like all 5s a human limitation issue. 

Well it won’t unless you only see your limitations and make it happen. Be smarter about you material situation so you don’t have to work harder.

In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is XX The Aeon, Shin, Fire.

Think about where you are now and how you go about doing things in general. Do you remember a time before this point in your life when you acted differently and didn’t have this kind of understanding of the world? The Aeon is a new understanding and thus a new way of acting in your life.

Harpocrates giving the sign of silence has to do with the meditative process of accepting this new law of life. You must truly grasp the meaning of this change in order to act in the new “spirit of the age” if you will.

You are being born anew through fire and blood, you are emerging from the egg in the background and coming forth.  What you take away from this will be with you forever but one day will also be improved on and brought to a new level.

On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is MY GIRL, XI Lvst, Teth, Leo, OUR LADY BABALON. 

This is the Serpent motion of the True Will. Both Teth and Leo represent the Snake. Leo was later attributed to the lion but originally it was a snake as you can see by the shape of it’s glyph. The top of the card itself shows snakes (obviously stand ins for sperm) drawing near to the newly torn horizon BABALON has ripped. There are human figures meekly praying beneath the Beast that she rides with the stirrups taunt because SHE is in control of this act. The practical implications is the drive and Will to Do What Thou Wilt at the expense of the weak who would drag you to their grovelling level without a second thought. 

You might need to move “irregularly” like the serpent but very few predators take on snakes and they get to go about their snaky business generally unharmed. In short do what you Need to do, nay sayers be damned. Move powerfully even if you’re so far off the “beaten path” you’re smashing through the thickets.

Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is the The Knight of Swords, the fiery part of Air or acting on thinking.

This is the breeze blowing the forest fire across a road. Our Knight has a sword in each hand as he dive bombs a fixed point. He has his airy bird friends in tow and his steed is as fixed as the rider.

You understand what you must do. Now, you must gather all available force to throw at your new focus.

So, there’s a lot ahead of you on this path so work on pacing yourself so you don’t just burn out quickly. It will help to start from scratch, look at the foundation of what you’re building to ensure that it is solid. If you feel like there is a lot of pressure on you right now, back up and reexamine how you’re approaching things. You have (intentionally or not) called forth things that are supposed to assist you on your travels, but they are big and scary if you come at them wrong. Find the path of least resistance, things being very difficult doesn’t mean they’re right.

That being said, take those big things you see as “in the way” and reorganize those shits so you can use them! This is a bit like “Captain Planet” (terrible cartoon reference that dates how old I am) in that when you combine all these powers they’ll serve you much better. And this may not be news to you, but the direction you’re heading is the right direction as long as you reliquish some control over it. You’re on train tracks, they’re moving one way and again, stay the course, there are forces that wish to help you down this path, trust them. Once you’ve got this idea in your head, the idea that you can use these powers around you to your benefit, you will feel a lot more ordered and in control of the actions you’re taking. Feel that power and vigor and know that it is good and what you’ve been needing.

You are growing and evolving at the correct rate. Don’t rush yourself or get too impatient with yourself. You are just human and so is everyone else, so don’t put too much on yourself or others and realize you’re just a person. However, you are going to be coming to a new realization about the world around you and your place in it. This is the knowledge that comes with age and experience and there’s no way to rush it or explain it before you’re ready, just know that it is happening and begin to work on understanding it for yourself. This is going to involve some “irregular Strength” in the way that it may seem odd to other people, but it is just the way you need to move right now and you should surround yourself with that energy that allows you to make your own moves, your own way that are powerful and individual to you.

And when you have that friend, you shall take all that you have and throw it at this task to get it done, but as in Kether way up there, in a way that isn’t going to just burn you out. DO, but do for you, as you must, in your time!

Ta Da! Hit me up with any questions!

#tarot spreads #tree of life tarot spread #occult #magick #divination #cartomancy