Children of the Light, in the coming week the work of Spirit will be in delivering us to the gates of manifestation in the material realm. Early in the month we saw the spark of fire and spirit, of creativity and drive, of sexuality and desire. This great power brings not only enthusiasm but also some confusion as we give attention to various areas of our lives and may end up unsure on how to best apply the energy of newness and of motivation. In the Theme position we have the 2 of Swords and the Emperor. This card duo here speaks of a bringing to clarity and union of mind and spirit (2 of Swords) as to how to best employ our Spirit-given power in bringing things to successful fruition and order in the world (Emperor). So, the energy in the coming times is one of condensing and organizing of our thoughts into concrete channels of creation.

In the “Focus On” position we find the 7 of Cups and the 6 of Swords. The 7 of Cups often indicates fantasy and having too many options; but here it is inviting us to use our power of imagination for our benefit. With our thoughts we create our reality, so we do well in applying our many daydreams—however in a structured manner—towards accomplishment in the manifest life. Look at the figure in the card, there is a celebratory stance to her. Let us greet the dreams that seep up from within us with a warm welcome—many of them are here for our edification. According to the Luminous Void’s guidebook, the 6 of Swords means “logical, analytic, rational thinking.” So here we have an antidote to the unpractical aspects of the 7 of Cups. We combine our innate logical and rational thinking abilities, without trying to limit Spirit but instead by getting real about where we are, and about what we need to do to get to where we want to go. This combination is the source of the mental harmony promised by the 2 of Swords that is the theme for the coming weeks.

We are urged NOT to focus on The Chariot Reversed and the 7 of Discs. The Chariot reversed can indicate lack of progress or stunted momentum. So, this is a call for us not to be dissuaded by appearances of lack of progress. Much of our evolution and growth is done within, and sometimes outer manifestation takes some time. Also, let us know get stuck in how we were unable to go on in times past. Onward and upward! The 7 of Discs speaks in unison with the previous card: it urges us to look away from what we believe to be unfruitful efforts. Look away from the apparent defeat, from the seeming lack of results and rewards. Again, the result will come when the metaphysical conditions for its existence are met. Look away from the barren tree for it will prove fruitful once again.

The Energetic Pull of the coming times is the 6 of Discs and the Page of Discs. The Page of Discs states that the work we are engaging on will take us to a new stage of understanding of the connection between our thoughts and the happenings of manifest reality. We are invited to enter this stream of upgrade on our personal powers and consciousness. Spirit is handing us a coin that we may choose to accept by putting it to work. The 6 of Discs can symbolize the flow of reality, the flow of the material world, and the flow of abundance. It is a stream from which we take that which we give. Incremental gain and success are a possibility at hand, should we choose to personally enter this chapter in the curriculum of life.

Crowning the deck was Death reversed, hinting that any inability to release old ways of thinking by engaging in inner work will be obstacles on our path. As I cut the remaining cards to place them in the picture, The Devil peeked out. Some say that The Devil card is the gatekeeper of the material world. This card here whispers of the nature of our work: one of actualization, manifestation, materialization and victory through mental transformation and belief. Belief in the power of the Universe, and belief in our own powers as Emperors of our little worlds. Believe in Spirit; believe in yourself. Happy happenings to you.